Mírate

Subtlety isn't exactly Mírate's style. This labyrinth of a Mexican restaurant in Los Feliz looks like a luxurious, multi-story treehouse built for a billionaire evading the IRS in the jungle. The sheer size of the place is so impressive, you might even experience a minor thrill searching for a bathroom (it genuinely took us a few minutes to find).

But as Shakespeare once wrote, "all that glitters is not gold." Once you get past the sultry, Tulum-esque ambiance, romantic candlelight glow, and lush vegetation, it's clear that the cool factor (and excellent drinks) at Mírate don't quite make up for its inconsistent food.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

The best way to use Mírate is for a few tacos and cocktails. In fact, the creative bar program is easily the best reason to come here. There's a bacanora sour called El Yaki with hints of sweet papaya and fermented honey from xtabentún liqueur, and El Taquero—one of the best spicy margaritas we've ever had—with extra smokiness coming from lacto-fermented chorizo (trust us, it works.)

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

From there, prioritize Mírate's tacos arabes, which come on buttery flour tortillas and are filled with a choice of oyster mushrooms in nutty sesame salsa, smoky octopus, or tender, fatty beef tongue in a sweet, tangy tomato-nopal vinaigrette. The rest of the menu is dressed-up Mexican staples that range from good to not-so-great: a raw scallop tlayuda with a uni sofrito that adds a nice, unexpected funk, some very rich and crispy lamb flautas served with a bland dipping consomme, and a borderline inedible kampachi aguachile that's way too salty.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Given the city's wide selection of great Mexican restaurants, the food at Mírate is too uneven to be a destination on its own. But if you're in the business of impressing clients and/or cute dates and need a spot with serious ambiance and well-made drinks, Mírate is worth checking out.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Matt Egan

Cocktails

Sending you to a restaurant solely for drinks might sound silly, but these cocktails are exceptional and totally unique. Among our favorites are the Brewjo, a riff on a carajillo with nutty marzipan, the potent Mi Vieja martini with vermouth, white rum, and tequila, and the sweet, smoky El Taquero, a margarita with a bold chorizo kick that smells like a pickup truck full of gas station jerky (make of that what you will.)

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Frijoles y Tostadas

This is listed as an appetizer, but it's more of a "small bite." The stewed, flavorful heirloom beans melt in your mouth but quickly disappear after two mouthfuls.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Tacos Arabes

If you're going to eat one thing on the menu, it should be these delicious tacos. Served on soft flour tortillas with a satisfying chew, the saucy mushroom taco packs a great crunch from sesame salsa and smoky esquites but the real star is the one with pull-apart braised beef tongue, a sweet-savory nopal-tomato vinaigrette, and salty crumbled feta— the balance of flavors make us want to keep eating these tongue tacos until we are rendered speechless from overindulging.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Jicama Aguachile

The first two bites of this dish are great until—plot twist—it takes a turn for the cough syrup-y. This vegan aguachile is crisp and refreshing with sweet gooseberries that pop in your mouth, but the whole dish is severely deprived of salt. And then there's the hibiscus sauce that lingers too long with a bitter, medicinal aftertaste.

photo credit: Matt Egan

Kampachi Aguachile Tatemado

Prepare to get backhanded with the bold flavors of sour black lime, a too-salty fish sauce, and random bursts of scorching habanero that will keep you on your toes. This dish was hard to finish.

photo credit: Sierra Prescott

Scallop Tlayuda

This scallop tlayuda has potential—it just really needs some lime juice to brighten the whole thing up. Here's what it does have going for it, though: silky raw scallops in an earthy, funky uni sofrito that gets cut with a subtly sweet peanut salsa.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Flautas

We'd order these crispy flautas again just for the tender lamb barbacoa filling, even if the rich, fatty meat coats your mouth and lands like a paperweight in your stomach. The eggplant puree dolloped on top helps curb the heaviness, at least more so than the dipping consomme that lacks flavor.

Albondigas De Mi Abuela

If you've ever tasted a wonderfully tomato-y, garlicky, anchovy-rich pasta puttanesca, that's exactly what these plump shrimp-pork meatballs taste like. Unfortunately, they came very cold, which made eating these fishy albondigas off-putting.

Yucca Sucias

The cheese-chorizo sauce on this dish would be a best-seller on any late-night menu, but the yucca fries came out too cold and too dense.

photo credit: Matt Egan

Mezcal Creme Brulee

This custard sounds intriguing, but the smoky mezcal flavor is nowhere to be found. Don't let that deter you from ordering it, though–– it's still delicious. Bonus points for the chewy fermented papaya chunks and sesame seeds on top that add texture.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Churro De Maiz

Churros are always a nice way to end a meal, and these ones are simple and effective: light, crispy, and paired with an excellent cinnamon-infused chocolate that's not too sweet.