Fourth time’s a charm?

There have been three pizza shops that have tried their luck at 14201 Madison Avenue in the past couple years: C-Town Pizza, Rosario’s and most-recently, Zappitelli’s on Madison. 

One after the other, they’ve all gone closed.

That doesn’t matter to Elvis Serrano.

The owner of the successful Jibaro food truck says that his pizza shop will be different. For starters, the Jibaro Pit Stop and Pizza Shop will offer other items in addition to pizza — think Cuban sandwiches, plantains and rice and beans. 

Also, Serrano said the space will serve as a brick-and-mortar base for the truck — complete with a full-sized kitchen. 

That means that the business isn’t as dependent on the walk-in and delivery traffic as the other pizza shops that have come and gone. 

“We wanted to expand our business to be able to cater more,” Serrano said. “For the last two years, I’ve been prepping, cooking and catering from the truck. We managed, but it was hard.” 

Serrano, who will run the restaurant with his wife Lorna, and his brother Saul Serrano, said that Jibaro is a perfect fit for Lakewood.

“There’s a food scene here,” he said. “I’ve always appreciated Lakewood.”

The restaurant will have its “soft opening” on Monday, with a grand opening coming shortly after the interior renovations are wrapped up. 

The restaurant’s hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.