KOMAL
Mexican restaurant · South Los Angeles ·
Heirloom corn tortillas, street food & pre-Hispanic dishes
Heirloom corn tortillas, street food & pre-Hispanic dishes
"Opened after a year and a half of nixtamalizing corn in a backroom at Michelin-starred Holbox, this pocket-sized, tiled stall across South LA’s Mercado La Paloma channels chef Fátima Juárez’s memories of Mexico City and Oaxaca and pre-Hispanic cooking into a menu centered on Indigenous corn sourced directly from farmers in Mexico and nixtamalized on-site. Antojitos lead — golf ball-sized fried plantain molotes filled with cheese resting in mole; oval tlacoyos with a thick pocket of masa filled with ayocote beans, topped with cactus, queso fresco, and salsa verde — alongside the Taco Sonia, a deep purple-tinged tortilla stuffed with seared beef, homemade pork chorizo, and mashed potatoes or cactus. Quesadillas come blanketed in Oaxacan cheese with fillings like flor de calabaza, oyster mushrooms, mashed potatoes, or pork longganisa, and dessert brings a tender slice of pan de calabaza crowned with sour cream. In the bustling market hall, the corn hits the alkaline solution, hands press a tortillera, and her stories reach a city ready to listen." - Rebecca Roland
"A counter in the bustling Mercado La Paloma, this husband-and-wife project from chef Fátima Juárez and Conrado Rivera centers everything on heirloom corn nixtamalized on-site and turned into masa by hand, drawing on Indigenous Mexican cuisine and Juárez’s memories of Oaxaca and Mexico City. Cheese-laced quesadillas de huitlacoche and purple-tinged tortillas set the tone, while the plate-sized Taco Sonia — topped with seared beef, housemade pork chorizo, and mashed potatoes or cactus — nods to her favorite childhood taquero and, for first-timers, captures the restaurant’s nostalgia. Tlacoyos, made from a thick layer of purple-tinged masa formed into an oval pocket, come stuffed with ayocote beans and topped with cactus, queso fresco, and salsa verde. For molotes, fried plantain balls stuffed with queso Oaxaca sit in a silky, heavily spiced pool of Oaxacan-style mole — grab a side of tortillas to sop up the leftover sauce. Juárez’s family recipe shines in the pan de calabaza, a dense yet tender slice of slightly sweet squash bread finished with a dollop of sour cream. Best for a group lunch that lets you order widely while keeping spending in check (the most expensive dish is $12), with the food court setup making it easy to mix and match from neighboring stands." - Rebecca Roland
"In Los Angeles I tasted nicuatole at Komal — a pre‑Hispanic Oaxacan jelly made from corn, cinnamon, and water that sets from the corn’s natural starch; chef Fátima Juárez tops it with piped strawberry whipped cream and hibiscus, and she uses an heirloom Mexican corn called chalqueña cremoso to give the jelly a delicately milky flavor. Komal, one of Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants of 2025, is also exploring other corn desserts like chocolate tortillas, corn cookies, and conchas while emphasizing the unique flavor notes of heirloom varieties." - BySam Stone
"It’s always fantastic to find a chef who infuses their heritage and passion in one spot. That’s widely seen at Mercado La Paloma (including at the ever-popular Holbox ), as well as at Komal. Chef Fátima Juárez and her partner in life and business Conrado Rivera debuted their restaurant in fall 2024, where they developed a stunning menu centered around the pre-Hispanic dishes Juárez grew up eating in Mexico City and Oaxaca using Indigenous corn sourced directly from farmers in Mexico and nixtamalized on-site. Komal’s menu starts with antojitos like molotes de platano, masa filled with plantains and mole. The oval-shaped tlacoyos stuffed with ayocote beans and topped with cactus, queso fresco, and salsa verde are compact flavor bombs. For the quesadilla section, find four types including one with squash blossoms, and always end the meal with a slice of squash bread with sour cream. Grab a table with a group to try more of this special spread. Final note: don’t hesitate to order if the agua fresca of the day is the agua de nopal with cucumber, cactus, and lime." - Eater Staff
"At Komal’s counter inside Mercado La Paloma I watched Fátima Juárez nixtamalize and blend multiple masa varieties to create marbled tetelas and other masa-based wonders—she offers delicate, masa-forward dishes like ayocote-bean–filled sheaths that spotlight nuanced corn flavors and textures, elevating what might be a simple lunch into a revelatory lesson in corn." - ByThe Bon Appétit Staff