Alexsa Zayas serves authentic Puerto Rican food at the San Juan Café at 105 East State Street in Trenton, even when that means offering dishes she doesn’t particularly care for.
“They ask for foods like oxtail soup, beef tripe and tongue. We do it because it’s our native cuisine from growing up … you are here to please the people.”
Of course, the restaurant, which opened in June 2008, is better known for its more popular Puerto Rican dishes like roast pork and chicken stew.
Located on the corner of East State Street and South Broad Street in the heart of downtown Trenton, San Juan Café caters to a huge crowd of office workers and other locals every day.
The restaurant’s success is gratifying for Zayas, who was born in Puerto Rico, grew up in Old Bridge and has lived in Trenton since 1988. She previously owned another restaurant of the same name on Stockton Street, a tavern called Sports Bar, a grocery store, and a hair salon.
All throughout her career though, she has wanted to cook. Even when she ran the grocery store, Zayas wanted to add a hot food section.
“I learned it from my grandmother and mother,” she said. “Cooking is in my genes.”
Zayas is now passing the art on to her 13-year-old daughter, who also loves to cook. She’s learning the same way Zayas did: in the kitchen.
“You always learn the old school secrets of how to do things. Nowadays nobody likes to cook or go into detail. Everything is frozen or delivered. But we do everything fresh. We even make the beans and everything from scratch. Nothing is canned, not even the beans.”
The restaurant also puts a Puerto Rican twist on dishes that aren’t typically considered Puerto Rican – like spaghetti and meatballs with Puerto Rican seasonings. They also offer American standbys like fries and chicken tenders.
“We do a combination of everything,” Zayas said. San Juan Café offers lunch specials like baked chicken and rice and beans for $5.
“We have decent prices to meet everybody’s budget,” she said.
Though the food has made San Juan Café a lunchtime staple, success has eluded Zayas when she tried to stay open late. The problem is the same that many Trenton restaurant owners face.
“The only problem with Trenton is that after a certain time it’s like a ghost town. After 4 or 4:30 after people leaves, no one wants to be in the area,” she said. “I think they have to put more stuff into the community. This is the capital, but there isn’t really anything to show for it.”
She said customers come from Princeton and East Windsor to get the food, but tell her they are too afraid to come by for dinner after a certain hour.
Despite the difficulty of staying open late downtown, Zayas is expanding the business. An ice cream parlor will soon open alongside the café. For more information, call (609) 695-2222.
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