Jibaro de Puerto Rico to reopen in downtown Muscatine

After nearly two months of closure, Jibaro de Puerto Rico will reopen Friday, Aug. 14. The family-owned restaurant at 211 W. 2nd St. in downtown Muscatine, had to close June 19 because of structural issues with its building.

The restaurant has changed locations, made renovations and is ready to get back to business with supporters who are eager to have it back.

“I’d been coming here maybe like twice a week for a couple months now, and I’ve really missed them when they left,” said Mackoi Ziegenhorn, a regular customer at Jibaro.

Owner Ramon Rentas says they’re aiming to still bring the same vibe, paying homage to his childhood home.

“When you walk inside here, you’re going to feel that warm and relaxing time for eating,” said Rentas. “But you get that experience of Puerto Rico here.”

Rentas said his landlord and the City of Muscatine helped him make the move as quickly and affordably as possible. Rentas took over the building that housed Capone’s Chicago Eatery, meaning the restaurant needed to get re-licensing for many of the necessary credentials to operate.

“Yeah, the city helped us 100%, with all the licensing, and also they bring more support for our losses because insurance didn’t cover anything that we lost in our inventory,” said Rentas. “And the city helped us a lot in that portion.”

The help did not stop there either. On Facebook, members of the community are calling on others to pack Jibaro for opening day on Friday.

“That’s the functionality of this community and this town and all Iowa is the same way I bet,” said Rentas. “They’re just always looking out for each other.”

The return of Jibaro also brings some new items to the menu. Jibaro will add chicken kabobs and cheeseburgers. Rentas spent some of his time between buildings perfecting a burger recipe.

“Now that they have added that, I’ve only had one, but I loved the first one.” said Ziegenhorn.

The owners are adding a crowd favorite to the in-house menu. It’s something they’ve sold at their stand at the Freight House Farmers Market in Davenport.

“We’re also going to have the chicken kabobs,” said Rentas. “The chicken kabobs are sold out in Davenport every time.”

He hopes to be back at the farmers market soon. On opening day, the restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to midnight. For more information, click here.

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