Hot Bachata Nights

(See pics) Review #1260. I recently started salsa dancing and just could not keep my feet off the dance floor. While I still prefer the more traditional studio style of dancing, Impala has a fun place for dancing when you want to have fun, live music and demonstration. The evening I visited was also Mexican independence Day and how I love the band!This place also offers alcohol but I seldom drink when dancing as alcohol and spinning definitely do not mix. But dance away!

It's Sunday and you want to dance bachata. Welcome to church. The new decor isn't far from what you'd find in a swank new spot in Medellin, Colombia, which works in a strange way. After all, it's really about the dancers and music, and HBN brings the best of both. As Romeo would say, "You need this in your life."

I wish I knew how to dance! This place was pretty awesome. My friend and I went for her 21st birthday. So of course she was pretty intoxicated and assumed she was an amazing dancer, as we all do when the liquor hits us. (Insert chuckle here). They don't play just regular Bachata songs. Instead they remix some top 40 music with bachata beats. Surprisingly, about half of the people there were Asian! Good dancers too! The atmosphere was nice. It was very clean. Nice dim lighting, smoke -free, clean restrooms, large dance floors, open seating. Not a bad place to spend a Sunday night. (Trust me, we went to 4 other places before finding this one)There is a $5 cover charge, but they waive it if it's your birthday. The drinks are a bit pricey, but they are very strong, so you get your money's worth, for sure. I even had to ask the bartender to sweeten mine up a bit since I was the designated babysitter that night. (Don't worry, we took an Uber)...

Every 3rd Sunday of the month, our first time happened to be their anniversary and we had an amazing time. Come early at 8p are beginner lessons, then intermediate at 9p, open dance party starts at 10p. People of all ages, diverse, polite and fun crowd who just want to dance, have fun and possibly meet new friends. The instructors are also super cool, talented and keeps you motivated. Will definitely be back!

Hot Bachata!!!I mean damn this joint makes me sweat!!I go the yelp deal and they had me sweating my ass off.Fun Place to try out .Great people and outstanding music.Get the yelp deal and try for yourself.

The music is beautiful, sound system is rockin', and even the food is top notch.As a beginner and a man expected to lead, I can get intimidated if the atmosphere is too advanced or snooty. Fortunately, the instructor Corey Raynor is snoot-cryptonite. His teaching style is patient and inclusive, he develops each move gradually in a way that everyone understands the sequences by the end of the class. No one is lost and everyone ends up feeling they learned something solid. It's a rare teacher who can do that. I'm sure this is also why people are so friendly here.Also, it is usually well balanced women to men, and a good age range of 20's, 30's, and older.

So I caved in and decided to go back and give it one more chance from being contacted by Corey, and decided to talk to him. So I went in on a three day weekend so of course was packed. One HUGE difference, the Instructors clique was not like it was before with taking over the stage. There was still some but not the way it was. but of course, the instructors still like to dance with each other, but thats their choice. Truthfully, none of the instructors i have seen here are even Dominican. but back to the review about the venue.The guys dancing have improved! I do agree with Corey creating a bachata scene takes time so they get a point for creating a scene.Corey also said from know on they will post it online, and that he is open to feedback from any customersalso the salsa floor is still there as wellSo one point from improving the dancersanother point for being open to feedback to improveand one point for breaking up the instructors cliquefor feedback, I do think it would be good to have a ladies night every now and then to encourage more new women to come and learn to danceAs for closing, I will be going back to this venue to dance, as for serious bachata dancing ill wait for one of my trips to nyc, when waiting for that ill visit once in awhile

Amazing venue! Had a great time, was planning on bar hopping and ended up staying here till it shut down! Loved the classes! They definitely helped! And the company you find here is also amazing! :)

I had such an incredible night here! Highly recommend going for Bachata! I was meant to stay an hour... left 3 hrs later haha

As a North Beach native, I have to say there weren't many great options for latin nights before Corey came to the neighborhood. Hot Bachata Nights really shook that up.The dance lessons early on in the night are good for beginners, or if you want a refresher. After about 8 or 9 the place really picks up and the novices start turning into pros. But my favorite things about this party is that everyone seems really open and approachable. Not sure if it's the dance or the atmosphere, but, it's really noticeable compared to other Latin nights I've been too.Also, the Salsa bar down stairs is really nice, with a spacious dance floor, DJ, private seating areas and of course a separate bar. I'm glad to see they've really transformed this place. Impala used to be a little sketchy, but Hot Bachata Nights is a bringing it back up to it's potential.Great job Corey!