Salsa x Southtown

It’s summer in San Antonio, it’s a hundred percent humidity as I type, and I know what you need. Let me guess. Sangria? Mojitos? Pisco sours? Latino cuisine? Salsa dancing?? Yes. All of those things.

Because (a) we won’t feel temperatures less than a hundred and fifteen degrees until October, (b) we’re in a place where you hear Spanish as often as English, and (c) let’s get real, who WASN’T seduced by Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, today I offer you a locale for a little drinking, a little eating, and a little dancing. AZUCA, in Southtown. It’s where it’s at, folks!

While I’ve frequented Azuca most often for the drinking and dancing opportunities, the food I have ordered (or snatched from the poorly attended plates of friends) has been delicious. Salads and fish, especially. The sangria and the mojitos are great. My only disappointment came with the pisco sours, which (speaking with the authority that I appropriately claim after briefly living in Peru, a.k.a. the motherland and birthplace of this typically frothy and delectable temptation) I find offensive.

Maya Angelou once said, “Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances.” Now, I am not usually one to disagree with Ms. Angelou, but the truth is that on rare (read: frequent) occasions, my rhythm is a little bit off kilter from most everything else in the universe. Does this affect my enjoyment of the salsa dancing at Azuca, you ask? Great news, NO. Here’s why. While the dancing skills of Azuca’s weekend night clientele may initially intimidate the uncoordinated (or gringa) onlooker, I have found that the friendly young guys and kindly older gentlemen who ask you to dance can lead in a way that allows nearly anyone to really feel the beat, break a sweat, and earn themselves that freshly muddled mojito.

If you’re still not sold, you can always take GROUP SALSA LESSONS with Chris Quickslow (gotta be his real name! It’s on his business card!) at Azuca on Saturday afternoons from 4 to 6. Which I have done. Beep beep HOLLA!

In conclusion: whether it’s for happy hour, a smokin’ date (not literally — Azuca doesn’t allow that crap inside!), or even a bachelorette party (it’s been done and it was GOOD), for Salsa by Southtown try out Azuca . Go there. Do it.