Dive Bar · Old Havana · Havana
Dos Hermanos
The long wooden bar by the docks where sailors, smugglers, and poets drank for a century before the tour buses found Empedrado.
The Pitch
Built for Sailors, Kept for Drinkers
Dos Hermanos opened in 1894, founded by the Gonzalez brothers from Granada, and the name never got more complicated than that. The tavern sits at Avenida del Puerto and Sol, directly opposite the Rum Museum, with the harbor across the road; La Habana's city guide calls the room bohemian and the location explains the clientele it kept for a century.
The guest book beats most bars on the island. Federico Garcia Lorca drank here during his 1930 stay, and Hemingway, Graham Greene, Marlon Brando, and Errol Flynn all passed through, per La Habana and CubaPLUS. During Prohibition the bar filled with Americans drinking what their own country had banned.
Today it trades as the calm counterweight to the Empedrado circuit: same rum, fewer phones, and a band with room to breathe.
The Room
High Ceilings, Harbor Light
One long wooden bar runs the length of a high ceilinged room, with big doors and windows opening toward the port and colonial style lanterns over wood and iron furniture. CubaPLUS notes the recent renovation kept the austere front and the bottle wall behind the bar. It still feels like a tavern, not a museum.
The Drinks
Rum First, Everything Else Second
Order Cuban rum neat from the bottle wall, or a mojito at about USD 5, a dollar or two under the Empedrado tourist rate. Difford's Guide lists the room for exactly this: honest classics without ceremony. The kitchen does stews, sandwiches, and roast chicken in the old sailor portions; Tripadvisor reviewers rate the band and the bar above the food, which is the right order.
The Crowd
Locals, Ferry Riders, and the Curious
The dockworkers are history, but the room still draws more habaneros than most Old Havana bars, plus travelers walking the harbor road between the Rum Museum and the ferry terminal. Live son runs most afternoons, and Tripadvisor reviewers single out the classically trained singers.
What regulars say:
- Tripadvisor reviewers call it a Hemingway bar without the Hemingway markup and praise the live band.
- La Habana's guide files it under bohemian Havana and leads with the 1894 founding date.
- Difford's Guide lists it among Old Havana rooms worth crossing the harbor road for.
Who it is for:
- Drinkers who want the historic Havana bar without the tour group crush
- A slow afternoon of rum, son, and harbor light after the Rum Museum
- Avoid if you need polish; this is a tavern and proud of it
The Verdict
Where It Lands
The best value history in Old Havana. Pair the Rum Museum with two hours at the long bar, then walk up Sol street into the old town for dinner.
Good to Know
Visit Information
Getting there: Avenida del Puerto 304 at the corner of Sol, directly opposite the Rum Museum and a short walk from the Regla ferry terminal.
Timing: Open daily from about 10am to midnight. Afternoons get the band; evenings get the locals.
Cost: Mojitos about USD 5, aged rum pours about USD 6, plates around USD 10. Cash only in practice.
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