Paladium Night Club

The namesake of the Paladium in Pompano Beach is definitely an homage to New York City's Palladium Ballroom, a Latin music dance hall, which from 1948 to 1966, brought in the likes of Tito Puente and La Lupe -- the place became legendary. And the South Florida Paladium channels the Ballroom's soul in the most earnest of ways: It caters to clubgoers who truly just want to dance to reggaeton, salsa, and merengue. Paladium offers separate $10 dance classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays for beginners and intermediate dancers; salsa lessons are taught in traditional Los Angeles style, which is heavily influenced by early mambo; and there's also disco and hustle lessons. But Paladium is a night club, not a dance school, at heart, and it prides itself on its flavor. Latin Night is every Friday, and ladies get in free before 11 p.m. Drinks are free then too, though they'll only go up to around 4 bucks in price, even for top-shelf. But on Saturday, drinks are free all night, and you'll dance to banging selections by DJ Alex Gutierrez. The bonus of this place is that the menu's a few steps above traditional bar food, and the kitchen is open till 3 a.m.