Rubi Agave in Homer Glen has been renamed Santa’s Cantina for the holidays and features a variety of holiday decorations, drinks and music being played. Photos by Mary Compton/22nd Century Media
Thomas Czaja, Editor4:53 am CST December 3, 2019
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Those who walk into Rubi Agave in Homer Glen during the holiday season will immediately see noticeable differences practically everywhere.
Christmas trees, props, inflatables — even a new sign out front — all signal the temporary change of the business at 12622 W. 159th St. over to Santa’s Cantina. The Christmas-themed pop-up bar began late last month and will run through New Year’s.
“The big trend downtown and what you see on social media is a lot of [pop-up] Christmas bars,” said Rubi Agave owner, general manager and executive chef Ruben Pazmino. “There was nothing [like that] out here in the southwest suburbs, and people don’t want to have to drive out [to the city] and back after eating and drinking all night.”
Realizing the popularity of Christmas bars and that there were not any locally, Pazmino decided to turn Rubi Agave into Santa’s Cantina to do something fun for the locals for the Christmas season.
“Everybody likes Christmas, and everybody likes decorating, so, boom, there it is,” Pazmino said.
Between snowflakes and lights hanging from the ceiling, friendly inflated snowmen greeting guests, staff in festive Santa hats or outfits on the weekends and Christmas hits playing throughout, the desired ambiance is readily apparent at Rubi Agave.
Ornaments have been placed, and there is a little train by the gaming area that goes around a little Christmas tree, and so on and so on. It all adds up to an attempt to create a cheery atmosphere filled with nostalgia of past Christmases.
Furthermore, a number of Christmas cocktails have been crafted for the pop-up cantina. The coquito ($9.95) is one such cocktail that comes from Puerto Rico — popular there at Christmastime — that contains coconut cream and rum.
Another selection is the snow miser ($9.95), made from pineapple, coconut and blue Curacao that comes out with a distinctive wintry look. An apple cider sangria for the same price is also on the list.
So far, Pazmino said those who have stopped in to check out Santa’s Cantina for themselves have given it two festive thumbs way up.
“Everybody loves it,” Pazmino said. “Everybody is just wowed by it. It’s just a different energy with the holiday spirit.”
Pazmino added, as always, they have a live DJ and dancing on Fridays and Saturdays, and local Nick Pontarelli will be performing at 8 p.m. Dec. 14 for a dinner and show singing jazz standards.
Another new aspect coming soon to the business for this winter season is the enclosing and heating of the pergola to create additional space for customers. Between that and the holiday ambiance, Pazmino thinks Santa’s Cantina is perfect for corporate holiday parties or anyone’s holiday party, with the establishment already coming decorated.
He also believes the timing of all lanes of traffic on 159th Street recently opening from construction in front of the restaurant is ideal for him and other businesses along the road, as the holiday season is now fully underway. He hopes the warm and inviting Christmas décor and spirit will continue to attract locals to the Santa’s Cantina pop-up.
“I think the nostalgia brings you back to when you were a little kid and creates positive energy,” Pazmino said. “Years ago, smaller little pubs would decorate real nice, and I think we kind of lost that, and we’re bringing that back.”
For more information on Santa’s Cantina, call the business at (708) 301-8006 or visit rubiagave.com.
