Downtown Santa Monica welcomed a new dining experience last week as long LA-established and family run business Desvelados Mexican Cantina opened up its sixth outlet at 1416 4th Street. You may remember, this formally the site of Mercado, the slightly pricey but very popular Mexican-themed eatery.
Since opening in 2016, the local chain has become a staple in the Los Angeles dining scene, proving popular with locals because of the bold flavors and warm, energetic atmosphere. With locations in Maywood, West Covina, Whittier, Glendale, and Pasadena, the new Santa Monica venue promises to continue the tradition of delivering the same high-quality food and service.
It offers 52 covers on the ground floor, together with a handful of seats at the bar plus a mezzanine dining area that features 40 plus covers. The layout remains mostly the same with the notable exception that tables-for-two replace the school bench-style dining tables we saw when the site was Mercado.
"The idea of Santa Monica was always there, because Santa Monica is one of my favorite cities in the Los Angeles area," said owner Adolfo Valenzuela, adding, "It was always my dream to come to this city, but I had to start somewhere. So I started in small locations where the rent was not so expensive, but Santa Monica was always on my mind and today, we are here."
Unlike the other five locations, the Santa Monica site takes advantage of the fact that alcohol had previously been served here and as such, a full liquor bar is available, enhancing the Desvelados experience with a selection of Mexican spirits and cocktails to pair with their signature dishes. The menu features some house specialities, including the "No Seas Naca" Margarita (agave wine with ice, margarita on the rox mix and a choice of flavor, mango, chamoy, tajin) and the La Sancha (agua de pepino mixed with agave wine, squeezed citrus with chamoy, tajin rim and a tarugo stick).
Valenzuela said he was originally looking at locations closer to the beach, but couldn’t find one that he liked. However, when he was shown this site, he thought it was "kinda cozy" and of course, because it had already been zoned as a restaurant, he was extremely fortunate.
"We came in and we remodeled everything. I threw away the whole restaurant and put in a new one in just one month, because I got the keys for this restaurant one month ago, and we did everything from floors to walls to decoration everything," Valenzuela said.
The opening event was quite the full-on affair, with a seven-member Mariachi band playing traditional live music as invited guests shuffled inside to take a seat and try some of the food and drinks on offer. Over 40 different tacos are on offer, including some that are unique to the Santa Monica outlet. The full menu can be found at tacoslosdesvelados.com/menu
The immediate area surrounding the Santa Monica Blvd and 4th Street intersection is a problematic part of town where homeless people often sleep, urinate, defecate and vandalize local businesses. However, Valenzuela remains optimistic and undeterred.
"I understand the city has a lot of problems with homelessness and crime, but in my opinion we are the ones who are going to bring happiness and good vibes," he said. "Our concept is very different, I don't think Santa Monica has anything like this … I opened in East LA in areas that you wouldn't say is the nicest [and] there was a time in Maywood when every week they used to break our windows … but now we're part of the community. They don't do it anymore. People embrace the restaurant, embrace the family and that's how we’ve survived so far."
scott.snowden@smdp.com
