The sign is up. The windows are open. Café Cubano is open in Oak Park.
The smell of Cuban delicacies is wafting out of 113 N. Oak Park Avenue: coffee in the morning, mojitos in the evening, croquetas, ropa vieja, jibarito sandwiches, guava and cheese empanadas. The whole menu is making the move.
On May 4, Café Cubano opened its doors in the former location of Fritz’s Delicatessen. The owners inked the deal to lease the spot 6 weeks ago. They closed their location on Restaurant Row just two-and-a-half weeks ago.
“I don’t know where we got the energy,” said co-owner Mayra Fernandez.
Her husband and co-owner, Javier Fernandez, acknowledged that it’s taken every waking hour to get the place ready to go.
“This is what we wanted to do,” he said. “This is where we wanted to be at. I’m so happy.”
The couple have run Café Cubano at another location for more than 23 years. It’s a team effort.
“His job is to mingle and say hello to everyone,” Mayra Fernandez said. “And I’m going to be in the kitchen making sure everything comes out o.k.”
Expectations have been running high and people have been popping into the space whenever they’ve seen work being done, wondering when the restaurant will actually be open.
“They’ve just got such great spirit and vibrancy,” Oak Park President Vicki Scaman said at the ribbon cutting Friday. “The kind of energy that Cubano will bring, we believe is going to enhance the area and bring nightlife too.”
The process wasn’t without hiccups, but Javier Fernandez said he appreciates that the village pushed to get all the paperwork approved for them to open so quickly.
Their existing Oak Park customer base was thrilled to hear about the move, Javier recalled.
“’You’re moving by me. Awesome. It’s even closer,’” he said.
He added that he feels he can bring new people to the area.
“I tell people I’m not here to compete with anybody. I’m going to bring in people that never made it down this way.”
The restaurant has a full bar. Music will be a part of every weekend. Live music and DJs will rotate through, bringing a party vibe to the brightly colored space.
“We did change how we’re serving some things because before everything was like white rice, black beans and plantains, Mayra Fernandez said. “And some people want the other kind of plantain – the green one. We have two kinds: the sweet ones and we have the green ones, which are served with the garlic sauce. We’re serving Cuban rice.”
Now that the renovations are done and the kitchen is open, Mayra Fernandez gives herself a moment to reflect.
“We did it! I was questioning it the whole way through, questioning myself. Can this really happen?”
Javier Fernandez pointed toward the future.
“I just don’t want the village to be disappointed. We’re ready to go.”
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Know before you go:
cafecubanochicago.com
Address: 113 N. Oak Park, Oak Park
Reservations: 708-456-6100
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m