Cuba - Lonely Planet [101]
Café Neruda (Map; Malecón No 203 btwn Manrique & San Nicolás, Centro Habana; 11am-11pm) Barbecued Chilean ox, Nerudian skewer, Chilean turnover? Poor old Pablo Neruda would be turning in his grave if this wasn’t such an inviting place and a rare ray of light on the otherwise mildewed Malecón. Spend a poetic afternoon watching the waves splash over the sea wall.
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FRESA Y CHOCOLATE
Aficionados of Ben & Jerry’s might find it a little lacking in creaminess but, for legions of helado (ice cream)–starved Habaneros, the famous Coppelia in Vedado is more than just an ice-cream parlor – it’s a full-on social extravaganza. Relationships have been forged here, fledgling novels drafted, birthday parties celebrated and Miami-bound escape plots hatched.
The ultimate accolade came in 1993 when Cuban film director Tomás Gutiérrez Alea shot part of his Oscar-nominated movie Fresa y Chocolate in the Coppelia park. Integral to the plot, the film’s two central characters, David and Diego, meet for the first time over ice cream when communist student (David) suspects that the cynical artist (Diego) is gay because he chooses a strawberry flavor over the more macho chocolate.
Set in a bizarre flying saucer–shaped building on the corner of Calles 23 and L, the Coppelia is famous for its queues, which spill haphazardly onto the street and continue snaking for at least a block. As a tourist you’ll probably be directed by a security guard into a smaller, Convertible-paying outdoor section, but dodge the directives. Queuing is an integral part of Coppelia folklore, an experience as traditional as the table-sharing, the cheap ice cream (you’ll pay in pesos if you sit inside), the spontaneous conversation and the uncensored people-watching opportunities that abound upstairs.
First opened in 1966, the state-run Coppelia claims to be the largest ice-cream parlor in the world serving up to 30,000 customers a day. Well known for his micromanagement skills, there was a time in the ’70s when it was said that the ice-cream loving Fidel chose the daily flavors himself. These days you generally get a little more choice than the standard strawberry and chocolate, though cookies and cream with a caramel twist would be stretching it.
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Ice-Cream Parlors
Havana has some good ice cream, available both in Convertibles and pesos. Coppelia is the national chain – if you can bear the queues. Paleticas are popsicles (usually chocolate-covered), while bocaditos are big, delicious ice-cream sandwiches (often handmade). Little mobile ice-cream machines selling the soft, whippy stuff can appear anyplace anytime. Cones are sold for a couple of pesos and melt almost before you can get them in your mouth. Here are some good parlors:
Bim Bom (Map; 879-2892; cnr Calle 23 & Infanta, Vedado) Phenomenally creamy stuff in flavors like coffee, condensed milk (sounds gross, tastes great) and rum raisins; in Convertibles.
Coppelia (Map; 832-6184; cnr Calle 23 & L, Vedado) The original and best. See boxed text, above.
Heladería Obispo (Map; Obispo No 58, Habana Vieja) Pleasant parlor in the heart of Habana Vieja; often has fruit flavors (pineapple, strawberry etc).
Takeout
There are some great peso places sprinkled about, though few have names; look for the streets. Some of the most outstanding peso pizza is at San Rafael just off Infanta (look for the lines). Av de la Italia (Galiano to anyone who lives there) also has some holes-in-the-wall. Also try around Calles H and 17 where there are clusters of peso stalls and Calle 21 between Calles 4 and 6; this area is close to the hospital, so there’s great variety and long hours.
Cajitas (take-out meals in cardboard boxes) usually cost about CUC$1. Some boxes have cutout spoons on the lid, but most don’t, so you’ll have