El Parador

Sitting in the passenger seat on my way to the salsa club the radio spits out a popular song by the singer Pitbull called, “Krazy.” From that moment I knew tonight would be an adventure.

At the southwest corner of Broadway Boulevard and Treat Avenue there is a restaurant that doubles as a popular night club for anyone wanting to shake their hips. El Parador, or the inn in English, is the spot for late night salsa, meringue, chacha, and other dances enjoyed in Spanish speaking countries. The restaurant/bar/club has been in Tucson and the Carlson family hands for the past 35 years.

“It’s very important to have salsa dancing in our restaurant,” said Loretta Carlson, current owner. “We are known as the palacio de salsa, or the palace of salsa.”

After paying the $7 cover, for both genders, you immediately are greeted by the booming beats of this club. The restaurant turns into the salsa club starting at 10 p.m. and remains open until 2 a.m. On Fridays, the night I went, a local band Descarga plays contemporary music. Every other Saturday, the band Salsarenque plays traditional salsa music during that same time period.

Whether you are an experienced salsa dancer or are just looking for your first dance, everyone is welcomed on the floor. For those with less experience and an additional $5, salsa dance teacher Jeannie Tucker instructs newbies starting at 10:45 p.m. and lasting for about an hour. She is very personable and under her guidance, anyone can learn the basic dance steps.

There are two bars in El Parador with nightly drink specials like $4 margaritas. If you are willing to spend the $6 for their infamous mojito, I HIGHLY suggest it. It was delicious and had the perfect blend of alcohol and mint. I finished mine quite quickly.

Throughout the night I noticed something different about the atmosphere in El Parador. It seemed like everyone was smiling. Everyone seemed to know each other and dance partners were being traded like it was the stock market. In other clubs there seems to be a overwhelming sense of who is looking at whom, what someone is wearing, how drunk should I get, will they think I’m cute, etc. But not here. At El Parador everyone was enjoying the bond that united them – the music. And the crowd was not your standard Latino population. There were college-aged dancers and the elderly sharing the floor and every race and ethnicity was represented. If anything I observed that this style of music and dance really unified the locals of Tucson.

“I love how guys ask you to dance,” said Star Sykes, a University of Arizona senior. “I’ve been coming here for a year and a half, because most of the time at other clubs guys will come up behind you and start dancing but here they ask you to dance like gentlemen.”

The address for El Parador is: 2744 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ‎ (520) 881-2744‎