Back in the day, St. Louis had many corner stores, in the kind of building where La Tropicana Market opened in 1975. The owners, the Trabancos, had moved here two years earlier, after living in Cuba, and set up shop at the corner of Hereford and Lindenwood. A significant expansion came six years later, when they added meat and a deli case. The Trabancos also installed a few tables, where they could serve more than a Cuban sandwich.
The menu was Cuban and Mexican. For instance, there were two kinds of chicken, one with cilantro and another with chipotle, to roll into soft tacos. A fine ropa vieja, beef cooked beyond pot roast, and garlicky chicken were among the Cuban representatives.
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It was nothing short of home cooking. Though Luis Trabanco, one of three sons in the family, ran the restaurant, his mother, Maria, oversaw the cooking. While the food was prepared, patrons could peruse the groceries and then pay for their meal, plantains, pigeon peas, and a box of Sazón Goya. The cash register was next to a case full of desserts. Some, like fruit empanadas, were from a preferred bakery, while others, such as the delectable flan, came courtesy of Maria and her helpers.
Eventually, there were some outdoor tables and even a liquor license. The family also began to wholesale Hispanic food. Eventually, though, the café-and-market combo shut down, closing its doors in 2013.
