Latin-American Fusion Restaurant To Open In Rockville Centre

ROCKVILLE CENTRE — A new Latin-American restaurant is preparing to open in the village.

The Forest Hills-based Mojo will serve a fusion of Spanish foods at 300 Sunrise Hwy. possibly by year’s end.

“We are a few months out from opening but we’re hoping for mid-December or the start of 2022,” said co-owner Alex Marquetti.

Marquetti and his partner, Peter Kambitsis, who owns SugarBerry at 312 Sunrise Hwy., a bakery located a few doors away, believe the village is an ideal location, a destination for restaurant patrons that is ripe for more diverse Latin cuisines.

“For the most part what we observe is the Spanish dining restaurants there are Mexican-focused,” Marquetti said.

As with the original Mojo in Forest Hills, which opened in 2019, the Rockville Centre establishment will serve various Latin-American fusion dishes.

“When someone comes to dine with us, they have to have an open mind that it’s not going to be like a traditional dish,” Marquetti said.

Mojo’s signature dishes include Chicken Mojo, a seared chicken breast with beurre blanc white cream sauce served with white rice, black beans and maduros, and Churrasco, an eight-ounce skirt steak made with chimichurri sauce drizzle.

Appetizers include Mojo Wings that come with a mango-Valentina glaze that add a Latin flare. Margaritas, Piña coladas, and red sangrias are served alongside more distinct cocktails such as El Chamuco, a Tequila and blood orange concoction served with a tajin rim and a dehydrated lime garnish.

A Queens native whose parents emigrated from Cuba and the Dominican Republic, Marquetti highlights the diversity of his kitchen staff from various Latin locales, from Mexico to Colombia to the Caribbean islands. His executive chef and partner, Emmanuel Piqueras, is a native of Peru.

“We try to collaborate and give things a different spin,” he said.

Mojo in Rockville Centre takes over the unit previously occupied by Stinger’s, an Irish-American establishment that was in business for 29 years before closing in 2016, and Bowery Bar & Fare, which shut down during the COVID pandemic.