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'Cultura' Brings Mix of Latin Flavors to Myrtle Avenue

 The Empanada Caribeña at Cultura Pan Latin Restaurant.
The Empanada Caribeña at Cultura Pan Latin Restaurant.
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Instagram/Cultura Pan Latin

CLINTON HILL — At Cultura Pan Latin Restaurant, you could call the menu a mestizaje.

The Spanish term, which means a mixing of ancestries, is more fitting than the overused “fusion,” according to manager Olivia Waterhouse. 

The restaurant, which opened Saturday at 413 Myrtle Ave., mixes cuisine from several nationalities across Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.

On the menu, customers will find Venezuelan arepas, Mexican guacamole, Spanish paella, the "Cubano Perfecto" sandwich and Argentinian churrasco.

Individual dishes blend different cultures as well, such as the "Pato" — pan seared duck breast served over duck confit with plantain croquettes filled with cheese and a Guatemalan mole sauce. 

The menu was designed by head chef Yovany Quisquina, who worked for several years with Cultura owner Bahar Khan at one of his other restaurants, Gallitos in Brooklyn Heights, according to Waterhouse.

“I just think that Latin food is the most interesting cuisine because it’s so diverse,” the manager said. “There are so many kinds of sub sections that are developed in isolation, but when you mix them you get something totally new.”

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Paella del Mar. (Credit: Instagram/Cultura Pan Latin)

The restaurant is open for brunch on weekends, with options like pan dulce (French brioche soaked in sweet vanilla cream and served with berries), huevos rancheros and a Spanish omelet.

The menu also features classic Latin desserts like churros, tres leches and flan.

As for drinks, Cultura currently serves only beer and wine as it awaits its liquor license, but the restaurant will eventually feature a full bar with 20 different types of mojitos and other rum-based cocktails. 

In the meantime, Waterhouse says the stars of the beverage menu are the non-alcoholic aguas frescas, including horchata, homemade lemonade made with hibiscus and tamarind juice. 

Prices run from between $14 and $24 for entrees and about $10 for appetizers.

Waterhouse said she hopes the restaurant will be a place where customers can mix and mingle. 

“My biggest hope is that we serve a diverse public which reflects the history of the neighborhood,” she said. “We want a very lively and vibrant atmosphere where people feel comfortable.”

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Manager Olivia Waterhouse and Owner Bahar Khan. (Credit: Myrtle Avenue Business Partnership)

The modern-industrial space, which includes features like leather booths, large street-side windows and an assortment of tropical plants, will soon feature a basement event space that guests can rent out for parties.

Cultura is open Monday to Friday from noon to midnight, and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to midnight.