Cuba - Lonely Planet [272]
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Cafetería Las Ruinas (Plaza Maceo) A fern-filled colonial patio with a bargain-basement menu of fried chicken and pizza. Order a margarita and strike up a conversation with the local street hawkers through the iron railings.
Coppelia (Maceo btwn Av Agramonte & General Gómez). Ice cream wasn’t meant to be eaten in dark, cavernous canteens, but sometimes you’ve got to integrate. Join the queue and toss a coin – fresa (strawberry) or chocolate?
GROCERIES
Mercado Agropecuario El Río (Matadero; 7am- 6pm) Above the fetid Río Hatibonico, this place is a classic example of a Cuban market where everything is grown within 500m of the stalls. Chew heartily on peso sandwiches and fresh batidos (fruit shakes, sold in jam jars); also sells an excellent selection of fruit and vegetables. Watch out for pickpockets.
For bread and delicate cakes, try the Panadería Doña Neli (Maceo; 7am-7pm), which is opposite the Gran Hotel.
Drinking
Maybe it’s the pirate past, but Camagüey has some great tavern-style drinking houses.
Bar El Cambio (cnr Independencia & Martí; 7am until late) The Hunter S Thompson choice. A dive bar with graffiti-splattered walls and interestingly named cocktails, this place consists of one room, four tables and bags of atmosphere.
La Terraza (Av República No 352; 8am-midnight) The local choice. An open-air peso place full of carefree Camagüeyanos getting smashed on cheap beer and rum.
Taberna Bucanero (República btwn El Solitario & San Martín; 2-11pm) The buccaneer’s choice. Fake pirate figures and Bucanero beer on tap characterize this swashbuckling tavern more reminiscent of an English pub.
La Bigornia (República btwn El Solitario & Oscar Primelles) The young person’s choice. A lurid purple boutique bar-restaurant with a sports store on its mezzanine level, this is where the city’s well-dressed (read scantily-dressed) 18 to 25s come for date nights and Noche Camagüeyana (see below) warm-ups.
Gran Hotel piano bar (Maceo No 67 btwn Av Agramonte & General Gómez; 1pm-2am) The jinetera’s choice. An atmospheric hotel bar (in the stately ‘Gran’) with a long wooden bar, vintage jukebox and grand piano allows cross-cultural fertilization between Cubans and tourists. Live music happens nightly after 9pm.
Entertainment
Every Saturday night, the raucous Noche Camagüeyana spreads up República from La Soledad to the train station with food and alcohol stalls, music and crowds. Often a rock or reggaetón (Cuban hip-hop) concert takes place in the square next to La Soledad.
FOLK MUSIC
Casa de la Trova Patricio Ballagas ( 29-13-57; Cisneros No 171 btwn Martí & Cristo; admission CUC$3; Tue-Sun) An ornate entrance hall gives way to an atmospheric patio where old crooners sing and young couples chachachá. One of Cuba’s best trova houses, where the regular tourist traffic takes nothing away from the old-world authenticity.
Galería Uneac (Cisneros No 159; 5pm & 9pm Sat) Folk singing and Afro-Cuban dancing happen at this place, just south of the cathedral.
Centro de Promoción Cultural Ibero Americano (Cisneros btwn General Gómez & Hermanos Agüero) Check out what’s happening at this under-the-tourist-radar cultural center housed in the former Spanish Club, which hosts tango nights and the like.
CABARET
Sala del Fiesta El Colonial (cnr Av Agramonte & República) A restaurant by day and Camagüey’s only cabaret by night. Part with CUC$7 at the door to witness an intoxicating dose of perfectly enacted Cuban kitsch.
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ASK A LOCAL
Camagüey is known as the ‘city of tinajones’ for its large earthenware pots. In the olden days they were used to store water, but now they serve a mainly ornamental purpose. You’ll see them scattered all over town.
Triny, Camagüey
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THEATER
Teatro Principal ( 29-30-48; Padre Valencia No 64; admission CUC$5-10; 8:30pm Fri & Sat, 5pm Sun) If it’s on – GO! Second only to Havana in its ballet credentials,