CAFE HAVANA
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Cafe Havana
Getsemaní, Calle del Guerrero con Media Luna, Esquina, Cartagena call 310 6102324 mail [email protected] click cafehavanacartagena.com Wednesday - Saturday: 9 PM - 3 AM+ Sundays during Public Holidays Good for: the best live salsa music, great ambience, potent mojitos |
You'd be hard-pressed to find any list of Cartagena recommendations that doesn't include the (self-declared) World Famous Cafe Havana. Our guide to the city's best bars is no exception.
To really get a sense of the culture of Cartagena (and Colombia and Latin America generally), you really have to appreciate the importance of music; the way locals carry it in their blood, are raised with it, live within it. You can see it in the elderly couple pumping out Hector Lavoe from their living room radio or the music and dance spilling out from the corner tiendas, but to really raise the stakes, Cafe Havana is hands-down the best place for big-band, live salsa music.
Located on the bustling corner of main drag Media Luna, Cafe Havana was a game-changer for the previously no-go zone of Getsemani. With its opening and triumphant success, finally there was a reason for the well-heeled sorts from the higher classes in Colombia to break through the Old Town/Bocagrande bubble and experience things on the grittier side of the track.
After surviving the line and paying your cover-charge (don't begrudge it, there's a bunch of world-class musicians it goes to support), you'll enter a world of Old Havana. Cuban flags cling to the ceiling, salsa greats smile from black and white frames, and amber lights warm the ambiance just as effectively as those potent mojitos warm the patrons.
The music covers the spectrum of salsa styles, from the Son Cubano made famous in Buena Vista Social Club, to the hits of home-town hero Joe Arroyo. Cafe Havana attracts the very best musicians and watching them jam on stage with all that latin sabor is really special.
If dancing is more your thing, you'll want to stake out a corner site towards the back of the bar or modify your steps to take up the minimum space possible. Things get crowded and sweaty. But that's all part of the fun. The crowd will be a mix of Colombians (largely from Bogota and the interior of the country plus some high class Cartageneros), visitors from across Latin America and a handful of gringos. It can be touristy, especially during weeknights when less locals go out, but there's always a great energy whatever the makeup.
Timing your arrival can be tricky. As a guide, doors open at 9 but the band sometimes won't start until 11pm. But if you leave your arrival too late, getting a table or even space to stand, can be near impossible. The band plays through until 2.30 and sometimes later. So we'd suggest a pre-game afternoon siesta is essential.
To really get a sense of the culture of Cartagena (and Colombia and Latin America generally), you really have to appreciate the importance of music; the way locals carry it in their blood, are raised with it, live within it. You can see it in the elderly couple pumping out Hector Lavoe from their living room radio or the music and dance spilling out from the corner tiendas, but to really raise the stakes, Cafe Havana is hands-down the best place for big-band, live salsa music.
Located on the bustling corner of main drag Media Luna, Cafe Havana was a game-changer for the previously no-go zone of Getsemani. With its opening and triumphant success, finally there was a reason for the well-heeled sorts from the higher classes in Colombia to break through the Old Town/Bocagrande bubble and experience things on the grittier side of the track.
After surviving the line and paying your cover-charge (don't begrudge it, there's a bunch of world-class musicians it goes to support), you'll enter a world of Old Havana. Cuban flags cling to the ceiling, salsa greats smile from black and white frames, and amber lights warm the ambiance just as effectively as those potent mojitos warm the patrons.
The music covers the spectrum of salsa styles, from the Son Cubano made famous in Buena Vista Social Club, to the hits of home-town hero Joe Arroyo. Cafe Havana attracts the very best musicians and watching them jam on stage with all that latin sabor is really special.
If dancing is more your thing, you'll want to stake out a corner site towards the back of the bar or modify your steps to take up the minimum space possible. Things get crowded and sweaty. But that's all part of the fun. The crowd will be a mix of Colombians (largely from Bogota and the interior of the country plus some high class Cartageneros), visitors from across Latin America and a handful of gringos. It can be touristy, especially during weeknights when less locals go out, but there's always a great energy whatever the makeup.
Timing your arrival can be tricky. As a guide, doors open at 9 but the band sometimes won't start until 11pm. But if you leave your arrival too late, getting a table or even space to stand, can be near impossible. The band plays through until 2.30 and sometimes later. So we'd suggest a pre-game afternoon siesta is essential.