They bill themselves as a "Latinic Diner", serving food and drink from Mexico, South America, the Caribbean and Spain, and somehow they make it all work.

The extensive food menu ranges from tasty fajitas and other Mexican standards to more far-flung seasonal specials like the excellent sauteed bamboo shoots with Spanish ham and the garlicky, rosemary-infused braised rabbit. Other highlights are a Peruvian potato salad in a spicy cream sauce, a simple but well-executed garlic fried shrimp, and a selection of Spanish cheeses.

Drinks include assorted tequilas and rums, a few nice Chilean wines, and South American pinga cocktails.

In early evenings the place fills with a lively after-work crowd, with more students in the mix (Nichibei langauge school is just next door) as the night wears on and the salsa music picks up volume. They're open well past midnight, with regulars dropping in for casual late-night cocktails and tapas at the counter.

by Robb Satterwhite