I had seen this restaurant about two dozen times before and every time said to myself: I have to try this!

Finally on this sunny Friday on my way to grab a quick bite with the BF, which doesn’t happen very often, I saw that Regalito was open and we decided to stop.

The place was almost empty and the chef was preparing already for the dinner service. We decided to sit at the counter over-looking the kitchen.

I was not very hungry but just seeing the tortilla freshly made opened up my appetite. The menu was great, not big but enough for me to find what I wanted.

I started with the Ensalada de Nopalitos. Served still warm, it was filled with flavors and different textures. The serving was generous and next time I will learned to share it with my guest. As you put a fork full in your mouth, you can taste that all the ingredients are fresh, it’s like an explosion in your mouth.

The BF still fighting a bit of a cold, goes for the Tortilla soup. It was nice and a very comforting dish, garnish with fresh pieces of avocado and strips of tortilla. You can taste the Ancho chile use for the dish!

Though, I was already full I had to try an entrée. The BF went for the Cochinita Pibil and I ordered the Chile Relleno, stuffed with Zucchini still a bit crunchy and queso, served with rice. It was superb!

It’s rare when a restaurant surprises me, but Regalito did. It’s Mexican food with a Twist. I love Mexican food and think we are too polluted in California by the numbers of taqueria, making it a “cheap” food to eat at any corner, I m not only talking about the price but also the quality. It was nice to sit down at Regalito and have a real lunch on real plates, just a new version of an old recipe. It was fresh, the flavors were clean and working together perfectly. Simple dishes with elaborated flavors - my favorite!

Note: The tortilla are fresh made and delicious.

Summary: Now I know, the next time I’ll walk by Regalito that I will stop there, for lunch or dinner, this has become my new favorite spot. Equally far from the fancy restaurants and taqueria joints, Regalito has found a perfect balance, not new not old, not traditional not eccentric, it’s just perfect. Bill for 2: $50.72 (a lot of food)

I have to admit that I grabbed my leftovers and had a great brunch the next day. The BF poached a couple eggs, on the leftover pork with beans and tortilla, it was perfect, even the next day!