Monteros
Right off San Pablo in Albany is a nice spot to dance on the weekend: Club Monteros. Monteros is a consistent, if sometimes crowded spot with live music every Friday and Saturday nights. Don’t ask me why, but they seem to feature salsa bands from Peru..
..and you’ll often hear the signature call and response cry “Chimpun… Callao!” as the band plays. Representative bands that often play Monteros are Julio Bravo y su Orquesta and Andy y su Callao (see, I told you).
There is also a faux palm tree in the middle of the nice wooden dance floor, which makes for interesting obstacle dancing, or for the experts, a prop to lean against with one hand as you spin your partner with the other. There are generally Salsa lessons before the shows, and there is apparently DJ-led Salsa on weeknights too. Monteros was selected “Best of the East Bay 2008” by the East Bay Express and is located at 1106 Solano Ave at San Pablo.
See you under the fake palm tree!
