EASTHAMPTON — The owners of La Veracruzana are preparing to open a third restaurant in the Valley in May, this one at 31 Union St.
“Easthampton really is a growing city, and we do have a lot of current customers from Easthampton and its outskirts,” Sunia Hood, co-owner of La Veracruzana, said recently.
La Veracruzana, which serves up Mexican fare, has been in Amherst for 25 years and in Northampton for 30. Hood and her husband, Philip Pallante, bought La Veracruzana from previous owner Martin Carrera last year.
Prior to owning La Veracruzana, Hood owned a dog biscuit bakery in Holyoke called Taxi’s Dog Bakery. Hood sold the dog bakery in 2017 to Woofables Gourmet Dog Biscuit Bakery of Iowa.
The Easthampton Planning Board in March granted Hood a special permit for a change of venue for the new location, and plans call for a kitchen, a bar, a lounge and a dining room. Seating will accommodate between 75 to 80 people, according to the special permit application.
Leading up to the restaurant’s opening, the kitchen will be installed in a former retail space previously occupied by Taxland and Comics N’ More, both of which are moving to Cottage Street.
At La Veracruzana, patrons can expect a similar menu to the Amherst and Northampton locations, Hood said. “The team has great recipes, and it’s the foundation for the restaurant. You know what they say: ‘If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’”
Meals at La Veracruzana range from $6 tostadas to $19 “puntas de filete,” or beef sirloin tips in a red sauce. The menu also includes tacos, seafood dishes and burritos.
On a recent Friday, there were nearly a dozen people out for lunch at the restaurant in Northampton; some raved about their favorite dishes.
The authentic Mexican flavors of the tacos de lengua, or beef-tongue tacos, keep Westhampton resident Bob LaPalme coming back for more. LaPalme said he enjoys La Veracruzana for a “light lunch,” adding that the prices are reasonable.
“There are not many places that serve tongue,” LaPalme said. “I used to raise beef animals, and they do a good job here — they’re tasty.”
Margaret LaPalme, Bob’s wife, said she finds the chicken quesadillas “not too spicy,” and that the variety of free salsas offered at La Veracruzana allow customers to “match your palette.” Patrons can choose from mild salsa, the fiery “Diablo” salsa, a mild tomatillo salsa and a beer-tinged salsa borracha.
The atmosphere at La Veracruzana, with its colorful paintings and upbeat Latin music, makes a great pairing with the food, Bob LaPalme said. Portraits of Frida Kahlo and artwork from Oaxaca hang on the restaurant’s yellow walls.
Margaret said she enjoys meeting up with friends in Easthampton for a bite to eat, and she “can’t wait to add the new destination into the mix.”
Jim Splain, an “Easthamptonite,” met a friend from Vermont on Friday at the Northampton La Veracruzana, and said, “It’s my kind of place.”
“I’m very excited for the Veracruzana in Easthampton,” said Splain. His favorite dishes are the huachinango — which is red snapper in a mouthwatering salsa made from tomatoes, onions, green olives and cilantro — and the pescado en tomatillo, a lightly breaded tilapia with tomatillo.
La Veracruzana fans need only wait a few weeks until the Easthampton location is ready.
Hood said she expects to hire six to 10 employees. She also said the dining area will be similar to its Northampton location and, with its liquor license, will be serving many of the same drinks.
“In a perfect world, we would open a little before Cinco de Mayo, but we will probably have to celebrate Cinco de Mayo a little later,” Hood said. “We’ll see.”
La Veracruzana in Easthampton will be open seven days a week.
Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@gazettenet.com.