Girls night at the Cinegrill

Courtesy of Hotel Roosevelt circa 1947

Known as the ‘Hot Spot’ during the Golden Age of Hollywood, The Cinegrill (originally opened in 1935) was the place to be. Housed within The Roosevelt Hotel you could enjoy burlesque, have a cocktail or two and sit with a couple film executives discussing contracts.

Re-opened in 2022, the Cinegrill is now a screening room for Classic films and an exclusive event space. However, it isnt just any screening room, the films are displayed on a projector on a huge stage! further adding to the movie magic.

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It’s Spring, you are greeted by that gentle smell of Jasmine, it isn’t quite that sticky summer and for that you’re grateful.

You enter through the Spanish revival lobby of the Hotel Roosevelt, chandeliers offer a shimmer, a harpist is playing in the corner, velvet seats, gin martinis spilling like gossip from the lips of an old friend. You walk past the chaos down the tiled staircase, through a passage way, open a book case and enter into an intricate theatre.

You're hosted by film critic and wine connoisseur José Ignacio Cuenca, he is eccentric, warm, elegant, well versed in classic cinema and is eager to share stories with the room.

You’re offered a delicious glass of Little Boat red wine, you drink slightly too much but are ready to nestle into the rich history of a classic, in this case it was 5 time Academy Award Winning film, ‘It Happened One Night’ (1934).

The cheek bones of Claudette Cobette matched with the witty innuendo of Clark Gable was priceless..

A time when talking pictures were brand new.

If you are looking for a mid-week creative treat, I would suggest the Cinegrill. It is absolute magic, private, entertaining and offers that unique Hollywood experience without the tourists.

Get carried away by some romanticism, be present and escape a little.