Many Americans don’t associate Mexican cuisine as haute cuisine, but in fact, two restaurants in Mexico City were listed in “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” in 2018. One chef located in Mexico City, Alex Carrasco, relocated to Los Angeles to further his career. In August last year, Carrasco opened Bee Taqueria in LA’s West Adams neighborhood.
Since that time, his career has blossomed. He’s worked in the kitchen at some notable restaurants such as Viceroy, Joe’s Restaurant, Paiche, Mo-chica, Red Medicine, and Mozza. He took over the spot where J “N” J Burger and BBQ resided and painted the exterior in bright yellow with beautiful murals. Carrasco caught the attention of LA foodies with LA’s first taco omakase menu.
In 2021, the Michelin Guide designated Bee Taqueria with Bib Gourmand distinction. This signifies a restaurant delivering a high-quality dining experience at a reasonable price and gives the Bee Taqueria international recognition.
Ceviche Frito ($12) (fried ceviche) is a dish that originated in Peru. Fresh sea bass is sliced into cubes, tossed in flour and fried. It is served with sweet potatoes, cancha (toasted Peruvian corn), and slivered red onions in a bed of leche de tigre which added a lot of citrus flavor.
The Quesillo Sandwich ($7.50), is a Mexican torta pressed like a Cubano. Black beans are spread on both sides of the bread and it is filled with avocados, sliced onions, shredded cabbage, and queso fresco. Lime aioli gives the sandwich a nice boost.
Of the three tacos I ordered, I enjoyed the vegetarian Tinga Betabel ($5) (beets) the most. It includes roasted beets, tomatoes, avocado, queso fresco, and chile morita. The chile morita salsa gave this taco a slight amount of heat and a nice smoky flavor.
Many of Bee Taqueria’s customers express that the Media Luna is their favorite. The flour tortilla is fried and stuffed with shrimp, scallops, chile morita aioli and served with a shrimp consomme to use as a dipping sauce.
Delicious blue corn tortilla surrounds the Chichinto, a taco made with slow braised pork, onions, cilantro, jalapenos and serrano sauce. Given the pliable texture of the tortilla, I have to assume that it is freshly made from a local vendor.
Bee Taqueria is located on West Adams just east of Fairfax Ave. They have a shared parking lot next to the restaurant on Adams. While I ordered take-out, the better option here is to dine on one of their many tables outside. Each table is socially distanced with plenty of ventilation. The hip Mexican tunes help set the tone for a wonderful experience.
Bee Taqueria, 5754 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016; 323.452.9575
Thanks for including us in this delicious adventure. great review. bon appetite