Downtown Alameda Pop-Up La Huerta Serves Homestyle Birria and Mexican Food At German Restaurant Speisekammer | Eater SF

"Starting as a home pop-up in summer 2020, La Huerta—Spanish for “garden”—is a Mexican/Mexican‑American project by partners Felipe de la Rosa and Erin Ardito that grew from serving birria to friends and neighbors into a regularly scheduled Alameda pop-up. De la Rosa, who grew up in Zacoalco de Torres, Jalisco, draws on family techniques (having helped make birria for hundreds) to offer quesobirria tacos with consommé and larger plates with rice and beans, and the rotating menu experiments with birria ramen, American‑style crunchy tacos, costillas, pollo en mole, chile relleno, posole, ceviche tostadas and fillings from chorizo con papas to al pastor shaved off the trompo and freshly fried fish. Staples include refried beans spiked with bacon, always‑fluffy rice, house‑made totopos and guacamole, and scratch‑made churros. Seasons drive the specials, and nearly everything is made in‑house—from toasting and grinding spices for mole to roasting carrots and jalapeños for escabeche—reflecting the duo’s insistence on detail and authenticity. After outgrowing their home kitchen (and building a small commercial room), they moved service to Speisekammer on select Mondays and Tuesdays; community support—especially an Alameda Facebook group—helped fuel growth, and La Huerta donates portions of profits to legal aid for immigrants and runs holiday toy drives. They take preorders online and serve indoor/outdoor dining and takeout every other Monday and Tuesday from 3–8 p.m., and they plan to keep the business in Alameda and expand into a small dedicated space while continuing community events and garden dinners." - Meleyna Nomura