Neighbors Rally to Save NYC’s Casa Adela

"Opened in 1976 by Adela Fargas and now run by her children after her 2018 passing, this family-run East Village restaurant is a beloved neighborhood anchor known for rotisserie chicken, avocado salad, arroz con gandules, red and black beans, yellow rice, chicharrón de pollo and mofongo with pernil. Its warm, lived-in atmosphere—fogged windows in winter, Univision on the TV, a refrigerator stocked with Snapples and Malta Indias, and rotisserie chickens glowing in the front—has long served overworked parents and multigenerational patrons who treat it as a second home. Facing a proposed rent hike that would raise the monthly rate from $1,350 for a 715 sq ft space to roughly $4,000 in year one (backdated) and $6,750 in year two with continued increases—an increase of over 480%—the family organized a rally on December 11 and drew broad community support, public figures, a mural tribute, and widespread attention after details were shared on social media, as neighbors mobilized to try to preserve both the business and the neighborhood’s cultural fabric." - Christian Rodriguez