What is it? I mean that thing…that new thing on Richmond Road. Ya know, that thing with the dome? Is it another mega-church? A mosque? Wait, what? It’s a restaurant? With a jellyfish tank? Ok, then.
I’ve had this conversation at least once a week for the past 6 months or so about what has turned out to be Coba Cocina, a new restaurant that hopes to be the beginning of a new chain owned by Lexington restaurant veterans, Greer Companies. If you’re looking for a review of the food, those abound on social media. My quick two cents is that the décor doesn’t seem to match the price point. Meaning, it looks fancier than it is. The debate on the interior design is for another blogger, but there’s no doubt they’ve spent a lot of money on the look of the place. But, nothing incredibly high end is happening here.
The place is really three spots under one domed roof. Coba Cocina (the restaurant), Cocoh! (a moderately priced and mostly tasty bakery/confectionary), and where I’ve focused my attention on a couple of visits, Cobar Cantina (the libation station and light appetizers spot on the second floor).
Given the restaurant’s Latin infused menu, it’s a natural fit that most of the cocktails lean towards that culture’s most famous drinks. So riffs on margaritas abound, as well as good versions of a Cuba Libre and caipirnha. From my barstool, I noticed each bartender’s station had several similar looking bottles that were getting a good bit of use when making each drink. After a fantastic chat with one of the bartenders, I was surprised to find out that those bottles contained the cocktail mixers and bartender’s potions that are made in house, which is certainly outside the norm for the $7-ish a cocktail price point.
And while this isn’t high end mixology, my two visits there have consistently exceeded my expectations. The general favorite is the Tango Taxi, a frozen margarita swirled with the house made sangria. It isn’t as sweet as it could lean and is exactly what you want to sip on if you’re looking for something refreshing. My personal favorite has been the Calle Ocho Rita, which is their house frozen margarita with a float of Grand Mariner. Allegedly, the couple of specialty cocktails that are served with a float (an inside out rind of a juiced lime) should have a tiny slit in it that causes the booze in the float to slowly seep into the drink. I’ve yet to see that successfully happen. The slit is either not there at all or is so large the booze has just fallen into the drink. It’s not necessarily a problem, because I’d stir the booze in the float in anyway. But, the bartender made a bit of a fuss about it and it just doesn’t seem to be worth the effort.
For pure visual effect points, the Dilemma is a layered margarita that’s flavored with lime, mango and strawberry that always turns heads as it is delivered through the bar. While I didn’t sample it, friends who did order it went back for seconds, maybe even thirds.
The signature cocktail is called El Pepin “Bobby G” and features a jalapeno infused tequila, muddled with cucumber, cilantro and sour mix. Having an aversion to cilantro kept me away from this one, but friends with me ordered it and raved about it. Their report was that it didn’t shy away from jalapeno heat, but was refreshing enough to cool you back down.
Cobar is certainly a happy addition to our Lexington scene. When most Mexican/Latin places are serving glorified Slush Puppies, Cobar is actually putting some thought and time into making a decent cocktail. And while the price point stays at what you’d expect to see at any other chain, Cobar's drinks are certainly in a different league.
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