Cienfuegos

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Justine Goodman

Joined 6 years ago

Citysearch Editorial Review. With its candy-colored Caribbean feel and shabby-chic aesthetic, this East Village rum bar feels like a jaunty, pre-Fidel Havana. Enter through Carteles (the Cuban sandwich shop on the ground floor) and head toward the back, where a refined maître d' awaits, ready to escort your party to the lounge upstairs. The color palette--lots of greens and pinks, highlighted by candles and the glow of mismatched lamps--casts a shadowy warmth about the bar. Friendly cocktail waitresses scoot from table to table, delivering craft concoctions like the El Cobre (aged rum, Armagnac brandy, blood orange liqueur, almond syrup, apricot, orange bitters, fresh lemon juice and egg white). With three connected but distinct areas, the layout reduces overflow between tables and makes Cienfuegos feel intimate, though after a few of these bad-boy cocktails, you may not remember who you came with anyway.