An iconic Cuban restaurant in Orange County is closing its doors after delighting customers for nearly five decades.
Felix Continental Café was filled with eager customers on Wednesday as its loyal patrons enjoyed their final opportunity to savor the restaurant’s delectable offerings. Carlos Calderon, the owner, explained that the decision was influenced by economic challenges and the length of time he has been in the business.
“Probably two weeks ago word leaked that we were going to be closing,” he said.
In 1979, Ramon and Lilia, along with their cousin Tomas Llera, opened the restaurant. Carlos has assumed the role of manager after assisting his family with their eatery as a part-time job.
According to him, when his family started their business, they initially only offered one Cuban item on their menu – the renowned Cuban sandwich. Thanks to the support of a dedicated customer, the family decided to broaden their menu by adding a variety of classic dishes.
One of our valued customers had a conversation with our father and mentioned his Cuban background. “One of our good customers spoke with our father and said, ‘Your background is Cuban. Why don’t you start introducing some of those items,” he added.
Now, the family is prepared to finalize everything on Thursday.
The restaurant, however, has been acquired by a seafood restaurant that will be opening soon.
