La Imprenta Restaurant

Gutenberg’s printing press invention is remembered today in a remarkable establishment in Old Havana. Restored on top of the ruins of what used to be La Habanera printing house back in the 19th century, this place has been thoroughly revamped to recall printing houses of the time. Lovely smells coming out of this establishment add to the charm of La Imprenta, serving light food, such as medianoches (type of rolls for sandwiches), chocolate offers, stuffed potatoes, snacks and tapas. (Further reading)
It also has a charcoal grill bar serving meat and skewer options, stew dishes and a selection of wines, cocktails and local and international drinks.
Contemporary solutions stand out in the design of this establishment decorated with metal murals, designed from typographical motifs by Espacio Cubano (Cuban Space) group. Wooden tables and seats recreated with letters and numbers, additional furniture inspired by desks or with symbolic references to printing type cases, are permanent fixtures in this facility where old equipment has been placed to show what the printing process is like and produce cards, menus and other types of support for the public.
Other chief attractions of La Imprenta are the courtyard well, to which visitors can access through a wooden footbridge; mural paintings of the original house that were rescued thanks to archeologists’ work; a staircase typical of Catalan architecture; the clay paving and iron lamps. Indoor and outdoor areas make up the structure of this place which has a room called Salón Boloña on the upper floor, named after the first Cuban printer, José Severino Boloña. The kitchen, which is at the end of the ground floor, has a traditional chimney with an oven made of firebricks and is one of the areas that visitors are invited to see.
With Conde de Villanueva Hotel on one side and Café Habana on the other, La Imprenta is located on one of the city’s busiest streets. In the area around this establishment, there is the National Cuban Contemporary Ceramics Museum and the Chocolate Museum and further away, a tablao flamenco (a flamenco show) announces El Mesón de la Flota (an old-style restaurant), just a few steps to the Old Square.