Cienfuegos
“If you're hesitating, don't. Get yourself to Cienfuegos, kick back, and bask in the glory of the punch bowls.”
“Their stirred cocktails are made with great precision and care and the bartenders are passionate about their rum.”
“Set in the east village on the 2nd floor, this Latin lounge is swanky, sophisticated and sexy!”
Cienfuegos
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I'm not too sure what the hype is about. I'm a big fan of the other places run by the parent company but this place didn't quite exactly hit the spot. We ordered the happy hour special punches and shared amongst four people. They're cheap, but lacked in flavor. The food wasn't all that great either. Decor and music were strange too. Maybe I'm just not a good fit for the crowd here?
Absolutely love the decor! By chance, we were looking for a bar in the area that wasn't too busy. When we put down our name, it was a 45 minute wait but we got a call in 20 minutes our table for two was ready!
We were seated in a corner with two lofty white chairs angled towards each other. We immediately realized how the place was perfect for a date night. We ordered the Isle of Manhattan Fizz for two and it did not disappoint. Refreshing. Frothy. Coconuty. Light. Probably the best drink I've had in a while! (We also tried the Jungle Bird but it tasted too strong and bitter once we started drinking the punch.)
I completely fell in love with Cienfuegos and can't wait to come back!
This is one of my favorite places in Alphabet City. This is why Cienfuegos is at the top of an Alphabet City hit list:
1. Great drinks, incredible bowls. We got a bartender's special with absinthe during happy hour. It was probably the most fun group drinking experience. Absolutely worth the price, great cocktail.
2. The vibes are great. You really feel like you have been transported to a different place. The decor, the color of the walls, down to the place settings and silverware. You're not in NYC anymore and it adds so much to the experience.
3. Service is also great. I've been in with one friend and then with a large group of people. Everyone is accommodating and wants you to have a great experience.
4. Nice selection of small bites to accompany your drinks. Delicious but leans against vegetarian-friendly options.
If you happened to be in the area with a crew of friends, there is no better place to get your drank and delicious snack on.
cool spot. somewhat hidden as there isn't a real store front. look for the chalkboard outside on Avenue A. there is also a big graffiti sign on east 6th street indicating that the bar is around the corner. walk up some wooden stairs to the second floor and you are transported to a festive scene with salsa and latin music blasting. they make really fine rum cocktails and punch bowls. the punch bowls come in different sizes (a "for two" starts at $40) and at least a half dozen styles. half price during happy hour, which lasts til 7PM and features certain cocktails, daiquiris, and usually two punch bowls. get the punch bowl and drink the punch from tea cups. on this night it was the intro to awesome and a house special mix. there's a fine balance with the drinks as they are so tasty and easy to drink yet you know they have a good amount of booze. so be careful! you might be dancing in no time! the only knock is that some of the drinks have massive amounts of ice. but it makes it so cold and so refreshing. regardless, I can drink the hurricane blaster all day and dream of Caribbean waves 🙂
I have not one complaint about this place.
The ambience: perfect, cozy, and neat
The food: delicious (we had the beef empanadas, guacamole, pork belly sliders, and adobo chicken spring rolls)
Drinks: they get the job done. That Isle of Manhattan Fizz bowl was so tasty! And of course we couldn't leave without trying the zombie. There is no more disclaimer on this drink ("one per person") so maybe the concoction changed? never the less I would revisit (half off punch bowls during happy hour!)
The service: excellent. I love that we did not once feel rushed and every flowed well. There was no having to chase down the waiter to order or receive the bill in the end
Overall this place is perfect for a date night or a nice evening w a couple friends. This place is really tapas style so definitely don't come if you are expecting a huge played meal. Come ready to order several items/share.
After reading the older reviews, it seems like this place has lost both its edge and its magic.
First, its no longer a real secret speakeasy.
The old "go through the back door inside the sandwich shop" entrance no longer exists and they have a new entrance on Ave A with a big sign next to the staircase going right upstairs to the 2nd floor bar.
2nd, after trying the $20 House Zombie drink, it was a bit disappointing. There's no more disclaimer about "only 1 per person!" because its a bit lame now.
It comes in a big 16 oz skull shaped glass but its completely filled with ice so there's probably about 6oz of liquid. The flavor is pretty good, kind of like a spicy citrus/orange flavor. Worh sharing between people because its just hype now.
Its not terrible but but when you can get punch bowls for the same price during HH, its a no brainer
So about happy hour, its from 5-7.
The big ticket item is the punch bowls. Not sure how it used to but for happy hour, they only discount TWO punch bowls every night. They are normally $40 and go half off.
Punch bowls during happy hour is really the only reason I would come back. They are real good and pretty massive.
Foodwise they seem to have some good stuff – mostly tapas. I tried the yucca fries for $8 and they were very salty and delicious. Yum
There was a wait at Death & Co, so we came here on recommendations of the bouncer at Death & Co— and we actually liked it more than Death & Co. Probably should have stuck here instead of going back over once we received a text that our table was ready.
There was a happy hour special so their featured punch bowl was half off– we figured a $20 punch bowl is definitely better than any other $40 punch bowl.
This place is cute and I love the punch bowls. Definitely a hipster vibe to the place. The punch itself was really good too!
My new fav HH spot!!! I mean seriously, how can you beat 1/2 off punch bowls, especially when they are the elixir of the Gods?!!! We stopped in early on a Saturday evening to just make Happy Hour before our dinner near by. We went with the bartenders choice which I think changes daily and we chose one off the menu. I can't recall which one it was but trust me, you can't go wrong with any of them. I'm heading back this weekend and am already doing my happy dance thinking about it! Oh and the service and atmosphere are both great as well.