Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar

What Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar does

Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar is a single-unit, chef-driven Puerto Rican restaurant located at 4554 North Magnolia Avenue in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. Founded and operated by chef-owner Eric Roldan, the business traces its origin to a 2017 ghost kitchen operation Roldan launched after returning to Chicago post-Hurricane Maria; the brick-and-mortar restaurant held its grand opening in August 2023 following permit and funding delays. The restaurant is named in honor of Roldan's late mother, Marina, and serves as a vehicle for preserving Puerto Rican culinary heritage through techniques such as house-crafted sofrito, traditional mofongo preparation, and arroz con gandules, alongside a Caribbean rum bar program featuring signature cocktails like Tres Casas, El Viejo San Juan, and Marina's Punch.

The core product surface consists of dine-in service, a full bar and cocktail program, catering for corporate and private events, and private party bookings. Distribution is multi-channel: customers can reserve through OpenTable or Tock, order pickup and delivery directly via SkyTab, or access delivery through UberEats and DoorDash. Pricing is à la carte, with sandwiches ranging $15-$17, mains $18-$26, cocktails $8-$15, and catering trays $35-$225 depending on size. The restaurant operates Tuesday through Sunday, is closed Mondays, and has a small team (1-10 employees).

The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer with a strong earned-media component. Marketing channels include Instagram, a Google Business Profile, an email newsletter, and substantial press coverage from WTTW, Chicago Sun Times, WGN, Modern Luxury, Chicago Magazine, Eater Chicago, Block Club Chicago, NBC Chicago, Telemundo Chicago, and Chicago Food Magazine. The restaurant participates in Chicago Restaurant Week and was the first Puerto Rican restaurant featured at Chicago Gourmet's Grand Cru event. Catering services target corporate event customers and party planners, while dine-in serves local Uptown residents, food enthusiasts, and tourists. The company is privately held, founder-owned, and is not disclosing revenue; the only known funding event is a small $25,900 round in March 2025 with undisclosed investors.

Name

Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar

Legal name

Marina's Bistro

Website

https://marinasbistrochicago.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar is a chef-driven Puerto Rican restaurant in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood offering dine-in service, a Caribbean rum bar, catering, and private events, serving local residents, tourists, and event hosts with traditional dishes like mofongo and arroz con gandules.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Puerto Rican Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Cocktail Bars & Lounges (CRANACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bar & Beverage Catering (Mobile Bar, Bartending) (HSACAGAF)

Keywords

• Puerto Rican cuisine
• Caribbean rum cocktails
• Restaurant dining
• Event catering services
• Online food ordering

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from food and beverage sales generated through on-premises dining, including menu items such as sandwiches, mofongo, mains, and desserts, as well as craft cocktails, mocktails, and beer.
2. Catering Services: Revenue from catering private events including birthday parties, holiday parties, corporate events, and wedding festivities. Offers customizable menus with catering packages.
3. Online Ordering and Delivery: Revenue from direct online ordering for pickup and delivery, as well as commissions from third-party delivery platforms (UberEats, DoorDash).
4. Private Events and Parties: Revenue from hosting private parties and group reservations with customizable menus and attentive service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar operates as a chef-driven Puerto Rican restaurant in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, serving traditional dishes such as mofongo, arroz con gandules, and tostones alongside a Caribbean rum cocktail program. The business also offers catering services for private and corporate events, private party bookings, and online ordering for pickup and delivery through its own platform and third-party delivery services.

Product overview

Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar is a chef-driven Puerto Rican restaurant in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. The business operates as a single unified restaurant concept offering dine-in service, a bar program featuring Caribbean rum cocktails, catering services for events, and private party bookings. Online ordering for pickup and delivery is available through direct and third-party platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Restaurant Dining Chef-driven Puerto Rican dine-in service offering traditional dishes including mofongo, arroz con gandules, tostones, sandwiches, mains, and desserts for individual diners and groups.
• Catering Services Off-premise catering for birthday parties, holiday parties, corporate events, and wedding festivities with customizable menus and per-tray pricing ranging from $35 to $225.
• Private Events and Parties Private party and group reservation bookings with customizable menus and attentive service in a warm, inviting atmosphere.
• Bar and Cocktail Program Caribbean rum bar featuring handcrafted cocktails including signature drinks such as Tres Casas, Entre las Sábanas, El Viejo San Juan, and Marina's Punch, plus mocktails and beer.
• Online Ordering (Pickup & Delivery) Direct online ordering through the SkyTab platform for pickup and delivery, supplemented by third-party delivery services UberEats and DoorDash.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-star reviews on Google with customers praising exceptional food, service, and drinks

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Chicago Sun TimesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 December 2024Chicago Sun Times featured Marina's Bistro coquito recipe in holiday drinks article by Ambar Colón, highlighting the restaurant's classic coquito served in a rocks glass with Bacardí rums.
• WGNcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWGN has covered Marina's Bistro multiple times including Thirsty Thursday feature, brunch segments, and coverage of Casino Uptown fundraiser. The owner Eric Roldan was interviewed by Ji Suk Yi about Puerto Rican flavors.
• WTTWminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWTTW featured Marina's Bistro in Chicago Restaurant Week coverage, highlighting the restaurant as one of 25 new restaurants to try during the annual event.
• NBC Chicago (5 Chicago)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNBC Chicago's Five Chicago segment covered Marina's Bistro making history as the first Puerto Rican restaurant at Chicago Gourmet's Grand Cru event, featuring Chef Eric Roldan's vibrant menu and craft cocktails.
• Telemundo ChicagominorGTM or Marketing PartnerTelemundo Chicago covered Marina's Bistro during Chicago Restaurant Week, with Jessica Suarez interviewing Chef Eric Roldan about the special menu offered during the event.
• UberEatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery platform partnership for food delivery orders, expanding distribution reach to delivery customers.
• DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery platform partnership for food delivery orders, expanding distribution reach to delivery customers.
• OpenTablecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReservation platform partnership for table bookings, enabling customers to make reservations online.
• Local Purveyors and Responsible ProducerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant works closely with local purveyors and responsible producers to support the community while maintaining integrity of Puerto Rican cuisine.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Au Cheval: Acclaimed chef-driven Chicago diner with national recognition. Comparable as a single-location Chicago concept that built durable demand through press, word-of-mouth, and culinary identity rather than large marketing budgets.
• Pollo Tropical: Established Puerto Rican-inspired fast-casual chain. Comparable as a scaled, Puerto Rican cuisine brand that defines the broader category in which Marina's competes, though with a chain/fast-casual model versus Marina's chef-driven bistro.
• The Purple Pig: Highly-rated, chef-driven Chicago bistro with Mediterranean-influenced shareable plates and a strong wine program. Comparable as a Chicago independent that has leveraged media buzz and a focused beverage program into sustained customer traffic.
• Avec: Long-standing chef-driven West Loop restaurant with a focused small-plates and beverage program. Comparable as a Chicago independent that has maintained cultural relevance and repeat traffic through culinary discipline and a tight operating footprint.
• Topolobampo: Rick Bayless's flagship fine-dining Mexican restaurant in Chicago. Comparable as a chef-driven ethnic cuisine destination that converted cultural authenticity and press profile into durable, multi-decade demand in Chicago.
• Girl & the Goat: Top Chef Stephanie Izard's flagship Chicago restaurant and a benchmark chef-driven concept. Comparable as a high-profile, chef-owned, press-driven Chicago bistro with similar model of building brand equity through media and culinary storytelling.

Direct peers

• Cafe Borinquen: Long-standing Puerto Rican restaurant in the Chicago area serving traditional dishes. Comparable as a fellow Puerto Rican independent in the same metro, with broader menu of heritage plates similar to Marina's mofongo and arroz con gandules offerings.
• 90 Miles Cuban Cafe: Cuban restaurant with multiple Chicago locations serving traditional Caribbean cuisine. Comparable as a Caribbean-heritage independent in the same metro, with overlapping customer interest in Latin-Caribbean flavors and a similar casual full-service model.
• BomboBar: Chicago-based Caribbean-inspired concept known for Caribbean bar program and casual Latin street food. Comparable to Marina's Caribbean cocktail and rum bar focus, with similar customer demographic and bar-driven positioning.
• Jibaritos y Mas: Chicago-based Puerto Rican restaurant specializing in jibaritos and traditional island fare. Most directly comparable peer given shared Puerto Rican cuisine focus, Chicago footprint, and independent, chef-driven positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/marinasbistrochicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/marinascafechicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marinas-bistro-rum-bar

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar