Dining Latino: La Placita brings a taste of Mexico City to the city of Lebanon

La Placita de Lebanon is celebrating more than two decades of business, bringing a taste of Mexico City to the city of Lebanon for more than a decade.

Self-proclaimed “foodies,” married couple and co-owners Sergio Uraga and Guadalupe Barba started La Placita, which loosely translates to “the little plaza,” as a small grocery store on North 7th Street in 2005.

In 2010, the co-owners moved La Placita to North 9th Street, where they eventually added a small kitchen and sold traditional Mexican dishes.

“At first, they were just selling groceries, but then people kept asking them like, ‘Do you have food? Do you have food?’ And so they were like, ‘Okay, we’ll have tacos, and we’ll [have] the tortas, and that’s it,'” said Julie Viera, translating Barba’s words from Spanish.

In 2013, the co-owners moved La Placita to its current location (site of the former Cedars Sports Bar) at 922 Cumberland St., Lebanon. They run the business with the help of two employees.

Uraga and Barba love to visit plazas in Mexico City and the greater central Mexico region, striving to replicate those flavors and experiences at La Placita.

“The recipes consider the resources that are natural to that area. So, if you’re by the coast, obviously you’re going to have more fish tacos, or Oaxacas known for their mole,” Viera said.

The business displays gifts from the community, including activities for children on tables at its entrance and souvenirs from other countries on its walls. Also adorning the business’s walls are instruments that symbolize Uraga’s identity as a musician and flyers for local productions and events in which the married couple were active participants.

“The decoration and every part of here [La Placita] is the story of their lives, the things that they love, the things that they care about,” Viera said.

In addition to being a restaurant and a small grocery store, La Placita strives to be a community space. It served as a site for community members to get vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it serves as a venue for the occasional quinceañera.

Upstairs, Juntos de Lebanon serves as a space for community initiatives, including its Dining Latino collaboration with Level Eleven, along with singing and dancing.

“This isn’t just a business to them. This is like a home. They’re here all the time. People come in, and they create community,” Viera said.

La Placita is open Monday to Saturday. Doors are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and food service is available from 11 a.m. to around 6:30 p.m. The business closes for major holidays and family emergencies and follows the city’s guidelines on closing for weather.

While La Placita’s customers are subject to the logistics of finding parking, as is the case with other businesses in Lebanon, something that distinguishes La Placita is its ADA-compliant status, which includes an ADA-compliant ramp.

The co-owners thanked the community for supporting their business throughout the locations and years. Looking to the future, Uraga and Barba want to keep their business afloat while continuing to be involved with the community and potentially expanding the menu.

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