Renowned Chocobar restaurant to open in Mott Haven
A new, savory restaurant,
offering a splash of Caribbean
fl avors, art and tradition is set
to hit the streets of Mott Haven
in early summer 2020.
Chocobar Cortes, a beanto
bar chocolate manufacturing
company out of San Juan,
Puerto Rico, is planning an
expansion to the Bronx in the
coming year.
The company has deep
roots that originate in the Caribbean,
cacao merchandise in 1929 and
exported those goods from his
native Puerto Rico.
Puerto Ricans and Dominicans
are no strangers to Chocobar’s
day.
Chocobar Cortes restaurant
opened in 2013 and has been a
hit ever since. Chocobar Cortes
in the Caribbean by USA Today
in 2017.
Carlos Cortes, great grandson
of Don Pedro, has now
taken the title of general manager
attending NYU and spending
The storefront at Chocobar Cortes at the original location in San Juan,
Puerto Rico. The new location in Mott Haven is expected to open for business
early summer 2020. Photo courtesy of Chocobar Cortes
his post-graduate years in New
York.
After Hurricane Maria devastated
Puerto Rico in 2017 and
stunted the country’s economy,
Cortes said to himself, “what
can I do for my country?”
With the Chocobar Cortes’
San Juan location doing well
despite the hurricaine’s aftermath,
he saw an opportunity
for expansion.
“Essentially, I started looking
at neighborhoods with big
Puerto Rican populations and
started preparing the brand
for global expansion,” Cortes
said.
“We want to hire folks from
the neighborhood,” Cortes
said. “We want to enhance the
community we’re becoming a
part of.”
Cortes said chocolate is just
one of the family’s passions.
His father and CEO of Chocobar,
Ignacio Cortes, is a prominent
art collector.
With his passion for art, Ignacio
established a non-profi t
organization called Fundacion
Casa Cortes in 2012. The organization’s
mission is “to educate
and inspire with our passion
for Caribbean art.”
The new Alexander Avenue
restaurant will be similar
to the original location with
some added twists, he said.
The space will be split in two,
one side being a grab n’ go coffee
shop open during the day
and the other half being a full
functioning restaurant and
bar during the evening hours.
“We use our chocolate as
the celebrated ingredient,”
Cortes said. “We want to celebrate
BY KYLE VUILLE
where Don Pedro Cortes
Forteza fi rst produced his
products, which are extremely
popular to this very
in Old San Juan was
was voted Best Restaurant
at Chocobar Cortes after
our Caribbean heritage
through the colors, the arts,
the traditions, the fl avors, and
the gastronomies (using locally
sourced foods) with our
own twist on it.”
Chocobar Cortes would
not be what it is today without
their celebrated executive head
chef, Ricardo De Obaldia who
has created the wonderful, vibrant
dishes offered at the restaurant.
Crowd-pleasing dishes
include a chocolate grilled
cheese sandwich that features
a sharp cheddar-type cheese
served along with chocolate; a
croquette (fried breadcrumb
roll fi lled with various ingredients)
served with a chocolate
dipping sauce; and the Chocoburger
which is served with
chocolate infused ketchup.
Cortes said the desserts are
also original and fabulous.
“We hope to inspire the
Bronx and New York with the
taste of our chocolate, the richness
of our culture,” Cortes
said.
For more history, information,
or to purchase Chocobar
Cortes merchandise, visit
the website at www.chocobarcortes.
com
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