Roma Norte Brings Technique-Driven Cocktails and Mexico City Flair to San Diego

Roma Norte, a new bar concept by the acclaimed team behind Puesto and Marisi, brings the electric energy, hospitality, and world-class cocktail culture of Mexico City to San Diego’s nightlife scene.

Located next door to Puesto at The Headquarters in Seaport Village, Roma Norte—which makes the point that it’s ‘not a speakeasy’—brings a new nightlife attitude to this part of the city.

A Vibrant Cocktail Program

Inspired by the international melting pot and celebrated nightlife of the eponymous Mexico City neighborhood, Vice President of Bar and Spirits Beau du Bois and Director of Bar Logistics Derek Cram have crafted a vibrant cocktail program.

Their creation reflects decades of experience and their common obsession with high-quality spirits.

Resulting from the duo’s experimentation is a menu of eight technique-driven cocktails, as well as four non-alcoholic beverages, that implement modern bartending methodologies to present the ingredients in their most perfect form.

More than just high-quality cocktails, du Bois and Cram utilize techniques such as forced carbonation, nitro muddling, clarification via centrifuge, and lacto-fermentation to achieve greatness, pushing each cocktail to its fullest potential.

Innovative Techniques and Ingredients

Hoja Santa leaves are flash-frozen with liquid nitrogen, capturing their most vibrant green hue, and tequila is vapor-infused with habaneros, leaving the sweet, floral taste of the peppers without the capsaicin-fueled burn. When it comes to cocktails at Roma Norte, the end always justifies the means.

Drawing on Latin American spices and botanicals as well as a variety of spirits, Roma Norte’s beverage program presents an eclectic mix of global flavors, similar to what can be found in the award-winning bars that put Mexico City on the map as the cosmopolitan epicenter leading the craft cocktail zeitgeist.

The Maduro Highball, featuring Brazilian Cachaça and plantains, presents South American and Caribbean vibes.

While the Another Word, featuring eucalyptus-infused mezcal poured tableside over pillowy-soft shaved ice from an imported Japanese Kakigōri ice shaver, is a modern variation of the prohibition-era Last Word.

And Roma Norte’s Sex on the Beach utilizes yerba mate and a unique clarification technique with coconut milk, resulting in an extremely photogenic vegan cocktail.

An Accompanying Food Menu

In addition to the bar’s signature offerings, the menu will include a deep list of classic house cocktails, further flexing the competency of their talented and experienced bar team.

Following the DNA of the bar program, Chef Erik Aronow has crafted an accompanying food menu of playful small plates and late-night bites featuring menu items perfect for sharing with friends over a round of drinks, such as:

• Flamin’ Hot Corn Nuts with house-made crunchy hominy & cheesy spice blend
• Scallop Tostada featuring avocado, finger lime, sweet onion, cilantro
• Yellowfin Tuna with crispy white corn tostada, guacamole, Persian cucumber, shallot, and chile

More substantial dishes include:

• The Carne Crudo with prime diced hanger steak, birria spiced aioli, shimeji mushroom, radish sprout, and a signature sandwich
• The Torta de Milanesa with veal, potato roll, spicy cabbage, avocado, cilantro, green chile aioli, and pickled onions serves as a solid base for a late night of carousing.

Roma Norte’s Unique Interior Design

Roma Norte’s interiors blend lush greenery with urban elements throughout the space.

Nodding to Mexico City’s vibrant and diverse architecture, which includes both colorful facades of colonial-era buildings as well as modernist designs, the bar incorporates muted hues of navy, terracotta, and concrete to reflect the city’s artistic spirit.

Plush velvet furniture, a deep brown marble bar top, retro lighting, bronze detailing, custom wallpaper, and patinaed antique mirrors evoke a sense of nostalgia and sophistication.

See you there!

Roma Norte is located at 789 W Harbor Dr, UNIT 155, San Diego. For more information, visit their website here and follow them on Instagram for updates.

See you there, San Diego!