For nearly six years, fans of Moles La T\u00eda stalked Yelp and Instagram, messaged owners and drove past the shuttered East L.A. restaurant, peering inside a mostly untouched dining room in search of signs of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was devastated,\u201d said Marco Klug, 37, of Monterey Park, who was introduced to the restaurant by his mother and t\u00edas from East L.A. \u201cIt felt like a community loss. My family celebrated everything here. \u2026The food tastes like my abuelita and t\u00edas made it. If you know how elaborate Mexican cuisine can be, you know how impressive having coffee and pistachio mole on a menu is. It serves quality dishes made by Mexicans for Mexicans.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Aug. 21, the wait finally ended. Moles La T\u00eda quietly reopened its doors \u2014 and within days, word had spread.<\/p>\n
As if it never closed<\/p>\n
On a recent weekend, the restaurant\u2019s dining room buzzed with life. Families shared chilaquiles and caf\u00e9 de olla, friends caught up over fried eggs and fresh tortillas, and couples split fresh pan dulce.<\/p>\n
It was as if the Cesar Chavez Avenue gem \u2014 one of the few restaurants on the east side specializing in mole \u2014 never closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been coming here since my son was in middle school. He already graduated from college,\u201d said Jesus Manzo, a San Fernando Valley resident who was eager to return with his family since he heard the restaurant had reopened.<\/p>\n
Building a legacy, navigating setbacks<\/p>\n
Alejandra Reyna opened Moles La T\u00eda in 2006 with her husband, Jesus Gabriel Huerta, and took over full operations in 2020. Together, they developed the restaurant\u2019s signature mole recipes with Roc\u00edo Camacho<\/a> \u2014 renowned for her mole and a former part owner.<\/p>\n Aside from mole, Reyna believes the restaurant helped spark the popularity of chilaquiles at restaurants on the east side. <\/p>\n \u201cNobody talked about chilaquiles before us, and now they\u2019re everywhere,\u201d Reyna said.<\/p>\n Alejandra Reyna, right, with her husband, Jesus Gabriel Huerta.<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Jackie Ramirez<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Boyle Heights Beat<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n But keeping the business alive \u2014 and getting it back open \u2014 was anything but easy.<\/p>\n In October 2019, the restaurant closed for remodeling. Plans to add a handicap restroom, backdoor and prep room were derailed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Contractors and employees didn\u2019t show up to work and permits expired. Reyna and Huerta said health inspectors made matters worse.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to open a business here,\u201d said Huerta, 60, who was born in East L.A. and spent part of his youth in his parents\u2019 native Mexico. At 18, he returned to his roots to run El Gallo Bakery, which his mother opened in 1949. <\/p>\n \u201dWe don\u2019t have a government or any representatives,” Huerta said. “Nobody listens to you. They just come and hit you with more fees, more licenses, more requirements. It\u2019s non-stop.\u201d<\/p>\n Huerta, a proponent of East L.A. cityhood and member of the Maravilla Community Advisory Committee<\/a>, owns several local businesses in the same corridor, including El Gallo Bakery<\/a>, El Gallo Grill<\/a> and El Gallo Plaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n After navigating the pandemic and meeting strict health codes, Reyna was finally ready to reopen. Then ICE raids hit the neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cThe health inspector called and said she was going to close my permit because I hadn\u2019t reopened,\u201d Reyna said. \u201cI told her ICE prevented my employees from leaving the house. They were scared. She thought I was going to sell hot dogs or hamburgers. I do everything from scratch. It\u2019s really hard to train employees how to make mole and salsas, and we have nine different kinds.\u201d<\/p>\n For years, fans of Moles La T\u00eda wondered when their beloved restaurant would reopen.<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Jessica Perez<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Boyle Heights Beat<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n Same flavors, brighter space<\/p>\n When Reyna posted the restaurant\u2019s reopening on Instagram, she was flooded with messages from excited customers.<\/p>\n \u201cThey say this is the taste they\u2019ve been waiting for,\u201d said Reyna, who gets emotional when customers return. \u201cThat makes my heart beat. I\u2019m honored.\u201d<\/p>\n The menu remains the same: chilaquiles topped with eggs, creamy Peruvian refried beans and potatoes in lieu of rice. A warm corn quesadilla accompanies many plates. Signature dishes include las enmoladas tricolor and camarones saut\u00e9ed with mushrooms and jalape\u00f1os in a creamy white wine sauce.<\/p>\n \n Spicy, red chilaquiles are served with a side of potatoes and Peruvian beans.\n <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Jessica Perez<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Boyle Heights Beat<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n \n La T\u00eda is known for mole, of course, but stars on the menu include their breakfast dishes.\n <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Jessica Perez<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Boyle Heights Beat<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n \n Crowds fill the dining room Sept. 7.\n <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Jessica Perez<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Boyle Heights Beat<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n \n Caf\u00e9 de olla is a must-try at La T\u00eda.\n <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Jessica Perez<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Boyle Heights Beat<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n The star, of course, is the mole \u2014 vibrant, traditional Pueblan and Oaxacan varieties made with ingredients ranging from pistachios and white chocolate to coffee and coconut. Their velvety horchata is topped with toasted pepitas and a hot pink swirl of agua de tuna. For dessert: coconut, pistachio and elote flan.<\/p>\n Just before closing in 2019, the walls were painted white, making the mosaic and wooden accents pop and the dining room brighter. Since then, two restrooms have been added with saltillo tile floors that lead to a wheel chair accessible back entrance.<\/p>\n The basket of fresh pan dulce is still there, but the t\u00eda statue many remember is missing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re working on it,\u201d Reyna laughs. \u201cIt\u2019s being restored.\u201d<\/p>\n Location:<\/b> 4619 E. Cesar E Chavez Ave., East L.A. <\/p>\n
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Hours:<\/b> Soft opening Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n