EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A new El Paso bar will have its grand opening next week on Thursday, Feb. 22.
La Bang Bang is located at 414 E. San Antonio Ave. in Downtown El Paso and is walking distance from the County Courthouse.
The new bar will offer a distinctive feel that taps into Borderland pride, its owners say.
The two men behind the bar said the name makes reference to El Paso lingo, such as popular local phrases like “La Jeff’ or “La Bowie,” referring to two of the city’s older high schools.
General Manager Franco Baca and Bar Manager Hector Hernandez, both born in the Sun City, have been business partners since 2019, when they created an event staffing company called Top Shelf to bring back top level customer service with bartenders and waiters into the community.
Baca said their partnership naturally progressed to them opening their own bar. Each with distinct backgrounds, they brought La Bang Bang to life.
Hernandez is the creative mind behind the bar’s aesthetic. With over 20 years of bartending experience, and nearly 12 years working as an art teacher for the El Paso Independent School District, he merged that into his unique vision for the bar.
“Everything I do, it’s got to have some artwork. It’s got to have a meaning. So when we decided to open the bar, we needed to have entertainment, great customer service, and then with the bar top and the whole atmosphere, it’s got to have some art. So a lot of meaning behind it,” Hernandez said.
The bar top is a mosaic with memorabilia from friends and the community, from jewelry to military patches. They call the long hall leading to the restroom the “Green Mile,” decorated with frames of local legends and staples, such as the late WWE superstar Eddie Guerrero and Southwest University Park. And outside of the bar, couples can have engraved locks placed on metal bars designed to celebrate their special night.
But La Bang Bang’s specialty is flair bartending. Their team entertains their customers by juggling bottles, shakers and even manipulating flaming liquors.
“It’s more acrobatics with the bottles. I met some good guys in Vegas one of the first times I was there, and they kind of started teaching me some stuff. And then I just said, ‘Hey, let me bring that to El Paso,’” Hernandez said.
Meanwhile Baca’s expertise comes from his nearly 25 years as a businessman, beginning in the aerospace and defense industry. He explained what brought him to venture into the bar industry.
“It’s the community. They work all week and we want to make sure that we work for them. My partner, Hector, that’s been his thing. ‘Hey, you know what? You guys are working all week, and you want to come, and we want to entertain you. We want you guys to have a good time. We want you to be part of our community” Baca said.
Baca said they had been searching for a spot for La Bang Bang for nearly a year and a half and finding it Downtown El Paso made it special.
“Enjoy the scenery; enjoy what Downtown is. Downtown is usually the Mecca, the foundation of most big cities. And I think that’s what it is here in El Paso,” Baca said.
Baca said they plan on having events, like music festivals on the block, to get people to come out to Downtown, and they hope to help revitalize the bar strip in the area.
They’ll be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.
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