‘Teresita’ serves big flavors

By: Erik Luna

Just up the street from Obregon Park in East Los Angeles, a quiet little restaurant brings traditional Mexican spices to their menu with an authentic taste.

Teresitas Restaurant has been opening its doors since 1983 and making people smile with their flavorful menu and welcoming environment. The first thing a customer will hear when entering the establishment is usually a friendly greeting.

Once a waitress gets a customer seated, the eating commences with tortilla chips as an appetizer complete with an assorted set of salsas. The red salsa is spicy while the green is mild, but the third salsa, dubbed “salsa borracha,” which translates to drunken salsa, is a tad sweet. Made with real beer, this salsa has a very unique taste.

The family-owned restaurant has Mexican artwork hanging on a wall, such as a famous painting “Our Lady of the Heavens,” which seems to be a common favorite among Mexican restaurants.

One thing hungry customers will appreciate on a visit to Teresitas is their fast service. If business isn’t too hectic, a waitress will have customers seated with their meal in front of them in less than ten minutes. Sadly though, this can’t always be true. Sundays have always been the busiest days of the restaurant in many years.

People coming out of church or going out for a family outing have been choosing Teresitas for the past 28 years as opposed to the common fast-food chains.

A proven favorite from the menu at Teresitas has been the albondigas, or meatballs. It is a dish only served on Tuesdays as the entrée of the day, and it is one of the main reasons why Teresitas gets jam-packed with people.

Along with the albondigas, the chilaquiles and the steak picado are also considered as customer favorites.

The carne asada aroma that surrounded the table, as the meat-filled torta arrived, made the torta all the more delectable. If carne asada isn’t a favorite, then there’s always the choice to switch to chicken.

Another good dish from Teresitas is the enchiladas, which can either be made with chile rojo or chile verde. The dish comes with a side of beans and rice, which together with the enchiladas makes for a fantastic dish. The enchiladas come with a nice coating of cheese, but for those who’d prefer to stay away from it, they can have it be prepared without it.

As waitresses pass by, refilling sodas and asking if everything is going fine, the costumers get a chance to enjoy their food or enjoy good company.

Caffeine addicts will also appreciate the restaurant’s different choices in coffee drinks. There are espressos, café lattes, iced coffee, espresso macchiato, cappuccino and a café mocha, all of which are under $3. The only one that will cost a customer to dig deep into their pockets is Teresitas’s Mexican Mocha, which is a caffeine and chocolate lovers dream. This drink goes for $3.59.

Also, Teresitas offers some relaxation for those who need to unwind after a long day at work, with their happy hour, which occurs from 4 to 7 p.m. Their selection of beer is quite ordinary with Budweiser, Bud light, Coronas, Dos XX, and other well known brews, but what gets customers are the prices.

A domestic beer goes for $2, while an imported beer is just 50 cents more, which is neither expensive nor cheap.

Teresitas has a little something for everyone and even accommodates children with their kid’s menu. The restaurant is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Mondays are the only days Teresitas is closed.

Teresitas Restaurant is located on 3826 E. First Los Angeles, Ca.