Loreto

Great Mexican food is as synonymous with LA as bad traffic: no matter where you are, you’ll find some. But as varied as Mexican restaurants are here—hole-in-the-wall taquerias, Oaxacan mole palaces, mariscos trucks, and classic margarita-filled cantinas—there are a limited number of splurge-y, upscale spots. Places like Damian and Taco Maria are legends, but when it comes to high-end Mexican restaurants in LA, there are still plenty of seats at the table. And Loreto makes a strong case for its inclusion.

Dinner at this sprawling Frogtown restaurant offers the full package: a blockbuster space, buzzy energy, great cocktails, and exceptional seafood dishes that strike the perfect balance between tradition and creativity.

Loreto’s dining room is an all-out production. There are exposed rafters, concrete floors, and a giant wrap-around bar, giving it a cavernous feel that stands out in Frogtown. The quiet, mostly residential neighborhood by the LA River is home to several noteworthy spots—Salazar, Wax Paper, Spoke Bicycle, and Lingua Franca—but nothing on the scale of Loreto. There are multiple dining areas, an outdoor bar, and a tree-filled courtyard where their daytime-only concept, Za Za Za, goes down. There’s even a valet stand out front. If you didn’t know better, you might assume you took a wrong exit and ended up in the Arts District. And we don’t mean that in a bad way, especially since dinner here provides much more than impressive aesthetics.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Fair warning: If you don’t eat seafood, you might want to sit out dinner at Loreto. At last count, every dish save for dessert involves fish or shellfish of some sort, including various sashimis, carpaccios, aguachiles, tostadas, and large-format grilled dishes. Even the beet ceviche comes smothered in a tuna-enriched sauce. But don't assume that seafood equals "delicate flavors": the cooking here is spicy, acidic, and in-your-face, with bold and unexpected ingredient combinations filtered through the lens of Sinaloa and Baja. Take the Thai-leaning papaya ceviche, made with juicy chunks of scallop, red chiles, and shredded green papaya. Or the decadent tostada a la Joaquin, which practically towers off the plate with seared slices of otoro, soy-marinated onion, and blistered tomatoes, all doused tableside in yuzu vinaigrette by your server. And then there's Loreto’s pièce de résistance—a butterflied whole fish serves with rice, beans, salsas, blue corn tortillas, and quesadillas—which amounts to the kind of epic feast you might associate with weddings or holidays.

As with most restaurants serving premium seafood, Loreto can get pricey fast. Fortunately, there’s more than one way to make a meal here. Popping in solo for a plate of spicy aguachile and a crisp gin and mezcal martini at the bar is just as satisfying as taking over a big table with friends and ordering off every section of the menu. If you’re on a date and want to keep things reasonable, stick to the whole fish spread, throw in the chocolatey carajillo dessert, and you’ll be able to walk out for under $50 a person. Whichever way you approach Loreto, you’ll leave thinking it about the next day, and then some. That’s the sign of a great restaurant, high-end or otherwise.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Toro Sashimi

This dish arrives approximately 45 seconds after you order it, making it both an attention-grabbing starter and a good item to order if you show up starving. It’s spicy, acidic, and slightly nutty thanks to furikake sprinkled on top.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Rojo Aguachile

Loreto has two aguachiles (negro and rojo), and while we started this caption with the intention of naming the chiltepin-and-habanero spiked rojo our favorite, we love the umami-rich negro with serrano chiles just as much. They’re both made with plump shrimp and deliver a level of spice that will have you dabbing your forehead within seconds.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Papaya Ceviche

You might not come to a Mexican restaurant expecting to eat Thai papaya salad, but that’s essentially what you’re getting with this dish. And it works, too. The sweetness of the scallops and shredded green papaya blend seamlessly with the lime and chiles. Warning: This is every bit as spicy as the aguachile.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Tostada A La Joaquin

We don’t know Joaquin, but if you’re reading this, thank you. This tostada arrives a good six inches tall and is absolutely stacked: there are thick cuts of seared otoro in chipotle sauce, tomatoes, avocado, and marinated onions. Everything is then covered in a creamy yuzu vinaigrette that a server spoons on tableside. Even with the tangy vinaigrette, this savory tostada is a nice switch-up from the more acidic appetizers.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Pesca Del Dia

We’ve come to Loreto and only ordered this butterflied whole fish—it’s that much food. The type of fish depends on the season (it was red snapper on our last visit), but expect a flaky, meaty masterpiece and a generous spread accompanying it: rice, beans, escabeche, three salsas, blue corn tortillas, and tiny quesadillas. The whole package will easily feed three adults. At $68, that’s a steal.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Mar-Esquites

Ordering a few raw dishes and the whole fish is plenty of food for a table of four, but if you want to tack on one more thing, go for the esquites. Mixed with shrimp, lobster mayo, lemon, and queso fresco, this is unrestrained buttery goodness, with plenty of sweetness thanks to the fresh corn kernels.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Mil Hojas

Loreto has two desserts on the menu and you’re officially required to order them both (That’s our rule, not theirs). Start with this flaky, layered puff pastry with a swirl of tart passion fruit mousse on top and a scoop of coconut ice cream on the side. It’s a dessert that’ll have everyone at your table muttering expletives under their breath.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Carajillo

This is a play on the Spanish coffee cocktail of the same name. Devil's food cake is layered with milk chocolate cremeux and chunky pecan toffee, then topped with a scoop of thick pecan ice cream. Finally, the whole thing is covered with an espresso and liquor 43 foam. Got all that? It doesn’t matter. Just order it and don’t be surprised if someone starts crying at your table after the first bite.