This story starts way back in 1942 in Havana, Cuba. A man named Angel Martinez bought a small warehouse in the middle of Empedrado Street. This explains the name – translated literally, La Bodeguita del Medio means “The Little Warehouse in the Middle.”
Initially, Mr. Martinez’s warehouse sold rice, butter, beans, eggs, alcohol, and canned goods. Eventually, the editor of a publishing house moved next door. Since the publishing house printed mostly art and literature journals, a number of artists, writers, and bohemians began hanging around Empedrado Street. Angel Martinez began serving them Creole food like minced pork, beef jerky, black beans, rice and beer. This is how La Bodeguita went from being a store to a restaurant and bar.
Almost seventy years later, the original Bodeguita del Medio still stands in Havana. Ernest Hemingway became a regular there, and made it famous outside of Cuba. In order to open a new Bodeguita under the chain, the chef, lead bartender, and all the musicians must be Cuban.
Today, there are Bodeguitas del Medio in cities around the world: Prague, Kiev, Skopje, Nicosia, London, and Milan. There are six in Mexico alone: Mexico City, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and it's newest additon in Sayulita.
The Puerto Vallarta Bodeguita opened on the Malecon in 1999. The first thing you’ll notice when you walk in is the atmosphere. “Atmosphere” is an overused word when it comes to bars and restaurants, but La Bodeguita has it in spades. Almost every available inch of space – even the hanging lampshades – are covered in thousands upon thousands of signatures of people who have visited. (This is a tradition that started at the original Bodeguita in Havana when Nicolas Guillen, Cuba’s most famous poet, signed the wall. Today, that same Bodeguita holds the world record for the restaurant with the most signatures, at over 3 million!) Ernest Hemingway started another tradition of famous people visiting Bodeguitas; the walls are covered with hundreds of framed photos of presidents, actors, musicians, and other celebrities who have visited.
One of the most important parts of the atmosphere is undoubtedly, Caribe Expresso, the house Cuban band. They usually start playing after 9:00 every night, and their impeccable salsa music never fails to get people out of the seats and dancing.
The ground floor of La Bodeguita has the longest bar I’ve ever seen. Behind the bar, there’s a seemingly endless row of new bottles of Havana Club white rum lined up. The bartenders have to work fast to keep up with the demand for mojitos, La Bodeguita’s signature drink. The mojito is a famous Cuban cocktail made with white rum, fresh lime juice, mint sprigs, sugar, and soda water. They’re crisp, refreshing, and perfect for Vallarta’s hot weather.
And let’s not forget the food. La Bodeguita serves up a number of Cuban dishes, like platanos maduros fritos (fried ripe plantains), moros y cristianos (“Moors and Christians,” or rice and black beans), camaron al mojo naranja (orange mojo shrimp), Cuban paella, and the restaurant’s signature, pierna de cerdo asada en su juego (grilled pork leg au jus). This dish is marinated for twelve hours and is served with mojo sauce and fried onions. The portions for all the dishes are huge; as the menu explains, “Cuban food is served family-style and is meant for sharing.”
A visit to La Bodeguita del Medio is a must-do during any trip to Puerto Vallarta, and we can’t recommend it highly enough. Try some Cuban food, sip a mojito while watching the sun set over the Pacific, enjoy the live salsa music, and maybe even take a spot on the dance floor.
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Map Channels: free mapping tools
Puerto Vallarta location:
Address: Paseo Diaz Ordaz 858-A
Hours: 11:00 A.M. - 4:00 A.M.
Phone: 322-223-1584
Website: http://www.labodeguitadelmedio.com.mx/
Email: gerenciapvr@gruposon.com
Sayulita Location:
Address: Revolucion #30-A
Telephone 329-29-138-66
Open 1pm to 1 am. 6 pm -1 am dinner. Drinks starting at 1:00 PM.
