Rosa Blanca launches a downstairs Latin lounge in Washington Square

There’s a Latin beat to move your feet beneath Rosa Blanca. The Garces Group opened Nacional 56, a new lounge, in late November downstairs in the Center City eatery. The club features a DJ, live music, and fun with a Latin vibe.

The name of the new space comes from the Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba, which Rosa Blanca general manager Beth Evangelista said inspired the new space. The 56 in the name represents the year that hotel opened, she said. She’s excited about how well the first few weeks have gone and is looking forward to the future.

Before a remodel, the downstairs looked like the restaurant upstairs, until the restaurant painted the lounge walls a plum color and added banquette-type seating.

“It’s so warm and inviting, comfortable and exciting,” she said. “It really changed the space from what it used to be.”

And the music adds a whole new flavor. One of the first bands to play the space was De Tierra Caliente (they’re coming back on New Year’s Eve), and Evangelista hopes the space will be a way to showcase Latin and Latin-inspired artists.

“I love to support the musicians and live music. This is a great venue for Latin acts,” Evangelista said. “I love the rhythm, the beats, the songs. People get up and dance. They’re just overtaken by the music.”

Like any good lounge, there are lite bites and unique drinks. Nacional 56 features more than 70 rums, she said, as well as Mojitos and other cocktails. They smoke grapefruit in-house for their own Smokey Hemingway (rum, grapefruit, lime).

“It’s just a lot of fun,” she said. “It’s awesome. Come and see.”

Nacional 56 is below Rosa Blanca, at 707 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. For more information, visit Rosa Blanca online or call 215-925-5555.

At right: the crowd dances at Nacional 56's opening night. Image courtesy of Rosa Blanca.