10 Hot Spots to Cha-Cha the Night Away
Ready to hit the dance floor for Hispanic Heritage Month?
Sept. 29, 2008 — -- If this week's Dancing With the Stars season premiere left you eager to hit the dance floor, get ready to rumba. Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month by putting your moves to the test. Latina magazine's editor in chief, Mimi Valdés Ryan, shares with USA TODAY some sizzling spots to salsa.
The Make Out Room San Francisco
If you can get past the suggestive name of this Latin lounge, you've got a sure spot to show off your stuff. "In the heart of Mexican 'hood the Mission, catch retro cumbias and pop classics en español on Saturdays," Valdés Ryan says. 415-647-2888; makeoutroom.com
S.O.B.s New York
For Brazilian beats to get you in the mambo mood, "Sounds of Brazil is the place to see Latin bands big and small," Valdés Ryan says. Prefer to learn the steps before you show off your skills? S.O.B.s offers after-work salsa lessons, and these movers and shakers know their stuff — they've been at it since 1982. The spicy spot is also infamous for their Brazilian carnivals and Argentine cumbia parties. 212-243-4940; sobs.com
La Cita Bar Los Angeles
Next time you find yourself in Los Angeles with a jones to jive, head downtown to La Cita Bar. "Check out weekly Hacienda Nights," Valdés Ryan says. These hot nights get groovers grooving with their live music. Tune in for "tejano, ranchera, norteño and cumbia with a youthful feel," she says. If the live Latin music at La Cita Bar doesn't get you samba-ing, nothing will. And who knows? Maybe you'll spot a star showing off his or her sizzling samba. 213-687-7111; lacitabar.com
Kukaramakara Miami
Miami may already be the mecca of Latin music in the USA, but this month there's a new kid on the block — Kukaramakara. To shake it South American-style, start practicing your moves because "the hottest nightclub franchise in Colombia is expanding its empire," Valdés Ryan says. "Don't be surprised if Colombian rock superstar Juanes makes a cameo."