Cubana - Bar-Restaurant

You step off Lower Marsh into what feels like 1950s Havana, complete with live salsa bands and enough rum cocktails to make you forget you're a stone's throw from Waterloo Station. The energy here is infectious – tables get pushed aside as the night progresses and punters spill onto the makeshift dance floor, guided by genuinely talented dancers who clearly know their merengue from their mambo. The Cuban food won't win any authenticity awards, but the ropa vieja is decent enough and the plantains hit the spot when you need something to soak up those potent mojitos. What Cubana does brilliantly is create an atmosphere where inhibitions dissolve faster than sugar in rum. By 11pm on weekends, this place transforms from restaurant to full-blown Caribbean carnival.