A grand $4 million Latin entertainment concept in Times Square that’s opening in phases beginning next week will reinforce the Big Apple’s persona of “the city that never sleeps” with a real dose of fiesta.
“We are operating with a mantra — imagine if going out in Times Square was actually fun and not the dreaded sea of people and Big Box restaurants,” said Josiah Salerno, the director of operations for the overall campus-like venue dubbed “1604” for its 1604 Broadway address.
Led by Latin entertainment mogul, Pedro Zamora, who has 30 years in the local Latin entertainment and nightlife scenes, the multi-floor former country music mecca has been completely reimagined.
Pops of tropical green will create the Caribbean and Mexican vibe over a soothing base of neutral beiges.
“He wanted a sanctuary for Latin artists and a place for the second and third generation Latin community to call home … without ostracizing any of the tourists,” said Salerno.
Managing partner Paul Brown has been a Gotham nightlife guru for 20 years, having been involved in legendary clubs including Sound Factory, Crobar, Centro-Fly, and HK Hall.
“We pretty much modernized and renovated every floor,” said Brown. “We’re planning on being here for the next 15 years and have been a good steward of the building.”
Also joining the crew is Joe Barbour, a veteran of The Lure Group’s operations at Slate Rooftop and Clinton Hall at the Hotel Williamsburg.
The lease for the 28,000-square-foot multi-story space was signed with the building owner, Faremore Realty, in September 2022, said broker Joseph Isa of ISA Realty Group.
“It’s taken a long time to open,” Isa said. “But they understand Times Square because, while this is the entertainment capital of the world, no one knows where to go dancing — and now you will be able to go dancing.”
There’s fun to be had both day and night.
Chef Darryl Harmon is in charge of the menu for the ground floor’s Pizza & Bites that will open on June 13 — with offerings also including empanadas, garlic knots and even a full bar.
Harmon is also the executive chef for Palma Verde — the all-day café opening June 5 on the fourth floor as an escape from the crush of Broadway and a sanctuary for the after-party breakfast crowd.
Patrons there might order a classic French toast stick, but it will come with an unexpected surprise: a coquito dipping sauce. “It’s a combination of all-day diner fare with a bit of a Latin twist and a pretty cool menu,” Salerno said.
The second and third floors are where guests can get their rumba or private party on.
Chef Ricardo Cardona will helm the cuisine at Circo Times Square, which will open on June 12 with a dinner show featuring dancers from Tuesday through Saturday evenings at a price tag expected at $75 to $100 per person.
“It’s a tried-and-true restaurant with dining tables and big bar lounges and a show element,” said Salerno. “We will have choreographed dancing and ancillary performers.”
At 11 o’clock on Friday and Saturday nights starting on June 14, the space morphs as the show dancers will bow out and patrons take over the dance floor as salsa music and electronic vibes will keep the after party going until 4 a.m. or later.
“The room is a mega club and if they are not dancing, we are not doing something right,” Salerno said. “We want to keep the energy and music going from 4 a.m. to even 7 or 8 with a band or DJ spinning, and create a post-shift place for gig workers and connect back to the gig worker experience. We want to make this ‘Bachelorette City’ and a prime spot for tourists and locals.”
Certain shows and events will have an admission or cover charge, as well as bottle service that will vary with the offerings.
The 1604 Broadway building has a checkered past, but has been a party space for decades.
In August 2008, while attending a birthday bash for rapper Lil’ Kim at what was then the karaoke bar Spotlight Live, a 24-year old British Airways ticket agent, Ingrid Rivera, was murdered by a club employee.
During a 2017 renovation of the building for its last incarnation as the Opry City Stage, construction worker Jose Cruz fell one floor to his death. That venue shuttered a year later.
The property hosted restaurants and cabarets in the late 1950s and a movie theater in the 1980s.
On a lighter note, a music publisher that offered the suffragette ditty, “You’d Better Be Nice to Them Now,” and a return from World War I song, “When I Come Back to You (We’ll have a Yankee-Doodle Wedding),” had offices at the address in 1918.
Isa declined to discuss the rent for 1604, but is glad they will be offering pizza as the adjacent Sbarro at 1606 Broadway with its large signage on West 49th Street is vacant.
Isa is marketing that two-story space with more than 7,000 square feet for a reduced price of $1.8 million per year. “It will lease very quickly now,” Isa said.
