Sacramento’s 1st Puerto Rican restaurant to open this spring; there’s a pop-up Sunday

Rafael Jimenez’s grandfather ran a restaurant in Puerto Rico for 30 years. His dad had one in upstate New York. Now it’s Jimenez and Sacramento’s turn.

Jimenez, Good Bottle Shop owner Chris Sinclair and Lowbrau general manager Buddy Newby (former co-owner of The Jungle Bird) plan to open a Puerto Rican/Caribbean restaurant and bar called Bodega.

It’ll replace Riverside Sports Bar at 6401 Riverside Blvd. in Sacramento’s Greenhaven neighborhood as soon as March. First, though, Bodega will host a pop-up from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, at Odd Cookie Bakery Cafe & Bar, where Jimenez is the lead bartender.

Bodega’s first pop-up (another is scheduled for Dec. 19) will sell Cuban sandwiches made from a whole pig, slow-roasted for more than 24 hours, mustard, Swiss cheese and bread-and-butter pickles on pan de agua, a Puerto Rican bread with a crispy crust and fluffy center.

Vegans and the vegan-curious will want to try Bodega’s sancocho, a stew made with yuca, sweet potatoes, plantains, corn and sofrito. Bodega will also serve arroz con gandules, Puerto Rican yellow rice with pigeon peas, as well as a seasonal cocktail called a coquito of which Jimenez has been selling bottles as ““Rafito’s Conquito” and described as “like if eggnog and piña coladas had a baby.”

Jimenez grew up around Caribbean natives in New York, but spent most of his 25-year hospitality career in Oakland and San Francisco restaurants and bars before moving to Greenhaven four years ago. He’s missed the community since, and those without Caribbean heritage crave the food almost as much, he said. A 2017 pop-up he threw at Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co. to raise money for Hurricane Maria relief funds sold out quickly and generated considerable buzz.

“People were coming up to me during the event saying, ‘We need this, we need Caribbean food,’” Jimenez said. “I drive through Sacramento today and I see a Puerto Rican flag, a Jamaican flag, a Trinidadian flag. There’s a diaspora out here.”

A few established Sacramento-area restaurants have Caribbean roots, like Sol Cubano in North Highlands or Dubplate Kitchen & Jamaican Cuisine in Arden Arcade, but none are expressly Puerto Rican. Jimenez will try to meet customers at ground zero on some approachable dishes, like tacos and burgers with island touches.

But even traditional dishes like Jamaican patties shouldn’t need much explaining in the 1,600-square-foot bar. Take the tripleta — sure, its Puerto Rican origin might not be familiar to all, but a sandwich loaded with steak, ham, shoestring fries, avocado and mayonnaise translates just fine with a Red Stripe or fresh lime daquiri in hand.

Returning to the Caribbean islands, never an inexpensive or quick trip from the West Coast, has been particularly difficult during the pandemic, Jimenez said. He hopes Bodega can be a home-away-from-home for expats, and an introductory course for the uninitiated.

“We’re going to make it easier to stay home (in Sacramento) and get that comfort food, and show the community how amazing Caribbean food really is,” Jimenez said. “The Caribbean’s known for warmth and hospitality, pura vida, a love of life. I want to share that appreciation with Sacramento.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2021 at 5:07 AM.