Broadway gained a new bar this past weekend with the soft opening of
La Roca Cantina. Opened by Tony Coss, now-owner of Green Lantern, La Roca Cantina is a chill homage to the cantinas his uncles would frequent in his native Saltillo in the Mexican state of Coahuila.
"It was called La Roca and it was around since my mom was a teenager," Coss said, while remembering trips inside as a kid to fetch cigarettes for said uncles.
Occupancy for La Roca caps off at 100. The 100-year-old bar was formerly a sports bar in the late 90s and a home before then. The interiors are dim but welcoming, and sprinkled with comfortable seating lounges and tables within three rooms. The bar, managed by mustachioed Mario Robles (Green Lantern, Edison Experiment), commands the first room and seats around 20 bar-goers. The menu is accessible. There are five tequila-based drinks, but other spirits and cervezas also grace the short drink list.
"We didn't want to overdo it with the tequila and just have good drinks at reasonable prices," Coss said. All cocktails are currently listed at $7.
During the soft opening on Saturday night, we sampled a tiki-esque Comrade with rum and strawberry juice and a 210, which effectively combines chamoy and spicy liqueur Ancho Reyes to playful results.
For now, La Roca Cantina will open 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Coss and co. expect to hold a grand opening on November 4 with DJ Yevez. Regular hours of operation will then shift to 4 p.m. to close.
416 8th Street.
