Coppelia Park - The world's largest ice cream parlor serving tens of thousands of customers every day

Built in 1966, Cuba's 'Parque Coppelia' ice cream parlor features a two-story arcade inspired by Oscar Niemeyer's iconic Brasilia cathedral. Outside, people line up for ice cream every day, and the cool park setting features hundreds of tables that can accommodate up to 1,000 people at a time.

According to the story, Cuban President Fidel Castro was the one who proposed the construction of Coppelia Park shortly after the success of the Communist revolution. He is also said to have ordered 28 tubs of ice cream from American manufacturer Howard Johnson's. After tasting it, he decided to create his own Cuban brand of ice cream, bigger and tastier, but cheap enough for anyone to buy. His idea was a big hit and to this day, thousands of people continue to enjoy subsidized ice cream at Coppelia Park, the world's largest ice cream shop.

“Before the revolution, Cubans loved Howard Johnson’s ice cream. This is how we proved that we can do everything better than the Americans,” President Fidel Castro famously told a visiting journalist shortly after the inauguration of Coppelia Park.

There was a time when even some American tourists admitted that Coppelia Park served the best ice cream in the world. There were dozens of flavors, 26 of which were particularly popular and were often given by Cuban leaders to world leaders as a matter of pride.

There was a time when Cuba was not self-sufficient in dairy and the supply of butter and milk powder was cut off, and people had to choose between butter and ice cream. Eventually, the ice cream-loving country decided to reduce the butter ration. Coppelia does not offer as many flavors as before, but people could still enjoy ice cream there anytime during the rationing period.

Even today, the world’s largest ice cream shop remains incredibly popular in Havana. It’s where most kids celebrate their birthdays, where couples go on their first dates, and it’s one of the main tourist attractions in the Cuban capital. And at around 5 Cuban pesos per scoop, it’s definitely a must-visit in Cuba.

According to OC

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