Happy Hour Hunt: Sol Cantina
The Place: Sol Cantina, 408 E. 31st St., 816-9431-8080.
The Hours: Monday to Friday, 3 to 7 p.m. On Saturdays, it’s noon to 6 p.m.
The Vibe: With open garage doors letting in a light breeze and a large wooden patio in back, Sol Cantina is aiming for somewhere between beach bar and vacation shack. Surfboards and umbrellas hang from the ceiling and pinatas line the walls — feeling like leftovers from a Cinco De Mayo celebration. “Day Drinkers Wanted,” proclaims the back of the shirts worn by the all-female bar and waitstaff.
The crowd is split by the large rectangular bar that dominates the enclosed portion of the space. In front is the people that want to be seen. Women in tank tops and recently exiled fraternity brothers — either through graduation or attrition from college. The patrons age and mellow the further you go into Sol Cantina.
It’s not unusual to catch somebody still in scrubs fresh from a shift nearby on Hospital Hill. Yesterday, I watched as a gaggle of female co-workers in their forties took pictures in front of the Corona sign on the right wall. “That’s my bikini,” joked one woman, pointing to the painting of a two-piece bathing suit in front of a beach scene.
