There’s a sense that Boca Tapas Bar has been in the neighborhood for years, though it’s only been open four short weeks. The family-owned restaurant, prominently placed on the corner of Jefferson Street and Evergreen Avenue, is not only a place to eat small plates, but a place to celebrate community too.

Edwin Delgado, Boca’s owner, grew up in Bushwick, and first learned the art of running a business from his similarly-entrepreneurial parents. He decided to embark on Boca a little over three years ago, having realized that his beloved neighborhood boasted more bodegas and Popeyes than substantial restaurants. After getting his parents, his fiance Melissa, and partner Chef Colin on board, Delgado was finally able to start making his dream of an intimate, Bushwick-focused establishment come true.

“[I wanted to] provide something different for the community,” Delgado said. “It’s important to me that my community feels proud of this.” However, despite Boca’s primary interest in the immediate Bushwick neighborhood, Delgado emphasizes that the space is for people from all over. “Everyone is welcome, it doesn’t matter where you come from,” he said. “It’s for those who have been a part of the hood for many years, and people who are new.” Though the hybrid restaurant-bar is industrial, anchored by steely grey walls and peppered with metal accents, it is immediately warm, familiar even, when walking through the door. It’s clear that the familial trust and collaboration behind the scenes spills out into the vibe of the space itself.