De Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 a Nueva York
Pernil empanadas, Puerto Rican Day Parade pre-game parties, perreo intenso y más.
¡Holisssss! Welcome back to another installment of ¿Qué Vamo’ Hacer?—a curated line-up of events and things to do in Nueva York by Latinos, for Latinos.
Let’s get straight to it—this is the longest line-up of events we’ve ever shared. And frankly, it could have been longer but this is a “curated line-up of events” after all. We were able to narrow it down to 12 incredible events coming up, some in celebration of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade on June 8, and others simply in the spirit of summer. (Anyone else seeing Bomba Estéreo y Rawayana this weekend? 👀)
If this email is too long for your inbox, click that link to read in your browser. That’s it for now. Let’s get into it!
THIS WEEK
CULTURE
De Aquí y De Allá New York
Saturday, May 31
2:00 PM
Café Colmado
286 Broome St, New York, NY, 10002
Tickets: FREE
RSVP
Puerto Rican publisher Las Marías Editorial is in Nueva York this weekend for their first community event off the island, De Aquí y De Allá NYC. The event will celebrate the literary voices of Puerto Rican writers from the island and beyond. The event will spotlight six Puerto Rican writers across a diverse range of media, from fashion to social justice. Speakers include Frances Solá-Santiago, staff writer at Wirecutter and author of Little Book of Bottega Veneta; Larissa Gloriel, pleasure coach, sex educator, and author of Casi Romántica and Sola me gusta; Anyuli González Oliver, conference interpreter and author of El paraíso vendida; Adli Cordero Espada, social worker and author of ¿Y quién ama esta locura? and Matertransmutar; Naomy Rivera, poet, lawyer, and author of Creando diptongos con consonantes and Lo que Florece entre las Grietas; and Leuryck Valentín, activist, co-host of Vulgar Maravilla Podcast, and author of Gorda Desobediente.
Con Tiempo x Cholita Cafe Present Estamos Aqui
Sunday, June 1
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Cholita Cafe
866 Onderdonk Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
Walk-ins welcome
Ecuadorian-owned coffee shop and gallery space Cholita opens its doors to Estamos Aqui, a gallery event in partnership with Con Tiempo. The event will celebrate artists and creators of color, inviting them to take up space and champion their expression. Artwork will be exhibited by New York artists including Brklynj0n, Lágrimas de Flores, @pony_haru, CARO, Xóchitl Cisneros, and Manuel Hernandez, with sounds by ¡XoloHuizo! and Shadow Recordz, and a live performance by Indica Wave.
FOOD & DRINK
Papitropical at Commune
Through Saturday, May 31
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Commune
415 Classon Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Walk-ins welcome
Storyteller and chef Tamren Estévez Lopez—also known as Tamarindo, and best known as
—is leading they're second chef residency at Bed-Stuy's Commune this week. Chef Tamarindo is preparing street food reimagined through the flavors of the Carribbean and Manabí, including menestra, slow-cooked lentil stew, chillo frito, fried red snapper, and patacones. On Friday and Saturday, Chef Tamarindo will showcase jaibitas fritas, fried soft-shell blue crab with aji verde and mango and red onion curtido. Chef Tamarindo will be joined by Chef Rhiana Hernandez, and together, the two are making alfajores de mora, "filled with creamy white chocolate ganache and Andean blackberry—an ode to the mora batidos my abuela made me as a child," Chef Tamarindo share. Commune doesn't take reservations, so we recommend grabbing a seat early before these dishes sell out.
Chef Paola Velez at Raf's
Through Sunday, June 1
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Raf's
290 Elizabeth St
New York, NY 10012
Walk-ins welcome
Raf's Croissant Club kicks off this week with award-winning pastry chef Paola Velez. Chef Paola will be serving croissant-inspired pernil empanadas with Dominican wasakaka through Sunday morning. "Drawing from Dominican traditions, the pernil—tender, slow-roasted pork—is wrapped in buttery, laminated croissant dough enriched with sofrito-infused butter," the Raf's team shares. "The sofrito, a blend of garlic, onions, peppers, and herbs, deepens the flavor and adds a Caribbean soul to the French technique. Served with a zesty wasakaka sauce, this dish is a bold, beautiful fusion of Dominican comfort and French finesse."
Raf's Croissant Club is curated by pasty chef Camari Mick, and continues throughout the summer with several chefs of color including Isabel Coss, Woldy Reyes, and Rasheeda Purdie (of Ramen by Ra). The croissants and pastries are available each week from their bakery beginning at 9:00 AM until sold out from Tuesday through Sunday. Check the calendar via Raf's Instagram to learn more.
Jibaritos by RICURA
Sunday, June 1
9:00 AM
Café Colmado
286 Broome St, New York, NY 10002
Walk-ins welcome
Café Colmado’s own Chef Manolo López is joined by Xavier Pacheco, known as Chef Ecuajei of Puerto Rico’s Bacoa Finca + Fogón, for a jibaritos pop-up this Sunday only. The two will be serving jibaritos de tripleta de Puerto Rico—sandwiches of chicken, beef, and pork stacked between tostones—to kick off the week of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Kamizkaze will provide the beats, while you sip Café Colmado's café y matcha classics, and shop RICURA's exclusive tostón merch, including T-shirts, socks, and hats.
PERREO
Salsa Pa' La Cultura
Friday, May 30
7:00 PM - 12:00 AM
The Bronx Brewery
856 E 136th Street, Bronx, NY 10454
Tickets: $31.05
Buy Tickets
The Salsa Project returns with its monthly salsa series, Salsa Pa' La Cultura, at The Bronx Brewery. This week, Los Hacheros will take the stage beginning at 9:00 PM, followed by a DJ set from DJ Andy, "El Más Bailable". Beer and cider in addition to wine and cocktails, and pizza and Puerto Rican empanadas from Empanology will be available to purchase to fuel up on in between salsa sessions.
Rincón Tropical
Saturday, May 31
10:00 PM
TV Eye
1647 Weirfield St, Ridgewood, NY 11385
Walk-ins welcome
Rincón Tropical brings its all Latin vinyl grooves to TV Eye this Saturday. DJs Yana Allpa and Dayan Si are taking over the patio to spin Latin rythms throughout the night. Our recommendation? Grab tacos at Taqueria Al Pastor's Myrtle Ave location before heading to TV Eye for this one.
THIS MONTH
CULTURE
Diasporican Cultural Summit
Wednesday, June 4 through Thursday, June 5
CENTRO en El Barrio
2180 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10035
Tickets: FREE
Get Tickets
CENTRO, the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, is hosting its Diasporican Cultural Summit next week. The summit is "a vital event where diasporic cultural workers come together to connect, share, and collaborate with the next generation of scholars, researchers, and artists." The summit's programming spans two days, featuring panels and lectures on topics including “Archiving for Cultural Organizations,” to “Funding Projects & Writing Proposals.” From cultural organizers to the culturally curious, all are welcome to attend this free symposium "to share knowledge, strengthen networks, and create strategies for impactful cultural work rooted in community engagement."
PERREO
¡QUE BONITA BANDERA! Pre Puerto Rican Day Parade Party
Saturday, June 7
3:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Rosa's at Park
2568 Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10451
Tickets: $31.05
Buy Tickets
The Salsa Project and Nuevayorkinos join forces for ¡QUE BONITA BANDERA!, the 3rd Annual Pre-Puerto Rican Day Parade Party next Saturday in El Bronx. The rooftop party will feature live salsa from Johnny Mambo & Friends and Don Sonero, and live bomba from Bomberx NYC, with sounds into the evening from DJ Jay Boogie. We know where we’ll be next Saturday 👀
DJ Guari Presents El Underground: NY Latin Rave Culture
Saturday, June 7
10:30 PM - 4:00 AM
Elsewhere
599 Johnson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Tickets: starting at $33.33
Buy Tickets
…and it’s another pre-Puerto Rican Day Parade party in Bushwick with El Underground. Bronx-born and bred DJ Guari (of MUNDO New York) is leading a night of New York Latin Rave Culture in Elsewhere’s Zone One alongside DJs SKYWALKER and Joselo. A ticket gets you into the whole venue, where un Perreo Intenso will be going down in The Hall.
FOOD & DRINK
Sourdough Pop-Up at Ollin
Sunday, June 22
10:00 AM
Ollin
339 E 108th St, New York, NY
Walk-ins welcome
Baker Victoria Hernández Martin is hosting her first sourdough pop-up at Ollin in East Harlem. The pop-up is a family affair as Victoria, a New York hospitality industry veteran, will collaborate with her aunt and uncle, the owners of the beloved Mexican restaurant in El Barrio, the neighborhood she grew up in. (The artwork for the flyer was drawn by her husband, Adrian Martin. We especially love the details of the storefront 👀) Victoria will be baking all things sourdough, including focaccia, seeded PB&Js, and a torta de milanesa in collaboration with her tio, Juan. Mark your calendar for this one!
SAVE THE DATE 👀
Following the success of its 50th anniversary block party, Toñitas celebrates its 51st with Toñita Fest on Sunday, June 22.
Know of an upcoming event that’s worth mentioning? ¡Díganos!