Havana, a city playing an essential role in Cuba´s tourist activity, supports its attractions in many traditional options which are combined with unique gastronomic offers contributed by emblematic and world famous facilities.

The Bar-Restaurant Floridita stands out in this scenario and in three years it will celebrate its two centuries of excellent service for domestic and foreign visitors.

Initially named La Piña de Plata (The Silver Pineapple), the facility was opened in Havana´s historic heart in 1817; eventually it was renamed as La Florida and then, in more recent times as Floridita which is its current and world famous name.

It is important to mention that in 1953 the Esquire magazine included it among the seven most famous bars in the world, and in 1992 the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences granted it the Best of the Best Five Star Diamond Award as the Daiquiri King and the most representative fish and seafood specialized restaurant.

Excellent dishes prepared by experienced chefs support the restaurant´s condition as cuisine d'auteur with a unique seal which can only be found within the facility´s walls, which have stood the test of time.

The frequent visits of the outstanding U.S. novelist Ernest Hemingway also made a special contribution to the restaurant´s fame and it became a meeting place for intellectuals and important art and sport personalities.

El Floridita is one of those unavoidable places for Hemingway´s admirers, together with Finca Vigía, the house in Havana´s outskirts where he wrote The Old Man and the Sea.

When in Havana, the novelist used to frequent EL Floridita in order to enjoy his favorite cocktail, the daiquiri (a combination of rum, lemon, maraschino and sugar) and the mojito at the Bodeguita del Medio.

The original 10-meter long bar still exists and at one end there is a statue of the novelist to perpetuate his presence in the place.

The expansion of the Cuban tourist industry, supported by a diversity of natural, cultural and historical attractions is ideally complemented by a large portfolio of gastronomic offers in the island.

Ranging from simple places designed in the modern style of fast-food facilities to emblematic restaurants with dozens of years in the business, the alternatives are available for all tastes.

The development of Cuban society, for over 500 years, is reflected by innumerable culinary options representing those elements which make up the country´s traditions.

In this context, the influence of El Floridita has gone beyond the country´s limits to become an international symbol with franchises in the United Kingdom and in Vienna, Austria.