La Bodeguita del Medio is one of the
tourist destinations in Old Havana. It owes its popularity to
the maxim of Ernest Hemingway:"Mi mojito en La Bodeguita, mi
daiquirí en La Floridita (My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri
in La Floridita)”. Meanwhile, the place increased its fame by
the visits of some international names like Salvador Allende,
Pablo Nerudo, Agustín Lara, Brigitte Bardot, Nat King Cole,
among others.
The Bodeguita del Medio is still a
small restaurant-bar with few tables, where you can taste Creole
food, try the Cuban cocktails including the famous mojito and
listen to live music (even dance with Cuban rhythms). The walls,
particularly on the upper floor, are covered with framed photos
of the personalities that visited the place and by hundreds of
signatures of famous customers, as well as unknown people. It is
also possible to put your signature on the wall, going
downstairs. The restaurant-bar has a saloon door style and
ceiling fans rather than freezing air conditioning.
The restaurant serves typically Cuban
food, such as boiled rice, black beans, pork shank, manioc, pig
shank roasted in its juice, pork rinds and toasted fried
plantains.
