The History Behind Hemingway’s Cuba Name

This premier Downtown Asheville restaurant not only serves delicious Cuban cuisine, it also has an interesting story of how it earned its name. You see, Hemingway’s Cuba aims to bring a high-quality, authentic Cuban restaurant to the people of Asheville. The restaurants founder, Tony Fraga, is a Cuba native who grew up enjoying meals with his father at El Floridita in Havana.

Fraga’s memories and experiences from this Cuban restaurant helped lead him to open one of his own. When it came time to name his restaurant, the choice was simple for Fraga. He settled on Hemingway’s Cuba because El Floridita was a favorite of world-famous author Ernest Hemingway, who not only loved the food, but also deemed the restaurant to have “The Best Daiquiri in the World.”

Hemingway has a strong connection to Cuba and the Cuban culture. In 1939, he crossed into Cuba on his boat to live in the Hotel Ambos Mundos in Havana. This was a rough time in Hemingway’s life as he had recently split up with his ex-wife, Pauline. However, Hemingway eventually met Martha Gellhorn and the two rented “Finca Vigia” or “Lookout Farm”—a 15-acre property 15 miles from Havana.

While living in Cuba, Hemingway found the inspiration for his famous novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” which sold half a million copies within months and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Hemingway’s connection to Cuba is as strong as Hemingway’s Cuba’s bond with the people of Asheville. Hemingway’s love for Cuban cuisine and Cuban culture made Hemingway’s Cuba the perfect name for this Downtown Asheville restaurant that gives its guests a dining experience as special as one of Hemingway’s novels.