Tag Archives: Havana

April 22, 2024 · 9:36 AM

Finally visiting Heladería Coppelia in Havana

I wrote about the famous, historical Heladería Coppelia ice cream parlor in Havana, Cuba, over 15 years ago, not long after this blog started! I initially was drawn to Coppelia by its iconic and distinctive architectural structure, and was further interested when learning about the multiple currencies at play, and plethora of flavors available. Finally, this year, we were able to visit Cuba – and Coppelia.

The architecture of this “cathedral of ice cream” is truly something you have to see to believe. Just imagine that a concrete UFO landed in a Havana park, taking up a block of prime Vedado neighborhood real estate. We walked around the building several times just to take in all of its angles. Though the landmark 1966 Mario Girona architecture of Coppelia is unchanged since I wrote in 2008, there have been some other significant shifts. Coppelia used to have 2 separate lines for the country’s 2 separate currencies (CUC and CUP). However, Cuba eliminated the CUC, which was pegged to the US dollar, in 2020.

The crowds, too, seem to have gone from Coppelia. Cuba is currently in the midst of an economic crisis, which was apparent during our visit in frequent supply and energy shortages throughout the island, among other issues. This situation manifested itself in Coppelia only having 2 flavors available when we visited: guava and coconut (though it seems that a limited amount of flavors was standard situation for a while), and no lines. There were a few tourists around when we ordered, but locals were the vast majority of patrons.

The first day in Cuba we attempted to visit Coppelia, but it was closed for some kind of special event. Fortunately, it was open the second time we stopped by. Customers can order ice cream from two floors of table seating or at counters spread throughout the gargantuan complex. We climbed a circular staircase and sat on the second floor, admiring the view and the colorful Mid-Century Modern glass and wood dividers (slightly marred by ugly computer-generated signs). We placed our order directly with a roving, uniformed waiter at out table, and there was plenty of room at the counters. We each ordered a jimagua (two scoops) one of each flavor, brought to us promptly in orange plastic dishes. The total cost for 2 people was only 36 Cuban pesos, or roughly 14 US cents. It felt wrong to enjoy a dessert as such a low price.

The ice cream was good, but the experience was the real draw. Coppelia is a real part of almost 60 years of Cuban history, and one of the few places where people from all walks of life can still enjoy a treat together. An ETW Bucket List food location checked off!

Finding Spiciness in Havana

Ojacy Curbello and her husband Cedric Fernando, co-owners of Bollywood restaurant in Havana (via Reuters)

NPR’s food blog, The Salt, has a fascinating profile on Cedric Fernando, co-owner of Cuba’s only Indian restaurant. The mission of his restaurant, Bollywood, is to take down the following (quite frequent) question: “Why doesn’t Cuba have any good spicy restaurants?” A Briton of Sri Lankan descent now transplanted to Havana, Fernando seems to be giving the city’s culinary scene just the spicy jolt it needed. Bollywood, which opened last December to exactly zero customers, has taken off as of late. Us visiting won’t do much to change the clientele, apparently – the restaurant seems to cater mostly to foreigners living in Havana and tourists – but hopefully locals will develop a taste for some of the heat that, in our opinion, is all too lacking in Cuban cuisine!

Photographing the Cuban Kitchen

A kitchen in Havana – photograph by Ellen Silverman

Photographer Ellen Silverman did a wonderful photo series called “Spare Beauty: The Cuban Kitchen,” documenting kitchens around Havana, Cuba, and NPR did a short piece about the project. I’m definitely impressed by the ingenuity and personality of these kitchens. You can see the entire photo series on Silverman’s website.

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Filed under Design and Photography

Tagged as Cuba, Havana, Kitchen, photography

December 14, 2008 · 5:28 PM

Cuba: Heladería Coppelia

In many countries the water and gas industries are nationalized. But how about the ice cream industry? Well, that’s the case of Coppelia, the official ice cream of Cuba. After the 1959 revolution, Fidel Castro, who was himself a fan of ice cream, wanted to create a state-run ice cream brand that would surpass any foreign varieties in quality. And so Coppelia was born. Every town in Cuba has a Heladería Coppelia, but the centerpiece of the Coppelia empire is located in Havana. The Havana Coppelia building is a mid-century marvel, made of colored glass in steel, and designed by Mario Girona in 1966. The whole complex takes up nearly an entire block in the Vedado district of Havana and seats over 700. The Girona building rose to some fame after it appeared in Tomás Gutiérez Alea’s 1994 film Fresa y chocolate (Strawberries and Chocolate).What is interesting is that there are in fact 2 lines at the Havana Coppelia, one for those (usually tourists) who are paying CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso) and one for locals paying in CUP (Cuban pesos). Needless to say, the tourist-filled line tends to move faster. When Coppelia first opened, it boasted more flavors than Baskin Robbins at the time, though a selection 2 or 3 flavors a day is the standard nowadays. The logo of Coppelia stores are ballerina legs, as seen above, surely a reference to the ballet Coppelia.