Vida Latin Kitchen brings Cuban cuisine and comfort to Macon. See inside.

When you walk into Vida Latin Kitchen on Vineville Avenue, owners Ernesto and Paula Aguirre want it to feel like home.

Vida Latin Kitchen, set to open March 9, combines Cuban flavors with a brightly-colored and laid back atmosphere. Drawing from recipes passed down for generations in Paula Aguirre’s Cuban family, the eatery brings authentic, tropical flavors to Macon.

“I want it to be like family,” Paula Aguirre said. “I want you to come in, and feel comfortable, and you look at the clock and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’ve been here for an hour and a half already,’ because it’s that level of comfort in here.”

Vida Latin Kitchen serves food based on family recipes

Paula Aguirre learned to love food from her family.

Her father immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba in 1965 when he was 12 years old. Her grandparents followed him two years later, and the family settled in Miami, where Paula grew up.

She remembers her grandmother as a second mother, and spent countless hours after school and during the summer standing at her feet as she prepared traditional Cuban meals for the family. Dinner was a time to connect with others, and food was the centerpiece.

“Food has always been important,” Paula said. “We always sat down and had family dinners. We had a Sunday night family dinner every single Sunday of my life.”

Paula Aguirre cooked her first Cuban dish on her own at 14: a slab of picadillo she made while her parents and grandmother were out. She said it was a hit with her family and cooking became her passion.

Many of the dishes Paula Aguirre loved growing up are now featured on Vida Latin Kitchen’s menu.

Her picadillo — which consists of ground beef cooked in a rich tomato sauce with raisins, onion, green olives and bell peppers — is available for all to enjoy. The restaurant also serves her family’s version of ropa vieja, a dish of pulled beef simmered in a tomato-based Cuban Creole sauce and sautéed onions and bell peppers, and fricase de pollo, which is chicken thighs seasoned with a mix of spices and served with tomato sauce and hearty vegetables.

Paula Aguirre worked with kitchen staff to adapt her personal recipes for the restaurant. She said the biggest challenge was maintaining the rich flavors and consistency when making dishes on a larger scale.

“That has been kind of a learning curve, but trial and error has been my best friend,” Paula said.

The Aguirres enlisted their friends who had previously tasted Paula’s recipes to try the restaurant versions and give feedback. Paula said this helped her ensure that diners at Vida Latin Kitchen were getting the same experience as those who had tried her food at home.

Her family’s influence even extends to the bar.

Ernesto Aguirre took the lead on curating a menu of beers, wines and cocktails with a Latin American flair. He re-created Paula’s mother’s recipe for Piña Coladas, and added mojitos, Cuba Libres and classic lime daiquiris — famous Cuban drinks to pay homage to Paula’s family’s homeland.

The wine list features selections from Latin America, Spain, Italy and California, while the beer menu includes familiar favorites like Modelo and Corona.

This is the Aguirre’s second restaurant venture, and a years-long dream fulfilled

Ernesto and Paula Aguirre are not newcomers to Macon’s food scene. Ernesto Aguirre’s family, who hails from Mexico, started El Sombrero in Gainesville in the 1980s and eventually expanded it into Middle Georgia. Ernesto Aguirre has owned and operated the Forsyth Road location since 2006.

He discovered a love for Cuban food when he met Paula in 2003, and she cooked him some of her family’s recipes. The couple fantasized about opening a Cuban restaurant, but never thought it would become a reality.

That changed at the end of 2021, when a fire broke out at Greek Corner Pizza, which occupied the building Vida Latin Kitchen is now in. Ernesto and Paula went to the pizzeria often with their kids and admired the building from the street. While they were sad to see the restaurant close down and have to sell the building after the fire, they also felt the time had finally come to make their dream a reality.

“It’s been one of my favorite buildings on this street,” Ernesto Aguirre said. “I’ve seen everything kind of rolling and changing, so that’s why we kept an eye on it.”

The couple purchased the building in 2023 after it sat empty for about a year. It had water damage and a gaping hole in the ceiling from the fire, which took until early 2025 to repair.

Once the building was back in working order, the Aguirres focused on decorating and adding new features.

They converted a small, mobile counter for ordering into a full bar, complete with intricately patterned tile and wicker stools, that greets customers as soon as they step into the restaurant.

“I just had this vision that the first thing you would see would be the bar,” Ernesto Aguirre said.

The couple drew inspiration for the decor from mid- and late-20th century Cuba Paula Aguirre saw in family photos growing up. Salmon pink and teal dominate the color palette, complimented by wicker chairs and light fixtures, potted plants and even old family portraits.

“Vintage Cuba has always been so beautiful to me,” Paula Aguirre said. “I really wanted to pull from that inspiration.”

The Aguirres also kept the restaurant small. While they are already seeing a crush of interest from the community, they said it was important that the restaurant be comfortable and intimate, and to avoid an atmosphere where customers and staff felt pressured to turn over tables.

Those who visited the eatery during its soft opening on Wednesday were excited by the building’s transformation and, more importantly, the food.

Kristy Graham, a Macon resident , recalled visiting the building years ago when she played softball at a nearby park. At that time, the space was a Burger King.

“Our parents would let us walk from the ballpark to this restaurant, so I’ve seen it change throughout the years,” Graham said. “This is an absolutely beautiful renovation, rendering something new and vibrant to our community.”

Vida Latin Kitchen’s grand opening is scheduled for Monday. The restaurant will be open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday , the couple said.

While the Aguirres plan to only offer dinner service initially, they want to add lunch service as the restaurant gets into a routine. They also plan to make use of a drive-thru on the side of the building, leftover from when the space was a fast food joint, to offer take out.