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Hamachi ceviche with radish, Asian pear, grape, fermented habanero at Chulita Venice
Hamachi ceviche with radish, Asian pear, grape, fermented habanero
Wonho Frank Lee

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Chulita Rides the Modern Mexican Wave Into Venice

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

Matthew Kang is the Lead Editor of Eater LA. He has covered dining, restaurants, food culture, and nightlife in Los Angeles since 2008. He's the host of K-Town, a YouTube series covering Korean food in America, and has been featured in Netflix's Street Food show.

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
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