Evil Cooks Needs Your Love
Plus: an interview with Chefs Martin Yan and Brandon Jew
Wall art at Evil Cooks in El Sereno
I’m happy to be reporting from Southern California for the next couple weeks. Normally, I visit super often, but this happens to be my first visit in six months, and I have a long list of new places to check out!
I’ve been a fan of Evil Cooks (3333 N. Eastern Avenue, El Sereno) for a few years thanks to their tent at Smorgasburg, which takes place at The Row DTLA on Sundays. Alex “Pobre Diablo” Garcia and Elvia “La Bruja” Huerta opened their brick and mortar restaurant this past November. I was lucky enough to go there last night and have dinner while vibing to amazing music in their dark and comforting backyard. I hope you get the chance to do the same.
View on your way to the backyard
Backyard mistress and coffin
Bloody weeping angel fountain
There’s an omnivorous “Hell” menu and a vegetarian “Heaven” menu of tortas, tacos, burritos and platos as well as a daily specials menu. We stayed in Hell, but I definitely want to get into Heaven as well next time.
Hell and Heaven menus
I over-ordered with the intention of sharing some of the leftovers with a third friend, and the server laughed when I asked for a two-pound Megadeth torta on top of our order of two tacos each.
“That’s a lot of food!” she cautioned wisely, but we came to work and support. The torta reminded me of the one served at That’s It Market in San Francisco that was made world famous when my friend Oscar Villalon took Anthony Bourdain to have one on camera.
Megadeth: “2 pounds of heavy metal: black pastor, chorizo verde, mozzarella, hot dog, bacon, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, salsa roja, guacamole and fried egg”
Rock Lobster (topped with salsa cruda, cilantro, pickled onions and guacamole) and McSatan (Mexican beef patty topped with American cheese, bacon, caramelized onions and guacamole)
Alligator taco special: Alabama alligator marinated in recado negro with housemade yellow corn tortillas, pickled onion and guacamole
Clean plate club
Barbed wire helps ward off more thefts, and fits aesthetically, too
When I got home, I saw their Instagram posts from earlier in the day. One stated that they caught someone stealing their tables from out front on their security camera, and that it was going to cause a lot of stress and they need them back. The next post shared that they had received several offers of free tables from their customers and followers and how that helped make a hard time a little easier to bear.
If I lived down here, I’d be here often.
Table arrangement
Tepachelada and tepache, a fermented pineapple drink
More Bourdain love at Evil Cooks
Please give this wonderful restaurant your business! I hope to visit many more times.
Good Taste: Martin Yan and Brandon Jew
Back in the Bay, this week’s GOOD TASTE column at 48 Hills features an interview with cooking TV legend (and author of 37 cookbooks) Martin Yan and Brandon Jew from Mister Jiu’s and Mamahuhu restaurants. Mamahuhu is offering a Mongolian beef tribute to Yan during AAPI Month, and they talked about the dish, their friendship and how tariffs are impacting San Francisco’s Chinatown and Chinese neighborhoods in the Richmond and Sunset Districts.
Find more thought for food at the California Eating blog!
