Another new restaurant is opening in Fall River. This time it's Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian

FALL RIVER — Add another restaurant to your checklist of local culinary destinations.

City resident Gina Estrella is bringing her Puerto Rican home cooking to Fall River with her new restaurant.

Puerto and Ecua Restaurant is set to open its doors next week at 927 Stafford Road, diversifying the city’s options for those seeking authentic Latin American fare.

While the location is small — tucked away in the city's South End — it promises to be big on flavor.

The Fall River eatery will feature a variety of cuisines from Estrella's native Puerto Rico as well as her husband's native Ecuador in a welcoming and cozy cafe-style dining room.

"When people go inside I want them to feel at peace, at home," said Estrella of the newly revamped Stafford Road space that can accommodate 40 people.

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For Estrella, the owner and chef at Puerto and Ecua, it's been a lifelong dream to open her own restaurant.

"I love cooking," said Estrella, who worked as a chef's assistant in Puerto Rico before moving to Pawtucket, R.I., in 2004 and eventually making a home in Fall River.

She purchased the Stafford Road building, which most recently housed Edu's Cafe & Pizza, in May of 2019 with plans to one day open her own restaurant there. When the Brazilian eatery Edu's closed this past October, Estrella knew it was time to take her shot.

After months spent cleaning, renovating and prepping the space, she's ready to welcome customers to what will hopefully become an island oasis in the middle of the city.

Puerto Rican cuisine — a blend of Spanish, West African, indigenous Taíno and American influences — is full of flavor, offering a mix of sweet and savory.

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Puerto and Ecua's queso frito (fried cheese) with guava sauce is one such example of a sweet and savory Latin appetizer gem, and a personal favorite of Estrella's.

If you want to be transported to Puerto Rico without leaving Fall River, you can also try their alcapurria. These fritters are made from green bananas and taro root stuffed with meat, usually beef with tomato sauce, then fried.

On the menu you'll also find items such as pasteles — made with pork stuffing encased in a green plantain masa and wrapped in banana leaves — and various types of mofongo —a Puerto Rican dish of mashed fried green plantains that's paired with meat or seafood and served with broth.

If you want to keep it authentic, try the tripleta, a popular Puerto Rican sandwich, and the arroz con gandules, Puerto Rico's national dish made with pigeon peas, green olives and sofrito — a puree of peppers, tomatoes, recao (cilantro), garlic and onions that serves as the base of Puerto Rican flavor.

For a taste of Ecuador, sample the ceviche, a South American seafood favorite made from fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices, the encebollado, Ecuador’s classic fish stew, or their empanadas.

Puerto and Ecua plans to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, which will also include many classic American offerings, for dine-in or takeout, with the goal of offering catering and delivery services as well.

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And for Estrella, the venture will be a family affair. She'll be running the kitchen alongside son, Pedro Navarro, with her daughter Mya Navarro and her son's girlfriend Selena Botelho also pitching in with day to day operations.

Estrella said they plan on officially opening their doors on Tuesday, March 15.

A Facebook page and website for Puerto and Ecua are currently in the works, and folks can check there soon for updates on hours and a peek at their menu.

So far, news of Puerto and Ecua has spread mostly through word of mouth, Estrella said, but excitement has been building.

"A lot of friends are telling me every week, 'When are you going to open? Are you open yet?'" she said. "I'm very excited."

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Puerto and Ecua Restaurant slated to open its doors in Fall River