TeTe Cafe adds another peak to range of Raritan Ave. flavors

TeTe, a Peruvian cafe, is the newest addition to the restaurant offerings in Highland Park, at 304 Raritan Avenue, where Penny's and more recently Shushan Grill were formerly located.

Johnny Villavicencio, the owner of TeTe, opened the restaurant two years ago in New Brunswick. He relocated to 304 Raritan Ave. because he likes the Highland Park location better than the previous one. “I was looking for a bigger location. It’s a better town. People like to eat out in Highland Park and there’s more of a variety of cuisine,” he said.

TeTe celebrated its grand opening Friday, August 6, 2010, offering a buffet from 5-9 p.m. for $14.95 per person. While the majority of the menu is Peruvian, featuring dishes such as ceviche, which is fresh fish marinated in lime juice with cilantro and onions, served with sweet potato and corn, aji de gallina, a light and spicy aji amarillo sauce mixed with chicken, parmesan cheese and pecans, and lomito sin lomo, a Peruvian vegetarian stir-fry of fresh tomatoes, red onions, mushrooms, peppers, green beans, celery and snow peas mixed with French fries and served with rice, Villavicencio also serves pasta, sandwiches, wraps and salads.

James McCrone, executive director of Main Street Highland Park, the non-profit that promotes the businesses along Raritan Avenue, said TeTe will be a nice addition to the array of restaurants in the borough.

“We do surveys asking people what they want to see here and people want variety, not cookie cutter restaurants. They (Tete) do beautiful things with food. They use fresh ingredients and it’s fairly priced,” he said.

The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tete is a bring your own bottle establishment and Villavicenio said if customers bring wine, his staff can make sangria and if they bring champagne, they can make mimosas.

Flyers have been circulated throughout the borough offering customers 10 percent off of their first visit. Flyers have been circulated throughout the borough offering customers 10 percent off of their first visit. The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tete is a bring your own bottle establishment and Villavicenio said if customers bring wine, his staff can make sangria and if they bring champagne, they can make mimosas.

Flyers have been circulated throughout the borough offering customers 10 percent off of their first visit.