Barrio East opens in Shoreditch on 17th November

Barrio Bars are set to bring a slap of Latin attitude to the East End this November with the opening of their latest venue, Barrio East, situated on bustling Shoreditch High Street. Founded by globe-trotting entrepreneur and music fanatic, Ferdie Ahmed, the team behind Barrio Bars also includes Sat Ghuman and Ani Kyriacou. Barrio East will be the third bar on the map, following on from the success of Barrio North in Islington and Barrio Central in the heart of Soho.

Like its counterparts, Barrio East will provide Londoners with a taste of the exotic in their neck of the woods. With stylish, quirky interiors inspired by colourful Latin quarters the world over, the bar will offer delicious street food, inventive cocktails and late night block rocking beats.

Guests will be taken on a non-stop journey around the world, boarding at Jalisco, refuelling in Havana, and waking up to the Bossa Nova of Bahia. With a mix of Latin-twisted and original cocktail creations, Barrio East will be crammed with premium rums and tequilas, a late licence every night and a food menu that skips across Latin America, taking you from brunch through to night.

Barrio East invites guests to explore its two sides, Barrio Downtown and Barrio Uptown, offering an appropriate backdrop to suit the mood.

Barrio Uptown will be a mixture of Cuban hotel lobby meets colonial courtyard meets Mexican speakeasy. Tucked away at the back of the venue via a discrete entrance, Barrio Uptown will be an elegant yet fun space, where shirt -braced bartenders will take exquisite care in crafting classic cocktails.  Ideal for private functions, the room will be self-contained, with its own marble top bar, DJ facilities, space for dancing and plenty of intimate booth seating.

Barrio Downtown will be familiar to its faithful followers, with its long orange top bar dividing those looking to sit back and relax in the Timber Yard from those looking to join the party in La Boca Barri and designed by the crew at re-fuze.co.uk. The La Boca Barrio area will be inspired by the colourful Argentinian neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, with its brightly coloured facades, made from reclaimed ship timber.

Nestled in this urban Latin jungle will be a Barrio design classic, a 1960s, Sprite 4-bearth caravan, lovingly ripped up and customised for guests to sit back and enjoy.  With its House of Hackney wallpaper, the caravan will offer a perfect vantage point to take in live performances on stage. With a seven day a week entertainment programme, heavy on DJs and live acts, guests will find themselves gravitating towards Barrio Downtown as the night continues into the early hours.

Barrio East’s Timber Yard will host another impressive structure, with striking booth seating made from colourful wooden planks stacked floor to ceiling, against exposed brick work and a hot tin roof. This space, available for private hire, will provide the perfect daytime spot to Wi-Fi hop, people watch, and enjoy the appetising lunch and brunch menu.

A new cocktail menu will be launched across all Barrios, coinciding with the opening of Barrio East, and will be divided into new releases, remixes and greatest hits.  Each cocktail will be paired with a suggested song track that combines harmoniously with the libation. Examples will include Gingerbread Colada (Santa Teresa Anejo rum, Koko Kanu, coconut rum, pineapple juice, cream, gingerbread syrup and lemon juice, garnished with pineapple, maraschino cherry and a gingerbread man), Ron Alejandro (Santa Teresa Anejo rum, Mozart Dark chocolate liqueur, Mozart chocolate bitters and cream, garnished with grated dark chocolate) and Cape Fizz (Chilean pisco ABA, muddled red grapes, Xante pear liqueur, apple juice, lemon, dash of soda, garnished with apple fan and a bunch of grapes).

Mexican born Omar Romero, has devised the food menu, taking in all the Latin favourites along the way. From Huevos Rancheros – the Mexican all day breakfast, to Antojitos (small plates) of calamari, ribs and crispy pork belly. Other dishes will include Queso Fundido, Chicken Taquitos and Empanadas & Chimichurri.           

Barrio Bars continues to innovate and set trends in the London bar scene. With a 300 capacity venue spread across three distinct areas, Barrio East is the ideal option for a multitude of events and occasions, featuring private rooms, live stage with a fantastic sound system, and full multi-media facilities. Experienced events staff will be able to create a tailor-made experience and advise guests on all aspects of their event, from the canapé and drinks menu to the music choice.

Barrio East is officially opening its doors and starting big with an all star DJ line-up on Saturday 17^th November.

Hackney Colliery Band are set to perform live in the Boca Boom Boom Room this Saturday from 11pm. Featuring trumpets, trombones, saxes, sousaphone and marching percussion, the band are totally acoustic and yet able to blow the roof off any room.

You can also expect three dynamite sets from an all-star DJ line up including Kraak & Smaak, one of the Netherlands funkiest exports, who had the muddy dance floors pumping from Glastonbury to Coachella this summer, and Bristol born and raised Boca 45 with the most eclectic and energetic collection of 7″ records you’ve seen.

The editorial unit

The Barrio East Official Launch Party will take place on Saturday 17^th November 2012, 5pm – 2am. For further information or to book for the opening visit the bar’s website here.