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Owned by the brother-sister team of Gerardo Perez and Diana Mastrodimos, this colorful tapas restaurant-bar initially served up the Cuban home cooking the siblings grew up with. Since the space first opened in 2002, however, the menu and the kitchen staff have undergone several changes. Today, the cuisine is billed as Nuevo-Cubano and you'll find influences from as far as Spain (Spanish chorizo) and as nearby as the Americas (Mexican quesadillas) alongside classics from the homeland like Cubaniche'a type of pressed sandwich. Whatever the nation of origin, the small plates especially are vibrant with spices and emboldened by fresh ingredients. Fried treats like yuca fritas and puffy croquetas filled with fragrant wild mushrooms defy expectation by being not the least bit oily. Just take your cue from the lounge-like setting and stick to tapas and cocktails: The entrees can be rather bland and don't have the vivacity of the d'cor or the force of the loud Latin music. — Nancy Davidson

Daily, 5 p.m.—8 p.m.; buy one get one free for tapas and specialty drinks

Yuca frita, $4