Owner Angel Luis Carrasquillo is a 3rd generation restaurateur. He moved to the South End from Puerto Rico when he was about 9yrs old. In 1974, his was one of the first families to move into the newly developed Villa Victoria. His grandmother and his parents had restaurants in Loiza, Puerto Rico and then in Boston. Although he went to school for architecture, in 1988 he opened his first restaurant in the same location Maná Escondidio today. It was called Brizas de Loiza.
In 1992, when his 2nd child was born requiring multiple surgeries and hospital stays, he and his wife decided to close the restaurant and be more present with their family. In 2010, the landlord from the restaurant contacted him and said the space had been vacant for a couple yrs and asked if he was interested in coming back. Having been laid off during the recession from a 20 year career as a property manager and after discussing this opportunity with his wife and 2 kids who were now grown, they decided to work together as a team to make it happen.
Maná Escondido Café opened in 2013 with the same concept as Brizas de Loiza, serving authentic Puerto Rican homestyle and beach style food. Maná Escondido Café serves combination plates, sandwiches, mofongos, Puerto Rican bread, soups, and much more. As long term community members, they have seen a shift to more high end expensive businesses and deeply understands the need for a good quality, affordable food option in this predominantly Puerto Rican sector. They love the South End and are passionate about sharing and preserving the Puerto Rican culture in the community, through their delicious food
