The Eleanor's Restaurant and Bar celebrates grand opening in Pelham Bay
Pelham Bay welcomed its newest dining option on Sunday with the grand opening of The Eleanor's Restaurant and Bar.
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Pelham Bay welcomed its newest dining option on Sunday with the grand opening of The Eleanor's Restaurant and Bar.
Owner Eleanor Kwansa says she was born in Ghana and had a big family that she always loved cooking for. When she came to the Bronx more than 20 years ago, she started sharing her food with members of her church and neighbors around Morris Avenue.
While Kwansa says owning her own restaurant was always the dream, the more other people tried her food and complimented it, the more she thought it could be a reality. She then started saving money from her various jobs and also took out a loan.
She also needed to find the right spot. She tells News 12 as soon as she saw the listing for a space on Westchester Avenue right across from the Pelham Bay Park train station and next to a bus stop - she knew she had to have it.
While the classics from Ghana, like her signature jollof rice are all on the menu, Kwansa is also serves some Jamaican and American options. She says she wants there to be something for everyone of every age.
With more of an upscale, sit-down lounge setting, Kwansa says she hopes The Eleanor's can eventually turn into something that the Bronx really hasn't had.
"Africans, we have places. We have African restaurants, we go and we don't have like a place you sit and call it your home. So I came up with this so that people will go out and sit down and have some peace of mind," she explains.
Kwansa says The Eleanor's will be open seven days a week, starting early with breakfast service, then keeping both the bar and kitchen running a few hours after a midnight.
