Jennifer Feltham and Teodoro Díaz-Rodríguez Jr. recently realized that there's almost nothing better than their own tortilleria—unless, of course, the tortilleria can also make micheladas.
The couple recently converted the extra space at their Mid-Wilshire tortilla shop into Sonoratown Cantina, a branch of One of the best restaurants in Los Angeles.where they now serve white sangrias, micheladas with house-made chamoy, and local seltzers on tap. They are drunk alongside some of the best drinks in the city. The best tacosburritos and chivichangas, as well as new dishes that combine the feelings and upbringing of the two founders of Sonoratown.
“It feels like home,” Feltham said. “It has to be that way, we have to find a way to balance our two very different values, our culture and where we come from.”
Feltham, of Torrance, and Diaz-Rodriguez, of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, opened their downtown taco temple with Sonoran-style grilled meats and some of the freshest, chewiest flour tortillas in the region in 2016, then Expanded with an outpost in Mid-Wilshire in 2022.
To reimagine a part of the tortilleria, Sonoratown owners added new seating, a small bar, and a mural depicting Sonora's journey to Los Angeles.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
When space adjacent to their Mid-Wilshire restaurant became available, the team decided to add a tortilleria. During the pandemic, they tried to meet demand for their award-winning flour tortillas by renting out the kitchen of a small, closed restaurant, which was broken into several times.
Hoping for more security and stability, they opened a tortilleria inside their new Sonoratown, where they produced thousands of handmade tortillas a day. The tortilleria had plenty of space, and they dreamed of opening a small bar in honor of those in Díaz-Rodríguez’s hometown.
“Where Teo is from, most convenience stores and gas stations have a little built-in michelada bar,” Feltham said, “a very casual place where you can get those big 32-ounce micheladas that have beef jerky on top, or olives, or shrimp and stuff like that. Whatever you want.”
The project began as a space for micheladas garnished with candy and other adornments, and a place to eventually showcase a guava michelada recipe they had been given by a friend but didn’t have the space or equipment to execute at their downtown location. (There, they serve a concoction made by the popular local group I Love Micheladas.)
But Feltham, who describes himself as an “eccentric American,” began dreaming of new items that came close to ubiquitous U.S. offerings: What if the cantina also offered ice cream? Maybe they could install multiple slush machines? And what about offering snacks at the bar?
“Obviously, this will end up being an alliance, or a handshake, between those two very different ways of thinking,” he said, “and it’s still a work in progress as we throw our respective spaghetti against the wall.”
Diaz-Rodriguez, a former civil engineer, mapped out the space for the bar, knocking out a wall to connect the cantina to the restaurant. He added stools and small tables, plus a handful of stools against the front window for added seating. Together they began developing a menu of new dishes exclusive to the cantina, though tacos, chivis and other Sonoratown staples can be ordered at the bar.
Nachos are a comfort food for Feltham at home and were a priority when planning the cantina. Although cheese sauce for nachos is common in Sonora, especially on the region’s famous hot dogs, the restaurant owner prefers only melted cheese on her nachos. Diaz-Rodriguez came up with a thick, creamy cheese and sauce combination made with cheddar, Monterey Jack and lime juice that drips over tortilla chips along with a poblano and serrano crema, pinto beans, pickled jalapeños, a sprinkle of cotija and any meat from the regular Sonoratown menu. Another signature snack at the cantina, elotes are grilled with mesquite, topped with mayo and cotija and then drizzled with chiltepín sauce. The duo is thinking about a new salty bar snack made in-house, as well as fruit sprinkled with chiles and served with their own chamoy.
Micheladas are a specialty of Sonoratown Cantina, and its founders plan to add new flavors such as seasonal fruit varieties.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
It’s been a busy season for Feltham and Diaz-Rodriguez. While they were opening the taproom, they were preparing their largest Sonoratown yet: a 2,000-square-foot space in downtown Long Beach at 244 E. 3rd St.
Their third restaurant will seat about 45 people and offer beer and wine, along with the same food menu as the other restaurants, and perhaps some of the house-made micheladas and other preparations found at the cantina.
At the Mid-Wilshire tortilleria, tucked behind the cantina, work starts at 4:30 a.m. with tortilleria Julia Guerrero and other staff members mixing and pressing tortillas. (“It’s the flour tortilla that all others in Los Angeles are compared to,” said LA Times food critic Bill Addison. wrote.) When the Long Beach restaurant opens, ideally before the end of the year, the team will need to add another shift in the tortilla-making process to supply their new venture. It's a move that Feldman says could lead to a fourth Sonoratown in the not-too-distant future.
“Adding a second shift would likely require another opening in Sonoratown,” Feltham said. “Dot dot dot.”
Sonoratown Cantina is open at 5610 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, from 2-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2-9 p.m. on Sundays, with plans to extend days of operation.
