Dining Latino: Lebanon’s Sabor Criollo celebrates 13 years of Puerto Rican food

At Sabor Criollo “La Casa del Mofongo,” the customers have become family members for owner Lissette Mercado.

The restaurant has operated at its 720 Jonestown Road location in Lebanon for the past 10 years. Before that, they were at 12th and Willow streets. In December, the restaurant will celebrate its 13-year anniversary.

Mercado is from Puerto Rico, moving to Lebanon about 25 years ago. She said she grew up cooking with her grandmother, who made food for several nearby households. Mercado’s husband Willian Quiñones grew up cooking alongside his chef grandfather.

“So Willian cooked food with his grandfather, and I cooked with my grandmother, so it’s a combination of the different food,” she said.

Mercado said they built the business because she didn’t want to stay at home.

“I don’t like taking Social Security, so I say I have an idea,” she said. “I needed to work, so I opened my restaurant.”

What started as simple Puerto Rican food began to grow. Mercado said customers would come in requesting different meals, and she would make it for them. She said she even has regulars who tell her when they’ll be in to eat, and they give her special requests to cook up for them.

This special connection with the customers has earned the couple nicknames.

“Everybody says Will is papi and I am mami,” Mercado said.

Translating, Julie Viera said, “It’s not intentional — it’s just how they are.”

Mercado said she isn’t sure where it came from, but they’re fine with it.

And the name fits. Mercado explained how she’ll make special juice concoctions when a customer is sick and how Quiñones is good with cars, so people will bring their vehicles out back for him to work on.

Inside the restaurant, Mercado said mofungo, empanadas, and beef and cheese are the most popular dishes with their customers. For Americans who come in to eat and might not be comfortable with the classic Puerto Rican dishes, Mercado said she gives out small samples for them to try to coax them to be more daring in their choices.

Eventually, Mercado said they’re hoping to expand the restaurant into the other side of the building, which is now being used for storage.

She’s going through the process of finding good seating and custom-made tables to hold all the food they serve. The seats, she said, have to be large enough to fit her well-fed customers.

“Working hard every day,” Mercado said. “I’m not sitting in my house. Expanding more. I’m not working for money. I’m working for me, for my family, for my husband. 90% of the customers now is my family.”

Sabor Criollo is open Tuesday to Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Mondays. Find their menu and online ordering options at saborcriollopa.com.