Juquila Restaurant
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
50 reviews
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
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22 Reviews for Juquila Restaurant
Mole mole MO-LE! I love mole. If you love mole, you need to come here. They have SO many different kinds of mole on the menu that I had no idea even existed! I didn't really like the rice that comes with the chicken cause it looks like a sad imitation of Chinese fried rice, but the incredible mole makes up for it. The chips and salsa are really good, friendly service, generous portions, 4 stars for Juquila!
I studied for a summer in Oaxaca, so I'd like to think I know a little about comida oaxaquena. Juquila is delicious and I give it five stars without hesitation, but I'm not sure if the food is totally authentic. (Again, only spent one summer in Oaxaca, so maybe a true Oaxaqueno might correct me.)
First, what they call quesillo is not really quesillo at all, but queso fresco. Which is too bad because I love real quesillo. Second, their mole is good, but not as rich and flavorful as mole I had in Oaxaca. It is missing that really thick and almost-chocolately depth that Oaxaca is famous for.
That being said, Juquila is still really good. Try the tlayuda -- a big crispy tortilla topped with beef, queso, beans, tomato, avocado and lettuce. It's like a real Mexican pizza!
i also used to live around the corner from "the JQ." best thing to do is get a nice meal there & hop next door to desire & figure out what to zone out in front of while you work through your food coma.
as a semi-veggie, i can't attest to their moles b/c i always stop at the veggie burrito with a side of coloradito sauce. the fillings are fresh & hearty & their beans aren't that gunky refried stuff. make sure to order it only if you're really hungry b/c it's HUGE, enough to make a good lunch the next day (of course, the original tortilla gets soggy. just empty the contents onto a bowl of tortilla chips or a fresh tortilla & you're good to go!)
a veggie torta or tostada topped with a heap of quesillo (oaxacan string cheese) makes for a lighter meal, but it's still hella satisfying.
their hot chocolate is great, too & a steal when you get it to-go: about $2 for a nice big cup.
parking sucks big butt b/c there are so many other restaurants on that little strip.
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sooooo good!!
haven't been here in a while since I got out of ucla, but I used to live right around the corner and it was definitely my favorite local spot
check it out, everything's good, depending on your tendencies
my usual is the mole negro tamales or enchiladas, if you've never had mole negro, what it is, is a mildly spicy-sweet-cocoa-nutty type of sauce, and it's great to mix in with rice and beans.
cafe 50's and cacao (a 24 hr coffee spot) are right next door... it's a decent block all around.
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Not bad Oaxacan food. Used to come quite a bit when visiting my UCLA friends.
Mole was tasty, as was the chips & sauce appetizer. Place is small and cozy and the owners/servers are very friendly.
Come here if you want to avoid the insanity at Guelaguetza (both locations which get really crazy).
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Alright, I used to live in the neighborhood and Juquila was my first restaurant exposure to Oaxacan food. All moles I try are often compared to (and never compare to) Juquila's colorodito mole. Truly delicious and the best. Prior to the remodel about four years ago I could see why someone would give this place four stars. After the remodel the food stay wonderful and the prices still seem the same. The place is always playing futbol games and is filled with people who seem to be from southern Mexico. To me that is a hint that Juquila knows what they are doing. The parking sucks but welcome to L.A. For this price point and quality of Oaxacan food, you are not going to find anything better on the Westside.
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It's no guelaguetza but for the price, that's pretty good. I had the black mole with chicken so I can do a taste comparison. Guelaguetza beats it hands down. BUT they're also priced WAY higher. Here, I got it for 9.99. At Guelaguetza, I think I paid close to $15.00 or more (don't remember).
The horchata was too chalky. I prefer Guelaguetza's again because of the nuts and fruits they put in it. However, again, it's cheaper here and they bring it in those hugeeeeeee cups. Made me feel like a queen.
The mole en tamal was better here because it wasn't as heavy. I have to reconfirm on that though.
This is a regular stop for me and my man, I love the food - homemade tasting, friendly waitresses - who occasionally forget an entree - but whatever, we actually didn't need all the food we ordered anyway.
The Agua Frescas are wonderful - cantaloupe is my favorite, the hot chocolate makes a great dessert. When you don't drink the non-alcoholic beverage menu can make or break a place.
The last time we went I loved the flavor of the green Mole but the chicken under it was kinda funky, next time I'll go for Pork or Beef.
All in all I love this place, the prices are right, the food is great and it's close to home. Yummers!
The only downside to Juquila is I can no longer walk there from my apartment! It escapes me why Guelaguetza gets all the Oaxacan glory. The chilaquiles (with Oaxacan string cheese) make it worth the drive across town. The environment is relaxed unless there's a game on, when it's still relaxed, just loud. Perfect place to go if you want to eat alone and not be bothered, or catch up with friends. Ooh - order a beer and be delighted with the seasoned salt on the rim of your glass. For a time they were offering happy hour drink specials, but I'm not sure if that's still the case.
I eat there on Sunday's when I can. I eat by myself. The food is excellent, don't fucking watch me when I'm eating. The staff is nice, the hipster Oaxacan Food connisuers on Yelp make me want to vomit Oaxacan food in their general direction. They are probably the kind of people who like to roll their tounges when they say proper Spanish names or places like Oaxaca. Hey You! Yeah, you with the NPR Latino tounge roll....... I'll kill you with my spoon and suck your brains out with my straw, so don't enter Juquila when I'm there. I mean it.
Good food. It's not a complete cluster fuck to park nearby.
GFY
Perfect place to go if you are looking for a food coma.
The waitresses are friendly and they constantly refill your plates with chips and authentic mole. Food tastes home made and makes you want to stuff your face silly or take some home. You can either order large plates of meat with rice, beans and salad or order a-la-carte of $1.50 tacos and tamales. You can eat for less than $10 for lunch if you just order 3 tacos and a drink.
Always check the daily specials on the white board by the cash register. You will be pleasantly surprised. I haven't been disappointed yet. Everytime I receive the check, it feels like they made an error because it is so cheap for the amount of food you get. The decor is recently refreshed but you still feel like you are eating in old Mexico complete with telemundo and soccer on TVs. The downside is that parking is difficult if you go during peak times (weekday lunch and weekend dinners)
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I have to admit, I know next to nothing when it comes to Oaxacan food. The only things I was familiar with were the typical burritos, tacos, horchatas etc, so when I first came to Juquila with the boy, neither one of us had any inkling of what to order.
No matter there, the waitress very kindly suggested the $25 sizzling platter that's meant to feed two people. She lied. It could easily have fed four hungry adults and still have them leave feeling stuffed to the gills.
For $25, we got a humongous table-top sizzling pan-thingie that was groaning under the weight of slices of pork, beef, chorizo, melted cheese, cactus (it was yummy btw), guac, green peppers, and cilantro. Beside the sizzling-pan-thingamajig we had a basket of warm tortilla and two plates of fluffy rice and black beans. That, I have to say, is quite a steal, especially since we ended up having enough leftovers for a guilt-filled midnight snack.
The atmosphere here is pretty laid-back, so don't bother dressing up. They have cheap cocktails as well, even though I've only tried the horchata (wasn't a fan of the dollop of cinnamon candy thing on top of it) and the bottled sodas. Overall it's just a great place to come wind down over plenty of comforting foods and easy company.
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Delicious! Especially their big mix platters, which have...like, 8 different kinds of meats, cilantro, onions, tortillas, nopales, etc, etc...service is very polite and attentive. I've also ordered catering here, and the owners themselves helped with everything! Also a really reasonable price! Wonderful! It was also packed with people vying for Mexico during the World Cup which was a great atmosphere. Very homey and authentic.
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The mole is delicious! However . . . I made the mistake of ordering a beef dish, and it was the toughest, most gristly piece of meat I have ever had the displeasure of eating. I could barely cut the thing, let alone chew it, and ended up leaving almost all of it on my plate. Thanks goodness I had some rice on the side and some chips to eat, otherwise, I would have had to stop somewhere else for dinner. Next time, I'll have to try a chicken dish, because the mole sauce is awesome and I want to give this place another shot.
Mole - 5 Stars
Inedible beef - Minus 3 Stars
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The moles are yummy. I come for that and the atmosphere - it's the chillest restaurant in the area, so it feels like you're having a home-cooked meal (albeit cooked by your adopted Oaxacan mom).
Try the burrito mojado -- a gigantic burrito (choice of filling) covered with red or black mole sauce, and cheese.
Not the place to go if you're a vegetarian though -- you'll be pretty much limited to the veggie burrito.
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Like most of the other reviewers on here have already stated, the mole is fantastic, and I haven't had many problems with their other dishes. Christine B. must have hit them on an off day, since the couple of times I've been there the beef was great. Maybe give them another shot, and then update us? I'll do the same if I hit them up and the beef is mangy, as nobody deserves to deal with crappy carne asada. It's a disservice to humanity, I says!
Also, just as an FYI, they have a taco truck that cruises the streets late at night. You can catch it at around 10:00-10:30 at the corner of Bundy and Walnut(I think that's the right street, one block down from Iowa) or 11-11:30 pm at the corner of Westgate and Santa Monica. Not bad if you're coming home late from a long shift and wanting a quick bite. I've had the carne asada, al pastor, and carnitas tacos on several occasions, and they've all been pretty good.
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I just about had a heart attack when I saw this place had only one review, for 3 stars.
The best food I've eaten in LA. Period.
Fantastic mole dishes. Very inexpensive. So delicious. Don't go if you don't like spicy food. If you do like spicy food, however, GO NOW.
UPDATE: Someone complained about getting their chicken in pieces with skin. Some dishes at Juquila are served this way; however, they also serve two huge delicious grilled breast fillets on other dishes. You should ask the server to find out what kind of chicken it is, as it isn't specified on the menu to my knowledge.
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Pretty good Oaxacan-style Mexican. Once you order they will bring you a basket of chips covered with red mole and Oaxacan cheese--very tasty.
Moles are a Oaxacan specialty, and they are pretty good here. I've also had the Cecina Especial, which is a thin slice of pork marinated in chili paste--VERY good.
You can of course order burritos, enchiladas, and other more standard Mexican fare... I haven't tried those here yet.
Their horchata is too expensive. I miss the MIssion.
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I want to just *drink* the mole. Just DRINK it. How can I make this clearer: the mole, in a glass, then I DRINK it. Specifically, the coloradito mole (the red one). It was pretty good on the chips, too.
Problem is, I ordered the mole negro (their black mole on chicken), and their chicken just didn't sit will with me. For one thing, it was skin-on, which meant I had to spend a not insignificant amount of time trimming that all off. This was complicated by the black, light-sucking sauce which made it hard to make out what I was doing. Plus, I have this thing about touching my food, so I end up trying to perform this surgery with a blunt steak knife and bulky fork. And I missed some bits, which left me gagging a bit (oh, I didn't I mention? I don't like skin).
And when I finally got some meat off the bones, I found it undercooked for my tastes, which also left me feeling a bit queasy.
So the chicken was a bust. I'm not going to write off the place though, cuz that red mole- MAN. I should ask if they sell it, like in a Big Gulp cup or something.
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The inside's nicer than you'd expect from the outside. We had Corona micheladas, plus enfrijoladas con cecina, a tlayuda con quesillo, and atole champurrado. All good, though I like the tlayudas at Guelaguetza a bit better: they have the brown marks I associate with cooking on a comal which the tortilla at Juquila did not have. Dinner was a shade over $24, including our beers. Menu shows a full selection of Oaxacan dishes, from moles, memelas, tlayudas, enfrijoladas, etc.
Hey, it's a little hole in the wall, but that only adds to the experience. Not that I'm a traditional Oaxacan food connoisseur, but the food tastes pretty good, they have large servings, and it's cheap. What more could you ask for?
while the atmosphere leaves something to be desired, the food is really great. i've had lots of different things here and they've all been great. the mole with chicken is delicious and the chicken enchiladas are really tasty. the portions are *enormous* - served with a huge plate of rice and beans. i like the chips with the red mole that you get while you're waiting for your food but not as much as the salsa that they used to serve with the chips. i once went there with a male friend and ate the entire basket b/c the salsa was so good. not kidding - he did not get a single chip. and i got a second basket... i'm so ashamed. on second thought, maybe it's good that they changed it... : ) the price is right - it's pretty low budg and parking on santa monica is pretty easy. if not, there are lots of parking lots in the area that you can also park in, with no charge after 6 pm. when i need me some unhealthy mexican fare, it's nice to know i can stumble down the road and into juquila for some mole (i would vouch for the red, black, and green) or enchiladas. just about the best comfort food i know.
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