Food is a necessary and cherished feature in our daily lives. For Italian, Puerto Rican and Mexican immigrants who decided to call East Harlem home, food became not only a reminder of their native countries but a mode of diversification within the neighborhood. Friendly family owned restaurants opened to serve not only those who lived in East Harlem but others who may have traveled through the neighborhood and had a longing for a meal. As generations of immigrants changed, so did the restaurants in the neighborhood. Puerto Rican and Mexican eateries have now replaced Italian ones, even though there are still places in East Harlem where you would find meals as authentically Italian as it was a hundred years ago. This is the true beauty of the food of East Harlem; changes are welcomed but the neighborhood knows what it wants in old traditional meals. 

Food displayed at the window of Cuchifritos on 116th Street

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