Driving up to Brickell on a Saturday night, you’ll notice the parking lot is already filled to the brim. A large bow tie logo and “Brickell” signage greet guests at the door. An ornate reception room opens into a narrow hallway, ending in a full-length mirror. With each step, the bass of house and Latin music grows louder. Beside the mirror hangs a red curtain; behind it, the cocktail lounge reveals itself in white marble, gold and dark navy. There is a starburst chandelier overhead and a central bar crowned by tiers of glowing liquor bottles at the center.
Brickell is alive. Couples and small groups are dressed for a night out with drinks in hand. The bass from the DJ booth cuts through conversation, carrying the energy late into the evening. However, the cocktail lounge is half the experience. Across the room is the door to the cigar lounge. Black walls, low light, leather seating and a mural of men in suits watch over the room. Two lounges, joined by one name in brass letters.
“We wanted somewhere you could come for a date at 7 p.m., have sushi and cocktails, stay for another drink, and then move into the cigar lounge and finish the night without ever needing to go somewhere else,” said owner Kimberly Garcia. She wanted to give Corpus Christi a proper lounge—something she’d found in spots like the Fontainebleau and STK in Las Vegas: the color palette, the ambiance, a DJ pulling the room together on weekend nights.
This is Brickell’s ethos—two distinct environments designed to become the entire night. The cocktail side is built for date night or a girls’ night out. This room is full of people dressed to be seen. The cigar side is more relaxed and comfortable for a nightcap after work or meeting with business clients. “You can have a completely different experience just by walking through a door,” Garcia shared.
Ventilation in the cigar lounge was treated as a design priority from the start. When visited during the day, the atmosphere hardly carried a trace of smoke. The ventilation system, staff explained, is designed to clear the smoke out. “We never wanted someone eating sushi on the cocktail side to feel like they’re sitting inside a cigar lounge,” Garcia said.
The menu’s construction is as intentional as the design of each space. The cocktail list is lined with the classics; the owner recommends a Gold Fashioned for guests who want something familiar done well, and an Oro Paloma for those who don’t drink whiskey. The menu includes a “Smoke and Barrel” list that matches specific cigars to specific pours. A Macallan 12 alongside an Arturo Fuente Don Carlos, for example, is a combination whose flavor profiles complement one another nicely.
General manager Thomas “TJ” Salazar built his reputation over 11 years behind the bar at the Omni and Republic of Texas, work that earned him Visit Corpus Christi’s 2025 Mixologist of the Year and The Bend’s Local’s List winner for Best Mixologist this year. He talks about the move the way people talk about leaving something they loved for something bigger: “I went from creating experiences one cocktail at a time to having the opportunity to help create the entire experience,” Salazar said.
Leaving through the cigar lounge, you step back out into a parking lot that is still full. On the door, a final message reads: “Inhale the day. Exhale the night.”
5902 Yorktown Blvd., Ste. B100 | 361.442.5310 | @brickellcc
