Carmens has the romantic, casual feel of a well-worn European haunt, emphasis awarded to Spain. It’s a great Friday-night date destination, so indulge your craving for homemade sangria while listening to hot jazz and world music.

Marco Aquino wrote in the Rivard Report "I remember my first encounter with flamenco. It was at Carmens de la Calle Café and the year was 2006. At the time, it was one of the few places you could catch a flamenco show on a regular basis. As I entered the intimate café, the night’s musical performance was just getting started. A single dancer and guitarist sat in the center of the room ready to perform for the tightly packed audience. The performance that followed would mark the beginning of my love for live flamenco performances.
Monica Moncivais performs at Carmens de la Calle. Photo by Matt Bynum

Monica Moncivais performs at Carmens de la Calle. Photo by Matt Bynum

Over the years, I was able to witness not only flamenco, but also many of the local and touring jazz acts that have performed at Carmens. In December of 2013 however, the music at Carmens was temporarily silenced as chef and owner Paula Sullivan closed the café and began searching for a new location. The have now reopened at a new downtown location.