In 1974, a family in San Martín de Porres, Lima, started roasting chicken over an open charcoal flame — pollo a la brasa, marinated in herbs and citrus, cooked slow until the smoke was practically part of the recipe. Fifty years and one border crossing later, that same recipe anchors the menu at Su Pollo, a small Peruvian restaurant that's called Richmond Highway home since 2003.
Except it doesn't call the same spot home anymore. Su Pollo didn't move because business was bad, it moved because the highway itself is being rebuilt. VDOT designated its original site at 8741 Richmond Highway for a future stormwater facility, part of the road-widening and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project reshaping the corridor. That's no small ask for a family business — a new lease, new signage, regulars who have to relearn where to find you. But in April 2024, Su Pollo reopened about half a mile away, at 8646 Richmond Highway in the Engleside Plaza shopping center next to Safeway, close enough that regulars didn't have to look far to find it again.
It's a small story. It's also, in miniature, the story of Richmond Highway right now: a corridor in the middle of major change, held together by the families and business owners, many of them Hispanic and Latino, who've spent decades turning strip malls and gravel lots into some of the best places to eat in Fairfax County.
This Hispanic Heritage Month — the national observance runs September 15 to October 15, — Faces of ONE is shining a light on a few of the businesses carrying that story forward.
A Corridor Built by Newcomers
For much of the 20th century, this stretch of Route 1 was best known as a pass-through — a strip of motels, diners, and roadside attractions serving travelers heading in and out of Washington, D.C. That began to change in the latter half of the century, as new residents began arriving in search of quality housing, steady work, and a place to put down roots.
Hispanic and Latino families were central to that shift. Drawn by the corridor's relatively affordable apartments and its proximity to jobs across Northern Virginia, communities from El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, and beyond settled into neighborhoods like Hybla Valley, Groveton, and Penn Daw in growing numbers, particularly from the early 2000s on. By the 2010 census, Hispanic residents had become the largest population group in Hybla Valley. Spanish-language churches, community organizations, and radio and print outlets grew up alongside them, and small businesses followed close behind — family-run restaurants, bakeries, tiendas, and taco trucks that turned old strip malls and gravel lots into some of the corridor's most vibrant gathering spaces.
That transformation hasn't stopped. Richmond Highway is still very much a work in progress, with transportation upgrades like BRT and redevelopment ongoing. What was once just a road people drove through is now a community people call home. Hispanic and Latino residents and business owners have been central to that change for decades. These businesses are economic engines, and they're gathering places, where families celebrate birthdays, neighbors run into each other at the counter, and the corridor's story often gets told one plate at a time.
ONE Sweet Stop: Panadería Mi Pueblo
Right on Richmond Highway, Panadería Mi Pueblo fills its corner of the corridor with the smell of fresh bread. This Mexican bakery turns out conchas, bolillo, and piloncillo cookies daily, and its bakers take pride in doing things the traditional way, right down to letting customers watch the bread come out of the oven in the back.
It's a small business in the truest sense, but its reputation for authenticity has made it a destination well beyond the neighborhood immediately around it.
ONE Taste of Honduras: Delicias 504
Named for the country's telephone code, Delicias 504 describes itself simply: a 100% Honduran business serving up a wide variety of dishes typical of the region. On Richmond Highway, that means baleadas, tajadas, pollo frito, and a hearty parrillada familiar built for sharing, all rooted in the flavors of northern Honduras.
It's one of relatively few Honduran kitchens on the corridor, and for anyone craving something beyond the more familiar Mexican and Salvadoran staples nearby, it's a distinct addition to Richmond Highway's food scene.
ONE Hidden Gem: Postres Victoria Coffeehouse
Set back from the road behind a gravel lot, easy to drive past and hard to forget once you've found it, Postres Victoria Coffeehouse has earned its reputation as one of the best-kept secrets on Route 1. This Latina-owned coffeehouse serves crepes, waffles, flan, and a rotating case of Latin-inspired cakes — tres leches, ricotta pistachio, and the signature Victoria Cake among others — alongside coffee, smoothies, and fresh juice.
The corridor's redevelopment has made it easier to find than it once was, but locals still talk about Postres Victoria the way you talk about a favorite that isn't quite a secret anymore, though you maybe kind of wish it still was.
ONE Smell You Won't Forget: Mi Sol Tortillería & Parrillada
Some businesses announce themselves before you ever see the sign. At Mi Sol Tortillería & Parrillada, that's the smell of hardwood smoke drifting across the parking lot as the team grills beef, pork, chicken, and sausage in an outdoor barrel smoker from early morning on. This grab-and-go Mexican spot hand-makes its own tortillas in-house and serves tacos, tortas, birria, chicharron, and grilled meats by the pound.
Customers rave about the wood-fired char and the fact that nothing here comes out of a bag or a box. If you've ever driven past and wondered what was cooking, this is your answer.
ONE Plate, Many Countries: Pupusas Express
The pupusas make the case for themselves at Pupusas Express — thick, griddled corn or rice flour tortillas stuffed with cheese, beans, or pork, served with housemade curtido and tomato salsa. But the Salvadoran menu is just the starting point: the kitchen also serves Honduran baleadas, Mexican street tacos, build-your-own burgers, and a birria-pupusa fusion.
The business got its start in Herndon in 2009 on a then-novel idea: free delivery of pupusas and carne asada to the local Salvadoran community. The Alexandria location opened during the pandemic, growing into a full-fledged community hub with its own coffee bar and catering operation. And they still offer free local delivery on qualifying orders.
The Faces Behind Faces of ONE
Stories like these are exactly what the Faces of ONE campaign was built to tell. Backed by the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation, Faces of ONE is spotlighting the people and businesses shaping Richmond Highway's future, especially as the corridor moves through major investment and transformation.
Su Pollo's move down the road isn't an isolated case — it's what change looks like up close for a lot of businesses here right now, and there's little use pretending that kind of disruption is easy. But the same investment asking businesses to adapt today is also the one expected to bring more transit riders, more housing, and more foot traffic to the corridor once BRT is complete — a harder stretch now, in service of a stronger one later. Supporting these businesses while construction ramps up matters more than ever. Every meal, every purchase, is a direct investment in the families who've helped define what Richmond Highway is.
Join the Celebration
This Hispanic Heritage Month, take the corridor one stop at a time. These are only a few of the many Hispanic and Latino businesses along the highway. So whether you grab a crepe at Postres Victoria or follow the smoke to Mi Sol, or visit a different establishment — maybe even an undiscovered gem — you're supporting the people who make Richmond Highway special.
Want to learn more about local businesses, upcoming events, and how to get involved? Check out onerichmondhwy.com and follow @onerichmondhwy on social media. One road. Hundreds of stories. ¡Viva la cultura!