Café Columnata Egipciana, a Portuguese corner in Old Havana [Eng/Esp]
Hello my traveling friends, today I want to introduce you to a very cozy place that takes us back to a Portuguese café in Old Havana. Join me, I'm sure you'll like it.
Walking the streets of Old Havana is always a great joy for me, but today I'm even more happy because I'm walking with my son. I like to show him the interesting sights and architectural beauties we encounter along the way.
We were walking along the important Obispo Street and then along Mercaderes Street. My goal was to visit a café that I had seen some time ago, and today I wanted to see its interior because it has a unique design and a beautiful history.
The café is called Academic Café Columnata Egipciana. From the moment we entered, we were greeted by a 19th-century European style. It is dedicated to the Portuguese writer Eca de Queiroz, who was Portuguese consul in Havana from 1872 to 1874, and this was one of his favorite places. For this reason, the interior design is related to this illustrious personality and his country.
On the walls are ceramic murals depicting him and his personal details. I loved the large black-and-white mosaic photo. There are also several old paintings with period photos and Portuguese landscapes.
The place is very cozy and homey. On one side, there's a sofa and armchairs with a small table in the center. The tables and chairs are made of wood and have a very comfortable design. In one corner, there's a small piano to liven up the afternoons and evenings. The ceiling is high and made of wood, with several lamps and fans to keep the place cool.
It also has an elegant bar with several types of Cuban rums, where they also prepare refreshing cocktails.
There's a very cozy lounge with woven natural fiber furniture and a large landscape mural, also decorated with ornamental plants. It's a pleasant place for gatherings with friends.
But what caught my attention most is the open-air courtyard in the center, with a spring water well and a large photo of a typical Portuguese tram in the background, which makes it feel as if we were actually there.
We chose a small table to sit at and place our order. We first had a snack of bread with cheese, vegetable salad, and natural guava juice, then we each ordered a cappuccino.
I really liked the presentation; the tableware is very elegant, made of white ceramic with the café's logo.
The snack was very tasty and nutritious. The coffee was exquisite; I love the touch of cinnamon added to the cappuccino.
We were very satisfied with this visit because it's a place where you can learn while enjoying a coffee.
Before visiting, we were unfamiliar with this illustrious Portuguese writer. Now, I'm curious to read some of his literature.
Friends, I highly recommend visiting this Portuguese corner in Old Havana; you won't regret it.
See you soon!
Historical data were consulted on this site.
Café Columnata Egipciana, un rincón portugués en la Habana Vieja
Hola mis amigos viajeros, hoy les quiero presentar un lugar muy acogedor que nos remonta a un café portugués en la Habana Vieja. Acompáñenme, estoy segura que les gustará.
Caminar por las calles de la Habana Vieja siempre es un gran regocijo para mí, pero hoy se le suma la dicha de que paseo con mi hijo, me gusta enseñarle las curiosidades y las bellezas arquitectónicas que nos encontramos a nuestro paso.
Estuvimos caminando por la importante calle Obispo y luego por Mercaderes, mi objetivo era visitar una cafetería que, tiempo atrás, había visto de paso y hoy quería conocer su interior porque tiene un diseño peculiar y además tiene una historia muy bonita.
La cafetería se llama Café Académico Columnata Egipciana, desde que entramos nos encontramos con un estilo europeo del siglo XIX, está dedicada al escritor portugués Eca de Queiroz quién fuera cónsul de Portugal en La Habana en 1872-1874 y éste era uno de sus sitios favoritos. Por esta razón el diseño interior está relacionado con esta ilustre personalidad y su país.
En las paredes hay murales de cerámica con su figura y sus datos, me encantó la gran foto en blanco y negro hecha de mosaicos. También hay varios cuadros antiguos con fotos de la época y paisajes de Portugal.
El lugar es muy acogedor, resulta muy familiar, en un costado hay un juego de sofá y butacas con una mesita central, además las mesas y sillas son de madera con un diseño muy cómodo. En una de sus esquinas hay un pequeño piano para animar las tardes y noches. El techo es alto y de madera con varias lámparas y ventiladores para mantener el lugar fresco.
Además, tiene un elegante bar con varios tipos de rones cubanos, donde preparan también cocteles refrescantes.
Hay un salón muy acogedor con muebles de fibra natural tejida y un gran mural paisajístico, también ambientado con plantas ornamentales, es un lugar agradable para reuniones de amigos.
Pero lo que más me llamó la atención es que en el centro hay un patio a cielo abierto, tiene un pozo de agua de manantial y al fondo una gran foto de un tranvía típico portugués, que le confiere gran realismo como si estuviéramos allí.
Escogimos una pequeña mesa para sentarnos y hacer nuestro pedido. Quisimos merendar primero con un pan con queso, ensalada de vegetales y jugo natural de guayaba, luego pedimos un café capuchino para cada uno.
Me gustó muchísimo la presentación, la vajilla es muy elegante, de cerámica blanca con el logotipo del nombre del Café.
La merienda estuvo muy sabrosa y nutritiva. El café estuvo exquisito, me encanta el toque de canela que se le pone al capuchino.
Estuvimos muy satisfechos con esta visita porque es lugar donde se aprende mientras se disfruta de un café, ya que antes de visitarlo no conocíamos a este ilustre escritor portugués, ahora me siento con la curiosidad de leer algo de su literatura.
Amigos, les recomiendo visitar este rincón portugués en el interior de la Habana Vieja, no se arrepentirán.
¡Hasta pronto!
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How cozy is that Café Colonata Egipciana, a Portuguese corner in Old Havana, with a unique design and a connection to the famous Portuguese writer Eça de Queiroz. I really enjoyed visiting it through your site. I've never been there before. Beautiful place!
True my friend, the place is very cozy and the history it holds is very interesting, I am very glad you liked it 🤗
This coffee house is very beautiful, especially the atmosphere inside the coffee house and the houses outside fascinate me.
I am very glad you liked it, the place is very cozy 🤗
😊
Love that coffee shop, thanks for the tour and enjoy🙂
A very comfortable cafe to relax with friends, the place is very nice and the coffee looks really great ❤️🙏
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I'm sorry for the mistake I made, the place caught my attention because of its history and not because it was a cafeteria. I sincerely apologize, it will not happen again. I love this community! Best wishes 🤗
No worries @mayramalu. It can happen :) Thanks for your understanding and explanation 😘
Thanks very much for your kind message, best regards😊🤗
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