Last updated on October 10, 2023
The very popular restaurant El Oriental de Cuba has closed permanently and will be replaced by a Mexican restaurant.
El Oriental first opened on Centre Street in 1994, and through its delicious and family-like atmosphere, became one of Jamaica Plain’s most beloved restaurants.
But the owner Nobel Garcia passed away in November 2021, and while his daughters Yvonne and Lissette tried to keep the restaurant going, they both have full-time jobs, and made the difficult decision to close permanently. They provided a statement to El Mundo Boston.
The restaurant served many professional baseball players through the years, mayors, politicians, and thousands of hungry customers. The restaurant also literally came back from the ashes after being firebombed in 2005.
The sisters added that a new Mexican restaurant, Abuela’s Table, will take its place, and will be operated by Adolfo Alvarado, the owner and Executive Chef of Somerville’s award-winning Tu y Yo Mexican Restaurant.
Albert Vassalo of El Mundo shared a video interview with the Garcia sisters in a retrospective about the history of the restaurant.
