Broken Spanish

Broken Spanish in downtown Los Angeles is chef Ray Garcia's acclaimed exploration of Mexican-American culinary identity — a restaurant that takes the deep Mexican culinary heritage of California as its starting point and pushes it forward with contemporary technique and fine-dining rigor. Garcia, who grew up in Los Angeles with deep roots in Mexican cooking, built the menu around traditional preparations — moles, masa-based dishes, slow-braised meats — while bringing a chef's sensibility to sourcing and technique that elevates each dish beyond its familiar forms. The duck carnitas, cooked low and slow and served with handmade tortillas, housemade salsas, and seasonal accompaniments, is one of the finest expressions of carnitas in Southern California. Seasonal moles — each one a weeks-long production of dried chiles, spices, chocolate, and time — rotate across the menu and reward repeat visits. The cocktail program is exceptional: bartenders draw on Mexican spirits, citrus, and house syrups to create drinks that mirror the kitchen's layered flavors. The dining room at 1050 South Flower Street in downtown Los Angeles, California, is handsomely designed — exposed brick, warm lighting, a well-dressed bar — and attracts a sophisticated downtown crowd. Reservations via the restaurant's website or OpenTable are advised, particularly for weekend evenings. Broken Spanish represents a distinctly Californian conversation about what Mexican food can be.