Paul started going to this restaurant, which was then called “Pepe Taco”, on Boston Road when it first opened in 1968. His Aunt Nancy was visiting and found out that there was a Mexican restaurant near them. She said she was surprised that they had one in this area, and that Mexican food was all the rage in California. They decided to try it. Paul went there a lot while he was in college at AIC and I went there with him quite a bit in the early years of our marriage. I would only eat one thing there though; I can’t really remember what it was. It was probably tacos. Paul said he always got the special, which was a tamale pie (a bowl of chili with a tamale in it) and 2 tacos.
According to MassLive dated May 7, 2018, Casa de Nana (The name of the restaurant when it closed) means "Grandma's House in tribute to its founders - and traces its roots back to 1968 when Pepe Taco opened as Springfield's first Mexican Restaurant. The name changed to Nana's Kitchen in 1970 and to Casa De Nana in 1984. It closed in 2018 and the building is still empty and for sale.
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