The Imperatori brothers' paladar at O'Reilly 303, where the pours are heavy and the rooftop seats go first.
El del Frente means the one across the street, because it faces its older sibling at O'Reilly 304. Brothers Jose Carlos and Julio Imperatori run both, and Cubania Travel credits the pair with turning one block of Calle O'Reilly into Old Havana's best eating and drinking street.
The World's 50 Best Discovery list describes the formula: rum competing with gin across goblet sized cocktails, with service that is relaxed, charming, and heavy handed with the pours. The entrance is an unassuming door marked only BAR.
Climb past the dining room to the rooftop. That terrace over O'Reilly is the seat the whole building exists to fill.
The ground floor reads as a colorful modern paladar: patterned tile, mismatched chairs, art on every wall. The rooftop strings lights over a terrace barely wider than the street below. Generation Avocado's review calls the upstairs ambiance exceptional, and seats up there turn over slowest at sunset.
Order a gin and tonic and it arrives in a goblet closer to a fishbowl, USD 5 to 8 depending on the build. TripAdvisor reviewers rate the cocktails among the best in Havana and flag that they pour heavy on the alcohol. The shrimp tacos with homemade salsas are the standing food order; the lobster runs a close second.
The crowd skews young: Havana creatives, returning Cuban families, and travelers who did their reading. Sunset is the crush, when the rooftop fills and the ground floor holds the overflow. Weeknight afternoons are the quiet window.
The best casual rooftop in Old Havana right now, and the easiest place in the quarter to drink well without planning ahead. Time the stairs for golden hour and let the goblets set the pace.