Sarah’s day in the Springs: La Hacienda Taqueria
The most happening joint in the Springs has to be La Hacienda Taqueria (939-8226 | 17960 Sonoma Hwy, Sonoma).
The brightly decorated Mexican restaurant has been serving up affordable, large portions of family friendly Mexican food for years and has won many a “best Margarita” declaration from media and residents alike.
During lunch, the restaurant fills up with a colorful mix of retirees, farm workers and tourists, and at night, families pop in for an early dinner, margaritas serve as the pre-game for couples going out in downtown Sonoma, and a resident group of locals who hold down the bar each night.
On my visit, I ran into two well known locals: Sheana Davis of the Epicurean Connection and Gina Cuclis, Sonoma Valley Sun columnist and long-time Springs resident who is running for the County’s 1st District Supervisor position.
Davis loves coming by La Hacienda to stock up on mole sauce – it’s the best in town and tastes of comforting, chocolately goodness. Turns out you can order the mole sauce to go – order it head of time by phone or stop in during the slow afternoon to grab some.
The menu is vast at La Hacienda and house specials are huge portions, often coming with a side of tortillas. Guests can stock up on salsas at the salsa bar. My only complaint: despite requests, there was no hot sauce/spicy salsa option. I missed the fire with my chicken dish, but, I left with a full belly.
For Cuclis, La Hacienda is a regular dinner spot for her and family, located right down the street from their home. “This is a real local’s place – affordable, family friendly and the margaritas are really tasty!”
The top shelf margarita, with salt, is my favorite – with a float of Grand Marnier. After two you’ll think you’re going to leave La Hacienda and step out onto the beach. If you do have two, I suggest you call Vern’s, it makes your beach beverage all the more enjoyable.
