Chalmun ' s Spaceport Cantina Chalmun ' s Spaceport Cantina , also known as Chalmun ' s , Chalmun ' s Cantina , double - c / ceecee by the city militia , the Mos Eisley Cantina or simply The Cantina , was a popular drinking and dining establishment located in the city of Mos Eisley on the desert world of Tatooine . History . Early history . The single - story building was constructed by Cedo Partu , an early pioneer and Mos Eisley town leader , as a fortification against Tusken Raiders . Changing ownership over the years , the building saw use as an armory , a brewery , and a flophouse for vagrants . Before the inception of the cantina , the site was occupied by B ' omarr Monks and the Vriichon brothers , who , before the purchase by Chalmun , were running an illegal spice den on the site and burying bodies in the basement . Identified only by a sign over the door reading simply " Cantina , " the cantina was a popular gathering place for spacers and smugglers , and the center of a host of criminal activity in the spaceport of Mos Eisley , Tatooine . It was run by the Wookiee Chalmun , who purchased the building using gambling profits earned on Ord Mantell . The droid - hating Wuher maintained the bar during the day and the cheerful bar wench Ackmena tended the place at night . Bouncers such as Tork would regulate the rowdy crowd , tossing out those who shot other patrons . Clone Wars . When the Clone Wars erupted between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems , Tatooine remained neutral as it was not a member of either institution . However , as the war approached its conclusion , the Confederacy made an attempt on Mos Eisley . The Republic troops made it to the city first , and the elite clone troopers X1 and X2 took over the cantina and used it as a staging area from which to defend the center of the city . General Ferroda , a Jedi Master managed to take the city and the troops left the cantina intact . Galactic Civil War . Nearly two decades later , the cantina was still profiting under the stewardship of Chalmun , bringing in profits even under the reign of the Galactic Empire . The cantina gained itself a permanent band when the Bith Figrin D ' an gambled away the ownership of the Modal Nodes ' instruments in a rigged card game with Kardue ' sai ' Malloc . One reason Chalmun ' s Cantina was so popular among spacers was the droid detector that Chalmun installed in the foyer . For a long time , Imperial Sentry Droids made private discussions between smugglers and crime bosses all but impossible . While the detector didn ' t keep the Sentry Droids out , it did warn everyone that their activities and discussions were about to come under Imperial scrutiny . This enabled everyone time to compose themselves and present a perfectly innocent demeanor . Chalmun ' s also had a strict " No Droids " policy to prevent people from bringing their own droids into the Cantina with them . This was enforced by a refurbished Fabritech EPT - 212 system in the entryway . Following the deaths of Owen and Beru Lars , in 0 BBY , Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi and the young Luke Skywalker made their way to the cantina to look for a pilot to the Alderaan system . There , they finally met with the pilot who would soon fly them to Alderaan : Han Solo and his copilot Chewbacca . During talks over a trip to Alderaan , Skywalker encountered the Aqualish scoundrel Ponda Baba , who threatened to kill him . In defense of the young man , Master Kenobi removed Baba ' s arm with his lightsaber . When the Jedi and his charge quickly fled attention in the cantina , Han Solo prepared to leave but was stopped by the Rodian bounty hunter Greedo . Greedo , employed by Jabba the Hutt to kill Solo in compensation of a debt the smuggler owed , managed to fire a single shot that missed before Solo killed him . In 1 ABY , Tatooine , along with the rest of the system was put under Imperial curfew by an Imperial Moff . Ackmena , the bartender at the cantina at the time , received the message , and responded by singing " Goodnight , But Not Goodbye " to her guests as she ushered them out the door . During the curfew period , droids were also assigned to a waiting area if they accompanied patrons . At one point , a Jawa infected with Bledsoe ' s disease , died shortly after drinking , which caused the bartender to initially think he drank himself to death until a patron revealed otherwise . Presumably , everyone in the catina that day died from infection , save for Luke Skywalker and Anduvil , who managed to escape in time as soon as they witnessed the Jawa ' s death . Chalmun ' s Cantina was firebombed shortly after the death of Jabba the Hutt , forcing a rebuilding . During the chaos surrounding Jabba ' s death , the Cantina was attacked again by a swoop gang led by Mossol the Menace , but the repair droids put out the fire . A group of spacers then helped Chalmun free his friend Rejeff . It remained open five years after the Battle of Endor , when Han Solo returned there to meet with the smuggler Dravis in an unsuccessful attempt to enlist him in cargo work for the New Republic . The cantina was also open at least 15 years later , a man named Zekk — working as a bounty hunter — sought Boba Fett to share with him information on Bornan Thul . Layout . A single - story building made of sandstone , the cantina consisted of a bar area , private offices , a VIP lounge , a private hangar , a basement , and a phony shop in the rear . With a maximum occupancy of 102 humanoids , the facility catered to all sorts from across the galaxy , with spacious areas and wide arched doorways to allow patrons of all sizes passage . Entering through a small portal on one side of the building , a small passage curved around into the main bar area . The bar , featuring many themed spigots which resembled the head of an IG - series assassin droid , was capable of producing several dozen drinks of Chalmun ' s concocting . Surrounded by eight different alcoves filled with stools , tables , and even a bandstand , the bar wrapped from the public area around into the more private back room . Outside of public view , several secret rooms existed to house sleeping areas for fugitives fleeing the law . At the very back of the building , an open - air hangar housed Chalmun ' s private shuttle which could be used routinely to transport liquor , or for escape . Inside one of the building ' s domed portions , Chalmun kept his offices . Including his own private bar , the Wookiee ' s office space was home to his security chief and several confiscated weapons . The back rooms of the building ran parallel to the outside bazaar , which sold droid parts and scrap metal . Chalmun maintained a shop out back that sold clothes and other goods . Its domed roof sported a communications jammer disguised as a vaporator . Underneath the cantina , a small cellar had been built long before Chalmun came to Tatooine . The bartender , Wuher , used the basement to cook up new brews for his clients ; previous owners had used it as a catacomb . Behind the scenes . Filming for the cantina exteriors in " " took place in Ajim , Djerba , Tunisia on April 2 – 3 , 1976 . Most of the interior shots were from Stage 6 at Elstree Studios on April 13 – 21 . Chalmun ' s Cantina was also in " The Star Wars Holiday Special " , set months after " A New Hope " , and shown during a night shift . An IG - 88 head can be seen behind the bartender when Ponda Baba ' s arm is cut off . A full one can also be seen in " " when Chewbacca is looking for C - 3PO — both are white , while earlier in " The Empire Strikes Back " an IG - 88 bounty hunter is colored gray . It is possible that the podracer Gasgano was present around the time of Luke Skywalker ' s meeting with Han Solo . Although not seen in the movie , " " points out a " multifingered former podracer , now a deft pickpocket " who can be located inside the cantina . It may be another Xexto podracer ; however , the only officially named Xexto podracer is Gasgano . The cantina was featured in an official 1979 drunk - driving PSA . In 2007 , the official site made it available . A skit on a 1977 episode of " " took place in the " " Star Wars " Bar , " with Pryor playing the bartender . Though the skit did not reuse the original sets , many of the masks from " A New Hope " cantina scene were used for the patrons . The " It ' th Greedo ' th Uncle " card from the mistakenly refers to the Mos Eisley cantina as a " casino . "