By: Jose R. Castel
With Cinco De Mayo just around the corner, there are hundreds of Mexican restaurants one can patronize to celebrate this year in LA, but few stand the test of time or offer a truly memorable dining experience. There are renowned, long-standing eateries, such as El Coyote on Beverly Blvd, and El Cholo on Western, founded in 1923. However, there are two legendary restaurants in LA that has ties to old Hollywood and offer a twist of ambiance on the traditional Latin décor and patronage.
Casita Del Campo –
Casita Del Campo in Silver Lake still makes the dinning grade, decades after opening its doors in 1962. Founder, Rudy Del Campo played one of the Puerto Rican dancing gang members in the 1961, Oscar-winning musical, West Side Story. Rudy’s real claim to fame, however, is his iconic eatery that’s been serving the LGBTQ community since the early 1960s. According to Casita’s website, Rudy opened up the restaurant so his gay friends in the film industry could hang out and be themselves in a safe environment at a time when gays and lesbians could not be open in public.
I haven’t visited the restaurant in years, but Adelante had a chance to catch the latest cabaret performance of Chico’s Angels in the restaurant’s Cavern Club, cleverly located in the basement. The infamous drag trio never fail to provide entertaining slapstick humor, especially after a few margaritas. The owners also put in a beautiful patio that’s almost as large as the restaurant, cutting down on the parking lot, so get their early. In an era where things change at the speed of Instagram, it’s refreshing to see some things stay the same. I don’t think the main dining room’s tropical décor has changed since 1990, when I first moved to Silver Lake, and dated Casita’s bartender. The bartender’s gone, but the tiffany lampshades are still there.
Casablanca –
Another iconic Mexican restaurant that’s not as legendary as Casita, but goes back to the early 1980’s is Casablanca in Venice. Casablanca has a charming ambiance that embraces the Warner Brothers’ 1942 movie, Casablanca, staring Humphry Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Carlos Haro Sr. owned several restaurants in California, including La Cabana, across the street, so he originally decided to serve international cuisine at Casablanca where like in the movie all nationalities gathered at Rick’s Café. According to Carlos Haro Jr., his father owned a movie theatre back in Mexico and wanted a restaurant that would reflect the kinds of movies he screened from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Carlos’ father also wanted to make Casablanca stand out from his café across the street, but customers associated Casablanca with Latin food, so the continental menu was replaced with Mexican cuisine. The famed movie décor, however, remained.
Not to be confused with the restaurant chain, Casa Blanca, Haro’s restaurant is one of a kind in its homage to the characters of the film noir classic that tells the story of an American expatriate (Bogart) who runs a popular nightclub in Morocco, where refugees from all over the world gather while waiting to immigrate to America. The film is one of my all-time favorites and the plot has it all: murder, intrigue, romance, betrayal, and bumbling Nazis.
Not only do vintage posters and painted murals of the timeless movie grace the walls of this prominent restaurant, Haro actually has acquired artifacts from the Oscar-winning picture, such as a Moroccan table lamp with a beaded lampshade, and an authentic autographed script of the movie from the writers who wrote the screenplay. It’s like stepping into a Warner Brothers’ museum. However, if customers are unfamiliar with the film, there are other delectable amenities that await them for their dinning pleasure. The menu is known for its calamari steak, which is a favorite among customers and a tequila cart comes right to your table with a mixologist to make the margaritas your way. “If it’s not to your perfection, then the bartender will make it right,” said Haro. The restaurant is also known for its gigantic homemade flour tortillas, and special green salsa made with avocado, cilantro and cheese.
Even though Casablanca caters to tourists who come from all over the world to visit Venice Beach, Haro’s eatery also has a regular clientele that comes for the friendship, food, ambiance, and entertainment of singers and musicians.
The Venice hot spot has become so popular, a customer recently produced a 40-minute documentary on Haro and his landmark restaurant.
One More Round, directed by José Luis Garza tells the heartwarming story of the current owner and the legacy of his father, the visionary founder who laid the foundation for a dream that transcended borders. The premiere was held in Beverly Hills at the Fine Arts Theatre, March 29. Haro catered the event for friends, family and customers. One More Round, can be seen on Youtube.