EL SUBMARINO AMARILLO, LA HABANA
The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine has been around for over four decades, but the Yellow Submarine we are dealing with here is a bar located on 17 Street & 6th in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana. The décor is pop art, and many of the walls are decorated with verses from Beatle’s songs, including “Help, Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “While My Guitar Weeps.” Photographs from the early days of the Beatles, and album covers are also on display in the Yellow Submarine. The bar is located across the street from the park with the sculpture of John Lennon by Cuban artist Villa Soberon. The bar was opened in 2011 in the space that once housed the Club Atelier, and was designed by Elizabeth Rojas Monzon, Maikel Sanchez Cal, and Rafael Mateu Dorado. The theme of the bar was chosen by mutual consent, with the hope that the song’s inspirational theme of friendship and joy would inspire the bar’s guests. The bar usually showcases Cuban artists who interpret Beatle’s songs, as well as other bands from the 60’s and 70’s like Queen, Deep Purple, and the Rolling Stones.
Depending on who's playing the music can be great or not-so-great, but the beer is always cold and cheap, $1.50 for Heineken bottles. It is a rock-and-roll club and is a great jumping off point for the night, which in Havana usually gets hot after midnight.
The Yellow Submarine in Havana is open Tuesday through Sunday from 2:00pm until 2:00am. The live music begins at 9:00pm, and goes until midnight.
By Frank Gonzalez