Cuban Eatery Opens Where WaHi Staple Galicia Once Stood

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — A new Cuban restaurant has moved into the space once held by longtime neighborhood staple Galicia, Patch has learned.

The new spot, named Havana Heights, officially opened on Friday and will be serving up "International cuisine with a Cuban twist," owner said. The restaurant took over the 4083 Broadway storefront, on the corner of West 172nd Street, where Galicia Restaurant used to be before closing in 2018.

"[We saw] the need for anther type of restaurant in the area serving high-quality food at reasonable prices," one of the owners told Patch on the phone Friday.

The Havana Heights owner said that the eatery is his first restaurant and has been in the works for a year and a half. His family has owned meat markets and grocery stores in the Washington Heights area for more than 40 years, he said.

The owner had to hang up due to an afternoon rush at the restaurant before he could give his name or more details.

The new restaurant comes nearly two years after Galicia Restaurant was forced to close in 2018.

The Spanish staple, which had been there for more than 25 years, was forced to close when owners couldn't afford a $20,000 rent increase, a 400-percent jump from its current rent, according to the Village Voice.

Loyal customers, elected officials and an online petition rallied to save the restaurant, which went to court to stay open, but it was eventually forced to close in June.