Timetable
Bakeries, cafeterias and ice cream shops are usually open all day, until 7, 8, 9 or even later. However, there are no set rules here and to avoid going out of your way, it's best to make a quick phone call. Bars usually open during the day, but tend to fill up when the sun goes down, i.e. around 6-7pm, and close around 1 or 2am, sometimes later.
Budget & Tips
In the cafeterias of the capital, the price of a coffee goes from 1 to 2 €, while a cocktail is generally worth 1,50 to 3 €, as long as you go to bars where you pay in CUP (Cuban peso)! On the other hand, as soon as you go to the rooftop bars of the big hotels of the capital, the price can be multiplied by 3 or 4! Indeed, some hotels only accept credit cards and use the official exchange rate, i.e. around 1/25. So that a cocktail displayed at 200 CUP, paid by credit card, is 8 €!
What's very local
A coffee por favor ! Cuban coffee, not well known worldwide because it is produced in quantities too small to be exported, is particularly good! Mainly Arabica, it is grown in the semi-mountainous areas of the country and is known for its low acidity, but also for having body, medium intensity and citrus flavors. Espresso (strong) or americano (long), café con leche (coffee with milk) or cortado (short coffee with a small amount of milk), you can choose the version you like best. Note that café con miel (coffee with honey ) is a specialty of southern Cuba. Locally produced chocolate is also consumed in Cuba, and more specifically in the extreme Oriente, towards Barracoa
A little elegance. When you go out in Cuba, whether it is to go to a restaurant, have a drink or, even more so, to go dancing, you are used to dressing properly, not to say elegantly! If you are invited by Cubans to go out, leave your possible casualness in clothing and dress up!
Rum. The ron superior, twice distilled rum, conveys the warm image of Cuban culture through its light and shimmering cocktails. Havana Club owes its ron superior designation to the quality of the sugar cane from Cuba's best lands, in the province of Oriente, and to the know-how of the master distillers. But Havana Club is not the only Cuban rum brand! You can also taste in Cuba other very good brands of rum like Arecha, Santiago de Cuba, Edmundo Dantes, Varadero or Santero y Caney. Mulata rum, on the other hand, is a lower quality rum that is often served in the bars of all-inclusive hotels
Here are some rum-based cocktails that are well known in Cuba:
Cuba libre. In a large glass, pour 1 measure of rum, 5 measures of coca, the juice of half a lime and 2 ice cubes.
Daiquiri. Juice of half a lime, half a spoonful of sugar, 1 measure of rum, a few ice cubes, shaken in a shaker. Serve over ice in a cocktail glass. Some people even make it with strawberry juice!
Greta-Garbo. In a shaker, pour half a spoonful of sugar, a large spoonful of maraschino, the juice of a lime, a measure and a half of rum, 5 drops of Pernod and ice. Whisk together and serve immediately.
Havana-especial. In a shaker with a few ice cubes, 1 measure of rum, 1 measure of pineapple juice. Shake and serve strained.
Hemingway-especial. In a blender with crushed ice, 1 measure of rum, 1 measure of grapefruit juice and 1 half lime squeezed. Beat well and serve well chilled.
Mojito. The national drink of the Cubans, inherited from the king of buccaneering Francis Drake, it is Creole in the devil. Pour into a glass: half a spoonful of sugar, the juice of half a lime, 1 measure of rum, 2 or 3 ice cubes, crush a few fresh mint leaves with the sugar and lemon juice, add sparkling water and dip a sprig of mint in it before serving.
Ron Collins. Pour into a tall glass 1 measure of rum, 1 half spoonful of sugar, 1 half lemon juice, 2 or 3 ice cubes, add a slice of lemon and possibly a cherry.