By Beth Wolfson
JAMAICA PLAIN—When El Oriental de Cuba was set on fire in July 2005, it was unclear whether owner Nobel Garcia would be able to reopen the restaurant.
Community members held a fundraiser and raised $20,000 and city officials chipped in $25,000 in grants to ensure that this neighborhood favorite could stay afloat. With an additional $70,000 in insurance money and a $100,000 loan, Garcia reopened in July 2005.
“We are here today because JP has been wonderful to us,” Garcia says. “It shows how much support the Latino businesses get here.”
El Oriental De Cuba is one of more than a dozen Latino restaurants in JP, but Garcia says it is the only Cuban restaurant in Boston. It was named the 2007 best Latino restaurant in JP by the JP Gazette.
“El Oriental De Cuba is by far the most popular,” says Alex Gordillo, a legislative aid in City Councilor John Tobin’s office. “It’s a little expensive but it is really good.”
Garcia, originally from Cuba, became owner of the restaurant in 1995 after his uncle retired.
The space has been reconstructed to have a larger dining area than the original with more seating and an expanded menu.
“Business is better than ever since the fire because of these improvements and because of the support of the neighborhood,” Garcia says.
Although the arsonists have never been caught, Garcia says he believes whomever did it was drunk. But he acknowledges that three or four businesses, some with Latino owners, were set on fire in a six-or seven-month period.
“I don’t want to promote the idea that this was racial,” Garcia says.
Diners are happy that the restaurant is still serving up favorites such as two chickens with potatoes in a mild red sauce or ropa vieja, a Cuban steak dish, and of course, the famous Cuban sandwich.
“I came here years ago and then there was the fire,” says Joel Pentlarge, a JP resident and frequent diner at the restaurant. “It’s really nice to be able to come back. People are pretty loyal to this place.”
Some diners come from neighboring cities to enjoy comfort foods that remind them of the flavors found in their homelands.
“We come here from Framingham at least twice a month,” says Melissa Nunez, as she sits with her husband, George, enjoying a plate of pork, rice and beans. “We’re from Puerto Rico and these foods remind me of where I’m from.”
After the fire, each of the restaurant's 14 employees also returned to their positions at El Oriental de Cuba says.
“We’re one happy international family here,” Garcia says referring to his staff’s diverse ethnic backgrounds.
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