If you are pressed for time and have to pick one place to go for great food and drinks, make it O’Reilly 304. This paladar has gotten countless accolades for its food (one of the top 10 restaurants, best taco place and best ceviche in town). Its drinks are equally compelling, if not better! Bartender Wilson, a muscular Cubano, is the main guy holding down the fort at the bar. Here you probably don’t have to worry about bartenders scaling back on the quality and quantity of ingredients; Wilson and his team’s points of view and creativity are totally reflected in the drinks, which include amazing gin and tonics such as Red Point, Ice Baby, Habana Londres, and Jimmy Hendricks. You’ll be hard-pressed to find top-notch Monkey Gin anywhere else in Havana. There’s also a gin and tonic named after Havana’s official baseball team Industriales. Don’t miss the daiquiris, voted by us the best in town. The mango daiquiri is a particular knock-out. The only downside, maybe, is that the place is quite noisy. The mixture of music, whirring blenders and animated chatter means you may have to turn in towards someone’s ear to carry on a conversation. That surely adds to the allure for some.
Address: O’Reilly 304, Habana Vieja, La Habana, Cuba
Tel: +53 5 2644725
Opening hours: noon till midnight