 The Latinada defies a simple category. It’s not just a club and it’s much more than a tapas restaurant.
“It’s simply unique in Toronto,” says one regular customer. “You can let everything out. You can eat and drink. You can listen to live Latin music and you can dance if you want to. I just come here to relax and enjoy!”
Indeed the Latinada is unlike any club, resto or bar I’ve visited anywhere in Canada.
One of its most celebrated Cuban musicians, Rojitas, says that in Spanish one might call the Latinada a “descarga”. That translates literally to “download”
but its real meaning lies in “relaxing and having fun with singing and dancing and food,” according to the singer.
“You can have one in your house, and it’s a bit like that here,” he adds. Indeed the Latinada is so unpretentious at times it feels as comfortable as being at home.
It is a very family-like atmosphere, and many customers are also friends, yet even new guests (like me) are made to feel like we belong.
Good food is served up at bistro-style tables, and drinks abound. There is often spontaneous dancing. And there is never any shortage of musicians or impromptu jams, as they too treat it like a home away from home.
Musicians from Cuba, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina or Uruguay can be found there almost any night, either on stage or off, hanging out or ‘working’… they seem to have as much fun on stage as they do off!
The owner of Latinada, Alfredo, is the man behind it all. He wears many hats, whether it’s on stage playing guitar, or behind the bar making drinks, serving clients or just yakking it up with customers.
His craziness is part of his indelible charm and it’s Latinada’s secret ingredient.
Check it out! Whether you want to kick up your heels or just sit and relax … listening to the live rhythms of Latin America, it’s right here in Toronto!
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