• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Tiny Urban Kitchen
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • Michelin
    • Subscribe
    • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » US Travel » California

    Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary at Taco Maria (During Covid)

    Published: Jan 23, 2022 · Modified: Feb 13, 2022 by Jennifer Che

    • Epure Hong Kong

    Taco Maria in Costa Mesa has always been one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in LA.

    Chef Carlos Salgado is originally from Mexico but spent over ten years training in some of the best kitchens in the US, including 2-Michelin starred restaurants like Coi in San Francisco and Commis in Oakland. He opened Taco Maria in 2013.

    Prior to achieving a Michelin Star, Chef Salgado was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef West consecutively for the past four years, and was named Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2015.

    Dining During Covid

    • Nantucket bay scallops
    • Caesar Salad
    • Taco Maria Starters
      Tomato Salad

    Notoriously challenging to book, this Michelin-starred restaurant got even harder to book during Covid. They removed all indoor dining and limited seating to parties of four. They also opened up bookings only 1-2 weeks in advance, so Bryan diligently logged onto their website (at midnight in Hong Kong!) to grab seats for us during popular, coveted weekend slots.

    Taco Maria - The Food

    • Pickles
    • Grilled avocado
    • Beans
    • Steak
    • Duck Mole
    • Grilled Fish
    • blue corn tortillas!
    • Taco Maria LA

    Bryan booked Taco Maria for our actual 20th anniversary (yes, we've been married for 20 years!) which also happened to be our first day in the US after flying in from Hong Kong. We went with Bryan's parents and got one of the best outdoor seats right under a huge olive tree! Bryan's parents loved it so, so much, so we went back a month later.

    Honestly, everything is good, so you can't go wrong. The menu isn't very big. In fact, we (a group of four) literally ordered every single item on the menu. It was glorious to try so many dishes!

    I love the blue corn tortillas, grilled avocado, salads, and Nantucket Bay scallops. Bryan loved the duck, and his dad was a huge fan of the steak.

    This is one of those places that we will always seek out whenever we are in Southern California. Just remember to plan ahead in order to secure a booking.

    Highly, highly recommended!

    Taco Maria Los Angeles
    3313 Hyland Ave
    Costa Mesa, CA 92626

    Other Posts in this Series (Some to be published in the next 1-2 weeks)

    Traveling During Covid – Our Three Month Trip Around the World
    Majordomo Los Angeles – Part of David Chang’s Momofuku Empire
    Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary at Taco Maria (During Covid)
    Daybird LA – Best Szechuan Hot Chicken
    Playa Amor Los Angeles – Amazing Mole
    MÍRAME Beverly Hills – Modern Mexican

    More California

    • Valley Bar + Bottle Sonoma California
    • Robert Sinskey Winery
    • The Bistro at Auberge du Soleil
    • Majordomo Los Angeles - David Chang's Foray into the West Coast

    Recent Posts

    • La Salita Valencia Spain January 16, 2023
    • El Poblet Valencia Spain -2 Michelin Stars December 29, 2022
    • MercatBar by Quique Dacosta - Valencia December 9, 2022
    • La Pepica Waterfront Paella - Valencia December 5, 2022
    • Llisa Negra Valencia Spain December 1, 2022
    • Central Bar by Ricard Camarena - Valencia Spain November 29, 2022
    • Casa Ripoll Valencia - Beachside Paella November 27, 2022
    • Valencia Spain Trip Report - Itinerary November 23, 2022

    Primary Sidebar

    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

    More about me →

    Explore

    • Recipe
    • Restaurant
    • US Travel
    • World Travel

    Popular Posts

    • La Salita Valencia Spain
    • El Poblet Valencia Spain -2 Michelin Stars
    • MercatBar by Quique Dacosta - Valencia
    • La Pepica Waterfront Paella - Valencia

    Recipes

    • Appetizer
    • Snacks
    • Meat
    • Vegetables
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Seafood
    • Noodles

    Recently Traveled

    • Hong Kong
    • France
    • Belgium
    • Boston
    • California
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • Spain

    Support Us

    Recognition


    Featured on the front page
    of the FOOD Section: 2015

    Best Food Blog Awards:
    Restaurant & Dining 2012

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • My Equipment
    • In the Press
    • Project Food Blog
    • Privacy Policy

    Eating Guides!

    Eating & Travel Guides
    Trip Reports
    "Kawaii" (Cute Foods)
    Around the World

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Mail
    • RSS Feed

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Shop at Amazon

    Copyright © 2022 Tiny Urban Kitchen