Guelaguetza Restaurant
Mexican restaurant · Harvard Heights ·
Oaxacan cuisine, complex moles, extensive mezcal program, and live music
.jpg "Guelaguetza Restaurant by Courtesy Guelaguetza")
![Guelaguetza Restaurant by Guelaguetza Restaurante [Official Photo]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63090249/Screen_Shot_2019_02_21_at_10.18.35_AM.0.png "Guelaguetza Restaurant by Guelaguetza Restaurante [Official Photo]")
Oaxacan cuisine, complex moles, extensive mezcal program, and live music
"The iconic Oaxacan restaurant in Koreatown will serve to-go meals for two — the $125 Oaxacan Thanksgiving Box — that include two barbacoa turkey legs, spaghetti verde, isthmus-style baked potato puree, velvety black bean puree, mole negro, and flan de calabaza, as well as homemade bread. Consider it a cool, understated way to fete the holiday." - Eater Staff
"Its impossible to talk about Oaxacan food without bringing up Bricia Lopez’s temple of mole, Guelaguetza. Commanding a corner on Olympic Boulevard with its recognizable orange building and neon sign, Guelaguetza’s dining room is constantly bustling as diners dig into fresh guacamole, Oaxacan-cheese stuffed chile rellenos, and tlayudas topped with pork chorizo. An entire section of the menu is dedicated to mole, Lopez’s specialty. First-timers should start with the mole negro made with chilhuacle negro, ancho chiles, almonds, peanuts, and sesame seeds, for a rich, and almost sweet, flavor. Other options include mole rojo, mole verde, and mole amarillo. On busy nights, the room can get a bit loud, but it is an ideal destination for group dinners." - Rebecca Roland
"You can't bring up Oaxacan food in LA without talking about Guelaguetza, and for good reason—this Koreatown spot deserves credit for bringing top-tier mole to the masses (their website is literally ilovemole.com). But mole aside, Guelaguetza is where you go to eat tamales in banana leaves, black bean enfrijoladas, and crispy tlayudas with tasajo and spicy chorizo. Dinner here is always an event: there’s a gift shop selling merch, an open kitchen where you can take photos of sizzling meats, and a live band playing Latin jazz. Guelaguetza works for large group dinners, blowout birthdays, or any time you're in the mood for a mezcal flight. Quesillo fundido, tamal de mole, tlayuda Guelaguetza" - brant cox, cathy park, garrett snyder, sylvio martins
"A family-run, James Beard America’s Classics Award-winning Koreatown restaurant founded by Oaxacan immigrants who began by selling tlayudas, cheese, mole, mezcal and other staples door-to-door. Its origin story—selling goods from the trunk of a car and later filling backpacks with regional ingredients when traveling—shaped a menu and identity rooted in Oaxacan tradition; the next generation now runs the operation and continues to serve community staples like tlayudas, Oaxacan cheese, mole, bread and chile de agua." - Cynthia Rebolledo
"Known for Oaxacan moles and tlayudas, favored by Julia Hess." - Eater Staff