Havana’s La Bodeguita del Medio, the birthplace of the Mojito cocktail, is known as a wonderful gathering place that truly unites colonial past with our present time through its rum cocktails, cigars and local cuisine. Today you’ll find franchise restaurants in every corner of the world such as Mexico, France, Gran Canaria, Czech Republic, etc. As part of the restaurant chain, La Bodeguita Del Medio has arrived in Budapest in December 2012. This is the first really authentic Cuban bar and restaurant in town, located in the fully renovated Fészek Klub.
The original La Bodeguita del Medio was founded by Angel Martinez in Havana in 1942 and soon became extremely popular, especially with artists and bohemians. Beside the most famous regular guest, Ernest Hemingway the restaurant welcomed Pablo Neruda, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren and other Hollywood stars – as witnessed by loads of photographs on the restaurant walls. In keeping with the tradition of the original La Bodeguita del Medio, traditional relics in the Budapest restaurant – autographs, photos and signatures from people all over the world, brought straight from Havana – include a chair turned upside down, which is devoted to the memory of a famous Cuban writer. Before heading off to World War II he asked his chair to be turned upside down as long as he returns from the battlefield. Unfortunately he never did, and since then in all La Bodeguita Del Medio restaurants they honor his memory by hanging a chair on the wall, upside down.
Budapest’s La Bodeguita del Medio with its authentic interior, cuisine, music, cigars and cocktails provides the city with a real colorful and vibrant taste of life of Havana, without a doubt. It is the best place in town to sample Cuban ambiance along with delicious cocktails such as their famous Mojitos! Beside Mojitos you’ll find typical Cuban culinary specialties like congri, roast banana, yuca mojo sauce and malanga chips, pollo al Aljibé as well as ropa vieja. The overall bright atmosphere offers a unique and friendly, laidback and fun place to spend your evenings enjoying mouthwatering and delicious food, sipping thirst-quenching cocktails with your friends or listening to live traditional Cuban music by the band La Movida. Beny Perez Garcia founded this Cuban band in 2009, the current line-up with Ignacio Carballo and Michel Carballo has been existing since 2012. With their performances their aim is bringing happiness and satisfaction to the audience so that they can guarantee quality artistic interpretation and the true flavor of Cuban music. You can enjoy the Latin fiesta through their music, while dancing into the late hours of the night, as fiesta never ends in the Budapest La Bodeguita Del Medio!
