Cuba - Lonely Planet [102]
Cubans haven’t really caught onto the idea of coffee ‘to go’ and you’ll get baffled looks if you ask for a coffee para llevar (takeout).
Groceries
HABANA VIEJA
Café Santo Domingo (Obispo No 159 btwn San Ignacio & Mercaderes; 9am-9pm) Some of the best bread and pastries can be procured at this place, downstairs underneath the cafe.
Harris Brothers (O’Reilly No 526; 9am-9pm Mon-Sat) The best-stocked grocery store in Habana Vieja sells everything from fresh pastries to baby’s nappies. It’s just off Parque Central and is open until late.
The local farmers market is called Agropecuario Sol (Sol btwn Habana & Compostela).
CENTRO HABANA
Supermercado Isla de Cuba (cnr Máximo Gómez & Factoría; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) On the southern side of Parque de la Fraternidad, with yogurt, cereals, pasta etc. You have to check your bag outside, to the right of the entrance.
Almacenes Ultra (Av Simón Bolívar No 109; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) A decent supermarket in Centro Habana, at the corner of Rayo, near Av de Italia.
La Época (cnr Av de Italia & Neptuno; 9am-9pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun) A hard-currency department store with a supermarket in the basement. Check your bags outside before entering this epic Havana emporium.
For fresh produce hit the free-enterprise Mercado Agropecuario Egido (Av de Bélgica btwn Corrales & Apodaca).
VEDADO
Supermercado Meridiano (Galerías de Paseo, cnr Calle 1 & Paseo; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sun) Across the street from the Hotel Meliá Cohiba, this supermarket has a good wine and liquor selection, lots of yogurt, cheese and chips.
There are numerous agropecuarios:
Calles 17 & K (cnr Calles 17 & K) A ‘capped’ market with cheap prices, but limited selection.
Calles 19 & A (Calle 19 btwn Calles A & B) Havana’s ‘gourmet’ market, with cauliflower, fresh herbs and rarer produce during shoulder seasons.
Calles 21 & J (cnr Calles 21 & J) Good selection, including potted plants.
Organopónico Plaza (cnr Av de Colón & Bellavista) One of Havana’s biggest organic farms with a retail market.
Tulipán (Av Tulipán) This is a huge, ‘capped’ market, with prices set by the government, so it’s cheap.
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DRINKING
Habana Vieja
La Lluvia de Oro ( 862-9870; Obispo No 316; 24hr) It’s on Obispo and there’s always live music belting through the doorway – so it’s always crowded. But with a higher-than-average jinetero/jinetera to tourist ratio, it might not be your most intimate introduction to Havana. Small snacks are available and the musicians ‘hat’ comes round every three songs.
La Bodeguita del Medio ( 86-68-87; Empedrado No 207; 11am-midnight) Made famous thanks to the rum-swilling exploits of Ernest Hemingway (who by association instantly sends the prices soaring), a visit to Havana’s most celebrated bar has become de rigueur for literary sycophants and wannabe writers. Past visitors have included Salvador Allende, Fidel Castro, Nicolás Guillén, Harry Belafonte and Nat King Cole, all of whom have left their autographs on La Bodeguita’s wall – along with thousands of others. These days the clientele is less luminous, with package tourists bussed in from Varadero to delight in the bottled bohemian atmosphere and the CUC$4 mojitos (which, though good, have lost their Hemingway-esque shine). The menu specialty is comida criolla or ‘the Full Monty’ Cuban-style (CUC$14).
Café París (Obispo No 202; 24hr) Jump into the mix by grabbing one of the rough-hewn tables at this Habana Vieja standby, known for its live music and gregarious atmosphere. On good nights, the rum flows, talented musicians jam and spontaneous dancing and singing erupt from the crowd.
Bar La Marina (cnr Oficios & Brasil; 10am-11pm) This pleasant outdoor courtyard with a ‘ceiling’ made out of twisted vines is as an agreeable Old Town nook as any. You can grab a bite to eat, feast on popcorn or just sup quietly on a mojito while the resident