Pan.Com's Soccer Bar. Photo by L.Calvo
Not it's official name, but after having been there recently, I've come to calling it so, and now I'll explain why.
When Pan.Com opened their first establishment —which later became a chain— I became a loyal customer, going to eat their delicious sandwiches, snacks, "medias noches" (a donut-like sweet) and "emparedados" (Bread stuffed with hot cheese and meats), all dishes that have the extremely old common denominator: bread.
Then I discovered their bar (attached), relatively small, but wonderfully cool, very peaceful and well stocked, which combines two pleasures: eating and drinking in an air-conditioned environment. For reasons that are irrelevant, I stopped going for a few years, but recently, I visited it again and discovered (to my surprise) that it has become a great soccer bar, or perhaps better, a Sports Bar, since this universal sport is not the only one they play.
It has a stately wooden ceiling with dozens of soccer jerseys hanging from it, big European teams, national tames and also several shiny soccer balls. There are shirts from Leo Messi, Rafa Márquez and Robben to name a few. The walls are decorated with large, showy banners from FC Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid, among others. I also saw stout glasses for enjoying a whiskey or rum on the rocks or straight up, and custom glasses with shields and logos from clubs such as Barcelona, who has many followers in Havana.
The have a glass case of treasured scarves, labels, shoes and many other elements we soccer fans use and collect; also appreciated and among them, are a baseball cap and team banner from the famous Cuban baseball team: Industriales. I've already outline for you how in recent years, there has been a strong interest in soccer, following games and emblematic players' exploits, showing our favoritism, fully enjoying the electrifying spell it casts on millions around the world. Thus, many Havana establishments are sometimes literally full of fans (national and foreign) going to see the most highlighted games. Places like the Smoking Room at the Havana House on 5th and 16, or the local special, the Aljibe Restaurant, to name a few, also offer this fanatical soccer atmosphere, but none reach the level of specialization and sophistication that is the friendly and welcoming Bar, Pan.Com, which I think, after all is said, is Havana's only.
Details:
7th Avenue on the corner of 26
Playa area.
T: (537) 204 4232
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