Bertolt Brecht Café Teatro

CA5
Top Pick
Style of place: Traditional bar
Cover: CUC 2
Style of music: Contemporary fusion
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service
Best for: Where the hippest Cuban musicians play for fun. Young cool Cuban crowd.
Worst for: Difficult to get exact program details. Musicians start late. Plumes of smoke in entrance way.
Calle 13 e/I y J, Vedad
(+53)5378 - 301354
8pm to 2am Wed to Sun
  • The Teatro Bertolt Brecht has a number of attractions including No Se Lo Digas a Nadie (Don’t tell anyone!) nights which features some of the best contemporary Cuban musicians in an MTV’s unplugged scenario in a large basement venue. There is also a great bar here which is open even on nights when there is no band playing. This has an Art Nouveau feel to it and is a relaxed (and cheap) place to take the heat out of the day. On nights where there is a band expect the bar to be packed with a cool young Cuban contingent. This is a place to meet young twenty-something Cuban partygoers.

    No Se Lo Digas a Nadie (don’t tell anyone): Havana’s coolest club
    By Sophia Beckman

    Wanna know where cool, normal hip Cubans hang out? If you also are interested in hearing some of the coolest Cuban contemporary fusion musicians then you need look no further than the Cafe Teatro Bertolt Brecht and the No Se Lo Digas a Nadie (Don’t tell anyone!), nights (typically Tuesday, Thursday and Friday). If you want salsa or Buena Vista Social Club style traditional music then this is probably not your place, otherwise, get on your best garb and head on down… just don’t tell anyone!

    This has got to be the coolest nightspot in Cuba. While there is a theatre in the building we are talking an informal and popular music venue for some of the best contemporary Cuban musicians. Think MTV’s unplugged. The place itself is a basement café theatre, Café Brecht, known as No Se Lo Digas a Nadie (Don’t tell anyone!).
    The idea of this place was to create a space where people could hear music that was both good and affordable (you can pay 50 local pesos to enter). Inside we are talking low ceilinged, 50`s style chic. Tables are at a premium, so get there early if you want a comfortable seat. Rarely for Cuba this is a non-smoking joint, which will be a relief for many (although take a mask for the corridor outside).
    This is where the coolest musicians play for fun, think Sintesis, David Torrens, Qba Libre, Polito Ibáñez, Interactivo and Raul Paz. The crowd is mostly young Cuba and includes the screaming girls at the front who always seem too old to be teenagers – what do I know. There is no real dance floor but moving to the music is obligatory. The bar (also non-smoking) provides great company to the main stage and in its own right is a must for a beer day or night.

    
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