Cigar Bar?
- Thread starter noobster
- Start date
I didn't know Mazacote was playing at Cigar tonight. Thanks for the tip
Cigar bar is not a salsa destination in a sense that dancers (don't) go there for dancing. They always have latin bands playing on the weekends. Patio outside is where people do smoke. Inside is okay. I will give it 3 stars out of five for ambiance and over-all experience.
Dancing if any is in the front of small space where the band plays. I don't remember but the floor but it is danceable. If you really do want to dance, take your own partner.
I love cigar bar! awesome bands there often tending more toward latin jazz though. the "dance floor" area is very small and is tiled with big mexican-ish tiles, so it's uneven and extremely crowded if people are dancing. i've never had trouble finding a dance partner though, although the dancers don't seem to do any "serious" salsa. dancing outside could be an option but sometimes you can't hear the music out there, especially if it's cold night (usually) and the doors are closed. plus it's concrete... i think it's a fun place to hear some really unique music but isn't dance-centric. friday happy hour khaki pant partiers from the financial district are annoying and drunk by the 10pm band start time...
I was there last fall. The band gave a great show, but it was extremely crowded. I sweat just by standing near the dance floor, it was so hot because of the crowd, still it was possible to dance if one was very compact, and far from the stage..
Most people were latin@s drinking and standing around at the dance floor, so the ratio of good dancers was quite low. Still the atmosphere was really great, and it was a fun evening by any measure. Definitely worth going there.
Btw I liked Cigar Bar a lot. I thought the atmosphere was really cute and the band was good too. Crowd was appreciative of the music and had good energy.
Mazacote itself had a lot of energy and played some of my favorite tunes. Instruments sounded good and the singer was on-key, thank goodness.
My only criticism is that they did do the long-song thing that all the bands seem to do, which sucks the joy out of even the best tunes and replaces it with monotony. A minor issue in the grand scheme of things.
Definitely not a dancing venue. I did see some of the typical salsa faces there but there was very little room to dance. Also the tiles were extremely slippery; I wore a pair of leather-soled street shoes that are normally great for allowing spins on non-dance-floor surfaces (concrete, rugs, etc.) but the combo of smooth soles, slick tiles, and a nice glass of pinot grigio was disastrous. (I think a pair of grippy-soled street shoes might have been better actually.) Outside might have been better but my SO wasn't a fan of the cigar smoke.
Re Sonora Carruseles: I like them pretty well and they do a really good live show (I saw them outdoors at Lincoln Center two summers ago I think). I don't think I'd take on Roccapulco for the chance to see them again though. I suspect it will be too crowded to breathe.
Mazacote itself had a lot of energy and played some of my favorite tunes. Instruments sounded good and the singer was on-key, thank goodness.
My only criticism is that they did do the long-song thing that all the bands seem to do, which sucks the joy out of even the best tunes and replaces it with monotony. A minor issue in the grand scheme of things.
Definitely not a dancing venue. I did see some of the typical salsa faces there but there was very little room to dance. Also the tiles were extremely slippery; I wore a pair of leather-soled street shoes that are normally great for allowing spins on non-dance-floor surfaces (concrete, rugs, etc.) but the combo of smooth soles, slick tiles, and a nice glass of pinot grigio was disastrous. (I think a pair of grippy-soled street shoes might have been better actually.) Outside might have been better but my SO wasn't a fan of the cigar smoke.
Re Sonora Carruseles: I like them pretty well and they do a really good live show (I saw them outdoors at Lincoln Center two summers ago I think). I don't think I'd take on Roccapulco for the chance to see them again though. I suspect it will be too crowded to breathe.
Mazacote is still way better in that respect than almost all other local bands, IMHO...
Mazacote is my favourite local band. Far ahead of Avance or anyone else. I don't know why Avance has so much following. I avoid going out to venues they play because it always gets crowded. I dropped by at Cocomo last Saturday for a couple of hours early on. It was not at all crowded. Guess why? Perhaps because Avance was playing at Rocca.
I think there were also at GK on Tuesday. BTW you missed GL last night. it was very good and crowded (like Coco or GK) with dancers driving in from the city and East bay.Ditto - I avoid Avance events like the plague for the same reasons - they're not that great but they can pretty much guarantee an overcrowded venue of mostly nondancers.
And having finally heard them play ITA that Mazacote is far ahead of any other local band I have heard.
I know. I was going to go - I actually RSVP'ed on the website for free entry - but I got a pounding headache that refused to respond to medication. I'm totally bummed I missed it.
Btw GL has been getting more and more popular, and it has been attracting non-local dancers (or at least dancers that I have previously seen only at Beat or at the Sheila-Isidro parties) for some time now.
Unfortunately they're starting to outgrow the size of their dance floor, which is a bummer. Alberto's recently ripped out a whole bunch of seating and enlarged their floor; but since GL moonlights as a restaurant I don't see them doing the same anytime soon.
By the way - any ideas for tonight in SF? I see salsagang lists events at Glas Kat, Roccapulco, Jillian's, and Caribbean Gardens in Burlingame.
Any opinions on whether any of these will be danceable?
- I've never been to Glas Kat on a Friday
- I've had nothing but bad experiences with Roccapulco (typically crowded with non-dancers or very large-dancing, off-balance beginners)
- I went to Jillian's once and didn't get past the door as it didn't seem like a salsa night at all; has anything changed?
- I've never been to Caribbean Gardens
Any input appreciated!
Any opinions on whether any of these will be danceable?
- I've never been to Glas Kat on a Friday
- I've had nothing but bad experiences with Roccapulco (typically crowded with non-dancers or very large-dancing, off-balance beginners)
- I went to Jillian's once and didn't get past the door as it didn't seem like a salsa night at all; has anything changed?
- I've never been to Caribbean Gardens
Any input appreciated!
I've already said that CG sucks
Roccapulco on Friday - ditto
haven't been to the other two
I thought there is a live band at Albertos tonight. Check Pantea's website. Yes, heard from a couple of people about Albertos' putting new floor. Must be feeling the heat from GL and others. From the folklore, long long back before I even knew salsa, Albertos (and not Cocomo) was the salsa capital of bay area.
GK on Friday is Latin night. They play Latin club music downstairs and salsa music upstairs from what I have been told. After reading Yelp reviews on their Friday night and look of the crowd when I drive by I will avoid it.
Rocca has Bakan playing tonight. I hardly ever go to Rocca. It is a nice place but dating type crowd doesn't cut it for me.
Carribean garden is a mix of Latin/hiphop club and salsa dancing, from what I been told. Never been there.
Never been to Jillian for salsa. I heard it is popular with the timba/cuban crowd.
Cigar Bar has Rumbache playing.
Doesn't seem like the city has anything good.
P.S. Checked my delete folder. Pantea and Rumba cafe at Albertos tonight.
Sigh. Guess it's the local for me again.
I've got an evening social hour in San Bruno so it seemed like I might as well cover the last 10 miles and hit the city afterward. Sounds like Alberto's is where it's at though. :eyebrow:
I'm kinda curious to see if Thursday this week was just a fluke in the attendance since the boys just heavily promoted the event. One of the things I liked about GL was the fact that there was actually some room to dance. I think that more fans inside would help...
I definitely appreciated the room-to-dance factor. Their AC was amazing when the event was less well attended; I think there's only so much AC can do once you get past a certain point of crowding.
It sounds like Thursday might have been overload, but I really doubt it's going to carry that kind of attendance on a weekly basis. As you said, Thursday was a 'special event' and heavily promoted as such.
Btw welcome to the forum.
J
Jaime Andres
Guest
My brother lives in the SF area. Next time I visit, I am definitely going out.