Constantine's Review of the Havanna Vieja Nightlife

"... so he looked in at Sloppy Joe's instead of the Wonder Bar. No Havana resident ever went to Sloppy Joe's because it was a rendezvous of tourists; but tourists were sadly reduced nowadays in number, for the President's regime was creaking dangerously towards its end."

OUR MAN IN HAVANA,  p. 21

Graham Greene. Penguin Books. 1979

Any preview of Havanna's nightlife should start with a read (or movie) of Our Man in Havana. Graham's classic spoof on spies and intrigue sets the scene for the old, pre-Castro Havana and its nightlife. 

Starting our tour of Havanna Vieja, geographically I would have you start at the St. Nicholas of Myra Greek Orthodox Church,  just off the Plaza de San Francisco. It's a beautiful Spanish Colonial environment. As approved by UNESCO, it's a world heritage site. Walking up and turning left onto Obispo, at the colonial Plaza de Armas you will come across --

Ambos Mundos Hotel & Bar.  A short walk up from the plaza, on Obispo Calle, is this old worldly hotel. A CIA man I spoke with said to me "is that still there?" Arriving at the hotel take note of the bonsais in the hotel lobby. Your goal should be to arrive before 9 in the evening to the roof top bar. You will see and hear the festivities across the way at the Moro Castle. And to witness and hear the traditional cannon salute promptly at 9. You'll enjoy this lovely bar and lounge, the view of the city and the Moro. Two floors below you, at a corner room, you'll fine the Hemingway room and the delightfully lovely curator Esmeralda. Hemingway stayed in this room, writing at a standup desk with a view from this corner room's windows. In the evening one can imagine EH strolling up Obispo up to his bar seat at the El Floridita.

La Bodegita Del Medio Bar. A nice bar with roof top lounge. Anybody who is anybody signs their name on  the wall. Famously a hangout for all and the claim to be home of Mojito. If you don't bring a pen, your waiter will provide one.     

Floridita. 

This famous bar and restaurant should be your next stop here in Havanna Vieja. You likely will be welcomed by Ernesto who serves as manager, bouncer, door man and Bon Vivant. Bouncer - saw him do that one night - escort a local lady who was working the bar. Before you knew it, he was waltzing her to the door as quietly as you could not imagine. Might be nice - if you  see him at the door to say "Hola Ernesto". He's tall, you won't miss him.  

Constantino Ribalaigua Vert took over this bar and restaurant in 1918. It's  now a  tourist stopover to drink the Daiquiri - invented here at Floridita. So have a daiquiri, have your picture taken with the bronze statue of Hemingway and enjoy the fantastic music of the group "VD". The bassist is a nephew of the  legendary Cuban group "Los Zafiros". 

Moving on for a bite, we head a few blocks down the Monserrat - Avenida Be'lgica  to the new re-opened  Sloppy Joes Bar. On our right is the Art Deco Bacardi building. (Watch this building in the future!)

Sloppy Joes Bar.  Ah! If you saw Alec Guinness, in the movie version of Our Man ..., walking in to Sloppy Joes, you will revisit the same scene and long bar to your right. Walls are lined with bottles of whiskey,  just as you saw in the movie! This bar has been renovated since its closing in the 60's! A very nice stopover for a midnite snack. I recommend you try the Dimple  15YO scotch. Or, the Ron Mulato de Cuba, Añejo 15 Años, Gran Reserve.


Hasta, compañero.

Por el momento ...

Ron Cuba, Santiago Mulato con mi amigo "Wilton"

continued ..........