Calle Ocho

Locals sardine themselves into this vibrant joint with Cuban-themed collages to enjoy inventive Pan-Latin food, as well as excellent homemade sangrias. The harried waitstaff delivers a starter round of velvety goat-cheese empanadas and rum-glazed shrimp without much more than a stressed smile, but the mouthwatering appetizers soon make up for the coldness. A pumpkin-seed–encrusted mahi-mahi has the sultriness of a Havana summer night, while thin sheets of rosy, tender tuna tiradito are dressed with roasted pineapple, avocado and jalapeños. Coconut sorbet in a luscious chocolate shell, and peanut butter–drenched cheesecake are the best part of an already buena noche; don’t worry—you won’t hear your conscience over the peppy salsa music anyway.