La Cazuela Mexican Restaurant expands to Independence with full bar and new menu

La Cazuela Mexican Restaurant is the newest restaurant to open on Main Street in Independence. The restaurant is the sister to the original at the Lancaster Flea Market in Salem.

Owners and couple Marco and Maria Martinez-Ramos have run their stand inside the flea market for the past seven years. But opening a restaurant was not on their mind, as Marco also worked at Eola Bottling Co.

They credit Jhonatan Martinez and Maribel Torreblanca, their son and daughter-in-law, for encouraging them to check out the space in Independence.

Marco and Maria said the restaurant, which includes a full bar and expanded menu, would not be possible without the backing of friends, family and regulars. For the couple, the familial aspect of the family-run restaurant is the foundation of their success.

Small-town shift

The restaurant held its grand opening in early March, with everything offered at half price. A line went out the door and down the block for most of the day, with everything selling out after three hours, Marco said.

Prior to the restaurant opening, the space was not designated for food service. It took the family over six months to get the space prepped, he said.

The restaurant is decorated with colorful items, including mini umbrellas and cutout banners. There is a range of seating for groups large and small. Giant photos of the dishes, snacks and drinks are above the ordering counter and the wall next to it, just like inside the flea market stall.

The restaurant's name is an homage to the Martinez-Ramos' first anniversary together in Mexico where they ate at a restaurant of the same name. The couple have been together for 38 years.

The restaurant's food is different than others in the area because Maria is from Michoacán and Marco from Jalisco. The regional differences are present in some dishes like the menudo and pozole, which are Michoacán. The birria is also made in the Jalisco style, Marco said. The restaurant offers the standard Mexican fare, with highlights like tripa tacos, mulitas and tejuino, a flour-based drink with a refreshing lime taste.

Many of the recipes are passed down from Maria's family, but much of the antojitos (snacks) are her creation. You can order savory snacks like pepinaso, which has cucumbers, Japanese peanuts, tamarind candy, pickled pork rinds and shrimp with chamoy. Or sweet snacks like the mango mix, which has pieces of mango and strawberry in a slushie of the two flavors.

The drinks and condiments like chamoy and the chili oil are also made in-house by Maria.

The main difference between the stall and restaurant is the menu and full bar, created by Martinez. He said he has always been the mixologist for the family and at friends' parties.

The restaurant and bar offers a variety of Mexican beers along with classics and cocktails created by Martinez. He said he's open to suggestions for more beers and spirits the restaurant should carry.

Reception for the restaurant has been great so far, Marco said. The long-term goal is to be a late night designation for karaoke, drinks and food.

From Salem to Independence

The restaurant started at the Lancaster Flea Market seven years ago and has come a long way since.

Its success can be attributed to "Maria's magic touch" in the kitchen, Marco said. The couple opened with only menudo, pozole, birria, tacos and quesadillas on the menu.

The couple's business quickly grew, and they expanded into three additional spaces at the flea market, primarily for seating.

The menu also expanded. Items range from classic entrees and antojitos to sweet treats and various drinks. The complete menu is over 80 items, which they stopped expanding a couple years ago.

The couple hope that folks who have been regulars at the flea market know to get their favorites at the new restaurant. They will continue to operate both, with Marco at the flea market on the weekends and Maria at the restaurant.

"It's a lot, but we do it because we just enjoy what we do," Marco said.

For more info on the restaurant, check out the website, lacazuela.net.

Hours: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Thursday to Tuesday

Address: 286 S Main St., Independence

Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com and follow her on X @catchuptoemily.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: La Cazuela Mexican Restaurant expands to Independence, Oregon