La Hacienda was started by Raul Ramos (Father) A Jalisco native who immigrated to East Los Angeles in in the 1990s.
After almost 10 years he moved to Chesapeake with his family to work in the shipyards and like most California natives, he missed the Mexican Food and products the west coast had to offer.
The La Hacienda story began in 2009. Not as the Taqueria we know today, but as a Latino store off Battlefield Blvd (which no longer stands). From the small Latino store Maria Ramos(Mother) sold homemade food on the side and people couldn't help but crave more. The yearning for her delicious food grew louder and stronger, eventually inspiring and giving Raul the courage to venture into the restaurant business specifically a Taqueria which he felt was much needed in the area.
In 2013, Taqueria La Hacienda emerged from the ashes of an old seafood establishment on Military Highway. With only five tables, it was small and the journey had a rough start. But the irresistible flavor of my Maria’s recipes which were passed down to her by her mother captivated the hearts of loyal customers. Whispers eventually reached the ears of Cali native sailors, shipyard workers, & the Hispanic community, craving a taste of home. In 2016 Raul traded his shipyard life for an apron and wholeheartedly embraced the restaurant business. Seizing the opportunity, he bought out and transformed the neighboring pub into the extension of the Taqueria we all adore today and added more tables. n 2017, his kids, Juan & Cynthia had a vision to bring their fathers cuisine to the masses. This led to an expansion of 3 more locations across the area in Chesapeake, Norfolk and Richmond.
In 2020 the universe had a different plan, the Pandemic. The Ramos Family were Forced to close their locations inside the Malls. Maybe the pandemic was a blessing in disguise. With the Mall locations forced to closed, Juan & Cynthia focused their attention back to their fathers Taqueria. It was then remodeled & applying what they learned from their other ventures, the Taqueria grew to be busier than ever. With a wave of brand-new customers finally learning about the hole in the wall La Hacienda became many people’s favorite. The rest, as they say, is history – a delectable tale of passion, commitment, and an unwavering belief in the power of good food.