Jesus & Lucina married in 1980. Hoping for a better life they came to America in search of the American dream. Arriving in March 1981 Lucina worked sewing clothes at a factory while Jesus worked as a dishwasher in lower Manhattan for a few years. On weekends Lucina and Jesus would sell tacos at their local park Van Cortlandt located in the Bronx. Lucina would come to Passaic NJ to her visit family where she came across their first business located at 198 Washington Place Passaic NJ. In October of 1995, Las Maravillas #1 opened offering authentic Mexican food & pizza. “The first couple of years were difficult” says Lucina, “My husband and I had to cook in the kitchen because we were low on staff. My daughter Jenny who was 17 at the time would go to school and come back to waitress and my son Jesus Jr. would wash dishes.” In August of 2002 they opened Las Maravillas #2 located at 296 Monroe Street in Passaic NJ. Lastly, Maravillas #3 located in Englewood, NJ opened in May of 2012. “We had our struggles but seeing how far we’ve come makes me grateful of all the obstacles we overcame”. -Lucina Pita

Thank you to all our clients. We truly appreciate your business and look forward to serving you again.

In memory of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather Jesus Pita

Jesus & Lucina married in 1980. Hoping for a better life they came to America in search of the American dream. Arriving in March 1981 Lucina worked sewing clothes at a factory while Jesus worked as a dishwasher in lower Manhattan for a few years. On weekends Lucina and Jesus would sell tacos at their local park Van Cortlandt located in the Bronx. Lucina would come to Passaic NJ to her visit family where she came across their first business located at 198 Washington Place Passaic NJ. In October of 1995, Las Maravillas #1 opened offering authentic Mexican food & pizza. “The first couple of years were difficult” says Lucina, “My husband and I had to cook in the kitchen because we were low on staff. My daughter Jenny who was 17 at the time would go to school and come back to waitress and my son Jesus Jr. would wash dishes.” In August of 2002 they opened Las Maravillas #2 located at 296 Monroe Street in Passaic NJ. Lastly, Maravillas #3 located in Englewood, NJ opened in May of 2012. “We had our struggles but seeing how far we’ve come makes me grateful of all the obstacles we overcame”. -Lucina Pita

Thank you to all our clients. We truly appreciate your business and look forward to serving you again.

In memory of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather Jesus Pita

After emigrating from Mexico in 1978, the only jobs Jesus Pita could find were as a restaurant porter and dishwasher. But he eventually worked his way up to cook and spent 14 years preparing Italian and continental food in New York and Philadelphia restaurant kitchens.

When he had saved enough to open his own place in 1995, he chose the city of Passaic, where he and thousands of fellow Mexicans from mountainous Puebla and neighboring states had settled.

His food proved popular, and at times people lined up outside to wait for one of seven tables. So, about a year ago, he opened a second, larger restaurant a few blocks away with the same name as the first, which he continues to operate: Las Maravillas de Tulcingo, or the wonders of his hometown, Tulcingo de Valle, which is well-known for its cooking.

The wonders aren’t confined to his dining rooms. Pita and other hard working Mexican businessmen have helped revive a poor, fading city by opening dozens of eating places, echoing the success of the city’s Mexican food wholesalers and manufacturers, which turn out millions of tortillas and tons of cheese and meat products every year.

This is a rich slice of Mexico - a veritable Puebla on the Passaic River - with all the intriguing tastes, sights, and sounds you’d expect on a trip there, plus the hospitality of a warm and friendly people.

The proprietors, Jesus and Lucina Pita, make their own tortillas and sauces. The wonderful mole Poblano (her mother’s recipe) is the bitter-chocolate sauce that put Puebla on the culinary map, and it is served over chicken or turkey. Besides chocolate, the sauce is made with ground almonds, cocoa, several chilies, garlic, raisins, and cinnamon, all bound with chicken broth. This dark-colored mole will leave your mouth tingling, as will the Pitas’ chicken with chipotle sauce, served with sauteed cactus, or pipian sauce, which is made with green pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, and jalapenos. They also serve Veracruz-style red snapper huachinango, fried or baked, with olives, onions, and tomato. Entrees start at about $7.

Victor E.Sasson.“Mexican Revolution In Passaic.”The Record, 15 Oct. 2003, pp. F1-F4