Guelaguetza Restaurant — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Read the article in the L.A. Times that awarded Guelaguetza the 2021 Gold award and I just had to see what all the fuss is about. It's now one of my favorite mexican restaurants ever, and certainly the best Oaxacan restaurant in L.A.

First off, you WILL get addicted to the complimentary tortillas chips with red mole and sprinkled queso fresco. It was a supremely simple dish, but what a great way to be welcomed to their moles! It also allows you to try one of their other moles for your entree if you want a broader sampling of flavors. I'd swear the red mole, with it's pronounced but not overpowering sweetness, could almost pass for a japanese curry, minus the curry spice, of course.

As an appetizer, the quesillo fundido, a gooey blend of melted Oaxaca cheese, chorizo and mushrooms, was delicious wrapped inside a warm "Kernel of Truth" brand organic corn tortilla (hands down the best corn tortillas made in L.A.). Meanwhile the chalupas--crispy tortillas with a chewy center, topped with veggies doused in a guajillo and garlic sauce--were a great, flavorful option, especially those looking for something vegetarian. Both appetizers could actually qualify as entrees too, so don't order with your eyes.

The black mole chicken breast with rice was flavorful. The mole carries everything here, as the chicken breast is boiled but otherwise unadorned except for the mole sauce. But the mole is some of the best I've had: earthy chocolate, smoky chili pepper, sweet yet also savory. Quite complex! It was a treat, and so good that I saved some of the mole to top my eggs for breakfast the next morning.

The tamale with rajas (chili pepper and chicken) was excellent as well, and I regret that I didn't order another one to go. The masa was soft, not doughy, and full of flavor, thanks to the spicy but not overwhelming filling. it's also 50% larger than the typical tamale you can find from a street vendor in L.A., and worth every penny.

The jamaica (hibiscus tea) was exceptional, with the look of red wine and a that mix of slight hibiscus tanginess and cinnamon/sugar sweetness that you expect. On the boozy side, the blended mango margarita was potent, the smokiness of the tequila is definitely the top note, with a little bit of mango in the bottom to remind you that it's not all alcohol.

The only issues we had were with service. Everyone on staff seems to have a walkie-talkie, but they seem a bit overstretched, possibly due to their popularity. Make a reservation if you have the time. If not, use the Resy app and be within 3 miles of the restaurant to have a chance of snagging a table in a reasonable amount of time (within 15-20 minutes). Otherwise, we couldn't complain about the food. It's definitely worth it to visit Guelaguetza at least once if you're a fan of Mexican food, and essential if you want to sample the best of what Oaxacan cuisine can offer without booking a...

It's very tough to find parking in that area. I recommend using their valet service, it was only 7 dollars and it's right next door to the restaurant. Besides, who wants to spend most of their time looking for a spot that could be blocks away, and then having to return after having a full meal?

The food is delicious. When you first sit down, they serve a bowl of chips with mole sauce drizzled over. A very friendly waiter took it upon himself to bring us water from the get go, which I personally found thoughtful.

My wife decided to order their horchata as a drink. You could tell from the taste that it was made in house. The drink had an authentic taste to the water made from rice. Needless to say, she enjoyed it.

I opted for the Beginners Mezcal Sampler. It comes with 3 well poured shots of mezcal (tequila); one Blanco, one reposado, and one añejo. You can choose between 7 Leguas or 3 Generaciones.

A Memela Sampler is what we chose as an appetizer. They are similar to tacos, but the Memela (tortilla) is on the thicker, softer side. This sample comes with 5 different toppings. All of which were delicious.

This place is known for their moles, hence the reason why my wife decided to order their Enmoladas. These are very good and on the sweet side of the spectrum, but they paired well with the chicken that was stuffed inside of the tortillas. This is a highly recommended dish from many who go there.

I decided to order something I didn't know existed but it seemed very familiar to a well known dish: A Tlayuda. It's basically a huge, round, crunchy tortilla with beans and chicharrón spread on it. They topped it with Oaxacan cheese, chorizo, a thin slice of beef and a marinated slice of beef. I think they cut it for you but I tore mine in pieces. I'm sorry to say I wasn't able to finish it, but it was very good. Our table was right next to the stove they use to cook the tlayuda, so it was interesting to see the process they use to make it.

With no room for dessert, we paid out check and took the short walk to the parking lot and had our vehicle within a couple minutes.

I'm told that if you want a specific area, you need to reserve through their website. My wife and I were walk-ins and we did not have any wait time. We got to the restaurant around 5 on a Saturday afternoon. Wait times will probably vary but we had no problem getting a table as soon as we walked in.

Thanks for reading, I hope this persuades you to give this...

Guelaguetza opened in 1994 by immigrant husband and wife Fernando Lopez and Maria Monterrubio. They serve Oaxacan food. They also have a small store and they have an online store as well.

Parking is in their lot for a fee. We found a place on the street, just mind the signs.

The place is huge with lots of seating and on some nights they have music. I would sit far from the stage because the music is loud. It is nice though. The seating is not at all comfortable. I don't like spending a ton of money to sit in what looks like outdoor chairs. They do have an outside area which looks very nice.

The service is quite good. They are able to help with the menu and your food comes out pretty fast.

They are over priced for what you get and as to what we had it was not great. It was average to bad.

We had guacamole which was an absurd price for the small plate and it had salad in it. It was not great, but it was fine.

We also order chicken enchiladas and it was served with so much mole sauce that you had to be careful or you would be wearing it. The mole sauce is quite good. Now, you might not believe this, but they forgot to put anything at all in the not hand made flour tortillas. They were wrapped and looked so pretty, but did not have one thing in them. It is good I looked and tried to cut them for my delayed grandson or he would have eaten them because he does not like any stress at all. I mean they were empty. I send them back, no apology. They came back and had the chicken and cheese, but they forgot to put cheese in the tortillas. There was just a tiny amount as a garnish on top. I paid extra for the cheese. My grandson wanted no more stress so he began to eat them as they were until I asked him if he even liked them. He hated them. We took him somewhere else after dinner. And we paid a lot of money for food that was not eaten. My husband tried it and said it was bad. So that was that.

My husband had carnitas, but they forgot the rice, which again we paid extra for. He said the meat was good, not great.

I had the Quesadillas Fritas which were fine.

We will never be back. We spent close to 150$ and had to go...