SOUTHINGTON — Mamma Mia restaurant opened to great fanfare in December 2018 after the owners completely renovated a former diner, installing a three-ton Italian pizza oven.
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But a fire just four months later shut down the restaurant and an attempt to reopen under new management amid the pandemic in 2021 was unsuccessful, leaving the building at 1765 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike vacant.
That’s about to change.
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Loteria, a family-owned Mexican restaurant, is set to open in the space this month.
AnaLaura Gonzalez Alcocer says the dream of opening a restaurant started with her dad, who spent his career in the food service industry. He taught her and her siblings the value of hard work from a young age and got them started working for a restaurant.
“He’s always had a dream of opening up his own restaurant and having a family business,” Gonzalez Alcocer said. “During COVID it was a little hard getting things going, especially because we were all in school and work. It wasn’t the best time, so we waited a little.”
Gonzalez Alcocer signed the lease in October.
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“Now we’re just waiting for the liquor license to open up. It takes about three weeks,” Gonzalez Alcocer said last week. “So we’re hoping to open by the second or third week of January.”
Gonzalez Alcocer, her parents and siblings will all initially be involved in running the restaurant and getting things going.
“But my sister and I are in school. She's an undergrad and I’m getting my master’s on top of working full-time so we will definitely be looking to hire,” Gonzalez Alcocer said.
Loteria joins a host of other new restaurants in Southington, which Louis Perillo III, town economic development coordinator, finds encouraging.
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“We’re excited to be welcoming another new restaurant,” Perillo said. “Southington has quite a few and we think it’s great we continue to attract restaurants to our area. I look forward to them coming in.”
As far as renovations, an unfortunate incident for Mamma Mia turned into a blessing for Loteria.
“We didn’t have to do any renovations,” said Gonzalez Alcocer, referencing extensive repairs under the previous owners after the 2019 fire. “They renovated the whole front so we just had to decorate.”
Loteria’s menu will offer traditional Mexican food.
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“We’ll have traditional platters, guacamole, corn on the cob, burritos, margaritas made with tequila from our country and more,” Gonzalez Alcocer said.
Loteria aims to share a little bit of the family’s Mexican culture and roots with the community.
The name refers to a traditional Mexican game of chance, similar to bingo, which is played with a deck of cards containing a series of iconic images. The restaurant incorporates that imagery into its decor, Gonzalez Alcocer said.
Loteria Mexican Restaurant, 1765 Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike, will be open Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.