Palomino

The long-awaited new tenant in the old ETA digs, Palomino, comes from the Gold Line crew across the street. More toned down than its sibling bar, Palomino’s stained-glass light fixtures and glittering disco ball strike a nostalgic chord without going full kitsch. A massive window provides an indoor-outdoor cooling spot for people-watching by the entrance. The small group/date-night-friendly bar gets an injection of energy with weekend DJs while still maintaining a laidback atmosphere.

Service is touch-and-go, depending on how hard you lean into their elevated cocktails in a casual space schtick. The beverage program is worth the mild pretense, with a Limonada that lives in a herbal beach shack somewhere between a Saturn and a Brazilian lemonade, and a pear elderflower martini grounded in earthy Suze and Mexican rum (Pera). Along with a couple of non-alcoholic cocktails, wine, and surprisingly well-priced beer, the menu is rounded out with a “Quickies” section. These two-ingredient drinks cost a few dollars less than the signature cocktails if $18 makes you balk.

The drinks are intelligently crafted to be both palatable and palate-expanding, but with so much tough competition in spitting distance, time will tell if Highland Park can swallow yet another bar.