Location: 1121 New Hampshire Ave. NW

Readers’ pick: Tonic’s “Totchos”

No dinner with friends is complete without a table’s worth of bites before the entrées are served.

To get a taste of Havana with a group of friends, make the short walk to Casta’s Rum Bar, located only three blocks from campus. Housed underground in a cave-like venue, this restaurant and bar transports you to Cuba through their vibrant tropical atmosphere featuring palm-tree murals and colorful barstools.

The “Taste of Casta’s” sampler plate ($56) is fit for a group of two to four to fill their stomachs with a variety of delicious Cuban appetizers. Served on a slab of wood covered with a sheet of newspaper, this platter comes with a plethora of fried, grilled and roasted delicacies, including empanadas, skewers, tostones, sliders and fries.

The empanadas come in a flaky crust filled with minced beef and chicken. Served piping hot, these pockets of sautéed onions and chopped up proteins provide a sense of comfort through their simplicity around other, bolder food options.

The skewers include chunks of juicy grilled chicken and steak. While not the star of the board, these skewers provide bite-size pieces of meat separated by pieces of grilled onion, great for snacking on throughout a meal. The crispy tostones, or fried green plantains, provide a taste of sweet banana to the variety of savory options. 

The Cubano sliders are served on crunchy white bread and come with roasted pork, glazed ham, melted Swiss cheese, yellow mustard and pickles. While they look like standard sliders, they are anything but: With the variety of flavors from tangy mustard to sweet ham, each small bite is it’s own sampler platter of tastes. The piping hot yuca fries provide a starchy treat that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside to complete the board. 

My favorite part of the board is the crispy, bacon-wrapped plantains, which steal the show with their combination of sweet and savory flavor and crispy and soft texture.

The majority of the appetizers served on the platter are covered in a tangy, chipotle-flavored sofrito mayo sauce that provides a smokiness missing elsewhere on the board. Chimichurri and Kuban Ketchup — a spicier spin on the classic condiment — are also included if you want a little extra spice.

For groups looking to enjoy a refreshing beverage with their food, try a pitcher of mojitos ($55), a classic drink consisting of rum, fresh mint, lime and soda with enough to serve four. The bar also offers a lengthy rum list with varieties from around the world, including Trinidad, Jamaica, France and Australia.

If tearing through that sampler platter didn’t exhaust all your energy, Casta’s offers free salsa dancing lessons on Wednesday nights that are sure to get you to dance the night away. 

The sociality of Casta’s, through its massive sampler platter and dancing lessons, makes it a lively spot to experience another culture’s food, drinks and nightlife with your closest friends.