La Hacienda

Nat and Tomasa Ybanez founded La Hacienda Restaurant in Chico in 1948. Under modest means, they moved their family to Chico and creatively converted a building into a restaurant. Their discipline and hard work paid off when they were able to move from the original site on Nord Avenue along Big Chico Creek to the present site on the Esplanade.

The foundation of the business has always been the quality of food. Tomasa was responsible for creating the menu by blending family recipes with her own creations. The most notable creation was the Original Tostada and “secret sauce” salad dressing. The Original Tostada continues today to be our most popular menu item.

The family tradition continues and we are proud of our unique position as the oldest ongoing, continuously operated restaurant in Chico!