Jora erects it sign, May 2013
Aug. 6, 2014 By Christian Murray
It took more than 18 months but it has finally arrived.
Jora, which offers traditional Peruvian food, opened two weeks ago on the corner of 48th Avenue and 11th .
The restaurant is owned and operated by 26-year-old Alejandro Rojas, who comes to the neighborhood with pedigree.
Rojas’s father owns one of the oldest Peruvian restaurants in New York, which was established in Jackson Heights in 1976. That restaurant was initially called Inti raymi, but the name was later changed to Urubama.
Roja said he learned to cook working alongside his father and has also been to cooking school. This is his first restaurant.
Roja said the delay in opening was largely the result of some personal issues as opposed to city bureaucracy.
“We spent too much time at our other [Jackson Heights] place and then some other issues came up,” he said.
The restaurant is currently open from 5:30 pm through 11 pm and is serving entrees such as grilled skirt steak, Peruvian style seafood paella, braised lamb shank and pan roasted chicken breast.
In two weeks, Roja said that the restaurant will open at about 12:00pm to cater to the lunch crowd. In time, it will serve brunch on weekends.
Roja said that business has been good so far. “People have seen our [Jora] sign up for a long time and then when they saw the lights on they realized we had opened and came on it.”
The restaurant has a liquor license and has room for about 90 diners.
The restaurant replaces the long-vacant Crossroads Diner.
Alejandro Rojas
Featured Events
9 Comments
Restaurants need time to hit their stride. Cut them some slack, particularly regarding service early on.
How original how many Peruvian places in queens now?
Where you from and are you related to me ???
where you from Ted Winberry ?
Food was just OK and the service was abysmal. I wish them success but early signs are yet another overpriced restaurant serving mediocre food – a LIC speciality unfortunately.
I’m not sure why you’d expect better here LIC fan. Is Jackson Heights supposed to be inferior to Hunter’s Point or something?
That being said, Urubamba is indeed one of the best restaurants in NYC. I’ve been going for years. When I finally saw the Jora menu, I was disappointed b/c it looks nothing like Urubamba’s. It also is much more limited.
Jora has a tough road ahead if it wants to be deemed on the same level as its cousin.
Nevertheless, I wish the owners great success and I will eat there soon anyway.
Can’t wait to visit, I hear good things about the Jackson Heights restaurant so I expect better here. Buena suerte!
Awesome Peruvian food; been there twice since it’s opened! I also heard the menu will change every so often, which caters well to the local audience. Love that LIC still maintains its small business support. Salud!
Super stoked that this place finally opened.