It’s not every day that a large-scale Mexican restaurant from Orange County tries its hand at a big venue in Los Angeles, but that’s what Costa Mesa’s Descanso has done, taking over the massive Callender’s Grille in Mid-Wilshire that closed in 2018 . The LACMA and La Brea Tarpits-adjacent space that opened on January 23 beckons diners in with a massive brick entryway leftover from the previous operator, a small foyer leading into a 20-foot-high bottle shelf, and a circular bar that dominates the center of the 9,000 square-foot room. Operator Rob Arellano first opened Descanso in 2018 in Costa Mesa.
He says he was inspired by childhood trips to Mexico City and Guadalajara with his father, though the food more closely reflects Sinaloan cuisine. Plancha-style tacos are prevalent in Mexico City , while in Sinaloa, charcoal-grilled meats tend to rule the roost . But here in Southern California, street tacos are often prepared on steel top grills where taqueros finish off lengua, buche, suadero, and tripas, making Descanso’s main cooking method more than familiar to locals.
After passing through Descanso’s bar, to the far right, there’s a set of teppanyaki-style planchas in a semi-private space accommodating diners with medium-height counters where cooks prepare meats over steel top grills. To the left, a more casual section with hanging lights conjures Mexican-style al fresco seating (though technically indoors) with another bar-height counter and single plancha that.
