Puerto Rican Restaurant In Brick Sets Opening Date

BRICK, NJ — After months of drooling at the thought of savory meats, stews and fritters, locals who've been dreaming of the opening of a new Puerto Rican restaurant in Brick will have just a few more weeks to wait.

In addition to announcing an opening date, however, the restaurant also announced a new name: ¡Wepa Quenepa!

The Puerto Rican restaurant will be located in The Shoppes at New Visions, which is the retail store complex at the base of the apartment and condominium complex off Chambers Bridge Road behind the U.S. Post Office and near the Kohls/ShopRite shopping center. The opening is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 25.

The name change resulted from some confusion with a business of a similar name, the restaurant said in a post on its Facebook page.

"It is very important to us that our brand always reflect our high standards for quality, safety and comfort. This is too important to risk any confusion," the post said. The old name, Freakin' Puerto Rican Food, also had prompted some negative responses, the owners said, and that helped drive the change as well.

"We love saying our new name because it’s uniquely Puerto Rican and will never be mistaken for anything else," they said. "If you are not with a Puerto Rican when you’re reading this, here’s a little help saying it… Weh-pah Keh-neh-pah… Now, say it three times fast."

The restaurant will be owned by sisters Raquel Sud and Debra Kapolka who have moved from New York to the Jersey Shore.

The menu will include vegetarian and vegan offerings as well as hearty dishes for the meat-inclined, Sud has said.

Check the restaurant out on Facebook or at its website, www.wepaquenepa.com.

Jibarito (hee-bah-reeto) Puerto Rican steak sandwich using tostones instead of bread, thin-sliced sirloin tenderized and marinated. Red onions and avocado garnish. All snuggled up with yellow rice and pink beans. Photo courtesy of ¡Wepa Quenepa! Used with permission