Business & Tech
Cuban Restaurant to Replace Nine Lounge
The restaurant, known as the Cuban, is still several weeks from opening.
The cavernous space that formerly held the Nine Lounge at 333 Washington Street will soon reopen as a Cuban restaurant.
The restaurant, to be called The Cuban, is undergoing extensive renovation and is still several weeks away from opening.
In the meantime, principal owner Luis Iglesias and chef Alexis Lahens are busy trying to create an atmosphere that adds modern flourishes to traditional Cuban dining.
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Iglesias has previously run the Sabor bistro with locations in North Bergen and Hawthorne. He and Lahens have worked together for over ten years.
Iglesias said that as Nine was closing one of the owners contacted him about retrofitting the location into a Cuban restaurant. The two are now partners in the new venture.
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Iglesias said he had already been interested in expanding, and was also happy to come to Hoboken. “I think it's a great location, a combination of young, urban and trendy,” he said. Hudson County also has a large Latin American population.
The Cuban will have a main dining area and bar in the front, with smaller dining rooms in the back that could serve special parties. Most of the menu will be Cuban in origin and augmented with Latin American and Carribbean dishes.
“The menu is pretty much done,” Lahens said. “It's a reinterpretation of old, traditional style dishes to a more modern approach.”
Both Iglesias and Lahens are Cuban. Iglesias arrived as a child in 1971 and grew up in Union City. Lahens was born in the United States to Cuban parents.
“Our culture is very family oriented,” Iglesias said, also describing it as very welcoming. He said hopes the restaurant can also replicate the feel of a home.
“This space brings it to that level. These little dining rooms could be a dining room in someone's home.”
Coming soon: A cigar shop relocates, a fashion lounge comes to Washington Street, and uptown gets a new cafe.
The Business Beat covers businesses opening, closing and relocating in the Mile Square. Have a Hoboken related business tip? Send an email to alanskontra@hotmail.com.
