Ricardos Hideaway

Ricardo's Hideaway, the popular rum bar that serves tropical cocktails and food inspired by the Caribbean, had its genesis in a compilation CD, says general manager Stephen Phipps. “I was listening to Si, Para Usted: The Funky Beat of Revolutionary Cuba, this collection of crazy music made in Cuba in the ‘60s, and ‘70s, but never made it to America because of the trade embargo,”  he explains. This was when he was managing The Bourbon Room, owned by the Concorde Group.

Interested in bringing that Caribbean vibe to his bar, Phipps discovered local electric-mambo band Los Montalbáns, then threw a few wildly popular parties at The Bourbon Room themed around their Cuban-inspired music and rum drinks served in pineapples. When the Concorde Group considered opening another establishment right next to its National on 17th, they asked Phipps to continue the tropical party.

“I was telling Craig Soby from Los Montalbáns we wanted to create a party in a rickety, shack bar that you stumble into and you say, ‘Man! This place is fun!’ [Then] Craig said, ‘Like a Ricardo’s Hideaway,’" explains Stephen, referencing the kitschy, Latin show tune, Fernando's Hideaway, filtered through the image of Fantasy Island star Ricardo Montalbán. "The name stuck!”