Cuba Guide
Cienfuegos and Villa Clara
Bars and cafés
1 Café Teatro Terry Between Teatro Tomás Terry and Colegio San Lorenzo, Parque José Martí Opening time: Tues– Sun 9am– midnightIce-cream treats, sumptuously decorated with wafers, cocktail umbrellas and frilly paper pineapples, served in a bijou courtyard under a roof of exuberant hanging vines and flowers. Occasional live music.
2 Caféteria San Carlos Prado esq. Ave. 56 A colourless place, but it's sealed off from the street behind tinted windows and has a/c, making it a convenient spot to take a break and cool off. Serves coffee, tea, cold drinks, sandwiches and one or two cheap meals.
3 Cienfuegos bar Ave. 54 e/ 35 y 37 One of the best drinking spots for experiencing local flavour. Has a mixture of convertible and national peso drinks, including excellent mojitos.
4 Don Luis Calle 31 e/ 54 y 56, A tiny but atmospheric saloon opposite the Unión hotel where you can prop up the bar with the locals.
5 El Embajador Ave. 54 esq. 33 This cigar shop is ideal for a good-quality coffee or rum during the afternoon, accompanied by the aroma of tobacco. Has a stylishly simple but inviting little bar at the back and a more comfortable upstairs gallery, with easy chairs around a coffee table.
6 La Fernandina Prado no.5202 esq. 52 This dim, neon-lit bar on the main drag is not as divey as it looks and is one of the easier-to-find, straight-up drinking joints.
7 Palacio de Valle Prado esq. Ave. 0 Opening time: Daily 10am–10pmThe views over the bay and the city from the rooftop bar here makes it hands-down the best place in the city for a laid-back drink.
8 El Palatino Ave. 54 esq. Calle 27, Parque José Martí Opening time: Daily 9am–11pmA pleasant bar off the main square with one of the town's better selections of drinks bar; it's a popular spot with tour groups
9 El Polinesio Calle 29 no.5410 e/ Ave. 54 y Ave. 56, Parque José Martí Dark and a bit dingy inside, with a slightly bizarre bohemian vibe, this is the only non-touristy drinking joint on the main square. There is a more welcoming street-side terrace.
10 El Ranchón Los Pinitos, Prado esq. Ave. 22 Opening time: Daily noon– midnightAn outdoor bar and café sheltered under a high wooden roof in the bayside gardens of the Los Pinitos complex. This would be a really pleasant spot but for the reggaeton and pop reverberating around the place.
11 La Venus Negra Hotel Unión Calle 31 esq. 54 The fourth-floor rooftop patio bar in this excellent hotel has fabulous 360-degree views of the city and is a great place to hide out and chill. There is a pool table here too.