The team behind one of New York’s favorite Latin American restaurants is debuting a new sister concept.
Carmencita is a brand-new project from owner Andy Diaz. Diaz is well-known as the operator of Her Name Was Carmen, a two-floor Latin American hotspot that established itself as one of SoHo’s hottest new restaurants when it first launched. Her Name Was Carmen earned particular praise for its culinary offerings, which were prepared by Chef Omar Ben Hammou, a veteran of the three-Michelin-starred icon Le Bernadin. More recently, Andy launched La Rubia, a popular raw bar and restaurant whose debut at the 11 Howard Hotel was covered by What Now New York back in December 2021.
Now, over two years have passed since the launch of La Rubia, and Andy and his team are once again gearing up to launch a new restaurant. Dubbed Carmencita, the new restaurant is slated to open up at 529 Broome Street, next door to Her Name Was Carmen. The space had been previously occupied by Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, a popular burger restaurant known for its viral stacked milkshakes. The location features 2,000 square feet of space and is expected to seat about 55 guests inside at one time.
Andy describes Carmencita as a “contemporary French-influenced restaurant” that will feature “oceanic wines from the south of France, Isreal, and Spain,” adding that the experience will be “accompanied with an avant-garde cocktail program inspired by the golden era of 1970’s Acapulco”. According to the menu, Carmencita will serve pairing dishes like foie gras toast and crispy pig ears alongside elevated entree dishes like a pan-seared ora king salmon and a wagyu hanger steak. The beverage program will be the star of the show though, and Andy and his team are putting together an excellent craft cocktail program that will serve guests unique cocktails like the Carmencita and the Chiki Chiki Boom Boom.
Of course, the team must also acquire a full liquor license for the space to make that happen, and that’s exactly what they’re doing! Andy is currently proposing operating hours of 12:00 PM – 1:00 AM Sunday through Thursday, and 12:00 PM – 1:00 AM on Friday and Saturday. For more updates, you can follow Her Name Was Carmen on Instagram.
