Yuca Take Me Here Again

For those of you who know me and/or have read this blog before know that I love a hidden gem or diamond in the ruff, or a great place to eat that is relatively undiscovered. While this restaurant doesn't completely fit the bill being that it's been in business for 5 years, it did just open a new restaurant this year that's a little more "formal dining" than its flagship restaurant.

Enter: Chichen Itza. Now, for those of you who live West of La Brea, please don't fear when I tell you that this place is located in South East Los Angeles. While you might not want to take a stroll in the hood after dinner, the restaurant itself is incredibly clean (I mean you can practically smell the new paint!) and the food is worth the trip East.

Your meal will begin with no ordinary basket of chips. Chichen Itza serves its freshly-made tortilla chips topped with black beans and salsa fresca. What a creative and lovely start to the meal, and certainly sets the tone for the rest of the dinner.


As a first timer to this restaurant, I ordered the Antojito Sampler, a selection of 4 different Appetizers. The first thing I tried was the Salbut, a soft corn tortilla topped with lettuce, shredded turkey, pickled red onions, tomato and slice of avocado. Upon first bite, I was immediately surprised by how light this dish was. The turkey was definitely well seasoned, but didn't have a heavy feeling. The flavors were strong, but not overwhelming. The same went for the similarly concocted Panucho, differing from the Salbut by a black bean puree and a crispy tortilla rather than a soft one. Just as yummy! The other items on the plate were two Codzitos (chicken taquitos) which were okay, not amazing, and the most interesting and flavorful Kibi I've ever had. Okay, I've never had Kibi before, but it was still delicious. Kibi are ground beef and cracked wheat patties seasoned with mint and other spices and lightly fried. The flavor is unlike anything I've ever had. Truly fantastic.


For the main course, I tried two different dishes, both equally superb. The first dish was the Chochinita Pibil, which consisted of moist and tender shredded pork, marinated in an achiote and sour orange juice. The pork is cooked in banana leaves, giving it that fall-apart-in-your-mouth effect that I am oh, so fond of. The dish is served with black beans, rice, and corn tortillas in an authentic tortilla warmer, lined with a handstitched cloth napkin. Yes, I'm Jewish. Yes, I just ate pork. But it was really, really good! Isn't there something in the Commandments about "thou shalt make all gone" and "if the pork is good, eat it"? I sware I read that somewhere...


The other dish I tested was the Papadzul, which sounded so different I just had to try it out (and I'm glad I did). Corn tortillas are dipped in ground roasted pumpkin seed sauce, and filled with hard boiled egg, topped with pumpkin seeds and light tomato sauce. Again, this dish was incredibly light although the look of the sauce is deceiving. The eggs are cooked perfectly, and the infusion of pumpkin is mouthwatering.


The food aside, the service and presentation was on-point. With our check, we received a hand written thank you note from our server (on stationary), that let us know that on our next visit, we would receive a free appetizer. Couldn't have asked for a better introduction to Yucatan cuisine.


Chichen Itza
2501 West 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(213) 380-0051
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