Steph C.
Yelp
My friend Kim S. just sold her first book, and to celebrate, we met up at the Tu Madre in Los Feliz to eat, drink, and trade Pokémon with our kids off to bed. I used to live right off Hillhurst and have been to the Tu Madre on Larchmont a few times, but this spot was new to me. What a lovely, relaxing restaurant.
The space is fantastic, a charming craftsman bungalow with most of the tables set up on the yard and patio. We got patio seats on a November evening and I kept my coat on but was never cold. The restaurant was pretty calm at 8:30 on a Monday, and service was friendly and fast. We were mostly left alone, but always got help when we needed it.
The drinks were excellent. I started with a Casa Margarita with Union mezcal, Cointreau, lime, and agave nectar (you can also get this with tequila). Then I got a Smudge the Prick, which was worth the ridiculousness of saying those words out loud. This was an excellent cocktail made with El Tesoro blanco tequila, Giffard Piment D' Espelette, housemade prickly pear sage nectar, lime, piña bitters, and lime salt.
The food was delicious, actually better than I remembered from the Larchmont location. The complimentary chips were fresh and crunchy, served with an addictive salsa, and I liked all three tacos I ordered. I enjoy a fusion taco, and was happy with the chicken banh mi taco with Asian grilled chicken, crispy kale, pickled carrot, crispy onion, and house ponzu. Likewise the KBBQ taco with 36-hour Asian marinade steak, kimchi, and avocado tomatillo salsa. (I assume "Asian" in both cases means some combination of soy sauce and sugar.) The grilled shrimp taco was another winner, with Tajin blackened shrimp, poblano ranch slaw, avocado, and lime zest.
We had a great time at Tu Madre, sitting and talking until we closed the place out. I'm sure I'll be back before long. Easy, low-key, with good booze and a patio--it's the kind of restaurant that invites frequent visits.