Cubana Social is Closing...
After 6 extraordinary years, Cubana Social, our locally sourced, neighborhood restaurant, performance venue, & community space in Williamsburg Brooklyn, will be closing next month. Three weeks of special programming will lead up to our last night of service on Saturday December 17th. Please join us for food, drink, live music, love & memories…
CUBANA SOCIAL FINALE ( Diez Noches de Amor! )
Dinner Menu served 5pm-11pm + Live Music all nights.
Table Reservation requests to [email protected].
*In solidarity with the current people’s movement against oppression everywhere, we have paired each of our final nights with a local community organization close to our heart, to which we wish to show recognition. Check them out (links below), volunteer & donate.
12-1 Thu - Holiday Tree Decorating & Lighting feat. Varon, Howard, & Chaydha // ERAN FINK LATIN JAZZ Trio Live @ 7, 830, 10pm feat. Eden Bareket & Tamir Shmerling. // 2 for 1 Social Mojitos All Night // *With love for La Familia Verde Bronx Community Garden Coalition
12-2 Fri - JAINARDO BATISTA w/ Guataca Salsa Quartet Live @ 8, 9, 10pm // *With love for The Anti-Violence Project serving NYC’s LGBTQ community
12-3 Sat - ¡FIRST SATURDAY! Our 5 year running CUBAN DANCE PARTY SALSONDRIA feat. Jorge Bringas, Antoine Alvear, & Marc Lopez. Live @ 9, 10, 11pm // DJ DANITO spins Timba & Tropical hits til 4am // *With love for St. Nick's Alliance affordable housing & care & Neighbors Allied for Good Growth of North Brooklyn
12-4 Sun - JOSHUA LEVINE Cuban Folkloric Roots Trio Live @ 7, 8, 9pm // *With love for Bluestockings Radical Activist Center & Bookstore
12-8 Thu - EDEN BAREKET AFRO-LATIN JAZZ Trio Live @ 7, 830, 10pm feat. Tamir Shmerling & Franny Ciniglio // A Specials Menu of Staff’s Fave Comforts (i.e...fried avocado w/ guava habanero, tostone tacos, buffalo wings w/ mojo aioli, black bean vegan burger, pig roast empanadas…) // 2 for 1 Mojitos all night // *With love for Jews for Racial & Economic Justice
12-9 Fri - JEREMY BOSCH w/ Guataca SALSA Quartet Live @ 8, 9, 10pm // Absolut Open Bar 12-1am // DJ GEKO JONES (Que Bajo?!) electropico y salsa til Late // *With love for El Taller Latino Americano Community Arts & Education
(12-10 Sat - Closed for a private event)
12-11 Sun - ROMAN LAJARA w/ Cuban Folkloric Roots Trio Live @ 7, 8, 9pm // *With love for The Doula Project free pregnancy care/support
12-15 Thu - Final Night 1 of 3: WAYNE TUCKER AFRO-LATIN JAZZ Trio Live @ 7, 8, 9pm feat. Yoni Marrianer, Eran Fink & Special Guests // Friends & Family Dinner (open to all) // DJ MICKEY PEREZ spins vintage funky Latin vinyl til 1am // *With love for Redhawk Native American Arts Council of NYC in solidarity with Standing Rock
12-16 Fri - Final Night 2 of 3: JAVIER EL POLLO w/ Guataca SALSA feat. Charly Schwartz on Timbales, Joshua Levine & Special Guests Live @ 8, 9, 10pm // DJ RIOBAMBA (Apocalypsis) electrópico til Late // *With love for Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls
12-17 Sat - Final Night 3 of 3: SALSONDRIA feat. Obanilu Allende, Marc Torres, & Danny Odria Live @ 9, 10, & 11pm // DJ DANITO & Special Guest! salsa & tropical til 4am // Come early for dinner as we will be standing room only after 10pm // *With love for El Puente - Peace, Justice, Wellness & Sustainability in Williamsburg’s Los Sures
Some Words on Cubana Social’s Closing from Founder/Owner Christina Bouza:
In 2010, with youthful heart and vision, Cubana Social emerged from a dusty former factory warehouse with an intention to celebrate Cuban food and music in a warm, inclusive space with good vibes. We prepared Grandma’s recipes with local ingredients, fused with Brooklyn style. Our mission grew to serve health minded options, affordably to our diverse community. We embraced music, dance, and family as integral to our communing around food, in tune with Afro-Latino Caribbean culture. We hosted countless joyous celebrations and presented over 1000 live performances of local and international musicians and DJs.
Maybe what’s most special is the energy felt within our walls from the people who’ve come together and contributed their love. Notably, much of Cubana’s staff & musician family has been with us since the beginning. Quite unusually, we've experienced more of a change in neighbors than employees. Cubana Social is one of few remaining old faces in a barely recognizable Williamsburg. While realtors have taken the place of artists in curating a new surreality, rents have soared sky high, fueling the cycle of displacement.
As the doors close at 70 North 6th, where we have communed for 6 years, I recognize that we are in a moment of great transition. For many places and people, discriminatory violence, systemic oppression, indigenous struggle, globalization and the destruction of our natural wildlife are escalating all around us. In acknowledgement of all of this, I express my hope to honor our community and the magic and warmth we’ve had the privilege to make as Cubana Social, and to do so with enormous gratitude.
After we gather for these 3 final weeks, may the friendships and recipes live on, and the mission of Cubana Social continue to evolve, as we work in new forms to strengthen community and resist oppression through sustainable food sovereignty, radical embrace of joyful music & dance, and wildly diverse interdependent togetherness. From this soil, may we blossom.
With love & gratitude,
Christina Bouza
Thanks especially to the following incredible people for making Cubana Social possible: Chaydha Pleasant, Varon Ramos, Amanda Key, Drew Brady, Paul & Michelle Tamburro & family, Michael Dreese, Jon & Benita Boehr, Rich Schaefer & family, Orlando Juarez, German Martinez, Danny Odria, Joshua Levine, Wayne Tucker, Maggie Ginestra, Ted Mann, Public Assembly, Galapagos Art Space, Rachel Bonhus, Sarah Howard, Jose Soto, Filomeno Ramirez, Andrew D'Ambrosi, Ben Sisto, Katini Yamaoka, Selena Scott, Kirsten Peterson, Gabriel Kubitz, Joseph Diaz, Becca Robbins, Branyer & Blaiberg Chicoma, Mindy Abovitz, Lynn Weippert, Geo Bouza, Asuncion Bouza, and all our dedicated employees, musicians, collaborators & customers since 2010.
Salud!
Cubana Social