A LITTLE TASTE OF CUBA IN THE HEART OF THE VALLEY
Welcome to CubanFoodLA.com, the website for El Criollo Restaurant. Family-run for over 25 years, we’ve just recently relocated with the intention of bringing a freshly modern, yet still traditional full-service restaurant to the bustling downtown Van Nuys area. We of El Criollo are driven by the genuine aim to provide excellent, personable service complemented by the finest, most flavorful Cuban cuisine.
Opened in 1982, El Criollo was initially one of only a handful of Cuban restaurants in Los Angeles at the time. Founders Niurca and William Sera were eager to bring their culinary roots here, especially the San Fernando Valley. Guided by a lifetime of tradition and experience, not much would change from the way the Seras’ parents had prepared dishes back in the province of Oriente, Cuba. Over the next 20-plus years, the Sera family would provide the best in Cuban dining via El Criollo’s homely, tropical-themed setting.
The new restaurant offers the same deliciously delectable food with an updated, though still very classic look and feel – so much like a bodega in Old Havana. Comfortably situated and centralized in a row of storefronts in the heart of the Van Nuys Blvd. commercial strip, El Criollo’s interior includes classic exposed brick walls, a high open ceiling, beautifully soft serenading Cuban music and poster-size images of vintage magazine covers and print ads from when Niurca and William were kids in Cuba. Our spacious dining room seats 60 with a bar offering select wine, beer and cocktails.
So, be sure to come by soon and join us for L.A.’s best in authentic Cuban cooking and atmosphere, we’ll be happy to have you.
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