LAReview
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Chiguacle Sabor Ancestral
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Chiguacle Sabor Ancestral is a nautical-themed cantina specializing in southern Mexican cooking and maybe the second best thing to do on Olvera Street (the first being eating taquitos at Cielito Lindo). If the beachy decor puts you in the mood for mariscos, there are standard aguachiles and ceviches to scratch that itch, plus more eye-catching things, like a whole pulpo zarandeado that makes other octopus dishes look like Costco samples. But Chiguacle definitely shines brightest with its low-and-slow dishes, including a Mayan-style lamb stewed with nopales and a bright red cochinita pibil that's one of the city's best.
Overall, a meal here is a nice change of pace for Olvera Street, where every Mexican restaurant follows the same chips, margs, and wet burrito formula. You come to Chiguacle for a slightly more upscale experience, where you can sample regional specialties, snack on chapulines, and celebrate your new ceramic bowl from the market with a prickly pear margarita.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Mixiote de Borrego
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Chile Relleno
photo credit: Jessie Clapp