Members of popular Cuban group open Café Cantante in Little Havana
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Café Cantante isn’t just another Cuban restaurant opening on Calle Ocho — it’s a personal revival of history for members of the Cuban band Los 3 de La Habana.
Founded by Ana Páez and Germán Pinelli, who met in the Vedado area of Havana 36 years ago, the restaurant is named after the legendary Havana club at Teatro Nacional where the musicians came of age in the 1990s.
Blending live music, salon-style ambiance and elevated Cuban cuisine, the couple designed Café Cantante as both a gathering place and a cultural home base — one where diners linger, artists perform regularly and the spirit of filin, bolero and Cuban culture that defines Los 3 de La Habana is as important as the menu.
Located in a plaza with Sedano’s and Roma Bakery just across from the stone arch in Coral Gables, the venue invokes Havana restaurant El Monseñor, where legendary singer Ignacio Jacinto Villa, known as “Bola de Nieve” had residency.
The purple curtains create a sense of intimacy for the music-filled evenings. But for lunchtime, the vibe is calm, with the Pollo a lo Rancho Luna special and all the rice and black beans one can eat for $22.
“Chef Jorge de Céspedes has cooked for the royal family of Spain,” says Páez.
Páez upholstered the restaurant chairs, answers the phone and clears a plate from a table when needed because she wants guests to feel at home and well cared for.
“We want it to be a family, and bohemian place that’s also about art, and of course a business, but we want people to feel that vibe when they arrive, to know they’ve come to a place that belongs to Los 3 De La Habana,” Pinelli said.
A place for live music in Miami
The couple envision Café Cantante as both a culinary and musical experience, built around a simple promise: guests won’t be rushed and are encouraged to linger.
Gracious hosts by nature, Páez and Pinelli infuse the space with that welcoming spirit and have tapped Fabio Díaz Vilela, former owner of the Little Havana club Hoy Como Ayer, to curate at least one monthly night of live music under the banner “Fabio Presenta.”
“I already have five shows scheduled this year, not only with Cuban artists. I’ll also bring up and coming Puerto Rican artists,” said Díaz Vilela, who lives in Puerto Rico where he is entertainment director of the Hotel San Juan for the Fairmont chain.
When the couple told him about their new business Díaz Vilela immediately wanted to collaborate. “I’m a Miami guy and I love that the city is growing and becoming the city it deserves to be,” he said.
For a generation of Miami musicians, Hoy Como Ayer was a proving ground — a longtime home for Los 3 de La Habana, Amaury Gutiérrez and many artists who began or refined their careers on the intimate stage formerly known as Café Nostalgia. Díaz Vilela’s goal with his programming is to revive that kind of homebase for local musicians.
“I want to create a small tribute to what Hoy como Ayer was,” Díaz Vilela said.
The first Fabio Presenta night began Friday, Jan. 30 with Cuban artist América Quesada and her Latin Band. She was a lead singer at the Tropicana cabaret, later continued her career in Italy and now lives in Puerto Rico.
“She captures the essence of all the great singers we’ve had in the history of Cuban music,” Díaz Vilela said. Her style is unique, and she can’t be pigeonholed, he said. “You can’t say: ‘She’s like’… ‘She imitates’… because she embodies everything a singer is and should be.”
Brunch, comedy and dancing
One of the best days to go to Café Cantante is Sunday for the brunch that runs from noon to 5 p.m. featuring food, music and dancing, said Páez.
In upcoming evenings at Café Cantante Restaurant, Carlitos Rubio and the Karlanga Band, Rojitas, Aymée Nuviola and José Alberto el Gallito del Son, will perform.
Friday nights combine music and comedy with shows by Tony Benítez, Judith González “Magdalena la Pelúa” and Carlos “Pillín” Marrero with their guests.
Páez wants to bring back those “bohemian nights” that defined Miami when they arrived in 2007 — and they want to make sure they are a part of it.
“Many artists have places, but they’re not there. We’ll be present, so the public can see us and talk to us,” she concludes.
Café Cantante Restaurant, 4825 SW 8 St, Miami, (305) 456-8130, Tuesday to Sunday, from 12 p.m. Fabio presenta, Friday, January 30, with América Quesada and The Latin Band.
