Paloma Restaurante is coming to Collingswood NJ in the location which formerly was home to a Tortilla Press location. The three young business owners promise a food experience “Where Mexico City Meets Rome”
The names behind the project should be familiar to many in South Jersey.
- Chef Tim Dedja is the chef and owner of the very popular destination restaurant The Boiling House in Cherry Hill.
- Chef Jeorge Reyes has been wowing diners at his Orales Tacos in Blackwood, offering a full Mexican dining menu experience.
- Designer Aurora Vojnika is an interior designer and the owner of clothing line “West Main“, who has also helped others navigate today’s marketing and business climate.
The location for the upcoming Paloma Restaurante is on Haddon Ave in the heart of Collingswood’s thriving restaurant and retail district (at the intersection of Collings Ave).
If you were unaware, the popular Tortilla Press location closed just a few weeks ago. They are still open at their Tortilla Press Cantina location in Pennsauken
Paloma Ristorante – Collingswood
Paloma is a Spanish term meaning “dove”… a symbol of peace.
But Paloma is also a popular tequila based drink in Mexico… which later evolved into variations including the Italian Paloma.
Paloma : Mexico and Italy.
Which makes Paloma a perfect name for the upcoming Collingswood restaurant which will offer the tastes of Mexico City and Rome!
It’s an exciting and unique restaurant concept, which requires an innovative and driven team to create the menu, restaurant design, and experiences.
Interestingly the ages of this young ownership team averages under 30 years old, but they already have the knowledge, experience and drive to bring something really special to the “Dining Mecca” that is Collingswood NJ.
As an example, consider that The Boiling House in Cherry Hill has been known as a destination restaurant for many years, earning a 4.7 customer rating (1000+ reviews) at OpenTable.com, yet chef and owner Tim Dedja is under 30 years old!
Simply this team has proven they know what it takes to develop and operate successful restaurants and businesses, and honestly you can only expect bigger things for them as they continue to grow… in Collingswood!
I can’t wait to see what the final restaurant experience will be when they open later this year!
Paloma Restaurante – Targets Labor Day Weekend
I heard from a family member of their team last week and again this morning, who gave me a high level rundown of what the plans for the restaurant… but they just took over ownership of the space, so many details are still being worked out.
Well first the team plans on a full remodel of the space.
They love the windows on the property and how they can open wide to the street… but from there everything else is being considered for change.
There are two main focuses as they build out the restaurant over the summer; Creating a blended menu supporting 2 distinct food cultures of Italian and Mexican is an exciting challenge on its own for the two chefs… but it’s going to be a fun challenge for Aurora to represent both of those cultures in the restaurant design!
So with a lot of work ahead of them to design a creative menu and new interior, the timing of the ownership transition may work in their favor.
You’re likely already aware that many mainland South Jersey restaurants in areas like Camden County can experience a slight slowdown in the summer time, as many restaurant customers spend more time at the Jersey Shore or simply barbecuing in the backyard.
So the owners at Paloma are taking the summer to design and build out the menu and restaurant design…. targeting an opening on Labor Day weekend of this year.
Labor Day weekend will be a perfect milestone date for the opening, just as summertime is winding down, folks are settling back home, and looking for the next great place to dine through the fall and winter time.
Collingswood – A Dry BYOB Town?
So I mentioned one of the origins of the name Paloma is related to a tequila drink. But as you may know, Collingswood is a dry town and does not offer full alcohol serving licenses.
In an article published today at the Philadelphia Inquirer writer Kevin Reardon describes some of the challenges restaurants can face in a BYOB environment, mainly not having the extra revenue of alcohol sales.
Lack of alcohol sales revenue was cited by the owners of the Tortilla Press as one of the reasons for the closure of their popular Collingswood location.
In the article Kevin spoke to the Mayor and several other restaurant owners about the pros and cons of Collingswood being a dry town. To be clear, it seems there are no plans in process to change anything.
Riordan also had a chance to speak with the same family contact I spoke to, regarding the new Paloma Restaurante venture:
“Collingswood is the right place to be, In the future we hope there is a chance to have a liquor license. But for now, it’s a dry town.”
I’ll have more on Paloma as the summer progresses!
Links and Location
Paloma Restaurante – Target Opening Labor Day Weekend
703 Haddon Ave
Collingswood, NJ 08108