When hundreds of people packed Barrio BX for its viral Bad Bunny watch party earlier this year, the moment seemed to happen overnight. But for co-founder Tony Martinez, the attention was years in the making — built through decades of community relationships and a vision of creating a home for Nuyorican culture in the Bronx.
Located in Castle Hill, the restaurant grew out of the uncertain circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six years later, it has cemented itself among residents as one of the staple restaurants in the Bronx.
“I always remember one guest coming in, and he was like, ‘We can’t let this place fail,’” Martinez said.
Barrio BX is a product of a 30-year friendship between co-founders Tony Martinez and Ruben Rodriguez. Martinez was previously in the marketing space, working for brands such as the New York Post and running his own marketing agency. Rodriguez, however, was already in the business, owning Havana Cafe and Cabo, a Mexican restaurant.
Rodriguez asked Martinez to join him to rebrand Cabo into a Puerto Rican restaurant located on East Tremont Ave, where the restaurant was previously located. One of Martinez’s goals was to incorporate New York-infused Puerto Rican culture, also known as “Nuyorican culture,” which he didn’t see much of in other restaurants.
A few months ago, Barrio BX received mainstream media coverage from CNN and other local stations for its Super Bowl halftime watch party featuring Bad Bunny. Hundreds of people were at the restaurant wearing shirts that read “I’m just here for Benito Bowl,” celebrating Puerto Rican and Latino pride.
Martinez remembers the long lines down the block. Many people were overjoyed with emotion. The night was so festive that CNN planned to leave after halftime, but didn’t end up leaving until 1 am.
For Martinez, this moment was a testimony. The moment “cemented us,” he said, “anything and everything Puerto Rican has to go through Barrio BX.”
The restaurant has become a household name for Puerto Rican culture with events like salsa nights, open mic/spoken word events and the restaurant’s signature Bomba Night, a monthly Afro-Puerto Rican musical event.
Barrio BX prides itself on collaborating with organizations and personalities within the community. One of their most notable partnerships is with the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. The collaboration came about organically because the cafe is undergoing a nearly two-year, $25 million renovation.
“I thought, let me see if they’d just come do some pop-ups here,” he said. This eventually evolved into a monthly open mic night with executive director Caridad de la Luz, known as La Bruja.
“I needed to have an open mic as a consistent part of our programming, so it worked out naturally,” Martinez said.
Beyond championing Puerto Rican culture, Barrio BX creates a special platform for African American culture. Growing up, Martinez was a part of the Zulu Nation, the Hip Hop organization founded by Afrika Bambaataa out of the Bronx River Projects. That is where he first discovered his love for Hip Hop.
“Everybody was in Zulu Nation, Crazy Legs, Rock Steady Crew, you name it,” Martinez said. This was his “foundation,” and everyone Martinez knew would say, “this guy Tony is Hip Hop.”
Martinez and a group of friends co-founded a hip-hop magazine called Stress Magazine. The first issue debuted in November 1995. It was the first Hip Hop magazine of its kind, owned by Latinos. The magazine featured rap artists like Jay-Z, Eminem and Fat Joe early on in their careers.
The presence of Hip Hop is felt throughout the walls of the restaurant.
“When you walk in, you’re going to see the nods to Hip Hop, where a lot of the artwork is graffiti,” he said.
Most establishments have gone away from harboring traditional hip-hop sounds. Barrio BX continues to honor the genre through its unique musical sets. Unlike most restaurants with weekly appearances, Barrio BX rotates DJs constantly.
Because of Martinez’s relationships, Barrio BX can access people that most places can’t.
“For our one-year anniversary, legendary Kool DJ Red Alert was supposed to only spin 45 minutes, bless us and leave. He wound up DJing for four hours. People were just like, ” Holy crap, Red Alert is actually spinning in this place. It’s unheard of.”
Barrio BX has become known for having some of the most legendary figures in Hip Hop and dance music history play there, including Red Alert, Tony Touch, G-Bo the Pro, Ralph McDaniels, DooWop and Louie Vega.
For Martinez, having these names stop by the restaurant isn’t a coincidence — it’s the result of decades of relationships built in the culture. “The dynamic and chemistry of the relationship is different.”
For many Latino customers, their first introduction to Black fraternities and sororities is through Barrio BX. Although Martinez is Latino, he was attracted to Black Greek life while attending Syracuse University. He joined Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. while on campus and is currently active through the Bronx Alumni Chapter.
Barrio BX has built bridges between the Divine 9 (Black Greek organizations) and Hispanic audiences. The restaurant programming shows how African Americans and Puerto Ricans cultures are more intertwined than they might think.
During Black History Month, Martinez hosted an event honoring Arturo Schomburg, a Puerto Rican figure who collected massive archives of Black history and literature, was part of the Harlem Renaissance and is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.
This was an important event for the restaurant catalog because “Black people don’t know he’s Puerto Rican, and Puerto Ricans don’t know the level of his commitment to the Black community,” Martinez said.
“We’re constantly showing the intersection of communities.”
Martinez experiences a sense of fulfillment each day through his restaurant’s ability to foster community and to create it for those in need.
“It’s creating community and celebrating culture. And seeing people that appreciate and support that is my biggest reward.”
Whether you’re coming for the food, the music, or the community, Barrio BX has a seat at the table for everyone. You can find them at @BarrioBX on Instagram.
