Puerto Rican restaurant CJ's Pastelillos debuts in North Naples

A new family-run restaurant in North Naples shares a taste of Puerto Rico. CJ’s Pastelillos quietly launched this month at 13510 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 7, and plans its grand opening next week after Labor Day. 

The new restaurant is in a retail strip behind Walgreens pharmacy on the southeast corner of U.S. 41 North and Wiggins Pass Road. The space is the former longtime home of Cafe Figaro, which closed last summer after operating for more than 17 years. CJ’s is in the same Wiggins Pass Crossing plaza as Mykonos Kuzina Greek restaurant and the new 1942 Mexican Grill. 

The first initials of owners Christina and Juan Rosado are combined for CJ’s name. Both were born in Queens, New York, to families from Puerto Rico. The local family business includes the Rosados’ daughters. 

The Collier County couple originally formed their business as CJ’s Empanadas LLC in 2021 but then changed it to CJ'S Pastelillos LLC. Similar to empanadas or turnovers, pastelillos are a native street food in Puerto Rico. The fried crescent-shaped pastries are filled with savory or sweet ingredients. 

CJ’s started in 2021 under tents at regional farmers markets and other locations in area communities, including Miromar Outlets and Koreshan State Park. 

“Anywhere we could get into to try to get the name out and try to get some business,” Juan Rosado said. “From there, we bought a trailer — it was tiny — and we were hauling that all over Naples to try to make a name for ourselves.” 

Before launching their restaurant, the Rosados built out a food truck. “People started noticing us and we started to get more business, and God blessed us with this right here,” Rosado said about his new restaurant. 

Puerto Rican cuisine has culinary roots in traditional dishes from Caribbean indigenous people, as well as Spanish and African influences. The U.S. territory’s unique blend of seasonings and ingredients are even influenced by American culture. 

“We’re known for our empanadas. The beef is very popular, the chicken, as well,” said Christina Rosado, who serves as CJ’s executive chef, using recipes that mostly come from her father. “We also came up with new flavors. They’ve been popular. There’s one called Pionono. In Puerto Rico, it’s usually a plantain that is round, mixed with seasoned beef and mozzarella cheese, and we put it inside an empanada now.” 

A beef option is made with freshly chopped and seasoned piccadillo ground beef with house-made sofrito and sazón, spice blends that are staples in Latin American and Caribbean cooking. The Bistec Encebollao pastelillo is made with freshly chopped and marinated steak seasoned with a house-made broth and sauteed onions. Other pastelillos on the menu feature options with chicken, slow-roasted pork, shrimp or cheese. A pizza pastelillo has mozzarella, sliced pepperoni and seasoned marinara sauce. 

Platters are available with any two pastelillos served with a choice of a side, such as tostones (green plantains), maduros (sweet plantains), papas fritas (french fries) or arroz con gandules (yellow rice with pigeon peas). 

Another dish that’s a popular staple in Puerto Rico is alcapurria, a deep-fried beef fritter. “It’s a dough made out of plantains and yuca, and it’s fried with beef inside,” Christina Rosado said. 

Other Puerto Rican favorites on the menu include mofongo, mashed green plantains in garlic butter; and chicharrones, deep fried chunks of pork belly or chicken. One of Christina’s personal favorites is Rellenos de Papa, beef-stuffed potato balls. 

“We take the potatoes, we peel them, we boil them, we mash them here, we add our own seasonings to it, as well, and we use the same beef that we use in our products. It’s never frozen, always made fresh to order,” Juan Rosado said. 

He really likes his wife’s Tripleta pastellilo, which features steak, pulled pork, ham, potato sticks and mayo-ketchup stuffed in a fried crispy shell. She created it based on a sandwich that basically is the Puerto Rican version of a Cuban sandwich. 

“It’s got so much going on,” he said. “All these items are in there and she puts them in a shell and fries them. When you bite it, you taste the crunchiness of the potato sticks, the mayo-ketchup — which is a staple sauce in our culture — and the three meats. It’s phenomenal.” 

The couple also expects guests to enjoy their Cuchifritos — basically quick, fried handheld items that are Puerto Rican street food. In addition to Alcapurria, Relleno de Papa and Mofongo Bites, they include Bacalaito, crispy fried cod fish fritters; Canoa, beef-stuffed sweet plantain; Pastelon with maduros, mozzarella and cheddar; and Tazones, beef-stuffed plantain cups. 

In addition to grab-and-go a la carte items, CJ’s has a 40-seat dining room where guests can enjoy a sit-down experience with full dinners such as the Kan Kan Pork Chop, which is brined, marinated, baked then deep-fried. “It’s almost like the tomahawk version of a pork chop with pork belly connected to it, as well,” Juan Rosado said. 

A sweet pastelillo includes a fried pastry with a filling of guava paste and cream cheese. 

CJ’s serves wine and beer, as well as specialty island cocktails, such as frozen margaritas, pineapple mojitos and the traditional Puerto Rican Coquito, a coconut nog. The domestic and imported bottled beers include Medalla, the iconic brand brewed in Puerto Rico. 

CJ’s is open for lunch now 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. After Labor Day, the restaurant’s hours will expand to 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.