Hidden bars are so over, so surely some of you are too cool for Cienfuegos, a new Cuban small plates and rum punch "cocteleria" from the team behind Mayahuel and Death & Co. But if you're the kind of person who's indifferent to the vicissitudes of whatever's deemed "fresh" or "whack," here's a tour of this really, really ridiculously good looking new joint. The address is 95 Avenue A, but the entrance is found through the back of a sandwich shop on East Sixth Street.
Once you've made your way up the creepy stairs, you'll emerge into a cotton-candy colored world of delight, which photographer Katie Sokoler describes as the setting for the Mad Hatter's tea party in Alice in Wonderland. Located above Carteles Sandwich Shop, Cienfuegos is a 60-seat lounge specializing in various varieties of rum punch, which can be ordered as a single cocktail ($13), a larger "Amigos" size ($30), a still larger "Familia" ($60), and all the way up to the "Royale" ($100), which is big enough for a party of nine to share. (BYO cheese.)
Click through for all the details on the different kinds of rum punch, and the rest of the cocktail menu, by Charlotte Voisey (Rose Bar, The Eldrige). As for food, Chef Luis Gonzalez's small plates menu includes Beef Empanadas con Chimi ($9), Chick Pea and Chorizo Hash with Crispy Poached Egg ($12), Shrimp in Garlic and Rum Mojo ($15), and $10 "Cocktail Sandwiches" such as Cubanitos and Sloppy Joe Sliders. Let's try not to spill any on the banquettes.
Cienfuegos // 95 Avenue A, Second Floor (enter through Carteles Sandwich Shop, 443 East 6th Street // First come, first served, but email Miguel Calvo ([email protected]) for private parties.
