Silver Lake Mainstay Casita del Campo Celebrates 60 Year Anniversary With Margaritas

Silver Lake’s treasured Casita Del Campo has hit the 60-year mark. The iconic Mexican restaurant known for its pink decor, stiff drinks, and long LGBTQ history will be celebrating with an all-out party on Sunday, May 15. Expect a special anniversary menu for both lunch and dinner.

Meanwhile, West Third Street staple El Carmen (which has been serving up tacos and cocktails since 1997) is nodding to 25 years this week. To celebrate the ongoing greatness of one of LA’s best casual Mexican bar and restaurants, the Sean MacPherson-owned hotspot is doing two different nights of partying, starting with Cinco de Mayo on Thursday. Expect $10 house margaritas and beer and shot combos that day, followed on Friday by the arrival of Mariachi Amigos de Los Angeles. The party will run until 2 a.m. both nights.

In other Cinco de Mayo news, there’s a Family Style-hosted party happening on Thursday at the Hollywood Roosevelt featuring Topo Chico hard seltzers and food from El Ruso.

Over at 9433 Brighton Way in Beverly Hills, the Croft Alley team is running a free taco and Happy Hour drinks party on Thursday as well, starting at 4 p.m.

Drinking for a cause

Author Natasha David is celebrating the release of new book Drink Lightly at Death & Co. in the Arts District on Tuesday, May 10 in the bar’s Standing Room area. Tickets ($25) come with a copy of the book as well as cocktails and food, and 100 percent of proceeds go to support the non-profit Another Round Another Rally, which gives direct financial support to hospitality workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Chinatown loss

Chef “Lupe” Yening Liang of Chinatown’s Hop Woo has died, reports L.A. Taco, which profiled the chef back in 2019. The Los Angeles Times has its own tribute out on Liang, along with a comprehensive retelling of the chef’s very personal backstory. The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help offset the cost of Liang’s funeral. He will be missed.

Some shiny newcomers arrive

Down in Orange County, caviar specialist Petrossian has opened at South Coast Plaza, keeping lunch only hours from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday, for now. The French-influenced menu can be found inside the Tiffany & Co. store there, meaning collaboration cocktails, dishes, and one very elegant dining room.

And in Downtown, a new tenant has emerged for the former Cafe Pinot space, which closed after a quarter-century as a stalwart of the LA finer dining scene. The new tenant for the former Patina-owned space is none other than Global Dining Inc. (La Boheme, 1212 Santa Monica), which plans to overhaul the airy restaurant space and its 250 seats (200 of which are outside), located directly in front of the Los Angeles Central Library at Maguire Gardens. Real estate firm Silverstein Properties was behind the new tenant acquisition.

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