Where to Party: Bars and Nightclubs

If you're really into the music and club scene, check out the Yemaya's Verse blog, and her Timba Geeks Guide to Havana. The blog and guide contains a wealth of insider information on venues, how to figure out what band is playing where, what bands are hot, and much more.

La Zorra y el Cuelvo, Calle 23 No. 155 e/ N y O Vedado (tel 55 26 96)

“Best Jazz club in Cuba, expensive”

A hip, taste maker venue that puts on quality live Latin jazz nightly. Doors open at 9pm nightly, but it really gets going at 11pm. Enjoy the best Latin jazz, played by incredible musicians.

If you like Jazz music then Cuba is the place to go! The latin inspired Jazz is incredible -AND I DON'T EVEN REALLY LIKE JAZZ . There are two main clubs in Havana, the Jazz Cafe on the Malecon, a large and modern second floor club. And La Zorra y El Cuervo on La Rampa, a small smoky atmospheric basement place on La Rampa. I knew it as a cheap (and not bad at all!) CUP restaurant

Jazz Café, Third level of the Galerías Paseo mall, Avs. Paseo and 3, Vedado

This place feels a little too slick and modern to be a jazz club, with chrome-trimmed tables and chairs, a curving wall of windows, and fairly bright lighting. But a jazz club it is, and next to La Zorra y El Cuervo , this is the top spot to search out Cuba's best and brightest jazz talents.

Casa de la Musica

Casa de la Amistad

“Good music, cheap drinks, Salsa” Band Tuesday and Saturday only?

Casa de Trova. Habana Centro?

Yes, we had been talking about the place, as a friend in London had also recommended it. It was a totally chilled local kind of place, no food or drink on sale, just some chairs and people taking turns doing these music skits, there were old Cubans dancing, fat people in Polyester, a guy tap dancing in a bright red jump-suit. The only foreigners were the types you can tell have been on the road long term - dirty old sandals, beards, and unintentional dreadlocks.

Cafe de Paris, San Ignacio esq Obispo, La Habana Vieja, La Habana. Crowded with a nice mix of both tourists and locals, the drunken atmosphere is further enhanced by live bands. In a small space there are tables for two and for four, tucked close together, and a Cuban music band in the background, forcing you to speak fairly loudly if you want to be heard. It is one of the liveliest night places in Havana, offering a wide range of light meals to go with the cocktails, spirits and beers.

Club Imagenes, Calzada 602, esquina C, Vedado, La Habana. This café bar is located in the El Vedado neighborhood of Havana. The décor is pleasant and inviting and the ambience is relaxed and intimate. It is and ideal place for couples or groups of friends who would like to spend the night listening to traditional songs interpreted by Pedro Luis Guerra, one of the most popular Cuban singer/songwriters who can be seen and heard here every weekend.

Gato Tuerto (One-Eyed Cat), Calle O e/ 17 y 15, Vedado (tel 55 26 96). Just a few metres away from the splendid Hotel Nacional, Gato Tuerto is a recently renovated, pre-revolution bohemian jazz bar that has managed to keep its cool edge despite a complete renovation. Good food, rum and cocktails. Excellent jazz fusion is played nightly from 12pm to 4am. (see picture to left)

There is a place called Casa Alta close to the Miramar tunnel, which hosts very popular events with locals, drawing huge tourist-free crowds.

Karachi, Calle 17 esq. K Vedado La Habana.

This is a place to have a truly enjoyable experience, while you savor a nice long drink and enjoy musical performances and comedy shows. Here you can see some of the best Cuban
singers, from the evening until the early hours of the morning. On Sundays it opens earlier (at two o'clock in the afternoon), and stays open until around eight in the evening, with DJ Viti and guests offering disco and techno music for all you party animals out there.

La Cecilia, a former quiet restaurant in Miramar, has been turned into THE place to go on weekends: queues are huge, 99% of the people there are Cubans, entrance is 15CUC and drinks are apart. I am no longer impressed by the number of young Cubans willing to spend 50, 60 or more CUCs to show off and go out to “los mejores de los lugares”. I saw youngsters bribing the doormen 25CUC to avoid the queue. The invited band was “Gente D la Zona” a youthful reggaeton group. When they appeared, tons of expensive digital cameras and mobile phones appeared. A few years ago, this would be news in Havana; today it’s the norm in any “in” place. Occasional jineterismo takes place in Cecilia, but it didn’t look like a major hangout, probably due to the extremely low number of foreigners. The place is JAMMED in weekends.

Tropicana, Calle 72 no. 504 Mariano.

Possibly the oldest and most lavish cabaret in the world, the spectacularly colorful Tropicana features more than 200 dancers, musicians and vocalists (with an emphasis on beautiful, scantily-clad cubanas). Inaugurated in 1939, the Tropicana has an atmosphere of the 1950s with an exclusively Cuban touch. Pricey: $70/person -- make a reservation. Starts at 8.30pm with the show from 10pm to 11pm. Closed Monday.

Dos Hermanos, At the corner of Calle Santa Clara, la Habana Vieja

This is a slightly seedy port bar, but well within the safety net of restored Habana Vieja. A few jineteras and a conjunto (small musical band) are usually in attendance. There are tables scattered across two rooms, and a long, wooden bar with a good selection of call liquors. This place is open 24 hours.

La Puntilla

is still another Cubans-only place, where local comedians make fun of anything from Bush’s IQ to the lack of butter in bodegas. I absolutely love this place.

Another improbable lively place is the restaurant next to La Zorra y el Cuervo, called

Karabali.; I knew it as a cheap (and not bad at all!) CUP restaurant, but it turns out that it’s a night hangout of a very young crowd (none over 30 I’d say) and a handful of jineteras. There are frequent shows that vary from low-key Cuban bands to dancing contests that make the place go packed. Again, the vast majority are locals and foreign students.

I idiotically made it to Club Habana in Miramar on a Sunday, to find out that its disco is only open on Saturdays and Fridays.

El Chevere on the other hand, can be very empty or full of life and people, depending on when you go. Former Johnny’s is called Rio or Superclub now and although regular jineteras hang out, it’s mostly Cubans-only and most of the locals there are “normal” people. Apparently there is a new phone number one can call and find out where the “farandula” takes place, but I managed to lose it; you just ask around and people will tell you if tonight it’s the Cecilia or Casa Alta. Concerts at “El Morro” have started already (isn’t it a bit too early? I won’t complain anyway) and the disco there frequently hosts “discotemba” (70’s and 80’s hits) nights.

Compay’s grandchildren have taken over the “Septeto Habanero” folks at Casa de la Amistad on Tuesdays (Saturday is the day for more modern things over there). Early afternoon concerts seem to have increased and the same goes for early morning ones (Karabali for example hosts concerts starting at…6am twice a week!). I still have a dozen places to check out, but I need to get some sleep, too. 80s rock bands (some of which are legendary according to 40+ locals…) make appearances at 1830 or La Maison on weekend “matines”.

Cocodrilo is still the best place for stand-up comedy On Sundays it’s Rikimbily, Marikonchi and Churrisco and on Tuesdays it’s Oto Ortiz and Anael. Really hard to make a choice. Cocodrilo is such a healthy place: cheap food, Cubans only, great thought-provoking humor, no working girls and a family atmosphere; my first choice for a fun night and it becomes dance-till-you-drop after 1am.