La Unica

LAKE ELSINORE: La Unica Mexican restaurant expands, celebrates 40 years
La Unica Cocina Mexicana Y Cantina in Lake Elsinore has been around for 40 years and will celebrate its anniversary and a remodel with a party on May 31

When Lake Elsinore’s La Unica Cocina Mexicana Y Cantina restaurant opened in 1974, it was a quaint shop that sold tortillas and other items.
The owners recently revamped and expanded their Main Street location and will celebrate 40 years of being in business with a special anniversary party on Saturday, May 31, that will include performances from a mariachi band and group Latin Sol.
“My parents started this restaurant and it has always been a part of my life,” owner Rose Topete said. “I am so proud of what it has become.”
Topete said the shop survived on homemade tortillas, both corn and flour. Everything they made was made from scratch with fresh ingredients.
In 1986, Topete and her husband, Miguel Sr., along with her parents, started a bakery, specializing in a variety of Mexican breads.
Bakery cases with the colorful treats and breads lined the front of the shop, a pop of color against the white-tiled walls.
“It was very simple,” she said.
La Unica is known for its chili verde, which is prepared with fresh tomatillos and chilies and is a crowd favorite.
“People come from Los Angeles and San Diego to eat our chili verde,” Rose Topete said.
The couple’s sons, Ismael and Miguel Jr., started pushing their parents to take the humble bakery and restaurant to a new level. The challenge for the family was to keep its traditional favorites while making the restaurant more upscale.
Miguel Topete Jr., who graduated from Le Cordon Bleu’s culinary school in Pasadena seven years ago, took the lead in the restaurant’s new direction.
“I wanted a modern look and make La Unica more of a dine-in restaurant,” he said. “We even changed out the china.”
Having worked in fine dining establishments, the chef said he was excited to get into the kitchen at his family’s restaurant.
“He approached us and said it was time to expand,” Rose Topete said.
The family closed La Unica on New Year’s Eve to begin the construction process.

BY STEPHANIE SCHULTE / STAFF WRITER
Published: May 27, 2014 2:29 p.m.

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