Heladería Coppelia

2111 Calle L, La Habana, Cuba

There’s a trick to getting the most out of your Coppelia helado (ice cream) experience: You must queue. This massive ice cream palace is divided into a section for those paying in CUCs, the Cuban currency most tourists use, and several sections for those paying in Cuban pesos, or monedas national, the currency in which most Cubans are paid. It’s much faster to head for the CUC section, but it’s also much more expensive, which means that there are few locals. Go for the local line. If you visit on a sunny day, just after school’s let out, this can make for a 30-minute wait (it’s even longer on the weekends). But it’s so worth it to listen to teenagers chatter, chat with those in front or behind you, and watch toddlers run around while waiting their turn. And, of course, it makes the ice cream, served in a plastic dish and topped with crunchy cookies, taste that much sweeter.

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This is the Cuban Ice Cream to Scream For

There’s a trick to getting the most out of your Coppelia helado (ice cream) experience: You must queue. This massive ice cream palace is divided into a section for those paying in CUCs, the Cuban currency most tourists use, and several sections for those paying in Cuban pesos, or monedas national, the currency in which most Cubans are paid. It’s much faster to head for the CUC section, but it’s also much more expensive, which means that there are few locals. Go for the local line. If you visit on a sunny day, just after school’s let out, this can make for a 30-minute wait (it’s even longer on the weekends). But it’s so worth it to listen to teenagers chatter, chat with those in front or behind you, and watch toddlers run around while waiting their turn. And, of course, it makes the ice cream, served in a plastic dish and topped with crunchy cookies, taste that much sweeter.

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