A Little Bit of Spain by Night in Hermosa Beach

Perched atop a wooden bar stool, flamenco dancer Batista clicks her castanets and surveys the audience for a dance partner.

The Spanish entertainer’s eyes finally rest when she spots Karl Linder, a Hermosa Beach twentysomething, who fancies good music and dancing. The pair take to the dance floor at Sangria like old pros, with a graceful Batista leading a smooth-moving Linder.

As he moves to the stop-and-go rhythmic beat Alberto de Llama has created with his acoustic guitar, the audience admires.

“He’s gotten much better,” English bartender Andrew Buchanan says of Linder, a Sangria regular.

Sangria is where the Spanish Riviera meets Baja and where night life is taking a new turn. Opened last summer, the Hermosa Beach restaurant and nightclub added flamenco nights each Tuesday four months ago.

Co-owner Kevin Barry says the new entertainment has added some spice. Previously, the club featured only deejays for dancing on weekends. Now on Tuesday nights there is a steady flow of patrons, mostly young, hip and dressed in upscale jeans.

The entertainment lineup changes weekly. Some weeks, only a flamenco guitarist or percussionist is scheduled to perform. Other times, dancers such as Batista are part of the act.

Sangria serves up not only culture, but also history. Like many clubs and retail shops in Hermosa Beach, Sangria is situated in one of the city’s historic buildings.

Instead of remodeling when the casual establishment opened last year, Sangria owners opted to keep the remaining exposed brick wall inside and outside the restaurant. Sleek hardwood floors and wood tables and chairs were added to round out the warm feeling. Plans for an outside patio with trees and a fountain are underway.

“This place is very inviting,” Barry says. “We’re still new to the area and finding that people want to come and check us out.”

*

What: Sangria, 69 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach. (310) 376-4412.

When: Flamenco night on Tuesdays, 6:30-10 p.m. Deejay dancing on Fridays and Saturdays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.

Cost: Sangria, $3; domestic beer, $3.50; Sangria Caesar salad, $5; flan, $3.50.