Live From Zucca’s! It’s Noche Latina!

The Stellar Italian Restaurant Adds Music

May 2019

Weekends in Coral Gables now start on Thursday nights. That’s when you can catch a live set of authentic Cuban music at Zucca’s bar inside the St. Michel Hotel.

Zucca, now into its second year in the old haunts once occupied by St. Michel’s French restaurant, has earned accolades and a loyal following for its inventive Northern Italian cuisine. Less known is Zucca’s bar, which lives across the hotel’s lobby from the restaurant. It’s a cocktail bar, with a fine happy hour that extends to 8 p.m. And you can order food from the full menu. On Thursday nights, however, it comes alive with Noche Latina. Starting at 7 p.m. you can hear the rhythmic sounds of renowned Cuban percussionist/singer/band leader Luis Bofill (shown above). On the evening we went to hear Bofill, the room was crowded with two groups of revelers celebrating birthdays by dancing the mambo in front of the band. Bofill was at the top of his game, wailing and ripping out a percussive rhythm on his güiro. We sat at the bar, with its comfortable low-back stools, and watched the bartender mix Pisco Sours in copper shakers – almost as entertaining as the band.