BY GABE HERMAN | Lupe’s East L.A. Kitchen has been a Soho staple for Mexican food for more than 20 years, and offers a great alternative to fast-food places in the area like Chipotle and Dos Toros Taqueria.
At the corner of Sixth Ave. and Watts St., Lupe’s is small but has a festive and casual atmosphere that makes it feel more like a diner than a restaurant, and it also offers outdoor seating.
The menu is comprehensive and affordable, with dishes ranging from around $10 to $15 and a full range of vegetarian, meat and seafood options.
Among the most popular dishes are the chicken burrito, which comes with chili sauce, rice and salad; pollo norteno, with marinated chicken breast pieces grilled with onions, tomatoes and green chilis; a super vegetarian burrito, and a super quesadilla. And there’s chiles relleno, a vegetarian dish featuring fresh poblano chiles filled with a blend of cheeses, battered and fried.
Portions are generous, including sides like chips and salsa, which are just $2. Egg dishes are served all day, including huevos rancheros, a scrambled egg burrito, and many types of omelets. And there are breakfast and lunch specials, along with a brunch menu on weekends that includes banana pancakes and pancakes de maiz.
A recent Yelp reviewer gave Lupe’s five stars out of five, writing, “If you were to throw a dive bar and a Mexican restaurant into a blender and then pour it into a glass with a tequila floater you’d have Lupe’s. This was such a fun place to have dinner with a staff that was having as good of a time as the patrons.”
Lupe’s is open daily, from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday, and until midnight on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. More information, including a full menu, can be found at lupeskitchen.com.
