Habana Vieja
More stylish man-about-town than vain popinjay, El Dandy is an unpretentious cafe by day and a cool cocktail bar by night. A casual greeter shakes your…
Must-see nightlife in Cuba
Vedado
Behold the backlit photo art, the sofa shoehorned into the trunk of an American car, and the globes doubling as lampshades. The Belview, bivouacked in a…
Habana Vieja
From a 2nd-floor balcony, high above the architectural beauty contest that is Plaza Vieja, there’s no better place in Cuba to savor a piña colada than…
Habana Vieja
'Aqui jamás estuvo Hemingway' (Hemingway was never here) reads the sign outside Chanchullero, with more than a hint of irony. It's a key point. Since the…
Havana
There are a lot of seriously weird (in a good way) places to drink coffee in Havana, but Café Fortuna Joe stands alone, mainly because of its original…
Varadero
The best coffee in Cuba outside Havana is ignored by most of Varadero's tourists simply because they don't know about it. The reason: this open-all-hours…
Matanzas
Matanzas has recently made a giant leap into a new artistic domain, thanks largely to places like this smart cafe-cum-art-collective on riverside Calle…
Trinidad
While other restaurants send their waitstaff out into the street to fish for customers, La Botija crams half the town into its lively corner bar without…
Santiago de Cuba
Slip up to the 5th-floor roof of Casa Granda for the most breathtaking sunset in Cuba. Views of the scene in Parque Céspedes and the dramatically lit…
Vedado
Art and coffee go together like Fidel and Che in this wonderfully reimagined mansion with an interior that features revolving local art. Seating is…
Sancti Spíritus
It doesn't get more underground than this Cuban-Italian cafe with its easy-to-miss sign. Follow a staircase to this 9th-floor apartment sporting tiny…
Santa Clara
You can chinwag and neck a cold bottled beer with locals of all types in this legendary dive bar under the porches of the equally legendary Teatro la…
Havana
Excellent coffee, fine croissants, suave non-reggaeton music and Charlie Chaplin movies playing on a loop in a scarred Centro Habana apartment – what more…
Habana Vieja
Live bands rock the rafters, locals knock back powerful CUC$3 mojitos, and earnest travelers banter about Che Guevara's contribution to modern poster art…
Factoria Varadero 43 Cervecería
Varadero
Specializing in large, super-chilled jars of house-brewed beer served a drunken stumble from the beach, La Factoria is related to a similar well…
Havana
This fabulously chilled tapas bar occupying an unsignposted villa in the diplomatic quarter is where hip habaneros come to consume cocktails and art…
Havana
The rooms may have lost their luster, but the Inglaterra’s open-air roof terrace remains one of the best free-entry bars in Havana for live music and…
Santa Clara
You say you want a revolution… Well, Santa Clara's a good place to start. It's already had one, successfully ignited by Che Guevara in 1958. This new cafe…
Havana
In Starbucks-free Havana, every cafe is individual and Siá Kará exhibits its character with graffiti-covered tables, an old tie collection and a parody of…
Vedado
Vedado flirts with bohemia in this dimly lit gay-friendly bar that might have materialized from Paris’ Latin Quarter in the days of James Joyce and Ernest…
Habana Vieja
A hurricane of Cuban energy, this tiny dive just off Plaza Vieja gives at least half of its space over to the nightly band, most of whom are older than…
Las Terrazas
Patio de María is a small, brightly painted coffee bar that dispatches one of the best brews in Cuba. The secret comes in the expert confection and the…
Villa Clara Province
The narrow entrance gives little away, but rather like Dr Who's Tardis, La Taberna is bigger inside than out. Walk in through the narrow bar done out with…
Holguín
Perched above Salón 1720, this is the city's poshest spot. Cocktails are in order as you drink in the views over Parque Calixto García while listening to…
Holguín
There's a young, trendy vibe at this place on Parque Calixto García. If you can't dance, stay static sinking beers on the adjacent Terraza Bucanero (entry…
Cienfuegos
At ye olde yacht club, this bar is great for cocktails and beer. Sunsets are sublime.
Vedado
Housed in an 1880s mansion, La Esencia is among Havana's trendiest bars due to its ambience, retro-style decoration and consistent cocktails. It also…
Vedado
Tucked behind a residential building in sight of the Hotel Meliá Cohiba, this small walk-up bar offers an astounding 97 fresh juice combinations using the…
Habana Vieja
El Floridita was a favorite of expat Americans long before Hemingway dropped by in the 1930s, hence the name (which means 'Little Florida'). Bartender…
Habana Vieja
Made famous thanks to the rum-swilling exploits of Ernest Hemingway (who by association instantly sends prices soaring), this is Havana's most celebrated…
Havana
Opened by young Spanish immigrant José García (aka ‘Joe’) in 1919, this bar earned its name for its dodgy sanitation and soggy ropa vieja (shredded-beef)…
Vedado
This sometimes suave, sometimes frenetic lounge upstairs at Teatro Nacional de Cuba hosts everything from young rap artists to smooth, improvised jazz…
Habana Vieja
Chocolate addicts, beware: this state-run museum-cafe in Habana Vieja's heart is a lethal dose of chocolate, truffles and yet more chocolate (all made on…
Vedado
Cafe, English-language bookshop, socially responsible community resource, and a great place for Cubans and non-Cubans to interact: Cuba Libro plays many…
Havana
The animated sidewalk cafe at the Hotel Inglaterra is an open terrace bar where mojitos and Cuba libres are served well before noon. It’s the perfect…
Trinidad
Located in an actual cave, this frenetic disco heats up (literally – there's little air circulation down there) around midnight. Entry includes one drink;…
Vedado
Below the Teatro Nacional de Cuba (side entrance), this hip disco offers live salsa music and dancing as well as bar snacks and food. It has earned a…
Habana Vieja
Havana's original microbrewery occupies a boisterous corner of Plaza Vieja and sells smooth, cold, homemade beer at sturdy wooden benches set up outside…
Cienfuegos
Cafe, souvenir stall and nightly music venue, this small space wedged between the Teatro Tomás Terry and the neoclassical Colegio San Lorenzo is the most…
Santiago de Cuba
You know Cuba is changing when you find an actual warehouse-style brewpub filled with locals quaffing pints brewed on-site. The four beers at this noisy,…
