Mezcal 101

Exploring the world of wild maguey at Guelaguetza

The boom of wonderful tequila available in Los Angeles has taught us to worship at the foot of the blue agave plant, venerating the soils of Jalisco above all others.

But the extensive array of mezcals Bricia Lopez has collected over the past few months at Guelaguetza’s newly remodeled bar has us questioning our previo

usly learned lessons….. Read full article 

Mezcaleria is a project my brother Fernando and I envisioned many months ago.  We both felt a bar area was missing in our Olympic location, an area where we could pay an homage to the spirit that saw my father grow up in the fields of Matatlan. We both wanted it to be an educational forum for mezcal lovers here in Los Angeles.  Soon enough, we linked with Ricky Klein and Kelly Patry, two amazing designers who are responsible for some of my favorite bars in the historic downtown Los Angeles. With their help our pet project became alive.

Our Mezcaleria is located in the back room of our Olympic branch. More than a simple bar, Mezcaleria offers one of the largest mezcal selections in the country, which we look forward to grow in months to come.  We offer seven different wild agave productions including Tepestate, Dobadaan, and a rare Tobaziche (my favorite). No mezcal bar would be complete without a proper list of mezcal cocktails to complement it.  My father’s original recipe, “Garra de Tigre”, is by far my favorite.  We have been serving it from day one and has become a favorite among all of our friends.  We also have 3 different mezcal tasting options: beginner, intermediate and “Mezcólatra”.

I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the bar, it’s beautiful and perfectly integrated into the restaurant.  I look forward to reading your comments and seeing your faces around here soon!

love,

Bricia

Read some of our reviews here:

Urban Daddy

Grubstreet

Life in Spanglish  

Become part of our Mezcal inner circle by scanning this QR code: 

Mezcaleria Guelaguetza QR code

I compiled a list of my favorites places to eat, drink and lodge. I can only hope everyone gets a chance to experience one of the richest cultural destinations Mexico has to offer…

-Bricia

Lodging

Casa Oaxaca- It’s a beautiful boutique hotel with 5 star service owned by Alejandro Ruiz, one of the best chefs in Mexico.  Everything about this place is perfect…the food, the ambiance, the service.  Every morning, the chef de cuisine goes out to the local market and comes back with fresh produce to make the menu for the day.

Camino Real – The architecture is stunning.  This hotel chain is walking distance from Santo Domingo, and the andador turístico.

Las Bugambilias- A very cozy B&B.  The location is great, as it is very close to La Mezcaloteca, another favorite place of mine you will read about later.

El Secreto B&B – A cozy and urban B&B, with the friendliest of staff. This B&B has four bedrooms, a private patio and beautiful sun deck.  They also offer cooking demos and other services.

Cooking Classes

Cooking class with Susana Thrilling- Susana is a dear friend of mine, and I HIGHLY recommend taking her cooking class with the local market tour.  The school is like a beautiful oasis, located in Etla, a town 25min from Oaxaca.  She is amazing and worth every penny.  I would recommend that if you are interested in taking her class, you do it the first day you are there.  You will learn so much from her.

Cooking Class with Pilar Castillo.  Pilar is another one of the great female chefs of Oaxaca.  My mom adores her and loves taking her classes whenever traveling to Oaxaca. She hosts her cooking classes in the city and always starts them off with a shopping tour in one of Oaxaca’s local markets.  You can read more about her and book a class here

Mezcal distillery tour – Real Minero, in Santa Catarina Minas (40 minutes from the city).  One of the things I look forward to the most when I travel to Oaxaca, is sipping on Real Minero mezcal.  Graciela’s family has one of the best traditional productions in Oaxaca.  Her mezcal is distilled in clay pot stills, giving her production a very distinct taste.  You can get in contact with Graciela Angeles via Email and schedule a tour of her family’s distillery.  realminero@yahoo.com.mx

Places/Restaurants not to miss-

Tlacolula Sunday Market- Every Sunday, thousands of merchants from the valleys of Oaxaca gather in Tlacolula to create the biggest market day in Oaxaca.  I suggest you arrive as early as possible. Bring comfortable shoes, cash and a hungry belly.  Tlacolula is 25 minutes from the city

La Mezcaloteca - The ultimate mezcal tasting room.  You can get educated on the art of mezcal and enjoy local productions from a variety of magueys.  My recommendation? Any Karwinsky maguey, such like a Madrecuixe, largo or Tobaziche. Make sure to make a reservation prior to your arrival.

Fuego y Sazon- Great art, unbelievable food and a warm atmosphere.  They have a live Jazz band on weekend nights.  The place is absolutely beautiful and the food is one of the best in the city.  Their most popular dish is a ‘nido de chapulines.’  You can also buy all sorts of goodies at their front store from local artisans and growers.

Casa Oaxaca- Anything Chef Alex Ruiz touches, turns into gold.  This restaurant is located across the Santo Domingo church.  I recommend a late night dinner on the rooftop

Cafe Casa Oaxaca- Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and I could eat here everyday of my life and never get tired of it.  This is my go-to spot for breakfast.  It’s a casual environment, located in the Colonia Reforma neighborhood.

La Biznaga- If you are looking for something light on your stomach and full of deliciousness, La Biznaga is the place you want to visit. The atmosphere is bright and fun and frequented by local artists.  When you visit Santo Domingo church and The Botanic Garden, I suggest you stop here for lunch.

La Zandunga - It’s very close to La Biznaga and serves food from the Oaxacan Isthmus.  I recommend you try the Estofado Istmeño. This place also offers a great mezcal selection.

La Pitiona- Voted as one of the best restaurants in the world by Conde Nast Traveler.  It’s located in front of El Camino real Hotel. Chef Jose Manuel Baños is the master of contemporary Oaxacan cuisine.

Los Danzantes Restaurant- Beautiful décor.  I recommend you make a night out of it.  Start you night off with a nice dinner here and follow with some dancing and mezcal over at Café Central.

Paletas Popeye- This small chain of cold popsicles is a Oaxacan staple.  My favorite is limon de leche, cajeta,and coco.  DELICIOUS! I eat one a day, everyday I am there

El Central- a favorite bar among locals and myself. I go there at least one night every time I am in Oaxaca. Owner Guillermo Olguin also owns Mezcaleria Los Amantes (a personal favorite).  When you go to Mezcaleria, ask for Leo.  He can teach you a thing or two about mezcal

Arbol del Tule- This tree has the stoutest trunk of any tree in the world.  Local children can give you a small tour around it, and point out all the great figures surrounding the tree.  It’s 20 min from the city

Mitla Ruins – Mitla was called the city of the dead back in the ancient times and it’s a great archaeological site.  This is where I was born and where a lot of my family still lives.  Its 45 min from the city.

Monte Alban- The largest archaeological site in Oaxaca.

entrepreneurial Latino families share their stories

It’s not often that people get choked up during a business panel, but it happened on Tuesday night, when KPCC’s Crawford Family Forum presented a panel on Latino family businesses.

The panelists were members of the families behind some of Los Angeles’ most recognizable Latino-owned businesses: Tapatio hot sauce, Porto’s Bakery & Cafe, the Guelaguetza Oaxacan restaurants and Gaviña Gourmet Coffee, all into their second generation and beyond of family ownership.

Read and/or listen to full article and discussion here… 

GRUB: Eating Bugs to Save the Planet

by: Dana Goodyear

Read Full story here

Bring in the new year with music, mezcal and mole.  We will begin taking reservations as of today. Both of our locations will be open offering music and dancing. JOIN US!

Guelaguetza Koreatown -

3014 W Olympic Blvd.

Los Angele, CA 90006

(213) 427-0608

Guelaguetza Plaza Mexico-

11215 Long Beach Blvd

Lynwood, CA 90255

(310) 884-9235

9pm – 2am

Our Lynwood branch will offer its regular menu and live Mariachi

$25.00 per person Buffet includes (Olympic Branch Only)

Midnight Champagne Toast

Mole Negro

Mole Coloradito

Pollo de Barbacoa

Tacos de Barbacoa de Chivo

Pechuga de Pollo Enchilada

Spaghetti de Chile Poblano

Ensalada Navideña

Ensalada de Nopalitos

Ensalada Verde

Frijoles de Pasta

Arroz

Guacamole

Chips

Salsa

Aguas Frescas

Coffe and Tea

Our mom has prepared a delicious dinner menu for this holiday season.  Besides offering our traditional tamales by the dozen, we will also offer Christmas dinner packages that serve 10 dinner guests. We will be taking orders starting tonight.  Remember to call ahead and reserve your tamales or Lomo Mechado, we always sell out!

-Bricia, and Fernando Jr.

$150

Lomo Mechado – Roasted Pork Loin

Ensalada Navideña – Christmas fruit and veggie salad

Spaghetti Verde – Poblano pepper spaghetti

Pure de Papa Horneada – Roasted potato salad

Bolillos – Bread rolls

$125

Pierna Adobada – Rosted Pork Leg

Ensalada Navideña – Christmas fruit and veggie salad

Spaghetti Verde – Poblano pepper spaghetti

Pure de Papa Horneada – Roasted potato salad

Bolillos – Bread rolls

Tamales Oaxaqueños – $60 doz

Black mole and chicken breast tamales wrapped in a banana leaf

Tamales de Dulce - $22 doz

Sweet tamale, made with pineapple, raisins and prickly pear on a corn husk

We were lucky enough to contribute in one of our favorite blog magazines, Zocalo Public Square. Bricia wrote a small post on Thanksgiving and what it meant to her and our family as immigrants to the US.  Thank you Zocalo Public Square for this great opportunity!

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It’s 4 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon, and my brother, sister and I have gathered around the table to discuss serious business: this year’s Thanksgiving menu.

Last year our older sister thought it would be a good idea for her to take on the mashed potatoes. She brought home none of the proper ingredients and the results didn’t sit too well with anyone. She’s off that assignment.

We agree that the most important feature of Thanksgiving will be the tortas. These are dinner rolls stuffed with Mom’s beans, leftover stuffing, perfectly refried turkey, with a couple of jalapeño slices, topped off with a little bit of cranberry sauce.

And I’m proud to say I believe my father was the inventor of this torta.

We take Thanksgiving seriously in the Lopez household. I grew up in a small southern Mexican state called Oaxaca. My father migrated to Los Angeles in 1993, and, a year later, he thought it was time we joined him in his quest for the American dream. I was 10 years old…….

continue reading….

If any restaurant has earned the right to kick its shoes off and chill for a while, it is probably Guelaguetza, which introduced essential Oaxacan cooking to Los Angeles 20 years ago, and is the place where the governor of Oaxaca stops in for dinner when he passes through town. Today, the number of Oaxacan restaurants here trails only that of Mexico City and Oaxaca itself, and the power behind the boom undoubtedly has been Guelaguetza, now in a cavernous former banquet hall, complete with a mezcal bar and a stage for folklorico dances, that serves impeccable versions of Oaxaca’s dense, banana leaf–wrapped tamales, fluffy memelas and unstuffed enchiladas and enmoladas sprinkled with cheese.

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“This is no time for questions. But you need to cross the border. Quickly.
No, not to Mexico. To Koreatown.
That’s because there’s a new mezcal bar in town, and you’ll find it in a legendary Oaxacan restaurant on Olympic. Welcome to The Mezcaleria, a concrete shrine to tequila’s smokier cousin, soft-opening today inside Guelaguetza….”

Read a little more about it here