Meredith Lindemon
Food and Drink Reporter
In writing this story about the reopening of Mi Hacienda (8250 Midlothian Tpk.), there was a bit of confusion.
Sibling pair Javier Ornelas and Juana Garcia opened Mi Hacienda in 1997 at its unique 13,000-square-foot location. They decided to sell the building in 2022 and use the proceeds to have a proper retirement.
The younger generation, Ornelas’ son, also named Javier Ornelas, and Garcia’s daughter, Rene, took over. They launched Hacienda, a catering company, and maintained the Mi Hacienda website.
The former owners closed the building in 2022 and the new owner, Glenis Quintanilla, bought it the same year. Then the building sat until Quintanilla opened it in October of this year, changing the name to La Hacienda because the Mi Hacienda LLC remains in existence.
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La Hacidena is now open at 8250 Midlothian Turnpike.
The building, which remains the same as the day it was built, was originally constructed by General Mills, the food company that manufactures cereal, among other consumer brands. The multinational food company, in the 1970s, decided to venture into restaurants, opening 12 different locations that were the same exact design as the restaurant that sits on Midlothian Turnpike today. The Midlothian location was shuttered by General Mills in 1988 and then sold to the former owners in 1997.
The white stucco-ed, Spanish style building has a red tile roof and exterior archways perfectly reminiscent of a home you might see in 1950s Miami or Honduras. The interior is vast with terra cotta tile on the floors, high ceilings, that is separated into different rooms that connect through archways. Booths and tables are rough hewn wood and the upholstery has an Aztec-style pattern.
Glenis Quintanilla is the owner of La Hacienda, now in the former location of Mi Hacienda, which she bought from the Ornelas family.
Quintanilla reopened the restaurant and the building in October. The menu has transitioned from a traditional Mexican menu to a Tex-Mex menu with some Central American cuisine in the mix. The new owners kept carne asada on the menu. Also the sopa de arroz, or Spanish rice. Quintanilla is from Honduras and her mother gave her a secret recipe to use in the restaurant.
Carne asada is one of the highlights on the menu from La Hacidena, which has more of a Tex-Mex menu than the traditional Mexican fare in its prior incarnation.
Some other menu items worth a try are the queso fundido ($6.99), which is a Mexican sausage and cheese sauce dip; the taco de carne molida ($11.99); and the huevos chorizos ($9.99), with Mexican sausage and egg served with rice, refried beans with a tortilla.
Despite the confusion, business in the very much open restaurant has been good. Quintanilla said, “A lot of people who used to come here have started coming here again. And new people who are interested in the menu are coming here now.”
Sopa de res from La Hacidena.
The interior of La Hacienda.
12 restaurants coming to Richmond area
Slack Tide Fish Co.
Slack Tide Fish Co., heading to the Ballast project in Scott’s Addition from The Yellow Umbrella, is tentatively scheduled to open in March. Read the story.
The Purrfect Bean
The Purrfect Bean cat cafe is set to open in April in The Fan at 214 N. Lombardy St. Read the story.
Brazen
Brazen, which will focus on braised dishes, is headed to 2028 W. Cary St. Read the story.
The Granite Grill & Bar
The Granite Grill & Bar aims to open at the Stony Point Shopping Center in early spring. Read the story.
Ugly Dumpling
Ugly Dumpling, a dim sum chain on the East Coast, is headed to Willow Lawn this year. Read the story.
Shake Shack Short Pump
For smash burger-lovers, a new Shake Shack is in the works for the Richmond area in 2025. Scheduled to open in Short Pump (12170 W. Broad St.) in the West Village mixed-use development. Read the story.
2 new restaurants from Eat Restaurant Partners
In the mood for inventive fusions cuisine? EAT Restaurant Partners is planning to open at least two new restaurants in Richmond in 2025. Look out for Wong’s Tacos in Hanover on Chamberlayne Avenue and for their currently unnamed Italian concept for Short Pump. Read the story.
Hog Haven
Goochland’s Hog Haven Farm is opening a Richmond location at 238 S. Pine St. in the spring. The shop will sell retail pork products and house-made sandwiches. Read the story.
Centro
Maria and Michael Oseguera, Richmond restaurateurs, are bringing a new restaurant called Centro to Midlothian's Westchester Commons. Read the story.
Qdoba near VCU
Qdoba, the fast-casual fast food chain, will open a location near Virginia Commonwealth University’s Monroe Park campus in April of 2025 at 933 W. Grace St.
Fat Kid Sandwiches
Fat Kid Sandwiches plans to open at 1110 E. Main St. in downtown Richmond in the early months of 2025. Read the story.
Brick House Diner
Brick House Diner is planting itself in a new Westchester Commons location at 100 Schofield Road. The Midlothian Turnpike location (pictured here) will close when the new location opens. They aim to be open in early 2025. Read the story.
