Café Madrigal is the sort of place that Hemingway would have liked in his Paris phase–intellectual, intense, artistic. A gathering point, a meeting place rather than simply somewhere to get something …

This was once known as the legendary beer garden where Arsenio tore it up in the 40s. It is still a big part of the live music scene today for large concerts, parties and other special events, which b …

Recently opened (early 2011) this is the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ nightclub. This is not going to be easy to find for anyone first time round but then perhaps Heaven shouldn’t be too easy to get into. Jus …

The Meson de la Flota is the quintessential tavern. Relatively dark inside and with a great flamenco band, which is basically headquartered here, this makes for a good intimate atmosphere. You do need …

Somavilla is catering to a young and hip crowd. This opened in August 2013 with a bang as the location for the first presentation of American Dj Derek Turcios in Havana. The bar itself is spacious but …

The Miramar house of music has been a mainstay for the very best salsa bands for many years now. It is an absolute must if you have any interest in salsa. It is housed in a beautiful old Havana mansio …

This really is the place to go if you want to see the very best Cuban salsa bands. The Galiano venue quickly gained a reputation as the best venue for salsa after its opening in 2003. There is much mo …

Don Cangrejo has over the past couple of years become the Friday night party venue of choice/last resort. The Friday night party crowd originally was the beautiful young Cuban crowd who were always lo …

6pm is Sloppy Joe cocktail hour again at the original Sloppy Joe’s saloon, an iconic Cuban bar that reopened Friday April 12, 2013 after a nearly 50-year break in its original location. The restoratio …

Opened in 1931, the Tropicana has played host to Benny More, Nat King Cole, Jack Nicholson and ‘Lucky’ Lucian–and many, many more. This is a Vegas-style extravaganza with seating for 1,400 people and …