Frita Batidos, the Cuban-inspired Ann Arbor restaurant that has been a downtown staple since 2010, opened its first expansion outside Michigan in New York City Oct. 29. The restaurant has become a favorite for many Ann Arbor students and residents and also has a location in Detroit which opened in 2019.
In an email to The Michigan Daily, chef and owner Eve Aronoff wrote opening in New York carries deep personal meaning for her and her family
“My family is originally from New York,” Arnoff wrote. “My grandparents, aunts and uncles, and parents are all from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and upstate New York, so for me it has been a longtime dream, and this feels like a homecoming.”
Aronoff wrote the team already feels the same sense of community in Williamsburg that they’ve built in Ann Arbor. She also noted, although they expect some changes, especially with regard to ingredients and prices, they plan on keeping the same philosophy they have in Ann Arbor of prioritizing the quality of their food.
“We want to stay true to our philosophy, culture, standards, recipes and all,” Arnoff wrote. “We prioritize quality over quantity and are making sure we keep the soul and personal feeling of Frita as we grow. We think of Frita as a community rather than as a brand, because while Frita is a business, it’s a very personal business!”
Aronoff wrote the New York expansion has given Frita Batidos a chance to evolve its menu by collaborating with local ingredients and producers.
“For example, we have always made our Fish Frita with Great Lakes Whitefish but we wanted to make sure to work with local ingredients to stay true to being local/regional to where we are,” Aronoff wrote. “We tried Cod, Hake and Fluke (and others) with the preparation and we were blown away by how different the same recipe tasted with these different varieties of white fish.”
Seeing Frita Batidos expand has been exciting for many University of Michigan students. In an interview with The Daily, LSA freshman Annie Comella said Frita Batidos’ move to New York shows the widespread influence of Ann Arbor’s food scene.
“I feel like it really shows how deep Ann Arbor’s food scene is,” Comella said. “We have so much good food, and for it to make an impact in other states is really cool. It’s exciting as students to see how it’s developing and to know we get to share some of our food with other people.”
In an interview with The Daily, Engineering sophomore Kourtney Rathke said Frita Batidos is one of the first spots people mention when talking about Ann Arbor restaurants and has become a key part of the city’s culinary culture.
“I feel like anytime someone talks about Ann Arbor or the places you have to try, Frita Batidos always comes up,” Rathke said. “It’s definitely an important spot; people are really drawn to it. Ann Arbor has so many different types of food, and Frita is such a good representation of Cuban street food here.”
In an email to The Daily, U-M alum Keira Daignult, a Brooklyn native, wrote she feels proud to see one of Ann Arbor’s most iconic restaurants expand to New York.
“I’ve had friends and family sending me posts featuring the NYC Fritas and since opening, they’ve had lines out the door and everyone loves it,” Daignult wrote. “I hope they continue to do well! Michigan alumni are also especially excited because we have been raving about Fritas for years and now we can finally show everyone what we’ve been talking about.”
Daily Staff Reporters Hayley Weiss and Caroline Wroldsen can be reached at hayweiss@umich.edu and cwrold@umich.edu.
