A business started by Jersey City locals is expanding west, and is set to add to Newark’s culinary explosion by the end of the year.
Two years ago, O’Lala Empanadas opened in Jersey City’s Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood at 600 Communipaw Avenue. In Newark, O’Lala will open at 194 Market Street, a storefront sandwiched between two other buildings under renovation, one of which is the historic Bonnell Building. The restaurant has teased a few images of the new space on their Instagram account, including a shot of some chalkboard art that was recently installed.
The restaurant’s name serves two purposes; besides the obvious French phrase, the founders’ mother was nicknamed Lala, and it reminds them to remain true to her recipes.
The star of O’Lala is obviously their empanadas, and the options are plentiful. In addition to the standard beef, chicken, and cheese selections, O’Lala features empanadas with unique innards like Cajun chicken, pork, and sweet plantains; Philly cheese steak; or chipotle shrimp. They also serve a few dessert empanadas, including guava & cream cheese and a brownie explosion flavor.
For hungrier guests, O’lala has entree options called Arroz Chaufa, which are Chinese/Peruvian fusion dishes. They consist of stir-fried rice with proteins like chicken, shrimp and steak. Some sandwich options, including a Cubano and an El Taino chicken sandwich, round out the menu.
O’Lala is the latest eatery to join the booming restaurant scene around Newark’s Four Corners Historical District. The last few years have seen a Dinosaur BBQ open at 224 Market Street and Redd’s Biergarten joined the party last year. An outpost of The Ainsworth opened last month and the brand-new Eleven Clinton southern restaurant and blues bar started welcoming customers last week.
That culinary increase doesn’t even include Marcus B&P, which also opened last week in the historic Hahne & Co. building. O’Lala had hoped that their Market Street spot would be up and running by October, but some delays have caused no official opening date to be set just yet. However, they should be up and running by the end of the year.
[gmap height=”250px”]194 Market Street, Newark, NJ[/gmap]
