Our earthy, romantic dining room with its large wooden booths, is almost as it was in 1927. The passionate, smoke-darkened murals of dramatic flamenco dancers still adorn our walls, creating a romantic atmosphere.This small restaurant in New York's West Village was born in 1927. Its first set of owners, Manuel Rivas and Edwardo Cabana, ran the establishment as a Spanish bar and grill. This area of New York was heavily populated with Irish immigrants that worked in the nearby meatpacking houses, which still stand today. By 1933, the Spanish civil war broke out and continued until 1939. During the Spanish conflict, there was a mass emigration from Spain. Over 1 million Spaniards lost their lives during the war and by 1941 famine had engulfed Spain.