El Floridita

Hemingway's preferred daiquiri bar, an Art Deco landmark on Calle Obispo where his bronze likeness holds his habitual spot at the end of the bar.

Address Calle Obispo 557, Old Havana

El Floridita is one of Havana's most famous bars and restaurants — a historic Art Deco establishment at the western end of Calle Obispo that claims to be the birthplace of the daiquiri and was the preferred daytime drinking establishment of Ernest Hemingway for the years he lived in Cuba. It is, therefore, extremely touristy and extremely expensive by Cuban standards.

Whether it is worth visiting depends on your relationship with Hemingway mythology. The bar itself is beautiful — red velvet, mahogany, a long counter with bar stools, and a bronze Hemingway statue at his habitual end. The daiquiris are genuinely excellent and mixed in a style unchanged from the 1950s. The restaurant serves decent Creole seafood. Go in the early morning before the tour groups arrive; the daiquiri before noon is very cold, very well made, and surprisingly reasonable when you do not have to queue for it.

bars and cafes habana vieja bar
A story
Hemingway's daiquiri at El Floridita was a double frozen daiquiri with grapefruit juice instead of lemon and no sugar, which the bartenders called "Papa Dobles" after his nickname. He reputedly drank up to twelve of these in a single session. His bronze statue sits permanently at his spot at the end of the bar, elbow resting on the counter — an unusually specific form of immortality.