A warm June breeze blows through the Navy Yard area of Washington D.C. It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon and the city is bustling with life. Less than a year ago, COVID measures had D.C. residents sheltering at home, making areas like the 1300 block of 4th Street South East somewhat of a ghost town.
After months of sheltering in place, Tricia Ortiz a Puerto Rican resident that lives in the District decides to invite friends to La Famosa a popular Puerto Rican restaurant in the area. Before the pandemic hit, I wanted to try this place says, Ortiz. She chose this establishment to meet up with friends she had not seen prior to the state of emergency shutting down dining in at restaurants.
Entering La Famosa restaurant is like being transported to a bar reminiscent of the ones you see in Old San Juan. Its white tile decor serves as a backdrop for a classic-looking blackboard containing typical Boricua menu items like fried chillo (snapper), bistec encebollado, and tripleta sandwiches.
La Famosa is lucky to be around. According to the June volume of the Journal of Environmental Health, as many as 19% of restaurants in areas of the United States were forced to shut their doors due to severe cuts in profits caused by pandemic restrictions.
There aren’t many Puerto Rican restaurants in D.C. and I always wanted to try this one says, Ortiz. Indeed a search for Puerto Rican restaurants on Google only yields three restaurants in the area with a smattering of other Latin American and Caribbean restaurants clouding up the search. For Boricuas in the D.C. area, it would be unfortunate to lose any of these restaurants because there are already so few of them.
Restaurants that are able to innovate are more likely to make their way back to profit. La Famosa was able to stay afloat in part thanks to online ordering and touch-less pay technologies. Ortiz and her guests order their meals by scanning their table’s QR code with their smartphones. This technology not only makes it easier to quickly order what everyone wants, but it makes splitting the check an effortless endeavor.
When the city allowed diners to return in a limited capacity La Famosa also had the advantage of having outdoor tables that helped them to comply with new guidelines. The view of renovated classic buildings surrounding the restaurant gives a welcoming ambiance as patrons wait for their meals.
Catching up on conversation Ortiz and her guests are quickly served their food by the server. They ordered the canoa (a sweet plantain “canoe” stuffed with codfish), a pork mofongo (fried green plantains mashed, fried, then stuffed with fried pork, and an octopus salad. It’s good says Ortiz as her guests and she samples the Puerto Rican menu.
Even though most of her guests were full, the traditional Puerto Rican deserts were too much of a temptation and they order some quesitos (a sort of Puerto Rican cheese danish) to go.
Restaurants have a way to go to make up for the losses of the pandemic. If the amount of patrons dining at La Famosa is an indication of recovery, however, then this restaurant is quickly making up ground. Combine this with its warm atmosphere and varied menu of Puerto Rican comfort foods, La Famosa is well underway to making a full recovery.
To visit checkout La Famosa’s webpage, or visit them at 1300 4th Street SE, Washington D.C.