Babaloos celebrates 1st year in business

Last year, Babaloos Cuban Cafe opened about a month before the economy tanked.

But thanks to a few adjustments and some faithful customers, the restaurant, located at 1241 E. Chandler Blvd., is celebrating its first year, and the family who runs it are finally starting to feel comfortable.

Owner Robert Gonzalez said he tries to ride between traditional and contemporary ideas of cooking.

"I'm constantly trying to stay current with the culinary trends that are going on," he said. "I don't want to fall into the label of being a traditional ethnic Cuban restaurant. That's where we draw a lot of our inspiration from, but we like to use that as more of a base."

His mother, Mayra Gonzalez is often lovingly referred to as the Cuban quality control.

"For the Cuban dishes, I always taste them," Mayra Gonzalez said. "They have to use the right ingredients. Sometimes they'll throw in an ingredient and I'll say, ‘Wait a minute, this tastes different. What did you put in here?'"

One of the most popular items on the menu is the ropa vieja, which literally translated means "old clothes." It's a flank steak slow cooked with bell peppers, garlic and onions until it begins to fall apart and resemble old clothes, and is shredded and served with black beans and rice.

Gonzalez said he briefly played with the idea of taking it off the menu, but that whole week he got nothing but complaints from patrons.

Mayra Gonzalez said the same thing happened with her tres leches cake, which is infused with a blend of sweet creams.

"We tried to take that off the menu too and some customers almost beat me up over it," she said with a smile.

The menu at Babaloos changes seasonally, and Robert Gonzalez said there's only about 30 items on it at a time. He said the fact that it's not an extensive menu draws customers into it.

"(The menu) allows my servers to be a lot more knowledgeable about the items," he said. "Servers can talk intimately and intelligently about the food."

All in all, Gonzalez said Babaloos offers a good experience. From some of the funky, authentic Cuban art on the walls to the knowledgeable staff that will go above and beyond with the customers.

"We treat our customers like family," Mayra Gonzalez said. "We have some regulars that we hug when they come in."

Once the Ahwatukee Foothills location is solid, Robert Gonzalez said he is thinking about opening up a second Babaloos further north.

But nothing can replace the first one in their hearts.

"This is definitely our baby," Mayra Gonzalez said. "This was our first one. It's a unique place, and this is a great area. For us this is our neighborhood, so this is always going to be special."

For more information, call (480) 460-1528 or visit www.babalooscubancafe.com.