Family recipes passed down through generations offer the comforts of Mexican home cooking in the heart of Huntington Beach
The team behind award-winning Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar introduces a new restaurant, Marila’s Mexican, offering the comforts of home cooking through family recipes passed down through generations. Now open in the space formerly occupied by Puesto at Huntington Beach’s Bella Terra Center, the 7,600-square-foot restaurant reflects the coastal community of Huntington Beach, not only in design, with organic forms, raw materials, and blue hues echoing the city’s expansive beaches, but also with its menu.
“Marila’s Mexican is inspired by the Huntington Beach community, which is rooted in the same values and commitment to integrity on which our family prides itself,” says Eric Adler, Co-Owner of Marila’s Mexican by Puesto. “Marila’s was created for this community as a place that welcomes families and community by serving up the comforts of Mexican home cooking that evoke nostalgia for me and my family.”
The owners of Puesto and Marila’s Mexican – first generation Mexican-American brothers Eric, Alan and Alexander Adler, with cousins, Isidoro and Moy Lombrozo – named the new restaurant after their abuela, Marila, the family’s matriarch who has been responsible for igniting the family’s passion for authentic Mexican cooking.
“We have been immersed in authentic Mexican cuisine since birth,” continued Adler, who looks forward to the energy and excitement of the coming months at the restaurant’s new home in the Bella Terra Center. “Through Marila’s Mexican, we are able to share our history, our home, and a big piece of our hearts.”
FROM THE KITCHEN
Marila’s shares Mexican flavors through lunch, dinner and brunch offerings with authentic ingredients, including grilled nopal, hibiscus, chipotle, tajin, Oaxacan cheese, and housemade chorizo. Lunch and dinner appetizers feature fresh fish with a Tuna Tostada with ahi tuna, avocado, diced white onion, salsa macha, chipotle crema, and fried shallot; Shrimp Coctel with Mexican shrimp, Marila’s classic coctel sauce, cucumber, cilantro, and julienned radish; and Fish Ceviche with line-caught fish, tomatoes, red onion, avocado, and ceviche verde sauce.
A focal point of Marila’s dinner menu is a selection of sharable and sizzling Fajitas Fundidas, each meant for two guests and served with queso fundido, jalapeno torreados, grilled nopal, peppers & onions, and choice of housemade flour or corn tortillas. Offerings include chipotle and tamarind glazed Mushrooms; achiote marinaded Chicken Pastor; roasted tomatillo and garlic marinated Ribeye; jumbo Mexican Shrimp; and Surf & Turf, a combination of Shrimp and Ribeye.
The new restaurant will also offer Puesto’s award-winning tacos wrapped in crispy melted cheese in a variety of Taco Plates, featuring Al Pastor with braised chicken, hibiscus and chipotle tinga, and grilled pina pico; and Filet with marinated filet mignon, avocado, and spicy serrano pistachio salsa. The tacos will feature handmade tortillas and sustainable meats, line-caught seafood, local produce, and scratch salsas.
Marila’s will offer an exciting Weekend Brunch with Mexican breakfast classics, including Marila’s famous Corn Pancakes with almond granola, blueberry, and whipped vanilla butter; Chilaquilles with house-fried corn tortilla chips, salsa roja, Mexican crema, white onion, avocado, and over-easy egg; and Huevos Rancheros with eggs over easy, refried black beans, corn tortillas, and salsa molcajete. The brunch menu features something for everyone, rounded out with a Breakfast Burrito and Mexican Breakfast Pizza.
FROM THE BAR
Marila’s bar program features a curated list of agave spirits (tequilas, mezcals, sotols, bacanoras & raicillas) sourced from throughout Mexico and used in a variety of signature cocktails. Freshly squeezed juices can be found in cocktails, including Brunch-worthy drinks meant to refresh and revive. The restaurant’s beer selection features Puesto Mexican Lager, Mexican Amber and Mexican Negra Lager, all brewed at the Puesto Cervecería in Mission Valley, San Diego. The beer list also offers local and Mexican microbrews on draft, as well as Valle de Guadalupe wines.
The team behind award-winning Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar has introduced Marila’s Mexican, created especially for the Huntington Beach community, that is rooted in the same values and commitment to integrity that Puesto and the family behind it has come to be known for. Marila’s Mexican is a neighborhood restaurant that serves up a bit of nostalgia for the family behind the restaurant, as it offers the comforts of home cooking through family recipes passed down through generations. Named in love after their abuela, Marila’s Mexican is a piece of their home and their hearts. For more information, please visit marilasmexican.com (IG: @marilasmexican, Facebook).
Inspired by the peaceful and picturesque Tuscan villages of Italy, Bella Terra is an open-air shopping center adorned with water fountains and cobblestone walkways. As one of the best places to shop in Huntington Beach, Bella Terra is home to top retail stores, restaurants, fitness centers, live entertainment, and 20-screen cinema multiplex. Visit bellaterra-hb.com for more information.
