Elected officials, chamber of commerce representatives and the family of Karla Medina and Jose Echevarria, center, participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new El Morro Latin Cuisine restaurant located on the east side of Jamestown. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known just as “El Morro,” is a citadel built between the 16th and 18th centuries and is one of the most famous structures in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In Jamestown, however, El Morro is the name of the new Latin cuisine restaurant that opened on the east side of the city earlier this month.

On Thursday, elected officials, chamber of commerce representatives and the families of Karla I. Medina and Jose A. Echevarria gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new restaurant El Morro Latin Cuisine, located at 845 E. Second St. The restaurant offers Puerto Rican specialties like pollo asado (rotisserie chicken), chuleta frita (fried pork chop) and arroz con habichuela (rice with beans), to name just a few.

“Everything has been great,” Echevarria said about the public reaction since the restaurant opened April 13. “We’re happy. Extremely overwhelmed.”

Medina said she has been cooking “all her life.”

“It’s in my blood,” she said.

Medina added that Jamestown needs an authentic Puerto Rican restaurant because of its large Latino population in the city, which is around 10% of the city’s 28,712 residents.

“We need this in Jamestown,” she said.

During the ceremony, Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel presented both an English and Spanish proclamation welcoming them to the city. Wendel said he was able to present the proclamation in two languages because his secretary, Solimar Vazquez, is bilingual.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist also presented a proclamation to congratulate Medina and Echevarria for opening their first restaurant together.

“It’s a wonderful addition to the county,” said William Reynolds III, Ward 5 councilman.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To order takeout, email elmorrolatinrestaurant@gmail.com.