NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WFSB) - A family-owned Jamaican restaurant has opened in the former Grand Cafe location, replacing a bar that police and neighbors said attracted drugs and violence for years.

Grill Mon Island opened last week on Grand Avenue in Fair Haven, operated by mother and son team Eulita and Jamiel Bowen. The restaurant serves traditional Jamaican dishes including curry goat, curry chicken and oxtail.

“I’m passionate about food and family,” said Jamiel Bowen, who also works full time as an accountant.

The Grand Cafe closed more than three years ago after the state decided not to renew the bar’s liquor license, citing a long history of crime including drugs and a shooting inside the establishment. Neighbors previously held block parties and sit-ins in the plaza’s parking lot to

See Full Page