Cuban and Soul Food Restaurant to Open in Niecy's Location

A Cuban and soul food restaurant called Meeting Place will soon open at 65 South Orange Ave., in the space adjoining the Taylor Place lot that was formerly occupied by Niecy's.

Though a sign announcing available space is still posted in the window, the new restaurant owners signed their lease on Aug. 1, and they're shooting for a Labor Day weekend opening. "I don't know if we'll make it, but we're going to try," said Hamlet Rivero, who's coordinating the opening for the owners, who are Orange residents.

The menu is still a work in progress but will feature staples like Cuban sandwiches, ropa vieja, empanadas, tostones, maduros and Cuban pastries. Pricing also still hasn't been worked out, but Rivero says the restaurant will be casual, and the owners also intend to offer catering and bookings for special events. They aren't looking for a liquor license, nor are they seeking to make the restaurant a BYOB, though the menu will include non-alcoholic tropical drinks made from fruits like papaya.

No major structural changes will be undertaken, and Rivero said the major task at hand is cleaning and getting the space up to code, as well as to decorate it in Caribbean style.

As for Meeting Place's location in South Orange, Rivero said the chips essentially fell into place, and the owners found an ideal available space. "It's what you call walking into an open door," he said.

In other local restaurant news, a new Chinese restaurant, Lucky Fortune, is opening in the place of Hunan Garden on Village Plaza. Work is underway at the location, and the name on the awning has already been changed.