Cocktail Bar · Old Havana · Havana
La Bodeguita del Medio
Half a block from the Cathedral, the room that claims the mojito, with every wall signed by eighty years of drinkers.
The Pitch
The Room That Claims the Mojito
La Bodeguita del Medio opened in 1942, when Angel Martinez bought a small bodega midway down Calle Empedrado, half a block from Havana Cathedral. Regulars called it the little bodega in the middle of the block, and the nickname became the official name in 1950, per Wikipedia. The bar's claim to be the birthplace of the mojito dates from those years, and cocktail historians still argue it.
The framed line above the bar reads: my mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita, signed Hemingway. Wikipedia notes founder Angel Martinez himself said the author was no regular here, which makes it the most profitable piece of disputed handwriting in the Caribbean. Pablo Neruda and Salvador Allende drank here with better documentation.
Culture Trip calls it Cuba's most popular bar, and that is the warning as much as the pitch. Come for the history and the band, not for a quiet drink.
The Room
Eighty Years of Signatures
Three narrow rooms run back from the street bar, every wall covered in signatures, photographs, and framed clutter recounting the island's past. Bartender Atlas describes mojitos built in long assembly rows to keep pace with the door. The crowd spills onto Empedrado most afternoons while a son trio plays squeezed against the bar.
The Drinks
Order the Mojito, Skip the Rest
The mojito costs about USD 6 and arrives fast: white rum, lime, sugar, soda, and a fistful of yerba buena. It is the only correct first order in the building. Tripadvisor reviewers consistently rate the mojito as the point and the back room criollo restaurant as serviceable; the roast pork plate is the safest food order. Leave daiquiris to El Floridita five blocks away.
The Crowd
Tourists in Front, History out Back
Midday and early evening bring tour groups three deep, phones first; Tripadvisor reviewers flag the crush as the price of the visit. Mornings just after opening and the last hour before midnight belong to the band, the bartenders, and anyone patient enough to reach the wood.
What regulars say:
- Tripadvisor reviewers call the mojitos worth the squeeze and warn the room is shoulder to shoulder by noon.
- Culture Trip names it Cuba's most popular bar and credits the signature walls for half the draw.
- Bartender Atlas describes the assembly line of pre muddled mojitos as a spectacle in itself.
Who it is for:
- First night in Havana, paired with a walk from the Cathedral square
- Cocktail history pilgrims doing the mojito and daiquiri circuit in one evening
- Avoid if you hate crowds; Dos Hermanos on the harbor pours calmer rum
The Verdict
Where It Lands
A landmark that earns thirty loud minutes. Drink the mojito standing at the bar, read the walls, tip the trio, and continue down Empedrado before the next tour bus unloads.
Good to Know
Visit Information
Getting there: Calle Empedrado 207, between Cuba and San Ignacio, half a block west of Havana Cathedral. Every taxi in Old Havana knows the name.
Timing: Open daily from about 10am to midnight. The first hour and the last two are the only quiet ones; the band plays through the afternoon.
Cost: Mojitos about USD 6, plates around USD 12. Cash is far more reliable than cards anywhere in Havana.
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