It’s been almost fifteen years, Barrio Latino remains to be one of the hottest bars and night clubs in the City of Light.
Every Thursday through Saturday night, the queue, or line, outside one of the most spacious night clubs in Paris still requires a long wait. From anxious students, lovers of Latin music to international businessmen, all comprise of the international and eclectic crowd.
If you love a grand staircase, a delicious mojito, luscious cigars, open balconies accompanied by velvet sofas and every type of Latin track pumped up; then this is the perfect hotspot for you.
Owner Carlos Campos explains the risks he took to open a Latino club back in 1999, “It was risky because the space is huge, very un-Parisian. At the time, all of the other Latino places in Paris were only playing salsa. I wanted to expand on that because Latin culture isn’t just about salsa, contrary to popular beliefs.”
To open the restaurant that is also a bar and a night club, he was a: business manager, act manager, interior designer, DJ. To expand on his idea, he began to play music that attracted more than salsa-lovers. “I started playing Italian-influenced, gypsy-infused and Spanish pop music. Latin music was suddenly exposed to this city in an open way.” His strategy worked, since every other Latino bar and restaurant in Paris has closed during the same era.
Stepping into Barrio Latino (translation: Latin Quarter) feels like entering a Cuban villa. The building was originally designed by Gustov Eiffel, the same man who designed the Eiffel Tower. Over the years, it became a furniture gallery, just as every other store that currently exists on Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine – one of the busiest boulevards in the young and hip district of Bastille in Paris.
When the furniture gallery closed, Paris City Hall wanted to do something grand and exciting with the space. Finally, they decided that Barrio Latino’s idea presented the strongest concept. Carlos remembers, “We always say, the style here is classic. We don’t have the rights to break walls, we can’t change many things with this historic building. The grand staircase is original, but I put my vision into decorating this place so that people come in here and immediately forget about the city of Paris but enter the world of Latin culture.”
During the day, Barrio Latino is a lovely restaurant that serves anything from guacamole, chili dishes to Spanish tapas. In the afternoon, it’s the perfect venue for a classy cocktail in the lounge. At night, it transforms into a sassy night club, filled with chic jetsetters of all ages and cultures plastered throughout four opulent floors stimulated by a mixture of music: French DJs, oriental or Puerto Rican tunes, Venezuelan vibes and Cuban jams…any and every type of Latin music.
Carlos’ vision had always thrived beyond a salsa bar. He was born in Santiago, Chile. His parents left the city during the Revolutionary Left Movement so Carlos has lived in: Argentina, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and eventually Paris. He was a hip hop dancer at fifteen years old and after college, he became a music engineer. He started to DJ, compose music and worked with Buddha Bar on exclusive music tracks. Eventually the owner of Buddha Bar franchise came to him with the idea of opening his own space – one where people now connect with each other.
“For Parisians, the stereotype of a Latino is someone like me: tanned, great dancer, passionate and romantic. This obviously isn’t true for everybody who is Latino. Sometimes, we’re perceived as we only listen to salsa. People used to say: salsa, samba, Chile, Argentina, tango…and group them all together. But obviously not everyone in our culture is the same.”
With Barrio Latino, Carlos has created a space that invites and introduces different cultures. The secret ingredient to his success has been the change of little things but maintenance of the good. He indicates, “You’ll see other bars or clubs making big renovations. We recognize the good things that we’ll never change. We thrive on a mixture of the old and the new. Latino Colonial is our style, with ever-changing music.”
There are no coconuts and bananas, neither Tex-Mex style nor a specific Caribbean atmosphere at Barrio Latino. Its colonial style starts with elegant lights and lavish decor that welcomes guests on the first floor. Mosaic walls, antique sofas and tables showcase a vibrant paradise that Carlos wants his guests to immediately fall in love with. The second floor is a graceful restaurant adorned with dimmed lights and embellished furniture. Prix fixed lunches and dinners can also be served on the second floor. The chic and sophisticated VIPs can enjoy third and fourth floor that are sometimes reserved for corporate soirees hosted by some of the largest organizations in France, such as: L’Oréal and Air France.
In Paris, certain hotspots are the utmost institutional: Buddha Bar, VIP Room, Queen Club Paris…etc. After more than a decade, Barrio Latino remains to stay on top of that list, with five to six bouncers outside of the club that handles an every-growing, anticipating crowd. In a city filled with wine bars, neighborhood hangouts and cave-like clubs, if you’re ever looking for an international and lively place to escape the City of Light; Barrio Latino might just be your perfect, glitzy fix.
