Family-run Cuban restaurant, Rincón Criollo, at Junction Blvd is shutting down operations after being open for nearly half a century.
The esteemed restaurant was first founded in the 50s when the Acosta Brothers opened a restaurant just north of Havana. Celebrities such as Beny More and Tony y Olga had frequented the restaurant before the brothers moved Rinón Criollo to 40-09 Junction Blvd in Queens in 1976.
Bringing traditional Cuban cuisine to the borough, Rincón Criollo quickly became a beloved neighborhood spot to get dishes like Rope Vieja, Picadillo, and Lechon Asado.
Current owners, Esther and Rudy Acosta, told The City that the restaurant’s closure is primarily a result of the pandemic. The restaurant was forced to do takeout, and the business “never fully recovered.”
Additionally, the threat of increasing rent pushed Esther and Rudy Acosta towards opening a new location on Long Island in Garden City. The new location is expected to open by mid-September, shared The City.
“We kept on going a little further, a little further,” Acosta said. “And we saw this beautiful location with parking, two floors, and we were able to buy it for a reasonable price, no more leasing.”
According to Rincón Criollo’s Instagram, the restaurant hosted its final brunch on Sunday. Apparently the restaurant’s last day will be Thursday, August 31st.