La Conguita restaurant began its life as a small candy store on Grove Street 30 years ago. Since then, the family-run business, operated by father and son Adilio and Alex Gonzalez, has expanded to a supermarket and now the renovated popular restaurant.
"We’re trying to keep things simple," said Alex Gonzalez, seated at the table of his eatery in downtown Jersey City, which celebrated a grand reopening at the end of May. "The place used to be much smaller, but we’ve enlarged it and it will soon be opening for dinner."
The Gonzalez family has been a fixture in the downtown business community for three decades. Adilio, Alex’s father, first came to New Jersey from Cuba in 1968. He started the family business with a supermarket called La Conga, and eventually the restaurant.
"A conga is a drum played in Cuba," Gonzalez said. "When we opened the restaurant, which started as a place with nine chairs, we called it La Conguita or ‘little drum.’ "
The décor of the new Conguita matches perfectly with the dining fare. The brick walls of the main dining area are adorned with posters and oversized stamps from pre-1950s Cuba. The walls of the smaller dining area were recently painted with watercolors portraying famous figures from Cuban history in a landscape.
"The painting tries to capture the bright colors of Cuba," Gonzalez explained. "The painting also has members of my family painted in with the figures from Cuban history."
There are other paintings and traditional artifacts scattered throughout the place. It has about 75 chairs in its two dining rooms and a large counter to order breakfast and lunch.
"Mostly, our menu is Cuban, but we incorporate other Latin dishes," said Gonzalez.
The traditional Cuban menu includes pernil, or slices of roasted pork. It is served with plantains and the choice of black or red beans served over white rice. The dish is popular both with locals and with nearby office workers, many of whom walk all the way from Newport for lunch.
Other popular dishes at La Conguita include picadillo, seasoned ground beef with creole sauce and spices; spicy pork chops or fried pork cubes; rice with chicken; and yuca salad.
The entrees range from $7.95 to $11.95 and they are served with rice, beans and vegetables. The restaurant features different specials daily, and a variety of appetizers.
The eatery will soon be getting a liquor license, Gonzalez said. Once the license is secured, they will serve domestic and imported beers, as well as wine and sangria.
El pernil
During my visit, I began my meal with a sample of the delicious Cuban sandwich. It was prepared with pork, ham and Swiss cheese in garlic sauce and toasted bread. I then enjoyed the pernil with white rice and black beans for an entree. The pork was served with a garlic sauce and onions. It was tender and succulent. The rice and vegetables complemented it well. The pernil is an excellent entrée for newcomers to Latin food. It is a terrific dinner lunch or dinner item.
For dessert I tried the coconut flan with Conguita’s famous café con leche (coffee with milk). It was very sweet and a perfect way to conclude the Conguita experience.
La Conguita is located at 351 Grove St. in Jersey City. It is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. They cater private parties, serve breakfast and deliver. For information call (201) 435-6770. q