Oaxacan restaurant to open in south St. Louis County this summer

This May or June, new Mexican flavors will enter the St. Louis restaurant scene when La Oaxaqueña opens at 2925 Lemay Ferry Road in South County, as reported by St. Louis Magazine. There, co-owner Yolanda Soriano will offer a menu of authentic Oaxacan food. “The food’s going to be Oaxacan recipes,” she explained. “Authentic food you cannot find too easily here.” 

Soriano, who will own the restaurant with her husband, Jaime Rosas, pointed out that La Oaxaqueña will actual have two distinct menus: a Tex-Mex menu featuring popular dishes like burritos and tacos with flour tortillas, and a Oaxacan menu full of classic dishes like tlayudas and tamales, and corn tortilla-centric cuisine.

Soriano’s tlayuda will begin with a big corn tortilla, made fresh in-house. “It’s going to have refried beans, cabbage, tomato, avocado and Oaxacan string cheese. It’s really good,” she said. “It’s the most popular dish in Oaxaca.” Her tamales will be made in plantain leaves instead of the more common corn husk, and will be filled with a red or black mole, chicken and fresh corn. 

La Oaxaqueña doesn’t have a head chef yet, but its recipes will be from Soriano, who will be cooking. “Maybe my sister-in-law will help in the kitchen,” she said. “The family will be working.” On that note, Soriano said that she’d been preparing her recipes recently by cooking for friends and family on weekends. 

La Oaxaqueña will have a robust beer menu and will serve margaritas; for dessert, Soriano will offer a few options, including nicuatole. “It’s similar to flan, but made with all corn and a little bit of cinnamon,” she explained. 

Soriano looks forward to introducing St. Louis to the food she was raised on. “People are going to find something different,” she said. “I want to offer the people something new that they maybe don’t know yet: real, authentic Oaxacan food.”