By Tuesday of next week, owner/chef Dave Sidhu of Playa Cabana will officially open his third location, Playa Cabana Hacienda. “The building really lends itself to being a hacienda — a big house or plantation — and we just wanted to create a big place where people could come and have fun,” says Sidhu.

Located at Dupont and Avenue, where Vittorio’s on Avenue once stood (that restaurant has moved to 137 Avenue Rd.), Hacienda is just steps away from the original Playa Cabana, but it offers a more fast-paced, lively atmosphere.

The space was designed by Sidhu himself, featuring a collection of vintage neon signs and antique road signs from Burbank Hotel, Boston, Detroit, Route 66 and of course, Las Vegas. Chairs were repurposed from an auditorium, and the wood from the tables on the first floor came from a cottage belonging to Gordon Lightfoot.

Spanning two floors and three patios (one at the front, one upstairs and a massive one in the back), the space has capacity for nearly 200, but somehow feels as cozy as the Cabana.

Instead of large meals, the Hacienda is about drinks and small bites. For bocaditos (snacks), there’s salsa verde ($5), guaca fresca ($8) and mahi mahi ceviche ($9). But the main focus is tacos and tostadas. For tacos, there’s adobo-marinated chicken ($4), smoked pork with pineapple salsa ($6) or bavette steak with peanut salsa ($6). For tostadas, there’s halibut tinga ($6), spicy shrimp ($6) or lobster ($9). As always, salsas are made in-house, as are the tortillas.

Cocktails feature Dave’s margarita ($9) or a rum punch ($9) that’s a play on sangria. Beer like Dos Equis and Tecate come by the bottle ($6) or as a bucket of four ($20). And it wouldn’t be a Playa Cabana without a massive tequila list, including dozens each of blanco, reposado and anejo tequila (from $6 for 1 oz).

Published: Jul 11, 2013