UPTOWN — Marina’s Bistro and Rum Bar is lastly arriving in Uptown.
The long-awaited Puerto Rican cafe at 4554 N. Magnolia Ave. will open up with a ribbon-cutting ceremony 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s a numerous group at this time missing in Puerto Rican delicacies,” stated chef and proprietor Eric Roldan said, who lived and researched in Puerto Rico for more than 20 a long time. “As one of the only Puerto Rican restaurants in the region, we’re psyched to deliver our flavors and style to the neighborhood.”
Marina’s Bistro and Rum Bar began as a “ghost kitchen” running out of Avondale. With the city’s Chicago Restoration Fund grant, Roldan said he was finally in a position to carry out his desire of opening his own restaurant when he gained the grant lottery in August 2022.
“Doing the ghost kitchen opened the doors for me and gave me the encounter that I needed” to open a brick-and-mortar place, stated Roldan.
Months of inspections and permits, as very well as ready for the city’s grant disbursements, postponed Roldan’s primary strategy to open up in January 2023. Even so, the hold off has authorized him to solidify the restaurant’s menu for a suitable opening, Roldan mentioned.
Credit: Offered/Marina’s Bistro and Rum BarSeveral of the bistro’s recipes are from Roldan’s mom, who passed away when he was 10 yrs aged. He named the cafe just after her.
The menu will function fashionable twists on common Puerto Rican dishes like mofongo and arroz con grandules and will include things like vegan and vegetarian selections.
The bistro will also incorporate a rum bar with craft cocktails impressed by the island of Puerto Rico. The flavors of fruits developed and sourced from Puerto Rico, like guava and soursop, will feature intensely in the cocktails.
Roldan is hopeful that his modernized take on Puerto Rican delicacies will help Marina’s Bistro stand out.
“There’s a ton of restaurants set up here for so lots of decades that you have to sit and think about how we can make sure we differentiate ourselves,” he mentioned.
Marina’s Bistro and Rum Bar will be open up 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday by Sunday for dine-in, takeout and catering.
Check out our “On The Block” Tv set exhibit on The U, CW26 and MeTV.
Listen to “It’s All Very good: A Block Club Chicago Podcast”:
