Chulita Rides the Modern Mexican Wave Into Venice

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.

• A Modern Mexican Restaurant Goes Into Venice’s Former Superba Snack Bar [ELA]

Chulita