Cristina Castañeda / Facebook
Free Upper West Side News, Delivered To Your Inbox
Cristina Castañeda, the restaurateur behind some of the Upper West Side’s most cherished restaurants, passed away on January 4, 2026. She was 58 years old.
Advertisement
For more than 30 years, Castañeda dedicated her life to the hospitality industry through her company, Happy People Hospitality. Her restaurants included the former Cafe Frida (now Covacha), El Mitote, and Ella Social.Castañeda described her mission as “the integration of vibrant cuisines and joyful atmospheres.” Fluent in Spanish and English, she saw her work as bridging cultures “one dish, and one smile at a time.”
In an Instagram post announcing her passing, her restaurants wrote that Castañeda “believed that hospitality was an act of love.” Her spaces were “not just places to dine, but spaces where people could feel welcomed, seen, and at home.”
“Cristina led with heart,” the post continued. “She believed in gathering around the table, in sharing stories over food and wine, in celebrating life through connection. Her restaurants were reflections of who she was — vibrant, generous, full of soul — and they became meeting points for a community she deeply loved and cared for.”
Castañeda was born on March 26, 1967. Her impact, as her team noted, “goes far beyond the walls she built or the menus she created. It lives on in the people she mentored, the teams she inspired, the friendships she nurtured, and the countless memories shared within her spaces.”
“Forever part of the Upper West Side. Forever part of our hearts.”
View this post on Instagram
Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
