clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Hamachi ceviche with radish, Asian pear, grape, fermented habanero at Chulita Venice
Hamachi ceviche with radish, Asian pear, grape, fermented habanero
Wonho Frank Lee

Filed under:

Chulita Rides the Modern Mexican Wave Into Venice

The former Superba Snack Bar looks familiar, but a lot more colorful

Chulita, a modern Mexican restaurant from owner Shireen Imani, opens tomorrow evening in the former Superba Snack Bar space on Rose Avenue, a building that had sat unused for a few years. The incoming eatery has Alex Silva and Vanessa Salas running the menu after the couple did some Feastly dinners serving Mexican brunches stuffed with mushroom chorizo tostadas and barbacoa chilaquiles.

Overall Chulita’s menu goes for a Mexico City-style botanas y mezcales, or drinking food with spirits, in a sunny Tulum-esque ambience. The floorplan and even a lot of the seating looks like an updated Superba dining room, though with a bit more ceiling, greenery, and color. Those backless bar seats and lower-level stumps could end up being a tad uncomfortable, though.

Quesadilla de calabaza takes squash blossom and quesillo with a pumpkin seed dukkah and winter squash while pescado zarandeado uses black cod (instead of classic snook) with guajillo chiles, nixtamalized celeriac, and rainbow chard for a new school take on the classic Sinaloan grilled fish. More familiar plates include a grilled skirt steak with refried sunshoke and black garlic salsa, and a complement of tacos on blue corn tortillas.

Meredith Hayman compiles the mostly tequila and mezcal-oriented cocktail menu after working at Michael’s and Bestia. Currently Chulita will serve in the evenings only until they’re comfortable enough expanding to daytime hours.

Chulita. 533 Rose Ave., Los Angeles, CA.

Chulita Venice
Chulita Venice
Chulita Venice
Chulita Venice
Chulita Venice
Chulita Venice
Chulita Venice
Chulita Venice
Chulita Venice
Coliflor fundido with cauliflower, queso oaxaca, and shishito peppers
Coliflor fundido with cauliflower, queso oaxaca, and shishito peppers
Hamachi ceviche with blue corn tortadas
Hamachi ceviche with blue corn tortadas
A beige ceramic dish holding three blue-corn tortilla tacos.
Tacos at Chulita
Chulita
Grilled skirt steak with refried sunchoke, quelites, and black garlic salsa
Grilled skirt steak with refried sunchoke, quelites, and black garlic salsa
LA Restaurant News

LA Comfort Food Spot Porridge + Puffs Has Reopened After Three Years

Something for the Weekend

4 Restaurants to Try This Weekend in Los Angeles

AM Intel

These New Power Lunch Spots Prove that LA Deal-Making Is Back in a Big Way

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Eater Los Angeles newsletter

The freshest news from the local food world