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HAVANA, AN EPICENTER OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOREIGN ENTREPRENEURS, IS NOW REKINDLING THE CHARMS OF ITS NIGHTLIFE. BOTH WELL-KNOWN AND NEW PLACES PROVIDE THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT TO TURN THE AFTER WORK INTO AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE

A wonder city and major travel destination in the Caribbean, a trendy place these days as an epicenter of business opportunities, over the past few years Havana has been the stage of an impressive gastronomic boom, and it has brought back those nightlife circuits that made it famous years ago.
The nights are now livened up by dozens of places, some of which have decades of history, like aged heartthrobs with a cigar and a cup in their hands, and there are new premises like dandies, including signature snack bars and sophisticated cocktails.
There is a perfect place in this city for each preference. Once again, its nightlife is one of the main attractions, but it also represents a great opportunity to hold informal business meetings.
The fact of the matter is that Havana gets transformed after the hot hours of the afternoon, when it shows a touch of up-to-date sophistication and hosts those unfinished negotiations, which only reach an agreement after having shared dinner and a few drinks accompanied by an excellent cigar or the clinking of glasses bathed by rum.
Many people visit these lands, but just a few of them throw away the opportunity of sipping, just like Papa used to do, a mojito at La Bodeguita del Medio and a daiquiri at El Floridita. The city’s emblematic bars, internationally renowned for the bunch of boldface names that have enjoyed its hospitality, still lure visitors with their spirit and simplicity. La Bodeguita del Medio, 74 years after its foundation, and 199-year-old El Floridita are still the limelight of choice for those who love a bohemian lifestyle.
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is another must-see in Havana. This majestic hotel, with eclectic elegance, has witnessed the most important visits to the country. It harbors several restaurants and lounges, as well as six bars, such as the “Bar of the Famous”, and the Parisien Cabaret, a can’t-miss place if you really want to watch a gem of a show.
It’s impossible to stop mentioning Cuba’s “Paradise under the Stars”, Tropicana Cabaret. Since its opening, its stage has hosted such artists as Josephine Baker, Nat King Cole, Libertad Lamarque, among many others. Its symbol, a ballet dancer, reflects the core of its show, beautiful women and colors that speak volumes of the island nation’s character.

Eat the world up
The city, a cosmopolitan place since the times of West Indies fleets, retakes those airs coming from every corner of the world and seats them at the table. The Nazdarovie Restaurant and the Tabarish Bar are good cases in point, two references to the Russian culture with a Caribbean interpretation of their dishes and drinks.
Such cultures as the Iranian also have their oases in Havana, right on bustling 23rd Avenue, with Topoly Restaurant, a bistro specialized in Persian cuisine. The Asian gastronomic trend is also gaining momentum in the city, with significant scores of fans among foreign visitors who can also choose a deluxe option at La Bella Cubana restaurant at the Meliá Habana Hotel.
Scandinavian restaurants, Thai food, sushi, vegetarian recipes and even a place specifically devoted to Sicilian food, use reason and tastes as their weapons to win the preference of patrons. Some of them are quite special, like Versus 1900 Restaurant, a multipurpose space that gets transformed as you go upstairs; or Tales from Britain, near the Miramar Trade Center and inspired in the British pubs.
However, it’s important to recommend some places that due to their location and quality have become meeting spaces for businesspeople. That’s the case of the classic Café del Oriente, at St. Francis of Assisi Square, in Old Havana; or Café Mercurio, in Lonja del Comercio.
As for new locales, many of them have already become famous and the visits paid by Obama and other celebrities, like Madonna speak high of them. On top of that list always comes La Guarida, which is one of the oldest restaurants and has welcomed members of royal families from several countries; but mentioning San Cristóbal and Atelier is also a must. Both properties are marked by their Cuban style and cooking that deserves to be included in any gourmet guidebook.

Chic city
An explosion of new premises in recent years has branched out options and enriched the city’s nightlife. Some of them, with just a few years in the business, have been already included in the most famous “night guidebooks”. Sara’os Bar, SangriLa, Espacios, O’Reilly 64, El Bohemio, Fábrica del Arte, El Cocinero or La Esencia, among others, are some examples.
From their “happy hour” to “after party”, in many of these places nightlife begins when the sun goes down and nearly comes to an end at office time. In almost all of them, sophisticated cocktails, a minimalist modern design or the eclecticism that characterizes Havana, blend with house music, tapas or live performances by famous local artists, so the night becomes a complicity moment to please all whims.
It’s precisely at night when the city whoops it up the best, when lights and shadows reveal these places that range from the traditional to the modern. The charm that turned it into a “wonder city” truly pops up after sunset.