It’s been almost 13 years since rooftop restaurant and bar El Techo on Mission Street between 21st and 22nd began slinging empanadas and tacos. But fans will need to suck down their final pitchers of margaritas, because on May 4, El Techo will close. A yet-to-be-named Cuban concept is slated to open in its place in June.

This is not a change of hands but a change of theme. Adriano Paganini is CEO of Back of the House, the restaurant group behind El Techo; the Argentinian place below it, Lolinda; and a long roster of popular spots in San Francisco, including Beretta, Super Duper Burgers, Flores, Tailor’s Son, and Wildseed. He never wanted the rooftop happy-hour destination to be a Mexican spot, he says. “It feels a little tired now. Or maybe I’m a little tired of it. And I’ve been wanting to do a Cuban bar for years.”

Paganini, who is Italian-born, admits he has never been to Cuba. But he has a soft spot for the county’s music and, like so many, has romanticized its glamorous past, a slideshow of cigars, rum cocktails, fedoras, Spanish colonial architecture, and faded patina. “I know things are hard there today,” he says. “My image of it is not necessarily the way it is now, but maybe the way it used to be.”

Though it’s hard to decorate a space with no walls (the rooftop is glassed in), the Cuban vibes will be transmitted through bright pastels, palm trees, and a black-and-white floor. A mural leading up the stairs to the rooftop will evoke the Cuba we know from vintage postcards. The menu will be largely snacky stuff, like tostones, yuquitas rellenas, empanadas filled with ropa vieja, and — of course — a Cubano sandwich with housemade lechón. For main courses, expect a whole fried rock cod for two with tostones, mojo de ajo, and mango-habanero sauce.

In line with Paganini’s restaurant MO (I once called him the “anti-snob of the San Francisco food scene” in a magazine profile), everything will be easy-going, including the cocktails. Nothing too heady; everything reasonably priced. Of course, there will be rum-based mojitos and daquiris, but there will also be a clarified piña colada and, for vodka lovers, a Double Nine made with soursop and strawberry. 

To enrich his commitment to Cuban culture, Paganini is partnering with CubaCaribe, the beloved Mission-based organization that has spent 22 years working as an ambassador to the island, and the broader Caribbean diaspora, by preserving its arts and culture. CubaCaribe’s artistic director, Ramón Ramos Alayo, and executive director, Jamaica Itule Simmons, are hopeful Paganini’s new restaurant will be a place for live music and dance performances. “Considering Dance Mission Theater, where we often perform, is just down the street, it feels so aligned with what we’re trying to do,” Simmons says. “It has the potential to be an amazing partnership.” Another thing that would be amazing? Rooftop salsa dancing nights with a 360-degree view.