Tenampal — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Walked in here around closing time on NYE. I ordered the Chilaquiles Rojos and my partner ordered the Huarache Azul with Suadero meat. We shared a Cafe De Olla. I saw that my order was generously portioned and looked amazing on the plate. On the first couple bites I noticed the chilaquiles were crispy, had the right amount of sauce and the traditional flavors were properly layered and very much present! The sauce was tasty, and was mild in kick. The huevo estrellado was perfectly cooked and had the perfect amount of runny yolk. It came with a spicy green habanero salsa and a red to give a little more heat. Solid 10/10. My partner's huarache came in and had me rethinking my choice! It looked amazing and the maize used to make the huarache (and my chilaquiles) was definitely prepped and made in house. The toppings and suadero all fit together so perfectly. It was the tastiest suadero I have had in LA. She rates it as the best huarache she has had on this side of border! The Cafe De Olla is definitely the best and most authentic I have had. I can't say enough about it except do yourself a favor and order yourself some no matter the occasion.

I spent a solid 30 minutes speaking to the chef. Dude is super passionate about what he does and insistent on making everything in house, which is evident in his plates. You just don't find this anymore, everyone cuts corners in the name of time or money but not this place. You'd be hard pressed to find a place like this in LA that isn't charging $50 a plate, but luckily BH has it's very own home grown restaurant owner, serving his food at prices that WE can afford. This place deserves MUCH more recognition. I can't wait to go back and try...

Honestly, the best Mexican I have ever had (and my mom is an excellent cook).

My friend and I were there for dinner before we went to the opera mid-February. Leo took care of us and fed us well. Everything was delicious. We even had a bit of time with Leo and he told us about his cooking experience and how he ended up opening his own place with his family. He shared how he came to better his recipes. He’s very humble and yet so driven by his ambition of bettering his craft. He has our respect. If you are wondering if you should go and give it a try, hesitate no more.

We had the chicken mole enchiladas that were served with crunchy potatoes and beans. Foodie tip: dip the crunchy potatoes in that made from scratch mole 😭😭😭 so amazing! My friend had the veggie huarache, which Leo prepared for her dietary preferences. She loved it. Also, we pre-gamed our dinner with an order of cauliflower potato tacos. They were so good! Everything that was served looked so pretty and tantalizing. Also, I had the flan with the spice toasted pecans and cream. I was in heaven. I so want Tenampal to get recognized but I don’t want it to be so full I have to wait in line to eat 🤣🤣😂😂. Anyway, this restaurant deserves to be known and appreciated. Hope you enjoyed my review and have convinced you to give it a try. You’re missing out if you don’t. And Leo, thank you. We enjoyed your food and the conversation 😃 We’re looking forward to our next visit with you to eat more of your scrumptious food and to chat some more about your experiences...

I hate leaving bad reviews but the food we had seems to cater to the white people who gentrified Boyle Heights.

I grew up eating Mexican food from restaurants all over east los, along with homemade meals from Mom and abuelita from Mexico.

For starters we ordered the papas and pesto. It was ok. The potatoes were crispy and fresh, but personally I wouldn't rave about them.

For a Mexican restaurant I'm surprised they didn't basic food items like rice, onions, serranos, tomatoes...even just regular water...etc

The price of the food wouldn't have matter, had the food we ate had sazon.

I noticed a lot of the positive reviews talk about the mole, which they ran out of. So I'm assuming that's what they're known for...?!

We order chilaquiles (salsa verde) no cheese or cream. I order this at every Mexican restaurant I grew up going to bc I'm lactose intolerant.

Their salsa verde tasted way too acidic and lacked flavor. They refried some tortillas chips, two sunny side up eggs (ok), then topped it with pine nuts...? Never had I had chilaquiles with pine nuts.

I left feeling very confused, extremely unsatisfied, and upset bc it felt like I wasted my money.

The only positive thing I can write about was the service. The guy waiting on us was super friendly...