FOREST HILLS — Forest Hills will soon have its own Little Havana.
Guantanamera, a new Cuban restaurant, will soon open at 110-80 Queens Blvd. between 73rd Road and 75th Avenue, replacing the Family Restaurant, which closed during the spring.
Owner Mario Zarate, who already has two popular Cuban eateries in Manhattan — another Guantanamera at 939 Eighth Ave. and Amor Cubano at 2018 Third Ave. — hopes to open the new restaurant sometime in November.
Guantanamera will replace The Family Restaurant which closed in spring. (DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska)
The menu will be very similar to its sister restaurant in Manhattan, although the Forest Hills outpost will have a different chef, Zarate said.
“The concept did very well in Manhattan and I’m confident people in Forest Hills will like it as well,” he said.
Guantanamera will offer a variety of classic Cuban dishes, such as ropa vieja (shredded skirt steak braised in a tomato sauce), camarones al ajillo (shrimp in a white wine garlic sauce), pollo al coco (chicken breast in coconut sauce) and Cubano sandwiches (pressed Cuban sandwich served with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard), Zarate said.
The restaurant will also feature a new bar serving traditional Cuban drinks, including mojitos. The cocktail served at the Manhattan Guantanamera has won numerous praises, he noted.
The owner is currently renovating the space to “make it more Latin and more fun.”
"We will offer good presentation and it will be a fun place to be," Zarate added.
