Closings

Mixto Comida Latina Taking Over Silver Lake’s Burrito King

And then there was one
And then there was one Photo: Adactio via Flickr

Echo Park’s Burrito King is an iconic site standing at the crossroads of Alvarado and Sunset Blvd. Tom Waits even gave it a shout way back in 1976 in the intro to his album Nighthawks at the Diner, in which the bard refers to it as a “classy joint.” It may not be very sophisticated, or have the city’s best burritos, but it’s become as dependable a sight as Taix. Sadly, this very first location of Burrito King is about to be the last (the empire was once 20 strong and stretched to Bogota), as the nearby location in Silver Lake is turning into a new Mexican concept. What’s coming in Burrito King’s place on Hyperion?

The Eastsider L.A. notes that the roof and exterior walls are now different colors, though a small sign for The King still sways in the breeze. Looking into the matter, the blog discovers that Garrett Policastrow and Freddy Suarez, partners in Silver Lake’s Tomato Pie, have overtaken the flagship restaurant to start a new Mexican concept called Mixto Comida Latina (Spanish masters, help us, shouldn’t it be Comida Mixta Latina?), a Mexican restaurant with tortas, tacos, burritos, and the like that adheres to sustainable practices and includes grass-fed meats.

Okay, already this sounds a lot better than Burrito King (though it also sounds a little like Chipotle, too). Still, it’s hard not to feel the loss of our home-grown empire a little bit. Even if we don’t really eat at Burrito King, we like knowing it’s there. Hopefully, the iconic flagship at Sunset and Alvarado remains as the final vestige of this once dominant empire.

Mixta Comida Latina, coming to 2827 Hyperion Ave. Silver Lake.

Storefront Report: Silver Lake Burrito King dethroned* [The Eastsider L.A.]

Mixto Comida Latina Taking Over Silver Lake’s Burrito King