By Nicole Colwell
I was excited to get in touch with Crystal Moran, one of the two new owners of Boricana. Boricana is a new restaurant that will soon be opening in Elmira, New York.
Boricana is bringing something to Elmira that Crystal says isn’t available within about an hour to an hour and a half in any direction - fresh, homecooked food from Puerto Rico and the Dominican.
Crystal has wanted to own and operate her own restaurant since she was a kid. Now, she’s taking the plunge, accepting the challenge, and bringing her dream to life.
The decision to open Boricana came with much encouragement from friends and family. Crystal says, “They’ve been encouraging us to do this for years. We finally decided to make it happen!”
The restaurant’s menu is filled with incredible options for lunch and dinner.
And I have to admit that my mouth started watering when I saw pictures of some of their dishes on their Facebook page.
Arroz Blanco Con Pollo Guisao
Pollo Guisao/Chicken Stew
Boricana is located at 456 W. Washington Ave. in Elmira, NY. If you’re from the local area, you’ll find it where Elmira Seafood used to be, near the corner of W. Washington Ave. and Walnut St.
But if you’ve ever been to Elmira Seafood, you’d hardly recognize it after Boricana’s recent renovations.
Crystal says they have seating for about 56 people, and they’re waiting on code enforcement to confirm their occupancy.
The plan is for the restaurant to open the first weekend in April, so the big day is approaching soon!
Boricana will be open from 11:30 am to 7:30 pm. Crystal says they plan to take two days off per week, but she’s not sure what those days will be quite yet.
One of the best parts of opening Boricana has been the generous outpouring of support Crystal and her fiance Anddy have experienced from the Elmira community. She states, “We were not expecting the amount of love we’ve received!”
She says that many of her friends and family have offered to volunteer their time during the first month or so after the restaurant opens to help them get started. Once they have a better idea of their staffing needs, they’ll be bringing staff on board.
When I asked Crystal if there was one thing she wanted people to know about Boricana, she told me, “Our food is made fresh and with lots of love.”
I’m excited to give Boricana a try!
Jump on over to their Facebook page and show Boricana some love. And keep an eye out for their opening day announcement!