Michelin, the restaurant guide that doles out stars each year to arguably the world’s best restaurants, added five new additions to its recommendations today, May 7, including one in Orange County.
Lola Gaspar, a Mexico City-inspired gastrobar in Santa Ana led by chef Luis Perez, nabbed a coveted spot on Michelin Guide’s midseason “new discoveries” list.
Michelin inspectors, an anonymous body of diners who deem whether or not a restaurant merits inclusion in the guide, wrote of Lola Gaspar: “This gastropub in downtown Santa Ana isn’t new but a post-pandemic reset and a trip to Mexico changed Chef Luis Pérez’s mindset — and menu. It’s all about quality over quantity here, so expect a tightly edited menu featuring tacos, quekas, and churros, but it’s all very good. Happy hour discounts make sampling it all a tempting proposition. Tacos are made with handmade flour tortillas topped with a grilled tomato and dried chili salsa and filled with everything from sauteed shrimp to pork shank carnitas and suadero. Quekas feature hand-pressed masa and are served with a habanero salsa. While the vegan mushroom queka is worth ordering by itself with nicely sauteed mushrooms, confit potatoes, and guacamole, you can also opt to add cheese for a wonderful addition.”
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Although its menu changes regularly, Orange County Register food critic Brad A. Johnson described the 15-year-old spot as “a culinary awakening” in 2020, giving high marks for Pérez’s mesquite-grilled chicken, green corn bread (avocado giving it its green hue) and “a deliriously thick quesadilla made with a hand-made tortilla, chihuahua cheese and tender, juicy lamb barbacoa.”
The hand-mixed micheladas and artisanal cocktails are also not to be missed, according to Johnson.
Four other Southern California eateries made the “new discoveries” list, including Cedro Italian Restaurant in Newbury Park, Elf Cafe and Lustig in Los Angeles, and Manohar’s Delhi Palace in La Puente. Today’s announced restaurants could earn Bib Gourmand or star awards at California’s Michelin Guide ceremony later in 2024.
