Last night, on our way to dinner, Robert and I decided to stop for a drink at Havana, a bar located a few blocks away from our apartment. Although it has been open for nearly a year, we only just discovered it the other day. Havana has done a good job of keeping itself hidden. To get to Havana, you enter through an unmarked door in the middle of a generic parking lot. There is no sign, just a black awning letting you know where to go. Havana does have windows to the outside world, but they face a street that no one ever walks down. In fact, that’s how Robert discovered the place. He just happened to be walking down that street one day and, through the windows, he saw all these people drinking and having fun. A secret bar!

Well, it turns out that Robert and I are just behind the times, and everyone else has already discovered (and figured out how to get into) Havana. Supposedly, it gets packed at night when it turns into a dance club with live DJs. We were there in the afternoon so it wasn’t too busy. It was just us and a bunch of students from the beauty school next door. They were a little loud but, otherwise, Havana was a really comfortable spot to be.

The decor at Havana is, not surprisingly, vintage Cuba featuring lots of pastels and gold trim and palm plants. High ceilings give the place an airy atmosphere, and tall windows let in lots of light. There are a few roomy booths along one wall and plenty of barstools along the bar and another wall. There is also a cozy lounge upstairs that can be reserved for large parties.

We sat at the bar and chatted with the bartender who was really friendly. I get the feeling that he’s not from Capitol Hill, evidenced not only by the lack of attitude but also in his choice of music. You don’t hear too much Bachman Turner Overdrive on the Hill. I loved it, of course. I’m not a fan of classic rock or anything but, any place that rejects the indie music snobbery present at most Capitol Hill bars, is okay in my book. Plus, BTO? That’s almost wacky enough to be cool.

The cocktail menu at Havana is pretty short and focuses mainly on cocktails with a tropical flair. Most of the specialty drinks are made with rum or tequila. That said, don’t expect to see any frothy, too-sweet pineapple drinks garnished with party umbrellas. The cocktails at Havana are all very sophisticated. I started with the Paper Tiger which is Plymouth gin, lemon and blood orange bitters. It was served in a narrow glass with a sugared rim and raspberry garnish. It was delicious; lemony and just a little bit sweet. My second drink was El Floridita. This was made with white Bacardi rum, grapefruit, lime, and a bit of Maraska Maraschino liqueur. This was my favorite of the two. I am not a big fan of maraschino in general, but it really worked here. It added a very subtle, dark cherry flavor to the cocktail.

Overall, we really liked Havana for afternoon cocktails. If you’re not afraid of secret entrances and a little classic rock now and then, you should check it out. Havana is located at 1010 E Pike St. It is open every day from 4 PM to 2 AM and happy hour is from 4 PM to 7 PM.

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