Mambos Cuban Cafe owner Raul Arias Jr. is expanding the restaurant into the former Denny’s he bought nearby, renaming it and then launching a new Italian concept at the existing location.
Arias said he is renovating the former Denny’s at 13874 Beach Blvd., adding a private room for 80 to 100 people, an outdoor patio, a full bar and a bakery in front.
It will become Mambos Cuban Kitchen.
The existing Mambos Cuban Cafe at 13770 Beach Blvd., No. 9, will become Bellini Modern Italian.
The two restaurants are near Beach and Hodges boulevards.
Arias, who just turned 40, is the District 11 City Council member. He said the businesses are family-run by him, his mother and father, Gisela and Noel Quesada, and his sister, Stephanie Quesada.
Arias was 23 when they started Mambos in Mayport in 2007 with five tables and five menu items.
He said a key component to the family's business success is chef Luis Pita, who has been with Mambos for 16 years.
Mambos Cuban Kitchen
Mambos Holdings LLC, led by Arias and his mother, Gisela Quesada, paid $2.1 million in October for the 4,000-square-foot former Denny’s built in 2007 on almost 1.1 acres.
Arias said he will invest another $1.7 million into it, making it at least a $3.8 million project.
He said he is adding about 1,800 square feet of air-conditioned space, expanding it to 5,800 to 6,000 square feet, not including the patio.
Mambos Cuban Cafe features appetizers, salads, soups, pastas, sandwiches, wraps, chicken, beef, pork, seafood, rices, desserts and more.
Examples include tostones, yuca cheese bites, black bean soup, Cuban sandwiches, cuatro queso ravioli, pan con bistec, steak quesadilla, yellow rice, sweet plantains, black beans, pollo mango, ropa vieja, camarones (shrimp) enchilados, paella and flan.
“We want to take the menu up a notch,” Arias said, such as the quality of presentation and an emphasis on paella options.
He said Mambos Cuban Kitchen will offer a lot of seafood options that include Mayport shrimp and fish.
The bar will include local manufacturers of vodka and rum, such as Grey Matter Distillery along Mayport Road and St. Augustine Distillery.
“You will see a lot of local recognized brands on our menu to help our local economy and bring that Jacksonville touch to the menu,” Arias said.
A permit application shows Summit Construction Management Group LLC as the contractor. Remediation work starts this week.
Arias expects to open in April or May.
The restaurant hours will be extended.
Mambos Cuban Cafe now opens at 10:30 a.m. daily, closing at 8:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Mambos Cuban Kitchen will open at 9 a.m. daily and close at 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Arias said the kitchen will serve Cuban breakfasts and baked goods in the morning.
The later hours will accommodate business at the bar.
For breakfast, he foresees empanadas, Cuban breakfast sandwiches, Spanish sausage and eggs and more.
The current 4,400-square-foot Mambos Cuban Cafe seats about 160. The new one will seat 194 inside and 20-25 on the patio.
Arias said Mambos leases at its current location and he bought the Denny’s.
“It is our legacy, so we are going to focus on that,” he said.
Arias said Mambos generates $2.2 million in annual revenue and the new one should do $2.5 million to $2.6 million with the full bar and more seating.
Arias said broker Matt Demir, owner of XERA Realty Inc., brought him the Denny’s deal.
Mambos Holdings LLC paid $2.1 million for the 3,913-square-foot restaurant built in 2007 on almost 1.1 acres in October 2022.
Denny’s lease was up in December but it closed in November, Arias said.
Mambos offers brunch, lunch and dinner entrees and specials, caters and offers private parties.
Mambos also offers custom cakes and food platters for events such as birthday parties, corporate events and family reunions.
Bellini Modern Italian
Arias said the existing Mambos will become a new Italian concept, Bellini Modern Italian, “with a modern upscale twist to it.”
He said the estimated $400,000 upgrade will be cosmetic changes and the addition of a full bar.
Arias has started buying furniture and other items for Bellini so that work can begin after Mambos opens the Cuban Kitchen.
He expects Bellino could open in May or June
The location has a liquor license although Arias said Mambos Cuban Cafe has been selling just beer, wine and sangria.
Arias likened Bellini to Josephine in Avondale, Catullo’s Italian in Jacksonville and Nocatee, and Midtown Table near St. Johns Town Center.
Like Josephine and Midtown, Bellini will be Italian, but not the traditional form.
Arias said it will feature wine, cocktails, homemade meatballs, flatbread, charcuterie and smaller plates, for example.
“We want to bring more of a day-night atmosphere,” he said.
Remaining at 160 seats but with a full bar, Arias expects Bellini to generate annual revenue of at least $2.2 million.
Hours are anticipated to be 11 a.m. daily to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Mambos franchise
The Mambos Cuban Express in Mandarin is launching a franchise concept.
That location is at 11105 San Jose Blvd., No. 2.
“We are going to sell our first franchise to one of our previous managers,” Arias said.
The Mambos Cuban Express franchises will be up to 2,200 square feet maximum, Arias said.
There may be more franchises after seeing how the first works out.
Arias said Mambos did not renew the lease for a restaurant that had operated along Southside Boulevard.
Mambos history
The Mambos website says Mambos Cuban Café was established in 2007 in Mayport “with the concept of giving customers delicious Cuban cuisine with high quality standards in mind.”
Arias says on the site that after joining the U.S. Navy and spending time in Japan, he was assigned to serve in Jacksonville for another 2½ years.
“My family and I loved the Jacksonville area so much that we knew that it was the place we wanted to call home for our family, and for Mambos Cuban Café,” it says.
Since then, Arias closed the Mayport location and relocated to the current site.
“Our café is family owned and operated, and we take great pride in the culinary delights that our chefs prepare on a daily basis. We want our customers to feel as if they are right in the heart of Cuba every time they walk through the doors.”
Arias said his family spent a great deal of time in the Miami area, “but we have infused ourselves with Jacksonville and are pleased to call it home.”