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Los Moles


In an effort to enjoy everything LA has to offer, R and I decided to spend our Sunday afternoon exploring Olvera Street, a historic marketplace reflecting Mexican and Lation culture and traditions. Olvera Street is located in Downtown Los Angeles, at what is known as the general site of the birthplace of the city of Los Angeles. Fortuitously, today at Olvera Street it happened to be La Feria De Los Moles- a fair celebrating the moles of Oaxaca. Mole means ‘sauce’ or concoction’, it is a complex thick sauce of spices used as the base for dishes around regions of Mexico. La Feria De Los Moles celebrated the most popular moles, those of the Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca. The streets were alive with people enjoying the crisp Fall weather, the live Oaxacan music, and the countless food stands eager to serve all of the hungry mouths. I wanted to eat everything in sight, I wanted to try it all, but my feeble stomach would not oblige. I enjoyed a small taste of the plethora of foods at the fair.

There are a multitude of mole variations. We tried two dishes with mole negro from La Guelaguetza. The mole negro is a blend of chilies, nuts, seeds, spices, and Oaxacan chocolate. We enjoyed a mole negro con pierna de pollo which was chicken covered with mole negro over rice. We also tried the taquitos covered in mole negro and topped with fresh onion and queso fresco.

The mole had a rich bold fl
avor. The sweet, smooth chocolate married well with the subtle heat from the chilies and spices.

We were too full to enjoy the giant tortas filled with seasoned meats but we enjoyed watching them being made.

The traditional clayudas con todo tipo de carne was an incredible site to behold. The sheer size of it was astounding. It is a giant flour tortilla served open faced and topped with a black bean paste, cheese, and crowned with grilled meats and fresh radishes.

There were endless variations of aguas frescas and an array of sweet breads from churros to conachas.

The half moon shaped pastillito was soft, sweet, and delicious with a subtle milky flavor.

For dessert we enjoyed platanos fritos with sweet cream sauce. Hot and fresh, coated in sweet cream, it was the perfect bite.

For the road we grabbed a candied lime stuffed with shredded coconut. For $1 I had to know what this confection was. It is called fruita cubierta and there are many variations on this candied treat. Nibbling on this chewy candy I realized that this is what it would taste like if you could bite into a Sprite. It was sweet but still tasted fresh. I loved it and I will be coming back for more.

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You can visit Guelaguetza at

3014 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90006

M-F 9am – 10pm. Sat 8am – 11pm.
Sun 8am – 10pm


* for more Los Angeles activities or restaurant recommendations please email me theletmeeatcake@gmail.com

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14 Comments
  • theobserver
    October 12, 2009

    I so want a fresh Concha after reading this!

  • Heather
    October 12, 2009

    i have always wanted to try making mole! it is always so tasty when i order it! this looks delicious!

  • NMOS
    October 12, 2009

    My god….that's like food heaven. All of it looks delicious.

  • NMOS
    October 12, 2009

    My god….that's like food heaven. All of it looks delicious.

  • hotpinkmanolo
    October 13, 2009

    I love Guelaguetza. D is Oaxacan we go there all the time. I did a review back in June – and it explains exactly what Guelaguetza is! 🙂

    http://hotpinkmanolo.livejournal.com/10886.html

  • hotpinkmanolo
    October 13, 2009

    I love Guelaguetza. D is Oaxacan we go there all the time. I did a review back in June – and it explains exactly what Guelaguetza is! 🙂

    http://hotpinkmanolo.livejournal.com/10886.html

  • Cate
    October 14, 2009

    That food all looks so amazing! I'm keeping this page bookmarked for when I'm back in California. I LOVE mole!

  • Mausi
    October 14, 2009

    Oh, I love Mexican Food. Everything looks so good! I have not found a good Mexican restaurant in NY yet. I used to live in California and we had bunch of great Mexican food around. I miss it!

  • Mausi
    October 14, 2009

    Oh, I love Mexican Food. Everything looks so good! I have not found a good Mexican restaurant in NY yet. I used to live in California and we had bunch of great Mexican food around. I miss it!

  • LetMeEatCake Eat With Me!
    October 17, 2009

    Heather: You definitely have to try mole…and Guelaguetza is a great place to start see if there is a location near you!

    Cate: Next time you are in LA we should tour some delicious food spots together!

    Mausi: I have a few good friends in NY if I hear of a good Mexican spot I will be sure to let you know!

  • LetMeEatCake Eat With Me!
    October 17, 2009

    Heather: You definitely have to try mole…and Guelaguetza is a great place to start see if there is a location near you!

    Cate: Next time you are in LA we should tour some delicious food spots together!

    Mausi: I have a few good friends in NY if I hear of a good Mexican spot I will be sure to let you know!

  • LetMeEatCake Eat With Me!
    October 17, 2009

    Heather: You definitely have to try mole…and Guelaguetza is a great place to start see if there is a location near you!

    Cate: Next time you are in LA we should tour some delicious food spots together!

    Mausi: I have a few good friends in NY if I hear of a good Mexican spot I will be sure to let you know!

  • The Duo Dishes
    October 26, 2009

    Um, those desserts would've been torn to shreds! Shreds! That's the best part of any meal. Yum.

  • streetgourmetla
    January 5, 2010

    Well, you're about the only other one that went to this. Sorry I didn't see you. What a great mole fest. We did about 7 or so.

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