New Springfield restaurant caters to neighborhood

Manager says site offers Mexican food with authentic flavors.

A new Mexican restaurant opened in a shopping center on Vester Avenue last weekend, and the business’ manager said the goal is to quickly become a neighborhood favorite.

Casa del Sazon opened Saturday at 1200 Vester Ave., and general manager Armando Soto said the restaurant’s location was a big attraction for the family-owned restaurant. The name means House of Flavor, and Soto said although many of the dishes may be familiar, the owners tried to make sure the spices and flavors of the recipes are as authentic as possible.

While several other restaurants are nearby, the property was appealing because it is in a high-traffic area, and few of the other restaurants around offer a chance to sit down and be served by a wait staff.

Previously, the building has served as a location for other restaurants, including a Chinese buffet and steak houses. But Soto, whose family members also work with him in the restaurant, said the site can be successful because it is located near a residential area.

Customers in the neighborhood can take a short drive or walk in for lunch and enjoy a meal for a little as $5, he said.

“We’re trying to make it a neighborhood restaurant.”

Soto said the owners also operate other restaurants throughout Ohio, including locations in Lima, Marion and Wooster. But not all of the other restaurants have the same concept, and Casa del Sazon is the family’s first in Springfield.

Although there are other Mexican restaurants in the city, Soto said Casa del Sazon is looking to develop its own regular customer base and is not concerned with trying to compete with others.

“The staff is really friendly, and we’re ready to work,” Soto said.

One of the restaurant’s popular dishes is pollo alzason, which Soto described as a chicken dish in a homemade cream sauce.

Casa del Sazon is at least the second Mexican restaurant to open in recent months. Late last month, The El Herredura restaurant opened at a site at 1236 Upper Valley Pike.

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