ENCINITAS — A new hidden cocktail lounge opened this week along South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas, aiming to transport guests into a world of mystery, storytelling and craft cocktails.
Arcana, a 47-seat cocktail den created by longtime Encinitas restaurateur Paula Vrakas and her partners, officially opens May 28 next door to The Roxy Encinitas. The concept takes its name from the idea of hidden knowledge revealed over time and is designed around esoteric themes inspired by Hermetic traditions, alchemy, astrology and mythology.
“Arcana’s concept mirrors the ever-changing nature of mysticism and the occult,” Vrakas told The Coast News. “We hope to deliver a unique, mysterious experience for each guest, seeing as we can get creative while still remaining in the overarching concept.”
Located in a building that was once home to a local radio station, Arcana is concealed behind the unassuming retail storefront Archive, a shop featuring rotating vendors selling ceramics, jewelry, plants and clothing.
Guests enter the lounge through a hidden astrolabe-inspired door, referencing ancient navigation instruments that once charted time and space with concentric circles and geometric motifs.
Inside, the roughly 1,000-square-foot space features candlelit seating areas, marble and quartzite countertops, brass accents and a cathedral-style back bar. The design draws inspiration from European salons, private clubs and vintage cocktail lounges, blending Art Deco and astrological influences into what the owners describe as an “astro-deco” aesthetic.
Many of the furnishings and decorative elements were sourced by Vrakas herself, including salvaged tin ceiling tiles from an 1860s Wyoming saloon (where some original bullet holes are visible) and a historic light fixture from the former Captain Keno’s restaurant in Leucadia.
The walls are adorned with original artworks by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, known for his Art Nouveau posters, and French illustrator Louis Icart. Dramatic velvet curtains throughout the space were sewn by Vrakas’ mother.
“Arcana is meant to be discovered, not explained,” Vrakas said. “We wanted to create a space that feels familiar yet impossible to place — something that lingers with you long after you leave.”
Vrakas brings decades of hospitality experience to the project, from working as a busser and hostess as a teenager in Wisconsin to bartending nights while working as a veterinary technician after her service in the Air Force. In 2016, she became co-owner and managing partner of The Roxy Encinitas, later expanding the concept to Denver.
Arcana’s cocktail menu is organized around themes of mythology, folklore and symbolism. Signature drinks include The Man Who Made It Rain, inspired by San Diego’s self-proclaimed rainmaker Charles Hatfield, and The Kraken, a rum-based cocktail referencing the legendary sea creature.
Spirit-free options include Black Magic, with blackberry, pineapple, caster sugar and mint, and Smoking Sun, featuring chilled lapsang souchong tea, citrus, and agave with a charred orange swath.
A small menu of shareable bites includes Greek-style dolmades, a rotating trio of deviled eggs and chocolate-covered cherries and strawberries sourced from Strawberry Shack, with locations in Carlsbad Village and downtown Oceanside.
The lounge will also offer a membership program called Pandora’s Box, allowing guests to store personal bottles in dedicated lockers and receive priority reservation access.
Arcana is located at 509 S. Coast Highway 101 and will be open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursdays, and 5 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Sundays are closed to the public and will be reserved for private events and special programming. Reservations will be available through OpenTable.
