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Cuba
A lively, buzzing local restaurant in Vedado that does good pizzas and has – of course – great live music. Just a block from the Hotel Nacional, during the afternoons Sofia attracts a nice combination of locals sharing a bottle of Havana Club and visitors drawn in by the infectious sounds. The service is not the fastest, so best just to order a drink and relax.
Calle 23, El Vedado (one block from Hotel Nacional).
+538320740
Google map: bit.ly/ezySIa
Atmospheric outdoor bar/restaurant on Calle Obispo, not far from the Parque Central. The food is nothing to rave out, but a great band and draught Bucanero in huge tankards more than make up for it.
Location: Calle Obispo, a couple of blocks from La Floridita.
Dos Hermanos is a dependable and friendly bar and restaurant in Old Havana. Fish and shrimp are especially good and the mojitos are great. This is a bar that Hemingway and other famous writers hung out in. Its location - right by the ferry terminal and the Museum of Rum - is an easy walk.
On Sol and the waterfront, near the Ferry Terminal.
Go into the foyer of the impressive Bacardi building (it is now used as offices) in Old Havana and ask for the bar. The lift operator will take you up in his ancient contraption to a perfectly preserved art deco masterpiece.
Old wood and the bat symbol is everywhere. The only drink available was a perfect mojito ($2) when I was there (1999), but who cares? Not one single other tourist, just some staff from the building who had finished for the day.
I was stuck for two hours during an horrendous thunderstorm, it was great. Beats a week slobbing in Varadero any day.
Bacardi building, old Havana
Forget the Tropicana - if you want the most authentic Cuban music experience in Havana go to the Casa de la Musica. This is where the Cubans come to go out. Arrive early, get a table, get a bottle of rum and then watch the place erupt as the tables are thrown aside and the salsa begins.
Casa de la Música “Miramar”.
Avenida 35 esq. a 20, Miramar
Cafe O'Reilly is an atmospheric little cocktail bar with some good live bands.
203 San Ignacio
There is nothing better in Havana than sitting in the Cathedral Square. There's a fabulous cafe with white umbrellas. Drink the mojitos and enjoy watching the world go by. It's one of the best views in the city.
In front of the old cathedral in central Havana
Great bar on Obispo, one of the main thoroughfares in Habana Vieja (old town), great all-girl band in mid-late afternoons with a relaxing atmosphere, in the same street as the Hotel Ambos Mundos which contains Hemingway's room (no. 52). Also, there is an excellent bar in Calle O'Reilly, nearby - don't worry, it's not an Irish bar!
Calle Obispo 316, esquina de Calle Aguiar, Habana Vieja;
tel: 7-862-9870
Music. Atmosphere. Forget tourist traps like the Floridita, even though it's a good place to start. Proceed a short walk south to the Bar Monserrate on the eponymous street, or east on Obispo to Lluvia de Oro, Cafe de Paris or two small bars on the south side of the street, the first Escabeche, the name of the second one escapes me, for cheaper drinks, better atmosphere and great music. Obispo is fun in the daytime too.
Bar Monserrate is on Avenida de Belgica, near Calle Obrapia
Rooftop Bar with live Cuban music and beautiful views over Havana at night.
Parque Central
It's a typical bar in La Habana Vieja (Old Havana), where the first daiquiri was made, years ago. The daiquiri is a delicious drink made of rum, lemon juice and tons of ice!
Obispo No.557 esq. a Monserrate, Habana Vieja, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba;
tel: (53-7) 867 1300
Just 20 minutes by taxi from Old Havana there are perfect Caribbean beaches – fine white sand and inconceivably turquoise water — which are the perfect escape from the heat of city. There are a few beach bars serving decent fried fish, etc. Swimming pools are a rarity in Havana, but there is a good one in the lovely Hotel Sevilla — cocktails available.
A little off the beaten track. In the midweek it's full of locals, very cheap to get in and to drink, and amazing bands. Seems the place Cubans go to meet people of the opposite sex. Best thing we did in Cuba
Ave. 20 No. 3308 esq. a 35, Miramar, Havana, Cuba
The Parque Central area is the place to stay when visiting Havana. A cheaper alternative to the Parque Central Hotel is the adjoining Hotel Plaza, which was built circa 1905 and has since been renovated, with a marvellous entrance and lobby. Rooms are small and dark, but you only use them for sleeping. No pool but you can use the one down the street at the Hotel Sevilla for a few CUCs (1.08 $ U.S.) One should visit the rooftop dining room at the Sevilla, have a drink at the sidewalk cafe of the Inglaterra, and see what's happening on the Inglaterra roof, Friday or Saturday (all within 1 minute from the hotel). The roof of the Plaza gives the best view of the Bacardi building just to the east. The Sevilla and the Telegrafo are intermediate in quality and price, between the Plaza and the Parque Central. Also, it’s very close to the two art museums (don't miss the modern one of Cuban art, in between the Sevilla and the Museum of the Revolution).
Ingnacio Agramonte 267, Habana Vieja, Havana, in the north east corner of Parque Centrale, adjacent to Hotel Parque Central. Food, drinks, bottled water, bank just across the street
In the dodgy back street bars of Centro Havana, you can get two types of bottled beers. Unless, that is, they have the dispensada machine in for the night (basically a machine which serves draught beer in glasses). Not only is it way cheaper than the bottles, it's much nicer and you always get all the locals in for the night, until the machine runs out of beer. Next night, it will be in another bar - just ask where it is for the evening and you'll get pointed in the right direction. You'll probably see the same bunch of locals as the night before - good for striking up a few local friendships...
Is this your business?Search Been there
