Alan and Nairelys Lopez have grown Rumba Cubana from a Jersey City cafeteria into a group of restaurants rooted in authentic Cuban cooking and warm hospitality. Now, with six locations across the state, another opening in Teaneck and their first out-of-state restaurant headed to Florida this fall, the couple is expanding while keeping things personal.
Built around the Cuban food they grew up with, the menu features classics like ropa vieja (a national dish of Cuba), lechón asado (a slow-roasted pork dish), vaca frita (shredded and fried steak) and pressed Cuban sandwiches, with most dishes priced under $22.
But before they were business partners, they were teenage sweethearts in Cuba…