A Grand Mexican Seafood Spot Rises on La Brea

Farley Elliott is the Senior Editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History From Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. He covers restaurants in every form, from breaking news to the culture, people, and history that surrounds LA's dining landscape.

Here comes the brand new Pata Salada, taking over where Luna Park left off on the corner of La Brea and Wilshire. The upcoming Mexican seafood specialist shores up the neighborhood tomorrow.

Take a look around Pata Salada, and you’ll find a room redolent of the Luna Park era — and that’s largely by design. Longtime owners AJ Gilbert and Martha Madison are back on board the property just like the old days, and now they’ve tweaked the bare elements to bring a brighter, more carefree vibe to the place.

Gone are the heavy chandeliers and all those drapes. In their place comes an elevated and airy dining space with Spanish tiled flooring and loads more wood, with a patio out front for those cooler nights along the boulevard.

For the menu, expect a variety of Mexican seafood favorites under chef Joe Jack. There are oysters of course, plus aguachiles, cocteles, and ceviches galore. On the cooked side of things expect the usual octopus, grilled shrimp, and steamed mussels, plus bigger portions like a whole grilled main lobster, some pork shank carnitas, and a chicken pibil. There’s also a full bar program, full of higher-end tequilas and mezcals. The full menu is below.

Pata Salada opens for dinner tomorrow at 5 p.m., keeping hours thereafter from noon to 3 p.m. during weekday lunch, and dinner most nights from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. On Friday and Saturday night, that jumps to 11:30 p.m.

Pata Salada
672 S. La Brea
Los Angeles, CA