El Viejo Yayo: Park Slope's Oldest Restaurant?

Ever ask yourself what the oldest restaurant in Park Slope is?

The answer very well may be , occupying three storefronts at the far north end of Fifth Avenue, between Bergen and Dean Streets, for 46 years.

When a recent Cuban immigrant named Jeraldo (his last name has been lost) opened the restaurant in 1965, it was only a small lunch counter occupying today's northernmost storefront, which is still the main entrance and lunch counter area.

His simple Cuban cuisine quickly gained a loyal following, and fans would fill the room for his steaks, sandwiches, rice and beans, and other traditional fare.

His nickname? Yayo, of course.

Yayo retired in the early 1980s and sold the restaurant to Lepido Ramirez, who tripled the restaurant's size, opened a parking lot across the street, and covered the rooms with murals of historical characters ranging from Pancho Villa to Napoleon. He also expanded the menu to incorporate more cuisine from his native Dominican Republic, and added the large neon sign that's still outside today.

The restaurant changed hands a couple times over the years, but in 2002 it was purchased by its current managers: Robert Garcia, who's background is in supermarket management, and Jerry Diaz, a chef who's time at the restaurant goes back to Lepido. They renovated the space, fixing up the counter as well as the third room's bar, and added large round tables, brick walls, and a renovated kitchen.

They also streamlined the menu, keeping its focus on Dominican staples like roast pork, skirt steak, mofongo, pasteles, baked chicken, rice and peas, but made sure to keep Yayo's recipe for black beans. Most of Lepido's murals were lost, but they kept the one featuring Napoleon on a horse ("People love that one, and I have no idea why he's up there!" said Garcia).

The restaurant today still serves some of the finest Dominican cuisine in the area, and its expansive space makes it an ideal place for large family gatherings, which is exactly what Garcia and Diaz want.

"Most similar restaurants become almost a nightclub at night, and on the weekends," said Garcia. "While the bar room gets a little crowded, we always make the effort to keep a focus on families, and that's the bulk of our customer base."

Some renovations are in store for the future, including new floors, bathrooms, and a general modernization, including replacing burnt-out neon lights in the sign.

And with a dedication to quality, authentic, seriously filling Dominican cuisine as well as being a great place for families to gather, Garcia expects El Viejo Yayo to stick around for years to come.

"We've been managers for nine years here, and while it may not seem like a long time, it's incredible when someone who's baby shower we hosted comes in, and they're all grown up," he said. "I love it here."