La casa del pueblo restaurant

10/06/2026

Featured News & Insight: La Casa del Pueblo Taqueria, a more than 60-year beacon of the Pilsen community, is asking for the chance to celebrate one final Christmas

A community anchor that has welcomed four generations of Mexican immigrants and Chicago families is facing the imminent loss of its longtime storefront. For more than 60 years, La Casa del Pueblo Taqueria has operated in its Pilsen location on the strength of a longstanding relationship with the property owner built on a simple handshake and promise. Now, the current landlord has asked the family to leave abruptly.

La Casa del Pueblo’s roots in Pilsen stretch back to the 1960s, when Martha Saucedo and her mother, Maria Sanchez, began preparing and serving Mexican food from a small kitchen inside the La Casa del Pueblo Supermarket, owned by Jerry Lombardi, grandfather of the current property owner. After a fire affected the grocery store, Lombardi proposed to rent the new restaurant space to Saucedo and her family. From there, La Casa del Pueblo Taqueria became a fixture in the neighborhood, serving generations of Pilsen residents and visitors.

The restaurant’s history is deeply connected to the immigrant communities that shaped Pilsen. Like the Saucedo family, Lombardi was an immigrant. His Italian family’s grocery business grew alongside the neighborhood’s expanding Latino population, and La Casa del Pueblo similarly became part of the community’s evolving Mexican-American identity.

Today, more than 30 families depend on La Casa del Pueblo Taqueria for their livelihoods. Closing the restaurant in the months leading up to Christmas would mean displacing those workers and leaving them without employment during the holiday season.

Attorney Homero Tristan is guiding the Saucedo family in its effort to remain open through December 26. Despite their desire to remain in their longtime Pilsen storefront, the family has already secured a new location in Berwyn. Their goal in fighting the eviction is to remain through December 26, so they can properly transition their operations to Berwyn, notify their long-term customers of the move, and give their employees an opportunity to continue with them at the new location or secure alternative employment.

Tristan & Cervantes is proud to use our practice to advocate for our clients when their businesses, livelihoods, and community ties are at stake.

To read the full article, visit: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/26/la-casa-del-pueblo-taqueria-closing-pilsen/

https://tristanlegal.com/la-casa-del-pueblo-taqueria-a-more-than-60-year-beacon-of-the-pilsen-community-is-asking-for-the-chance-to-celebrate-one-final-christmas/

09/26/2026

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/26/la-casa-del-pueblo-taqueria-closing-pilsen/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAUlNGpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBWZkaWQWUPIOLKDrQiy0DpwR9RBZMmGCWSnAnHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR77nNCq-98fzoIGYNUkv-ukn0UIIolGRo6hvMZKOMbbJMcGIkjtHHvcXVnGgg_aem_f3WAnPRql_dlB5eX1wS2cA

Casa del Pueblo Taqueria, which has held on to its homemade flavors for the last 60 years in Pilsen, is relocating to Berwyn.

07/30/2026

Sad and excited mi gente
fyi we’re still open in plisen !!!!

06/21/2026

Feliz día de los padres

05/24/2026

A friendly reminder that we're still open and ready to serve! We're getting a surge of inquiries, but we're thrilled about it.
You still have a couple of months to indulge in your favorite meals before our Pilsen stay comes to an end.

05/06/2026

I don’t know where to begin I’m not going to post anything about what we are going thru with current owners of the store ,the only thing I will say is we are not leaving Pilsen of our own free will we are not selling out nor relocating to Berwyn bcuz we want to leave 18st !!!
I have seen lots of people posting news about our closing .
First let me say thank you for all the support many of you and our loyal customers are showing us it’s really appreciated overwhelming and unbelievable you’re all wonderful and awesome!
Second let me clear the air about the history and ownership of the Taqueria and the name La Casa del Pueblo , although both the supermarket and the restaurant share the same name we are not the same we never have been since day one !
1962/63 Dona Maria Sanchez my grandmother and her daughter Martha Hernandez my mother and my aunt marina Hernadez de Sanchez started La taqueria Dona Maria back then Mr Jerry Lombardi rented them a little corner inside his store La Casa del Pueblo supermarket and gave them his blessing Mr Lombardi loved my hard working grandmother and my hardworking mother and Tia and treated them as thou they where family !!
The unity between both families continued and continues to this day when Jerry Lombardi retired and his son Mr nick Lombardi took over La casa del Pueblo supermarket
In the year 1992 the taqueria was moved out of the store to its present location by Mr Nicholas Lombardi who then purchased what was then known as Azteca tacos putting my family’s restaurant where it is today , now at that time the marquee on the building said and says to this date la Casa del Pueblo Taqueria , when in reality it should have said taqueria Dona Maria but it remained that way bcuz Mr Lombardis saw fit to keep it that way it was his will for it to be so ,
but the ownership of the restaurant was never his and he never claimed it was ,it was and has always been my family’s so to all of you who mistakenly think it was one owner it’s not the ownership of la taqueria belong to my mother Martha Hernandez de Saucedo and my aunt marina Hernandez de Sanchez my beloved godmother!! For years my mom my aunt and the only father I ever knew growing up my uncle Antonio Sanchez husband to my aunt brother in law to my mom and my godfather ran the restaurant !!
I felt that a little history was necessary at this point and time I’ve seen lots of awesome comments on the Facebook that people have posted about us and I thank you, as I’ve have seen lots of hateful ones too but that’s ok everyone has a right to their opinion make no mistake as one of our loyal customers put it “if you know you know“but lots of you who didn’t know maybe hopefully now you do thank you !!
I’m not trying to offend anyone I just want those who don’t know the truth and the history to know that since day one of it’s origin this business la taqueria Casa del Pueblo who has proudly served this community for over 64 years is and has always been owned and run by La family Hernandez 100% Mexicana y con mucho orgullo de Monterrey Nuevo León !
There is so much history here those who grew up here in plisen know bcuz they know I grew up with lots of them we all saw each other grow up Pilsen is my home and my family’s home it has and will always be thank you for all the years of your patronage my family and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts you are and will always be Casa del Pueblo bcuz you made it what it is today you made it historical you made us great you el Pueblo the people!!! God bless you all !!!!