City A New Capitol Hill Bar That Even I Can Love
With the obvious exception of the live music venues which I frequent and the occasional stop in Linda’s, I don’t go out for cocktails on Capitol Hill—I’m much more fond of neighborhood bars in Ballard and other North End environs. However, Havana—the new establishment being built by former Viceroy manager Quentin Ertel—has the potential to keep me on the Hill for happy hours this summer.
Set to open in late June, Ertel’s space is located between 10th and 11th on Pike Street. It’s not easy to find at the moment, as its side entrance is tucked into the parking lot that faces Vita. Kelly O and I went over there recently, chatted with Quentin and took a couple of photos, including this one that gives a sense of what the ornate and pleasingly old-fashioned bar will look like (Quentin wants it to feel like a vintage bar that was just re-discovered):
The space has the advantage of some pretty sweet contrasting elements: soaring, pressed tin ceilings and elegant, enormous picture windows alongside cavernous enclaves and cozy balcony seating, creating the potential to be both visually dramatic and invitingly intimate:
Color choices as of now are blessedly free of local design cliches (read: the walls will be avocado green, not blood-red), and Quentin is using his exceptional thrifting skills to collect great light fixtures and accessories that reflect the old-world look he’s going for. What’s more, the boy has a killer track record—he’s managed a ton of successful local bars, including the Showbox, Linda’s, Chop Suey, and was the key element that made Viceroy such a hit. I’ll leave it to your imagination what sort of DJs and theme nights he’ll be drawing to Havana—and I’ll be writing about it more in a future edition of my Rocka Rolla column.
An additional note: He’s keeping the menu simple—essentially just a rotating artisan cheese plate. However, he has worked out a deal with the folks over at neighboring Via Tribunali to run over their Neapolitan-style pizzas, an idea I heartily support.
Hannah Levin is Havana Lovin'... that is so cute.