Cuba - Lonely Planet [100]
Centro Andaluz (Map; 863-6745; Paseo de Martí No 104 btwn Genios & Refugio, Centro Habana; 6-11pm Tue-Sun) Another Spanish social club with a restaurant, the Centro Andaluz resembles an old 19th-century Andalucian flamenco bar with a chipped wooden stage and equally chipped azulejo-tiled walls. Aside from the flamenco dancing, the center also serves reasonable meals, including a house paella for two.
Cafes
Café Santo Domingo (Map; Obispo No 159 btwn San Ignacio & Mercaderes, Habana Vieja; 9am-9pm) Tucked away upstairs above Habana Vieja’s best bakery – and encased in one of its oldest buildings – this laid-back cafe is aromatic, tasty and light on the wallet. Check out the delicious fruit shakes, huge sandwich especial, or smuggle some cakes upstairs to enjoy over a steaming cup of café con leche (coffee with warm milk).
Café de las Infusiones (Map; Mercaderes btwn Obispo & Obrapía, Habana Vieja; 8am-11pm) Wedged into Calle Mercaderes, this recently restored Habaguanex coffee house is a caffeine addict’s heaven; it boasts a wonderful resident pianist, too. Fancier than your average Cuban coffee bar and more comprehensive than the Escorial (see below), you can order more than a dozen different cuppas here, including Irish coffee (CUC$3.50), punch coffee (CUC$5), mocha (CUC$1), cappuccino (CUC$1.75) and so on.
Pastelería Francesa (Map; Parque Central No 411, Centro Habana) This cafe has all the ingredients of a Champs-Élysées classic: a great location in Parque Central, waiters in waistcoats, and myriad pastries displayed in glass cases. But the authentic French flavor is ruined somewhat by the swarming jineteras who roll in here with their European sugar daddies for cigarettes and strong coffee.
Café El Escorial (Map; 868-3545; Mercaderes No 317 cnr Muralla, Habana Vieja; 9am-9pm) Opening out onto Plaza Vieja and encased in a finely restored colonial mansion, there’s something definitively European about El Escorial. Among some of the best caffeine infusions in the city served here are café cubano, café con leche, frappé, coffee liquor and even daiquirí de café. There’s also a sweet selection of delicate pastries.
Pain de París Vedado (Map; Calle 25 No 164 btwn Infanta & Calle O; 8am-midnight); Vedado (Map; Línea btwn Paseo & Calle A; 24hr) With quite possibly the best cakes in Havana – including iced cinnamon buns – this small chain does box-up cakes, cappuccinos, croissants and the odd savory snack. If you’ve been OD-ing on paltry Cuban desserts, or have hit a sugar low after a super-light breakfast, get your 11 o’clock pick-me-up here.
Café de O’Reilly (Map; O’Reilly No 203 btwn Cuba & San Ignacio, Habana Vieja; 11am-3am) Good old-fashioned ‘spit and sawdust’ cafe that sells drinks and snacks morning, noon and night. The bar is spread over two floors interconnected by a spiral staircase with most of the action taking place upstairs.
Café Literario del ‘G’ (Map; Calle 23 btwn Av de los Presidentes & Calle H, Vedado) If Havana has a proverbial Left Bank, this is it, a laid-back student hangout full of arty wall scribblings and coffee-quaffing intellectuals discussing the merits of Guillén over Lorca. Kick back in the airy front patio among the green plants and dusty books and magazines (available to read, lend and buy), and keep an ear out for one of the regular trova (traditional music), jazz and poetry presentations.
Museo del Chocolate (Map; cnr Amargura & Mercaderes, Habana Vieja; 9am-8pm) Chocolate addicts beware, this quirky place in the heart of Habana Vieja is a lethal dose of chocolate, truffles and yet more chocolate (and it’s all made on the premises). Situated – with no irony intended – in Calle Amargura (literally: Bitterness Street), the sweet-toothed establishment is more a cafe than a museum,