Bodeguita del medio
La Bodeguita del Medio is a typical restaurant-bar of Havana (Cuba). It is very famous and touristy for the personalities that have patronized it: Salvador Allende, the poet Pablo Neruda, the writer Ernest Hemingway and many others. La Bodeguita is also known as the birthplace of the Mojito cocktail, prepared in the bar since its opening in 1942.
The rooms full of curious objects, frames, photos, as well as the walls covered by signatures of famous or unknown customers, recount the island’s past. Along with the local food, cigars, music and mojitos, la Bodeguita del Medio offers a glimpse of Cuba’s typical atmosphere.
History
In 1942, Angel Martinez bought out the small Bodega La Complaciente in Empedrado Street, in the old Havana district. He renamed the place Casa Martinez. Angel Martinez sold typical Cuban products and, from time to time, served dinner to the regulars. But mainly, the people who were found at the Casa Martinez, were there to have a drink with their friends, and savor a brand new cocktail called Mojito, made with rum, mint, sugar, lemon and club soda.
Very quickly, the Casa Martinez became the centre of Havana’s cultural effervescence. Attracted by the bohemian charm of the place, writers, choreographers, musicians or journalists met there in a convivial ambiance.
Encouraged by a sizeable need for restaurants in the Old Havana at the end of the 50s, the place started to serve food to everyone. In 1949, the cook Silvia Torres aka “la china” prepared the food.
In April 26, 1950, the name Bodeguita del Medio[1] is officially adopted.
Name’s origin
Amongst the first clients was Felito Ayon, a charismatic editor, who rubbed shoulders with the avant-garde of Havana, and put Casa Martinez on the map amongst his acquaintances. It is the way Felito Ayon used to indicate the location of the Bodeguita to his friends, that made popular the expression Bodeguita del Medio, that was to become its official name in 1950.
Menu
The menu is typically Creole: boiled rice, black beans, pork shank, manioc, pig shank roasted in his juice, pork rinds and toasted fried plantain.
Regulars
Numerous artists and celebrities were regulars of the Bodeguita : the poet Pablo Neruda, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Gabriela Mistral, Agustín Lara, Nicolás Guillén...
But the most famous one was certainly the american writer Ernest Hemingway, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. “Mi mojito en la Bodeguita” (My mojito at the Bodeguita) can still be read on the wall today, in his handwriting.
La Bodeguita worldwide
Today, there are establishments with the same name in other places of the world such as Mexico, United-States, Czech Republic, Colombia, Venezuela, Germany and England. But it is in Spain that a company has opened four Bodeguitas del Medio, perfect replicas of the original Cuban restaurant. Today, tourists and local continue to go to La Bodeguita del Medio to drink the authentic Cuban mojito [2]
References
External Links
[1] La Bodeguita del Medio official website
[2] Hasta siempre - Bodeguita del Medio
[3] Trip Advisor La Bodeguita del Medio
[4] Havana Guide
[5] Havana Culture