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Cafe Fuego takes its pyrotechnic theme seriously, with flames glowing from the entry and the hearth beside the hostess station and in torches along the main wall. The atmosphere is likewise muy caliente, with a Tito Puente–heavy Latino soundtrack that pulses at high volume while a young crowd sips sangria at the long mahogany bar, across from date-night couples at marble-topped café tables. The interior is Spanish Colonial, with distressed walls that look as old as the circa-1860 tenement upstairs. Low basement ceilings and dim lighting make for an intimate feel, and the languorous pace contributes to the sense that the atmosphere’s at least as important as the food, which features hearty Cuban standards, like the tomato-based and ketchupy-sweet ropa vieja, along with dishes that favor fusion over authenticity: Sake-based mojitos come in blueberry and apple, along with the traditional lime; a mango chutney tops seared tilapia; and tangy citrus-cilantro dressing livens up otherwise doughy empanadas. The kitchen’s substantial enough to offer three meals a day; lunch fare features the house salad, a well-matched mix of black beans, corn, bacon, and blue cheese, for a Cuban-style spin on the ultra-American Cobb salad. — Ethan Wolff

Cuban sandwich, $9.95; ensalada fuego, $7.95; camarones al ajillo, $15.95

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