Warique at its new Jackson Heights location at 90-04 37th Ave. (courtesy of Jimmy Lozano)
March 20, 2019 By Meghan Sackman
A Peruvian restaurant is opening in Jackson Heights this month after a year-long legal battle forced its owner to flee his Astoria location.
Warique Restaurant will be opening at 90-04 37th Ave., a space previously occupied by Taco Mix. The owner, Jimmy Lozano, anticipates a grand opening next week.
Lozano got into a dispute with his Astoria landlord, when he was located at 40-17 30th Ave., stemming from an unpaid tax bill. The debt, he said, was owed by the previous occupant of the space.
Lozano, a Middle Village resident and Peruvian native, said that the landlord wanted a sizable sum of money to cover the disputed debt, so he decided to leave his Astoria location and come to Jackson Heights instead.
“We lost the place because of the complications so I decided to start over and reopen because a lot of people follow us and like what we offer,” Lozano said.
His restaurant will be offering authentic Peruvian cuisine.
“We have very traditional dishes,” Lozano said, who also noted that Peruvian dishes are heavily influenced by Japanese, Chinese, African, and Italian gastronomy.
Signature dishes include: Lomo Saltado, a dish that consists of thinly sliced sautéed beef stir-fried with onions, tomatoes, and French fries served with rice; Anticuchos, a beef skewer dish that is made of beef heart; Papa a la Huancaína, which consists of boiled yellow potatoes in a spicy, yellow cream sauce; and the traditional seafood medley dish, ceviche.
The Peruvian spot will also serve a special purple Peruvian beverage called Chicha Morada. The drink is made from purple corn, which is widely found in Peru and abundantly grown along the Andes Mountains.
Lozano is applying for a liquor license and for sidewalk seating to supplement the 18 indoor seats.
Despite the chaotic circumstances that surrounded the need for the move, Lozano says he is very excited about his Jackson Heights location.
“I feel so excited because there is a lot of foot traffic in this area and people have missed our food so I’m excited to come back,” Lozano said.
Warique Restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Lozano’s previous landlord could not be reached for comment.
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10 Comments
Bienvenido a mi Barrio Jackson Heights. Espero ansioso su apertura.
JH Resident, you are really ignorant and a bigot, first you have to be at least a legal resident to apply for a restaurant license and an American citizen for a liquor license, second your spelling is so poor that an elementary school kid would beat you in a chicha morada contest. Come back when you find out what this comment is about.
There should be a tax bill with the date when it was originally owed showing who owned the property at that time and who is actually responsible.
Like the idea of sidewalk cafe seating. Hoping once people see it’s successful, it will catch on down the avenue. Always thought it could be charming to have cafe seating on 37th and make it feel lively.
As for the comment about illegals…literally WUT? These dudes are trying to make it and they’re opening a nice space in an empty storefront. I wish them luck.
Hacia falta un Restaurante Peruano en esa area ! Chevere Jimmy tu sabes bien tu comida … Felicitaciones
Hacia falta un restaurante Peruano? There are many Peruvian restaurants in Jackson Heights. Don Alex, El Anzuelo fino, Pio Pio just to name a few.
Those Peruvians are probly illeguls
try spell check
Illegal or not they can probably spell words in English better thsn you can JH.
thsn ???
someone is calling the kettle black here