Casa Cuba

General information

WELCOME to CASA CUBA, a tropical retreat in The Triangle, Crystal Palace.

“Casa” means “home” in Spanish and this is what Casa Cuba is – a place you can come to work, or socialise with your friends and family, and a home away from home.

THE ETHOS: AUTHENTICITY IN EVERYTHING
First and foremost: we think you deserve the most authentic Cuban products. At Casa Cuba you are guaranteed to have 100% Cuban coffee in your coffee-based drinks and Cuban rum in your Cuban cocktail. We are determined to serve only original Cuban products or locally sourced and made produce. We also want you to experience a bit of real Cuba. So in the morning, we are all about coffee, but like most cafés in Havana, at night we transform into a cocktail bar with the vivacious atmosphere of Havana. We did the best we could to accommodate these two very different concepts. Like the idea of both? Then try our coffee-based Cuban cocktails.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE CONCEPT (WE ARE ACTUALLY CUBANS!)
Sandra and Miguel, the founders, are originally from Cuba and have been Crystal Palace residents since 2006. They started to think about opening a café a few years ago, noticing that many bars and restaurants in the UK exploit Cuba as a brand, but fail to deliver something genuine. So we made our dream a reality, and have put together a great team that includes other Cubans, such as Joel, our coffee-obsessed manager (who moonlights as a successful Latin music DJ!), and British colleagues with a shared passion for Cuba, coffee and food.

CUBAN COFFEE
Cuban coffee is intense and fragrant, a touch darker than a medium roast with a sweet aroma evocative of honey and Demerara sugar. While the initial taste is rich and smoky, there’s a mild, fruity acidity in the background that gives balance and body. It is great in the morning but also a fantastic substitute for an after-dinner liqueur. Our Cuban coffee is fairly traded, and very rare. Casa Cuba is the only place in the UK where you are guaranteed to drink Cuban coffee all the time. Now we are roasting our coffee beans in Cirencester for extra freshness. You will drink our coffee when it is at its best: between four days and three weeks after roasting.

Our coffee is 100% Arabica from a single origin: the Sierra Maestra Mountains, the cradle of the Cuban Revolution

CUBAN RUMDuring the early 19th century, rum was cheaply made and not considered upmarket enough for upscale taverns. It was in Cuba that rum was refined for the first time, by isolating a proprietary strain of yeast. It was this technique of removing impurities by filtering the rum through charcoal that gave birth to the first clear or "white" rum in the world. It was also in Cuba that rum was aged in white oak barrels for the first time. This had the effect of mellowing the drink.
CUBAN CIGARS
Cuban cigars (Havanos) are the best in the world. They are rolled from tobacco leaves found throughout Cuba. The filler, binder, and wrapper may come from different regions of the island. Cuban cigar rollers or torcedores are considered to be the most skilled rollers in the world.

HOME MADE AND FRESHLY PREPARED IN STORE
All our soups and cakes are homemade and all our sandwiches and salads are freshly prepared on the premises.

HOLIDAYS IN CUBA AND WORLDWIDE
Live Holidays, our associated independent company, has been selling holidays for more than a decade. Now you can buy tailor-made holidays at great prices with the added benefit of being able to plan your trip in the relaxed atmosphere of Casa Cuba. Please ask staff for an appointment.