Madrigal

CA4
Style of place: Contemporary Bar
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service
Best for: Intellectual, intense, artistic vibe in a superbly decorated locale
Worst for: Your presence always seems like an inconvenience. Uncomfortable chairs.
Calle 17 No. 302 (altos) entre 2 y 4, Vedado
(+53)7831 - 2433
6pm-midnight Tue-Sun; 6pm-4am Fri & Sat
  • Café Madrigal is the sort of place that Hemingway would have liked in his Paris phase–intellectual, intense, artistic. A gathering point, a meeting place rather than simply somewhere to get something to eat or drink. After a whole year of repairs and transformations to the original structure (which dates back to 1919), Rafael Rosales opened Café Madrigal. While the bare brick walls reveal the work of masons who materialized the architecture of the emerging El Vedado in the early 20th century, they disclose also the story of Rosales’s life through art and images, pictures and artefacts. Rosales has worked with Cuban cinema for over 20 years.

    Our only gripe is that at times the management/staff simply don’t seem friendly enough, attentive enough or quick enough. You get that look you might expect the third time you ask your girlfriend to get another beer out of the fridge – a) Why are you drinking so much and b) Do I look like your personal slave catering to your every whim!

    
  • Hotel Raquel – Bar Lejaim

    Hotel Raquel – Bar Lejaim  LH 2+

    This is a pleasant downstairs bar located in a gorgeously renovated Old Havana boutique hotel whose roof will take your breath away. Every Wednesday evening there is an open bar.

    Imágenes Club

    Imágenes Club  LH 2+

    Situated across from the Amadeo Roldán theatre this is a piano bar, which is a good option when you are looking for somewhere new. Small, clean, pleasant with a variety of entertainment and surprising …

    Telégrafo Hotel bar

    Telégrafo Hotel bar  LH 2+

    This contemporary ground floor bar would not look out of place in New York or LA. Well worth a pit stop although as with many of these types of bars in Cuba it never really manages to create a funky b …

    La Roca

    La Roca  LH 2

    La Roca has a very pleasant bar with great decoration (lots of 1950’s art deco glass), which makes a good pit stop if you are around. Recently this has started to attract large queues of mainly Cubans …

    La Red

    La Red  LH 2

    A small underground bar which has a variety of shows and live music. If you are close by and want to pop in, it’s a good option; otherwise not too much to commend it. Does good temba.

    Amanecer

    Amanecer  LH 2+

    The shows at this quite large club with a capacity of 130 generally start around 10pm with a mixture of your normal Cuban fare. To look out for is the Thursday night DJ who plays spinning salsa, regga …

    Ambos Mundos Hotel (Lobby Bar)

    Ambos Mundos Hotel (Lobby Bar)  LH 2+

    The elegant lobby bar of this hotel can have its ambience thrown somewhat out of sync by visiting tour groups on the Hemingway hunt. There is however often a great piano player downstairs and the roof …

    Cocodrilo Humor Club

    Cocodrilo Humor Club  LH 2

    This is a comfortable place with a nice modern ambience inside. It features comics on a nightly basis who, if you can manage to understand what they are saying, can be pretty funny although much of th …

    Cafetería 23 y P

    Cafetería 23 y P  LH 2

    Close to the Yara cinema, this is a regular bar that has become a gay evening hangout simply because most of its clients happen to be, well, gay.

    Chico O’Farrill Bar

    Chico O’Farrill Bar  LH 1

    One of the better places among those found in Havana Vieja’s hostales, this place serves as a relaxing hideaway by day or by night. Bands perform on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. While it has an I …

    « 8 of 8 pages