Sonoratown, the mighty and decorated DTLA-born taqueria that opened its first Long Beach location Downtown, has a significant announcement. And that is the fact that they are bringing their cantina menu—which is solely dedicated to their mid-Wilshire joint in Los Angeles—to their Downtown Long Beach location.
And, yes, that means nachos and elote.
The mesquite-grilled elote [left] and nachos [right] from Sonoratown. Photos by Jennifer Feltham.
Sonoratown has defined itself by its simplicity—which is why the additions of nachos and elote feels so rightfully decadent.
Actually, it isn’t that owners and partners Jennifer Feltham and Teo Díaz-Rodríguez Jr. have not wanted to expand their menu. It’s always been about space—and when that is limited, so are menu items. Of course, it wasn’t the worst problem when they opened their first location in DTLA in 2016, as it allowed them to focus and home in doing particular things very well. Immaculate costilla, tripa, cabeza, pollo, and chorizo. (
) Southern California’s best flour tortilla. Stellar salsas.
So the addition of things as ubiquitous and well-loved as nachos and elote with the tinge and lick of their signature mesquite grill’s smoke is worthy of celebration. And with the opening of their mid-city location in Los Angeles, more space came. They were able to massively expand tortilla production—a blunt pain in the ass at their OG DTLA location—while also creating a bar space. And that meant bar food.
“We just wanted to have something for people to snack on at the bar [at the Mid-Wilshire location] so we added nachos and elotes and they sold really well,” Jennifer said. “We’re gonna add more stuff soon.”
What could that “more stuff” be? Maybe carne seca. Maybe cueritos. Even olives. That shall be left to the fate of the food gods. And will Long Beach be getting their famed micheladas? That all depends on space and time.
So what, exactly, are the two new items?
Elote—or just corn on the cob for purely English-speakin’ folks—is a common food in Mexico, if not outright treasured. It is sold in plazas. It is seen in the hands of people taking strolls, their cobs—sometimes steamed, sometimes charred over the fire—often slathered in lime juice, mayo, cotija cheese, and hot sauce.
Sonoratown’s is a little different, though the highlight is unquestionably its being mesquite-grilled, giving it a smokey quality that is hard not to love. Drizzled with their properly piquant chiltepín salsa, it is a beautiful addition to the already-stellar Long Beach menu.
As for the nachos, Jennifer admits that though nacho cheese sauce is found on the Mexican state’s beloved hot dogs—she and I both agree someone needs to hop on creating a Sonoran hot dog joint and run with it—nachos aren’t too much of a regular thing outside convenience stores. But if there were a Sonoran interpretation of nachos, it would be these.
A house-made nacho cheese sauce. Poblano and cilantro crema. Some jalapeño escabeche. A bit of beans. A mound of meat. and
¡Auge! Ceremoniously creamy, aptly acidic, succulently smokey nachos. Bring it.
Why Sonoratown opening in Long Beach is important for the food scene.
In the era of Social Media Food—what many call “hype food”—it is hard to distinguish what is hype-worthy and what is just fun for your Instagram wall or hot-take TikTok account. Sonoratown, with its consistent waft of mesquite-grilled meats and lard tortillas, has long lived up to the hype.
“The magnificence of Teodoro Díaz Rodriguez Jr. and Jennifer Feltham’s Sonoratown taqueria rests first on the flour tortillas cranked out by their master tortilla maker, Julia Guerrero… [It] is the flour tortilla against which to judge all others in Los Angeles.”
These are the words of Los Angeles Times food critic Bill Addison, who placed Sonoratown at number 12 on his 101 Best Restaurants list (which also included three other Long Beach establishments). And the importance of Sonoratown in the larger discussion of SoCal’s taco game is paramount: They helped usher in regional Mexican tacos in a way that emphasized specificity. Their menu? Minimal, tight, focused. In fact, it had had only one significant addition—cabeza—which they added when it opened its Mid-City location. Their quality? Unparalleled.
It is, through and through, an Angeleno legend arriving in Long Beach. So when you see the line, be sure to check those rolled eyes before tasting.
Sonoratown is located at 244 E. 3rd St.
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