CocoMango Speakeasy, a New Hidden Cocktail Bar, Opens in Cambridge
Tucked inside Top Mix Bar & Kitchen, the spot serves an intriguing Latin-Caribbean-Asian menu and 1920s vibes.
CocoMango Speakeasy. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
What do Cuban sandwich-inspired rangoons, secret entrances, coffee-and-whiskey cocktails, and the 1994 blockbuster movie The Mask have in common? A delightfully swanky new hidden bar in Cambridge that aims to transport patrons from 2025 to 1925. CocoMango Speakeasy, connected to the Alewife-area location of the Latin-Caribbean trio of restaurants called Top Mix Bar & Kitchen, is now open.
See also: More Secret, Sexy Cocktail Bars in Boston, Please!
CocoMango leans Latin-Caribbean like its big siblings, says owner Joseph Correia, but with a bit of an Asian twist on the food menu. Think: the aforementioned Cubano rangoons (stuffed with ham, Swiss cheese, and shredded pork, with a side of pickle-mustard aioli); raw tuna in crispy wonton taco shells; churrasco steak and plantain sushi topped with chimichurri; and ropa vieja spring rolls.
CocoMango Speakeasy. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
While the food is pure fusion-y fun, the vibe is meant to dial into 1920s-era speakeasies, with a Cuban feel in particular, says Correia. We’ll leave a bit of mystery to the method of entrance, but it involves an old-timey elevator gate and gold coins. (Reservations required, and the Top Mix host will help you on your way.) Inside, suspender-wearing servers await. A coconut-shell chandelier, crushed-velvet seating, and palm-frond-topped pillars set the scene, with nightly live music and late-night weekend DJs adding to the ambience.
From left: CocoMango Speakeasy’s Havana Whisper (rum, lime juice, sugar cane syrup, mint, Angostura bitters); Mono Borracho (brown butter bourbon, banana rum simple, chocolate and walnut bitters, torched banana). / Photos by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
CocoMango Speakeasy’s Cubano rangoon. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
The cocktails are transportive, too, with rum grabbing a lot of the spotlight. The Havana Whisper, for instance, is a mojito featuring a Puerto Rican rum from the Ron del Barrilito distillery, while the Caribbean Hemingway is made with Flor de Caña rum, from the base of a Nicaraguan volcano. Other concoctions include Café y Cigarrillos, with tequila, whiskey, cold brew, and coffee liqueur, and a passionfruit-flavored mint julep.
CocoMango Speakeasy’s churrasco sushi. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
CocoMango Speakeasy’s salt cod fritters. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
When Correia planned the Cambridge outpost of Top Mix—his third, joining locations in Roxbury and Jamaica Plain—he first thought of breaking up the massive space by putting in a café. But a cocktail bar felt more within his wheelhouse and played into his enthusiasm for the speakeasy era. “I love the 1920s feel,” he says. “I think it’s just a very cool era, the secrecy and exclusivity: ‘If you know, you know.’ I’ve always been intrigued by that.” (The name, however, is a more modern homage, a nod to the nightclub Coco Bongo in Jim Carrey’s The Mask.)
From left: CocoMango Speakeasy’s mango basil gimlet (gin, lime juice, Angostura bitters); The Whiskey Trade (bourbon, lemon juice, sparkle syrup, pineapple, lava salt). / Photos by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
CocoMango Speakeasy’s pinchos, with chicken al pastor. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
While CocoMango customers are transported to the 1920s, Correia is looking forward: He hopes to open more Top Mix locations in the future, and potentially more CocoMango locations as well. Both fit well into “diverse neighborhoods,” he says. The Top Mix name, which he came up with as part of his college capstone project, refers in part to “the mixed clientele and demographics” of his target neighborhoods, as well as to the cultural fusion of the dishes and drinks. “Everyone seems to love our food,” says Correia, “whether they’re Asian, Spanish, Black, white. Areas where there’s a diverse culture, I think [the businesses] would flourish.”
CocoMango Speakeasy desserts, including cheesecake egg rolls. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
CocoMango Speakeasy. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Reservations and $20 prepaid cover charge required. 50 Cambridgepark Dr., Cambridge, instagram.com/cocomangospeakeasy.
