The world's largest ice cream shop in Cuba

Parque Coppelia is the largest ice cream parlor in the world, serving about 35,000 customers a day, and at its busiest it can serve 1,000 people at the same time.

Built in 1966, Parque Coppelia, located in the Vedado district of Havana, is the largest ice cream parlor in the world, according to the BBC. The shop includes a queue area and a two-story building with a dome inspired by Brazil's famous Brasilia Cathedral. Therefore, this place is also known as the "church ice cream parlor" and has become an iconic building of the country.

Next to the ice cream shop is a lush green area with hundreds of tables that can accommodate 1,000 people at a time. The shop is a state-owned enterprise, has 400 employees and sells 16,000 liters of ice cream a day to about 35,000 customers.

Ice cream shop seen from above. Photo: BBC — Ice cream shop seen from above. Photo: *BBC*

According to locals, Fidel Castro built Parque Coppelia after ordering 28 ice cream bars from American manufacturer Howard Johnson. After tasting the ice cream bars, Fidel decided to create bigger and tastier ice cream bars that were cheap enough for anyone to buy. His idea was a huge hit. To this day, thousands of people continue to visit the store to enjoy delicious, nutritious and cheap ice cream.

Some American tourists, after trying Coppelia Parque, said that this is the best ice cream in the world. The shop serves many different flavors of ice cream, at one time there were more than 30 flavors. Today, Coppelia Parque is still the largest ice cream shop in the world and is still very popular in Cuba. Most children celebrate their birthdays here, and couples on their first dates also choose Coppelia Parque as a stop. The ice cream shop is also one of the capital's tourist attractions. Each scoop of ice cream costs 5 pesos (5,000 VND).

"The ice cream shop opens at 10am. When I arrived, I saw many locals waiting. The ice cream is delicious and cheap," a tourist from Denmark shared on Tripadvisor when talking about this ice cream shop.

Ice cream on display in the shop. Photo: BBC — Ice cream on display in the shop. Photo: *BBC*

When writing about the Cuban capital, CNN once commented: "Strange, mysterious, vibrant, Havana is immersed in the splendor of time. Home to more than two million people, Cuba's fascinating capital city is like a Hollywood stage with many activities for tourists wondering what to do".

In addition to the ice cream shop, visitors can visit equally famous destinations in Havana as suggested by travel book publisher Lonely Planet such as Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón, the capital's main cemetery, the largest in the Americas and famous for its marble statues; the 7-km long Malecón sea route; the eclectic-style square Plaza Vieja; Catedral de la Habana, one of the oldest churches in the Americas...

Dishes that visitors should try when coming to Havana, according to Taste Atlas, include Ropa vieja (a hearty stew made with minced beef, tomato sauce, onions and peppers), Cuban pizza, Medianoche (a sandwich filled with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese and pickles), Picadillo (a spicy dish of ground meat, tomatoes and onions), Vaca frita (beef flank steak), Platillo Moros y Cristiano (rice cooked with fine white rice and black beans).

Anh Minh (According to BBC, Lonely Planet )

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