La Cabañita in Glendale

Cute sign huh? A block south of the quaint and bustling Montrose shopping district on Honolulu St, La Cabañita is a delicious surprise on an otherwise unpromisingly quiet stretch of Verdugo Road, deep in the 818.

On a Saturday night, this neighborhood joint is packed. Without reservations (they don't take any for parties of 5 or less) we hangout at the large white-tiled bar for about 15 minutes, where I promptly get hammered. Awesome chips are crispy yet slightly chewy and obviously made in-house. I rapidly recover from an empty stomach. Service is unobtrusive and amicable.

Here's what we had:
Chiles en nogales. Stuffed with meat, raisins and nuts, these chiles come with a sweet creamy sauce. Although novel and intriguing, this sauce was perhaps a bit much for the savory pepper stuffing.


Chile Rellenos. (no pic) The egg batter around these were so light and fluffy we doubted their existence at first. Delicious!

2 orders of Carnitas:

These were the winner that night. Served with homemade flour tortillas and guacamole, the bite-sized chunks of meat were perfectly crisply to the touch and incredibly tender and juicy upon further mastication. Felt guilty eating these for some reason.

mysterious side of stewed beans:

Not sure about this side, a sort of soup of refried beans with bits of pork and herbs floating inside.

I definitely want to La Cabañita again, maybe check out the lunch specials and then go for a stroll in nearby downtown Montrose. A word of warning for the vain, and those on romantic dates, the restaurant and bar are extremely overlit-- so just in case you are seated anywhere near track lighting, I'd would recommend hats with brims. Or lightly tinted glasses. Just in case.

Worth mapquesting:
La Cabañita
3447 North Verdugo Road
Montrose, CA 91208
818-957-2711