Inventiveness and many flavors at La Jibarita in Mayagüez

Alvin Hernandez Hernandez and Santos A. Guillotti met in elementary school, as they attended kindergarten together, and from there emerged a friendship that has grown stronger over the years and where The love of pizza has been fundamental.

So much so that they united to prepare delicious dishes of Italian origin, without knowing the secrets of cooking, but with the belief that one day they would turn their hobby into a successful business.

And it seems that, after dreaming so much, these friends from Mayagüez achieved their goal by setting la jibarita, One of the most popular restaurants in the western region, where they share more than 40 gastronomic options in a unique environment in the urban area of ​​Mayagüez.

Their first challenge was to transform the courtyard of an old structure of which only ruins remained.

“We started in October 2015. Nothing of the nearly 100 year old structure has been touched here. Before the restaurant, it was a house, a toy store and even a herbarium. “We took it over without knowing there was a floor there, and when we started cleaning, we found there were tiles in it, as well as three yagrumo trees,” said Hernandez Hernandez, 36.

On this, his friend and colleague Guillotti said: “It was a complete ruin, what people call a public nuisance. “We did this without knowing anything about cooking or running a restaurant.”

“We describe it as a patio because it is open, it has practically no roof, it has some areas made of zinc and wood like old houses. Also, the red color distinguishes La Jibarita, because it is a place where people meet, have a good time, share with their families,” said Alvin, who has a degree in Humanities from the InterAmerican University in St. Has a bachelor’s degree in resources.

The concept is that of a pizzeria, but it presents a broader offering that is also recognized for its variety of “brunch” and Creole cuisine lunches on weekends.

“We started the menu with some tapas, cheese croquettes with mango chutney, because we are from Mayagüez, the ‘city of mangoes’. We have our Mini Jibro Alcapurias. We also have some ‘burgers’, they differentiate us a lot,” Gilotti, 36, said.

Among the “burgers” is “El Huovón”, which has become one of the favorite offerings according to young entrepreneurs.

“It’s called ‘El Huvon’ because it has a fried egg inside, it has caramelized onions, cheddar cheese and it’s ground Angus beef. There is also the ‘El Jibarro Burger’, it has yellow cheese, beef, goat cheese and chorizo. “It’s one of the houses,” Hernandez noted.

“There are six ‘burger’ options. We have sliders and chicken or steak nachos. The salads are very good, including the Jibara salad with mango vinaigrette and feta cheese,” he said.

Whereas pizza is another identity of this restaurant.

“There are 16 pizza options. A customer favorite is ‘La Jibarita’, featuring ground beef, red onion, yellow peppers and red sauce. Another one that is very popular is ‘La Guanabita,’ it has mozzarella cheese, basil and balsamic reduction, among other ingredients,” said Gilotti, who also studied at the Inter-American University of San Germán.

Meanwhile, some of the main dishes are: ribs, churrasco, pasta, T-bone, ribeye, grilled breast, mahi-mahi fillet and salmon fillet, among others.

As far as desserts go, “We have a cookie called ‘La Bofetta’: chocolate chips with ice cream balls, it’s made in the same oven as pizza, that oven is made of brick.”

“Another favorite dessert is ‘El Bolon’: it’s a ball of fried cheesecake and, on top of it, another ball of ice cream. It’s perfect and it’s unique to us too. Also, we have crème brulee and desserts that we make according to the season, which at Christmas, is rice with sweet and temblac,” Santos said.

On the other hand, weekend brunch attracts many diners, according to Hernandez, who noted that the operation generates about 40 direct jobs.

“Brunch is our identity. We start at 9:00 am and end at 2:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. One of the most popular options is French toast, they are very tasty. We also have ‘Chicken and Bacon Waffles’. “They’re dishes that will leave you satiated,” Alvin insisted.

“Our brunch is a la carte. We try to bring different things so that customers do not get bored. Favorites are ‘steak and eggs’ and the coffee is excellent, we have certified baristas,” he said, mentioning that the venue seats 80 people.

Finally, Mayagüez businessmen announced that La Jibarita will be expanded to the luxurious city of Ponce this year.