More than a decade ago, on the corner of 106th Street and Third Avenue in the heart of East Harlem (known to us locals as ‘El Barrio’), a small unassuming luncheonette called ‘George & Ginas' was to make history. Virgenes Diaz, or ‘Gina’ as she was affectionately known, had owned several successful eateries in the neighborhood. But it was this one – her last one – which would become the East Harlem icon that today is known as La Fonda Boricua.
George and Gina’s became La Fonda Boricua in 1996 when Jorge Ayala purchased the quiet lunch spot and turned it into a vibrant local favorite. Working closely with his kitchen crew, Jorge preserved many of the restaurant’s traditional dishes and added a few of his own. Then half its current size, La Fonda Boricua would become a favorite among local residents and citywide Latinos who yearned for a place where their food and culture could proudly take center stage.
In 2000, the stage widened, when Jorge’s brother Roberto arrived from Puerto Rico to help him expand the business. The two brothers would prove an excellent team, doubling the size of La Fonda in a year, and adding a robust catering service component to their young business.
This is the Fonda Boricua that most people know about today. From 2007 to 2008, it was also the home of some of the greatest live, improvisational latin music being performed in New York City. But soon, it became apparent that the Fonda Boricua's humble facilities were just not enough to contain the kind of musical expression that kept coming its way.
In 2008, building on the success of its Latin Jazz Thursdays, the Ayalas opened a second bar and restaurant right across the street from the Fonda Boricua called the FB Lounge. Offering an exciting menu of both the new and the traditional, the Lounge continues in the Fonda tradition of combining great food, music and art in El Barrio. The Lounge has become home to some of the most authentic live improvisational afro-caribbean and Latin music being played today. This is where New York City's best come to jam, and on any given night, you never know who's going drop by to sit in.
While it is true that many celebrities have been to The Fonda, the Ayala Brothers know that the strength of their business comes from the wonderful people of El Barrio. It is they who have made La Fonda the success it is today, and it is they who have kept the brothers focused, inspired and motivated all these years.
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