The beginning of a bad joke? No, just a new bar on the Lower East Side.

Yes, another one.

Barrio Chino borrows its name from Havana’s Chinatown district. (And you thought they invented Cuban Chinese cooking on the Upper West Side.) First-time bar owners Dylan Dodd and Patrick Durocher tricked up the laid-back open-air space with warm chinoiserie accents. (Please don’t steal the paper umbrellas from the exposed brick wall.) The menu, which they’re still working on, will be strictly south of the border.

This being a bar, the focus is on drinking. Especially the selection of sip-’em-straight 100 percent agave tequilas, which are served elegantly with mango and jicama if you so desire. Don’t expect Spring Break-style slamming, but they will pour a mighty margarita for the froufrou set.

It’s like visiting two far-off lands at once, without ever having to leave Broome Street.

Barrio Chino, 253 Broome Street, between Orchard and Ludlow Streets (212-228-6710).