Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Open Mic Night – Café Mundo, Newport OR


Newport Oregon is known for its beautiful large bay, tons of ocean fishing, crabbing and of course the Rogue Brewery. One would not expect to find a funky eclectic restaurant that has an open mic night. Well, that’s what you will find at Café Mundo on Thursday nights (7pm-11pm). We have never been to an open mic night before so we gave it a try and weren’t disappointed.

Café Mundo is located in the historic Nye Beach area of Newport. This is a two to three block cluster of artsy shops, restaurants and pubs east of the bay near the ocean. The café is set back on the lot allowing for an outdoor seating area that contains benches and a gas fire pit. Many people were enjoying this interesting area having coffee, a drink, or waiting for seating inside. Café Mundo itself is an interesting medal A-frame structure with most the restaurant seating on the second floor and the open mic stage on the first floor directly as you walk in. The build is decorated with a wide collection of interesting art pieces which create the fun atmosphere.

As the picture shows, we had a bird’s eye view of the stage. The rules for performing were very simple – signup anytime during the night on a clipboard near the stage and you can perform for 15 minutes or 3-4 songs if you are a musician. The entire night is hosted by a local performer who started the night with her own songs. Our night consisted of several singer song writers performing their own material. We were hoping for an interpretive dance, comedian or poetry reading to fill out the mix of performers that would match the spirit of this wonderful place, but no such luck this time.

The menu contained a wide variety of choices. The chicken tacos and Caesar salad were freshly made and excellent. All the food we saw on other tables looked the same with generous portions. The food alone makes this a must stop restaurant…but the open mic night make this a night out on the town. Don’t miss it!

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