Patrons enjoy a quiet dinner at the Cubana Cocktailbar and Restaurant in Darmstadt, Germany. After 9 p.m., the music turns a more festive. (Sam Amrhein / S&S)
DARMSTADT, Germany — You know the drill: get dressed, go somewhere to eat, figure out which bar to hit on Saturday night.
For those into good food, good drinks and good company, the Cubana Cocktailbar and Restaurant in Darmstadt is one-stop Saturday night shopping.
Start the evening around 8 by sitting down for a fine Cuban dinner and a nice cocktail. The Cubana’s owner, Savvas Poursauidis, recommends the Bistec de Cerdo — a spicy pork steak — or the Salmon a la All Cantina, but it’s hard to go wrong with anything on the menu, he said.
After an hour or so of fine food and scintillating conversation in this relaxed atmosphere, the music suddenly takes on a more festive tone, and the dinner crowd makes way for the Saturday night partygoers. Oh, the kitchen’s still open til midnight, but between 9 and 10, the Cubana fills with people looking for a nice place to drink and talk, says one staff member who goes only by the name of Billy.
The Cubana, with its palm trees, dim lighting and jungle decor, has plenty of places to belly up to the bar. Or, you can find a nice secluded spot in the corner to spend a quiet evening. There are no bands, video screens or dance floors.
The mostly 25-and-over crowd comes here for the atmosphere, Poursauidis says. And for what he called “the best cocktails in Darmstadt.”
The drink menu is larger than the food menu.
From simple drinks like beer, which start at around 2.50 euros, to the high-end cocktails made from aged whiskeys that can run more than 10 euros, the list is extensive and impressive.
There are mojitos and coladas. You can get Manhattans, gimlets (vodka and gin), and several different types of whiskey sours. But it doesn’t stop there: There are more than six pages of cocktails on the Cubana menu.
And what goes better with a fine drink but a fine cigar? And at a place where photos of longtime leader Fidel Castro and revolutionary Che Guevara line the walls, only the finest Cuban cigars will do.
But if you plan to smoke, bring your wallet. Cigars can costs as much as 42 euros.
You call it a night after one last mojito, but you’ll be back. Billy says he’ll see you again.
“When someone comes here, they have a good time, and they want to come back,” Billy says as he bids you farewell for the evening.
As always, if you drink, do so responsibly. Don’t drink and drive.
Cubana Cocktailbar and Restaurant
Darmstadt, Germany
Location: Donnersberging 20
Drinks: Pages and pages of cocktails. There’s beer, too.
Food: Large menu of Cuban/Mexican food.
Ambience: Quiet, relaxed atmosphere. Perfect place to have a drink and enjoy a conversation.
Web site:www.cubana-Darmstadt.com
