Cocktail Bar · Old Havana · Havana
El Floridita
The corner of Obispo and Monserrate where the frozen daiquiri grew up, with Hemingway cast in bronze at the end of the bar.
The Pitch
Two Centuries Behind One Bar
El Floridita opened on Calle Obispo in 1817 and calls itself the cradle of the daiquiri, a claim Wikipedia and most cocktail historians let stand. Bartender Constantino Ribalaigua Vert perfected the frozen version here in the 1930s with white rum, lime, sugar, maraschino, and crushed ice. The World's 50 Best Discovery list still includes the room today.
Ernest Hemingway drank his daiquiris here and said so in writing: my mojito at La Bodeguita, my daiquiri at El Floridita. A life size bronze of the author now leans on the bar's far corner, and every visitor photographs it.
Be clear about what this is in 2026: a tourist landmark with tour group surges and landmark prices. Go anyway, before noon, and order the thing the room invented.
The Room
Red Jackets and Regency Velvet
The room keeps its mid century salon look: long bar, red jacketed bartenders, velvet banquettes, and a mural of old Havana harbor behind the bottles. The Discoveries Of notes live music runs on and off through the day, so the room rarely sits quiet. The Hemingway bronze holds the left corner seat permanently.
The Drinks
Order the Daiquiri It Invented
The Daiquirí Floridita runs about USD 7.50 and arrives blended, cold, and exact. The Papa Doble, Hemingway's double rum version with grapefruit and no sugar, is the second order. TripAdvisor reviewers consistently rate the daiquiris as the reason to come and the food as the reason to eat elsewhere; skip the restaurant side.
The Crowd
Tour Groups by Day, Pilgrims by Night
Midday brings cruise and tour groups three deep at the bar; reviewers on TripAdvisor flag the crush repeatedly. The live trio keeps playing through it. After 9pm the room thins to cocktail pilgrims and the bartenders get time to work.
What regulars say:
- TripAdvisor reviewers call the house daiquiri delicious and the crowds the price of admission.
- The Discoveries Of describes live music playing on and off throughout the day.
- Island Runaways and others point drinkers one block to Bar Monserrate when Floridita prices sting.
Who it is for:
- Cocktail history pilgrims making the canonical Havana stop
- A first night in Havana, paired with dinner elsewhere on Obispo
- Avoid if you want local prices; Bar Monserrate a block away charges half
The Verdict
Where It Lands
Landmark first, bar second, and still worth thirty minutes of any Havana itinerary. Drink the frozen daiquiri at the bar Constantino built, photograph the bronze, and move one block on for round two.
Good to Know
Visit Information
Getting there: Calle Obispo 557 at the corner of Monserrate, the eastern end of Old Havana's main walking street. Every taxi and almendrón driver knows it.
Timing: Open daily 11am to midnight. Before noon or after 9pm beats the tour group window.
Cost: Daiquiris about USD 7.50, roughly double the Old Havana average. Cards are unreliable in Cuba; bring cash.
Pair This Bar With
More Nights Out
Own or manage a bar in Havana?
Sponsored listings, newsletter placements, and city guide partnerships put your venue in front of the right audience.
Worth Going To
Keep Exploring