Skip to Content
Food

What To Eat (and Drink) In L.A. This Weekend: This Mexican Cocktail Spot Is #14 On The World’s Best Bar List, and It’s Coming To Town

Plus, a local chef-studded benefit dinner for Chuy Tovar at Barrio Cantina featuring all of his favorite dishes on Tuesday starting at 5 PM.

Inglewood

Braised lamb shank on rice with lima beans at Kuku Cafe
Braised lamb shank at Kuku Cafe, photo via Kuku Cafe

Smorgasburg's Zach Brooks put us onto a family-owned Persian take-out window in Inglewood called KUKU Cafe where you can eat on the spot or take grab-and-go items for home. 

The menu is built around "building-your-own" kuku sabzi (described as a Persian frittata with walnuts and herbs) with a base of rice, lavash, or salad, and toppings like beef or chicken shawarma, lamb shank, baba ganoush, feta cheese, pickled Persian cucumbers, and more.

You'll also find also sumac fries, saffron rice cakes with chicken and barberries, shawarma and kebab wraps, and pistachio cheese rolls and Persian ice cream for dessert.

318 N. La Brea Ave. Inglewood, CA 90302

Echo Park

Six cocktails from El Gallo Altanero in Guadalajara
Cocktails from El Gallo Altanero. Photo via El Gallo Altanero.

El Gallo Altanero, the Guadalajara cocktail spot recently named #14 on the list of The World's Best 50 Bars, is taking over Thunderbolt in Echo Park this Sunday. 

The bar is known for cocktails like its carbonated "Chabacano Jaibol" with Tequila Tapatio, apricot, peach, and ginger, raicilla-laced sours, and Michoacán rum-and-banana-infused negronis. Doors open at 2 p.m., and the party starts at 5 p.m.

1263 W. Temple St. Los Angeles, CA 90026

North Hollywood

A chili-and-egg-topped baked potato
Brotatos' chili-and-egg-topped baked potato. Photo via Brotatos.

We repeatedly questioned whether we should include a concept called Brotatos, whose name leaves us shivering. Then we looked at the photo you see above of a chili-and-egg-topped spud. And found ourselves powerless to resist. It's a concept offering potatoes by delivery and pick-up in North Hollywood. They load potatoes in crazy things. They have a surf 'n turf potato, a Buffalo chicken-and-bacon potato, carne asada potatoes, and barbecue meatball potatoes.

And yes, they call themselves Brotatos.

Evenings, 7333 Fulton Ave. North Hollywood, CA 91605

Downtown

A plate of Cambodian-style barbecued meats at Kreung Kitchen
A plate of Cambodian-style barbecued meats at Kreung Kitchen. Photo by Hadley Tomicki for L.A. TACO.

AAPI-centered pop-up Mayumi Market is holding a big-ass jam on Sunday in Downtown. A wide selection of shops, crafts, and food will be on sale, including recently covered Cambodian barbecue concept, Kreung Kitchen (seen above), Inomoni Vegan Dim Sum, The Ugly Bao, Tita's, Ban Mi Thao, and more. 

Not only that, but there will be DJs, a portrait artist, and five tattoo artists. So no one goes home empty-sleeved. 

RSVP here.

2350 Porter St. Los Angeles, CA 90021

Long Beach

A portrait of Chuy Tovar depicted as the "Apostle of Coffee"

As reported in L.A. TACO, Chuy Tovar, a friend and influential member of L.A.'s Mexican food community, passed away tragically in a recent automobile accident.

This Tuesday, El Barrio Cantina in Long Beach is holding a benefit for Chuy's family. There will be a selection of Chuy's "favorite bites," prepared by some of the town's best and brightest, including Estrano, Evil Cooks, Las Palmas, A's BBQ, East Los BBQ, Balam, Amor y Tacos, Tortas El Aguila, Chispi, Macheen, Hamburgers Nice, pastry chef Daniela Mercado from Bavel and Safy's, and Barrio Cantina. Malbien and Amaras mezcal will bring their juice, Chuntikis will make cocktails, and Boomtown Brewery will provide the beer. Come down!

Dishes will be priced at $10 and available a la carte.

5 p.m., 1731 East 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90802

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Everything Wrong with Tesla’s $500 ‘Mezcal’

"Mezcal has become a commodity for many, without any regard for the earth, [or] for Indigenous people's land rights," says Odilia Romero, an Indigenous migrants rights advocate from Oaxaca and the executive director for CIELO. "Oaxaca is also having a water access issue.

December 20, 2024

This Weekend: Sonoran Caramelos, Brisket Tteokbokki, Mex-Italian Fusion, and Country-Fried Tofu

Plus, Malay-style wings, a collaboration pizza-topped with Philippe The Original's French-dipped beef and hot mustard, and more in this week's roundup.

December 20, 2024

More Than 70 People Reported Feeling Ill After Eating Oysters At L.A. Times ‘101 Restaurants’ Food Event

Ragusano is disappointed that the L.A. Times didn’t publicly disclose that there was an outbreak at their event. “Obviously they’re not going to print it in their paper,” Ragusano said. “But they‘re a newspaper and newspapers are supposed to share the news. This is how people usually find out about something like this,” she added. “It's ironic because it happened to them.”

December 19, 2024

The 38 Best Books of 2024

Like listening to music, reading is an activity that recharges the spirit. It offers a chance to unplug for an hour to fill your soul and slow down. Here are 38 ways to free your attention span from doom scrolling and algorithms.

December 18, 2024

A Trucker’s Oasis For Peruvian Chicharrón Sandwiches, Leche de Tigre, and Camote Donuts In Vernon

Their chicharrón sandwich is the best $10 you can spend in the beautiful city of Vernon. This mom-and-pop shop opened by a couple of retired truck drivers is a bonafide strip mall gem in Los Angeles, overlooking the L.A. River, too.

December 17, 2024
See all posts