23 Best Nightlife in Havana, Cuba

This time warp of a restaurant was known to have been a hangout of Ernest Hemingway and prides itself as being the "cradle of the daiquiri." In 1953, Esquire even dubbed the bar one of the seven most famous in the world. It's always jam-packed with tourists dancing away to a hot Cuban band any time of day or night. The atmosphere is dark and austere, with oversize waiters dressed in undersize red-and-white formal wear plying away daiquiris or other cocktails. A life-size sculpture of Hemingway overlooks the bar eternally.

The ever-popular and always hopping Hotel Nacional, offers up another winning performance with its wild cabaret show. The lively show is followed by equally wild dancing by the audience.

If you don't want to fork out for the Tropicana, then this is the place to come.

The cover charge is CUC$35; CUC$50 gets you both dinner and the performance.

On the upper edge of Vedado near the Plaza de la Revolución, this lively disco-bar often has musical performances and dance or comedy shows. It's very popular with locals and is a great place to experience nightlife away from the touristy Havana Vieja venues.

This 24-hour standby usually offers entertainment by one of the city's excellent trios. No matter how many times you have heard "Guantanamera," these performers always give it new meaning. If you can't find much else going on in Havana Vieja at night, you can guarantee something will be happening here. This place has become so popular, in fact, that it's hard to find a seat either inside or out.

Named after its one-time owner Juan Bautista Taberna, this was Havana's first café when it opened at the very same spot in 1772. The rhythms of in-house band Conjunto Roberto Faz and their guests are some of the best you'll hear in Havana Vieja. The tall ceilings, retro atmosphere, and impressive wooden cocktail bar give this resto-bar a notable place among Havana Vieja establishments.

Tickets for a dinner and performance must be booked in advance.

Located next to the Museo del Ron, you'll step back in time when you walk through the door, and get the feel for life along the wharf. This, too, was once a Hemingway haunt, and it was also frequented at one time or another by Marlon Brando and Federico García Lorca.

Just steps from the Hotel Nacional, this dark and smoky bar offers live boleros-style music downstairs and a less than average restaurant upstairs. It can be a great option once the tunes get going later on into the night.

In the downstairs lobby of the Hotel Meliá Cohiba, this nightclub and cabaret offers a show with a torrid mix of live music and red-hot dance performances. When the main performance is over, patrons and professional dancers both join in the fray. It also offers an à la carte menu from 9 pm to 2:30 am.

Situated in a shopping complex across the road from the Meliá Cohiba hotel is Havana's other jazz place, and a good one it is. The many jam sessions and the introduction of new jazz groups mean there's lots of improvisation and hot young musicians, as well as big-name acts. It acts like a jazz-cum-supper club, where tickets include dinner and a cover charge for the music.

Don't be alarmed. You must enter through an old English red phone box, before you descend into the city's premier jazz venue. Unlike most of Havana's music venues, the sounds make you snap your fingers and shake your head instead of everything else. Shows are held nightly, and the great-value CUC$10 cover includes two cocktails.

Havana's best-known bar is a great place to hoist one for Hemingway. It's always packed with tourists looking expectantly toward the door as if Papa himself were about to swagger in and belly up to the bar. According to the man himself, this is theplace to order a mojito, as seen by the author's quote written on the wall "My mojito in La Bodeguita, My daiquiri in El Floridita." In reality the mojitos are no better here than anywhere else, but it's the atmosphere that counts. There's also an upstairs restaurant serving up typical criollo fare. Walls here are pasted with visitors' notes and pictures of the many notables that have passed through over the years, including Nat King Cole and Harry Belafonte.

This dinner and show spectacle has a feather-clad chorus, who dance to incandescent salsa. The place goes disco between and after performances and also hosts a lot of good bands. It's mainly frequented by tour groups.

This is one of your best bets for late-night entertainment in Havana Vieja, even though these days it's mostly full of tourists. It's also always full of life and is a good starting point for a night on the town. Impromptu salsa dancing often breaks out here later on in the evening, too.

This place hops all evening long, usually to the tune of a hot trio. Just across the road from here you'll see the Castillo del Farnés, where Fidel Castro used to hang out during his student days. It's not particularly notable for food or drinks, but is worth a look for historical reference.

This classy lounge offers giddy views and fabulous music from Wednesday to Sunday 9 pm--midnight. There's also a restaurant downstairs, which is open for lunch and dinner.

Havana's most famous floor show evokes a bygone era when Lucy met Ricky Ricardo. Reserve a table (this place fills up fast), which comes with a bucket of ice for your half bottle of Havana Club, and you're set for the night. More than 200 gorgeous dancers picked from Cuba's many dance troupes are guaranteed to get your attention. The cover of CUC$75–CUC$95 per person (depending on seating) is astronomical for Cuba, but the lush, outdoor venue is unforgettable. The performance includes an array of vignettes, with the dancers adorned in sometimes wild, elaborate costumes including fruity-color feathers, sequins and headgear. Shows are held daily at 9:30 pm.