Today Silver Lake’s Malo opens a sequel on Downtown’s 7th St. This stretch of the city has dollar signs hovering above its blossoming thoroughfare of popular bars and restaurants, a growth that appears to only be in its toddler years. Clearly, Mas Malo is eager to join the party, with a gargantuan space guaranteed to be noisy by packing tables tightly together under high ceilings and three floors of anticipated debauchery. The upper level supports a lounge of two-tops, while the ground-floor is a cavernous assortment of tightly spaced seating among the historic climes of an early 20th-century jewelry store. A lower level, late-night-dining cave goes heavy on free-spirited atmosphere with wicker swings and shadow-casting lights. The mid-century furniture conjures a French bistro, more than it does your typical Mexican entry, but chef Robert Luna sticks to his all-inclusive, ingredient-focused vision with hard-shell shrimp and bacon tacos, vegan pambazo, and chicken tinga, plates of snapper and prawns, and Malo’s signature Coke-marinated carnitas, plus a well-priced, engaging list of cocktails. Will you pay $12 for a torta here? Check out our slide show of the space and the full lunch, cocktail, and dessert menus below and decide.
Mas Malo, 515 W 7th St. Downtown. 213-985-4332.
LUNCH
C H I P S & T O R T I L L A S
$4 each or $12 for the salsa flight
S A L S A S
Burnt Habanero & Créme
Serrano Chile & Tomato
Chile Negro y Chocolate
Tomatillo
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole 4/7
Handmade Corn Tortillas and Butter
Cucumber Slices and Ghost Chili Salt
S O U P S & S A L A D S
Chicken Pozole 7
Vegan Menudo 7
Tijuana Caesar 10
Hearts of Romaine, pepitas, jalapeños, red radish and cotija cheese
Chicken yucateca add $2
Spinach, Avocado, and Manzana, Baby spinach, avocado, and green apple 10
Shrimp add $4
Boyle Heights Cobb
Nopales, queso fresco, hardboiled egg, and grilled chicken yucateca 12
Carne Asada Salad
Grilled and finely chopped carne asada tossed with black beans, cheddar cheese, and rough-cut iceberg lettuce 14
Tostada Salad
Two crispy corn tortillas topped with roasted beets, cotija cheese, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, and grilled shrimp 11
Grilled Local Fish Salad
Served on a bed of avocado and cabbage slaw 14
Mexican Chopped Salad 10
Celery, garbanzo beans, red radish, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, queso fresco, bell pepper, and tomatoes
All salads except for Caesar are simply dressed with extra virgin olive oil, fresh
squeezed lime juice, salt and pepper. Add any half sandwich $5
TORTAS
Tingas De Pollo 11
Shredded chicken, carrots and peas, stewed in guajillo chille
Goat Barbacoa 12
Slow simmered with ancho chile and herbs
Ahogada 12
House specialty Coca-Cola marinated carnitas drowned in arbol chile
Vegan Soyrizo Pambazo 10
Soyrizo and dried tofu in spicy red sauce with avocado, tomato, and lettuce
TACOS
Hard-Shell Tacos / 1 per order
Potato & Cheddar 2.75
Eggplant & Potato 2.75
Ground Beef & Pickle 3.50
Veget. Ground Beef & Pickle 3
Braised Chicken 3.50
Lobster 6
Shrimp & Bacon 4.50
Soft-shell (1 per order)
Soya-Rizo 2.50
Grilled Chicken 2.75
Grilled Carne Asada 3
Carnitas 3.25
Al Pastor 3.25
Grilled Fish 3.50
Baja Fish 3.50
Baja Shrimp 4.00
SPECIALTIES
Enchiladas & Carne Asada 15
Two shredded cheddar-jack cheese enchiladas in a mild savory salsa roja and grilled carne asada
Huachinango Al Mojo de Ajo 15
Local Pacific red snapper sautéed in habañero white wine garlic butter
Ensenada Bacon Wrapped Shrimp 16
Black tiger prawns wrapped in bacon sautéed with garlic cream sauce with a hint of chipotle
Boyle Heights Picnic 14
Quarter chicken roasted and simmered in traditional
mole poblano with a side of Mexican potato salad
Chile Bomba 13
Extra large chili pasilla filled with jack cheese, our Coca-Cola carnitas, smothered in Diablo ranchero sauce
SD Style Burrito 10
Carnitas, beans, sour cream, cheese and guacamole
Chef’s Lunch 9
Bean and cheese burrito and a Diet Coke
G U A C A M O L E L U N C H
Served guacamole, sour cream, and handmade corn tortillas
Carnitas 13
Marinated pork with Coca-Cola and fresh orange juice
Al Pastor 13
Carnitas glazed with a spiced bbq sauce
Carne Asada 14
Marinated steak with cucumbers and green onion
Pollo Yucateca 13
Chicken breast marinated in achiote and orange juice
Traditional Chile Relleno 10
Fire roasted poblano chile with jack cheese ranchero sauce
Birria de Res 14
Shredded beef in a savory broth of mild chiles
Sides and Add-Ons
Rice and Beans 4
Black Beans 2.50
Pinto Beans 2.50
Vegetarian Spanish Rice 2.50
Radishes and Queso Fresco 4
Fried Guero Chilies with Lime and Salt 2
Avocado 2.50
Mexican Potato Salad 2.50
Escabeche 2
Elote ‘Echo Park Corn on the Cob’$2 3.50
Pan Fried Cactus and Onions 3
DESSERT
Flan 7
Mexican egg custard with burnt sugar
Mexican Chocolate Soup 7
Broken soufflé served with whipped cream
Tres Leches Cake 7
Traditional layered cake with condensed and evaporated milk
Sopapillas and Honey 7
Fried flaky pastry with crumbled organic honeycomb
Mexican Coffee and Jelly Donuts 7
Donuts change daily
Mexican Coffee, Evaporated Milk and Cinnamon
Chocolate Brownie Sundae7
Served with banana ice cream
COCKTAILS
100% Organic Puro Margarita
4 Copas Reposado Tequila
Agave Nectar
Lime Juice
7
House Margarita
El Jimador Reposado
House Made Sour
7
Spicy Cucumber Margarita
Casa Nobles Blanco Tequila
Cucumber
Agave Nectar
Lime Juice
Bitters & Tapatio
7
Medicina Latina
4 Copas Reposado Tequila
Ginger Agave
Lime Juice
7
Angelina
Gran Centenario Roseangel Reposado Tequila
Hibiscus
Lime juice
Chile Salt Rim
7
Old Fashionista
Kracken Black Rum
Falernum
Bitters
7
The Senorita
Camarena silver Tequila
Hibiscus
Simple Syrup
7
The Rooster
Ora de Oaxaca Mezcal
Makers Mark Bourbon
Lime Juice
7
Red Eye
Fortaleza Reposado Tequila
Lemon Juice
Float of Red Wine
7
Pinata Smash
El Jimador Reposado
Serrano chile
Cilantro
Pineapple
House Made Sour
7
