Café Cubano, a long-time staple of Restaurant Row in Elmwood Park, is making a move to the Hemingway District in Oak Park.
The planned opening date is May 1 at 113 N. Oak Park Ave., the former home of Fritzi’s Delicatessen.
Owners Mayra and Javier Fernández said that after 23 years in Elmwood Park, it is time for them to grow. One main attraction in the new space is the large kitchen.
“The kitchen is enormous,” Mayra Fernández said. “It’s like five times what I have now. I can offer more products.”
Javier Fernández said he is especially excited about the huge ovens left from when the restaurant was Geppetto’s Pizza & Pasta.
“Oh my God, it opens up the doors for a whole lot more capabilities and things that I can actually cook,” he said. “They got a huge pizza oven, but being Cuban, what can we do with that?”
“We’re going to put a whole pig in there,” Maya Fernández rebounded.
The physical space on Oak Park Avenue was attractive to the couple for other reasons, too. While they enjoyed a covered patio space at their current location, the storefront-wide casement windows in Oak Park creates a different feel.
“You open those windows and you’re bringing that patio in. It’s just a whole different thing,” Mayra said.
And right in front, they plan a small bar to greet diners if they have to wait for a table. “Everybody is happily waiting while those mojitos are flowing.”
David King, president of Oak Park-based David King and Associates, leased the space. He said he believes that it’s a good move for Café Cubano.
“They will keep all of their existing customers, due to the uniqueness of what they’re doing, but then in addition, you’ve got all of Oak Park now opened up,” he said.
“In Oak Park, they like unique flavors. They like diversity,” he added.
Javier Fernández said he has plans to redecorate, “I’m gonna throw Cuba all over it. That’s how much color I’m planning to bring. Make it fun.”
A tropical edition is a perfect fit for a retail corridor that has been expanding in recent years, King said. “That neighborhood has transformed a bit. Thirteen years ago, there were like two restaurants. Now there’s fifteen. The newer high rises have brought in a whole bunch of new people with fairly healthy incomes, which are actually helping drive the restaurant scene.”
In May, Mayra and Javier plan to have Cuban coffee brewing in the morning, windows open for the breeze to come in, and strains of Cuban music drifting out, as they welcome a new chapter for Café Cubano.
Mayra Fernández said she has high hopes for their move to Oak Park.
“I’m sure we’re going to do really well.”