The Social List, the much-loved 4th Street restaurant, is turning 10. And with that, has decided to bring its equally loved Social List Havana Nights for one night only, come Friday, Sept. 27 at 6PM.
What to expect? Classic cars, afro-latin beats, grub, and plenty of drinks.
Why The Social List Havana Nights are inherently tied to the space
I have always celebrated The Social List for what it is: a neighborhood eatery and bar. It is the place you want to go to often, an increasingly endangered ideal in today’s food world. And coming in on its tenth birthday, the Retro Row staple has seen a seemingly endless amounts of varying menus while building up a legion that—unlike many other other restaurants—visits multiple times a month.
Taking over what used to be a custom framing shop, the wordplay on “socialism” was supposed to evoke a mixture of Eastern European aesthetics with contemporary European bars and bistros, where patrons can quickly bounce from joint to joint. They eat a little here and drink a bit more there. It was to be a part of a crawl of sorts for 4th Street.
In that sense, a Social List play on Cuban partying was befitting, whether you’re a dark fan of one of socialism’s largest figures, Fidel Castro, or at least someone with a sense of humor. The result? A Cuban band, dancing, and, of course, Cuban grub and cocktails that aimed to celebrate the island’s vibrant culture.
This version of the celebration is important—here’s why
The first week of March in 2020, owners Luis Navarro and Brenda Riviera unveiled a plan to bring The Social List Havana Nights back on a regular basis. Meaning March 12 would be the launch and would have taken place on the second Thursday of the month through September of 2020. That clear didn’t happen—which makes this version a pretty sweet moment.
“The whole point was to have fun, like you’re actually having a night out in Havana, dancing on the streets, eating some good food,” Luis said. “And after everything we’ve all been through, this seemed like the perfect moment to return to that sense of freedom and escapism.”
As a result, the plan: Five-person Afro-Cuban band Kalifa Son on the live music. Caveman Leo (from The Social List’s wildly popular monthly series Good Luck Vinyl Club) on with the vinyl. Beef empanadas. The space’s locally famous Media Noche Cuban sandwich. Cocktails curated by the master himself, beverage director Erik Rios-Wentzky.
And it’s free to come out. So do it.
The Social List Havana Nights returns on Friday, Sept. 27, from 6PM to 9PM. The Social List is located at 2105 E. 4th St.
