Hemingway’s favourite in Havana crumbles under high prices, neglect
Sloppy Joe's Bar in Cuba, the favourite spot of American writer Ernest Hemingway and a cult place, was a tourism hit for decades. Tourists always emphasized that they could feel the New York spirit there more than in New York itself. Unfortunately, the pub is falling into ruin, deterring customers with high prices and a lack of bread.
Sloppy Joe's in Havana once attracted tourists, but now it deters them. Independent Cuban media and regime-controlled press report on the struggles of this iconic place.
The fall of the famous bar in Cuba
Renovated in 2007, the bar was one of the most frequently visited by tourists seeking mementos of capitalism in Cuba. On-site, one could taste Caribbean cuisine delicacies and feel the atmosphere from when Hemingway frequented it before the Cuban Revolution.
A few days ago, the capital's daily "Cubadebate" reported that those times are over. A culinary critic who visited the bar was shocked that Sloppy Joe's is deterred by a lack of goods, including bread. She also complained that the natural juices the place was famous for are being replaced with drinks based on dyes and preservatives.
"Lots of reminders of capitalism but no actual capitalism," the Cuban newspaper summed up.
Independent online daily 14ymedio, reporting on the Cuban bar's offer, claims that meal prices also deter customers. According to them, a single sandwich in the bar costs the equivalent of about CAD 20, and its taste and appearance are underwhelming.
They also added that the state of the premises does not encourage visits, and the ceiling is falling in the toilets.
