Anepalco

We had dinner here not too long ago. Nothing memorable.
They asked us if we’d like to dine outside that evening. We later chuckled about that and wondered how many people looked forward to dining outside at the corner of City Drive & Chapman. Watching the stars and smelling the exhaust of passing cars.

3.5. Loved the chilaquiles we’ve had at the other location but wanted to check out dinner. We left thinking the chilaquiles are still insane, but were a little letdown by everything else.
The octopus was chewy. Flavor was there.
The pambazo crudo was almost inedibly salty. The hamachi/​avocado mix was the issue. You just couldn’t eat the mix by itself. The bread mellowed it out a bit. I love salt and this was borderline too much for me.
Fish of the day — Trout — Pretty good. Kind of a classic dish + some corn pico de gallo.
Arrachera w chilaquiles — Loved the chilaquiles. Steak was hidden and not necessary. It was actually hard to find the steak.
Overall I wish that they were a little more heavy handed on the spice. Our appetizers could have benefited a lot from more chiles. Another big takeaway is that those breadsticks and butter are addicting.
This place is crazy loud — couldn’t even hear our server talk. Service was a little slow. Not sure I’d come back for another $ 110 dinner. If we did I don’t think we’d reorder anything we had.

Huitlacoche burger? Wow is al I have to say. I’m not from OC but I will come back to try more stuff from menu. I gotta say authentic in a modern way.

Chilaquiles please…
I’ve been to their other location a few times and I’ve been here once for a Unilocal event. Last night was my first time actually eating there as a regular. I made dinner reservations for a Thursday night at 7:45pm for my cousin and I. They called us at 7:45pm on the dot while we were parking to make sure we were coming. Once we arrived and had seated, we were immediately served water and their bread with sauce. Their bread came out in a cute little burlap bag. The bread were tiny bread sticks served with a buttery pink mayo-​ie sauce. They tasted a little sweet and were a great start. For dinner, I really wanted their popular chilaquiles but they did not have it on the menu during dinner time. The waiter told me their Arracherra was similar so I went with that. My cousin went with their Duck dish. Here’s the description below:
Arracherra ($ 17) — This is off their dinner menu. The arracherra is a version of their regular chilaquiles, except its served with hanger steak instead. It contains tortilla chips topped with an avocado mousse, poached egg, and drenched in their red sauce. It tasted almost exactly like their chilaquiles. The steak was good. It was well seasoned and cooked medium to medium rare. Comparing to their regular chilaquiles that is normally served with chicken instead, I would say its almost the same except the type of meat and that the egg on the Arracherra is poached instead of an omelet. Both presentation is beautiful but the chilaquiles is a a different shape. However, the chilaquiles is normally only $ 10.50 comparing to the Arracherra that is $ 17.
Duck ($ 17) — The dinner menu just listed it as «Duck» but it’s basically the Arracherra but made with duck carnitas instead of the hanger steak and is drenched in a green sauce instead of red sauce. The dish also includes red onion and the egg is fried instead of poached. I had a bite and the green sauce gives it a more sour taste, which I actually prefer. The duck was cooked perfectly and tasted good. This tasted like their version of their lunch green sauce chilaquiles.
Out of their three different desserts, we ended our dinner and night with their churros. The churros came out beautifully presented on a long metal skewer stuck into a long wooden board served with chocolate sauce. There were 6 bite size pieces of churros covered in cinnamon sugar. The churros were the dense kind, not the chewy center that I prefer. They were good though. They reminded me of dense donuts.
All their entrees off their menu run from $ 14-​$ 22. Appetizers are about $ 10 each. There is no dessert menu, they just tell you what it is. The service was good. Our waters were constantly refilled. My only complaint is that the waiter took away our dishes a little too fast. Not sure of my cousin felt the same, but I felt a tad rushed. Our waiter was nice though and answered all our questions. The inside of the restaurant has an intimate vibe with the dark setting. I believe this would be a good date place.

One of the best dining experiences in my short life.
Chef Danny and his team are KILLING the game with this awesome project.
Had the famous Chilaquiles. DIVINE.
Had the Arracherra plate. TO DIE FOR.
Pambazo Crudo. SLAP YO MOMMA GOOD.
If things weren’t already perfect, Cesar, the wizard behind the bar, crafted up some of the better cocktails i’ve tasted. He found balance between the smoky world of mezcal and his rich and tangy liquers and spices! Can’t wait to bring my parents here!

The chef here is the real deal. I call him the master of peppers. He knows the nuances of at least dozens of varieties and how to use them to their maximal effect with various ingredients.
He’s also has a very good mastery of technique from a range of cuisines.
Pork belly tacos — salsa is roasted tomatoes and chile de arbol. As good as the pork and tortillas are (and they are very good) it’s all about the salsa.
Duck with chilaquiles. The chilaquiles are sick savory. Just sick. The duck was very good but it’s almost an afterthought.
Short rib and mole (2 moles) — really savory and delicious.
Mango and chili Panna cotta — stunning and interesting.
The bartender is also a star. Cocktails are awesome.
Service is professional and attentive.
A top 10 restaurant in the OC. A chef to watch.

There are Eiffel tower pictures, paintings and trinkets all over the restaurant (which is very cute) but confusing considering this is a Mexican restaurant. Again, I don’t understand the décor.
The restaurant looks chic and cool. I came here for brunch today with my boyfriend. We ordered the chilaquiles and the divorciados and to be honest, both were good but very heavy. My divorciados is clever but looked so greasy/​oily that I didn’t finish it. We also ordered bloody mary’s which were tasty, kind of too much lime and not enough vodka.
The price point was good for what it was ranging from like $ 10-​$ 15. At the end of the meal, they give you your bill in a hot pink box. It is really easy to forget your credit card because after they close out the tab, they give you back your receipt but with the card still in the box. They should just be like any other restaurant and give it to you back in an easy, open, plain sight view.
If you happen to be in the area and stumble upon Anepalco, give it a try. If not already in the area, I wouldn’t worry about stopping by.

Went to visit this restaurant for dinner after venturing around the Block (which is literally a block or two away). Walking into the restaurant, the ambiance was a bit dark. Regardless, I loved the décor of the restaurant. So fancy and grand looking!
Before you get the food, you get these cute little breadsticks in a sack with Chipotle Butter sauce to dip it into! The breadsticks were amazing. They’re finger-​sized, with the perfect crisp on the outside and a slight sweetness/​fluffiness on the inside. Absolutely delicious. They’re complimentary too!
The menu is pretty simple. There were not too many items, but boy do you already have a hard time choosing. I heard that the chilaquiles were great from the other Unilocal reviews, but I wanted to try something light. The waiter recommended the Fish-​of-​the-​Day, which is what I went for. The Fish-​of-​the-​Day was absolutely amazing. There was potato purée, corn pico de gallo, serrano beurre blanc. The potato purée was a smoother version of a mashed potato, and it paired perfectly with the fish. The fish had an amazing crisp (the skin was A+ in my book), which provided the perfect texture complement to the potato purée. The corn pico de gallo gave a nice flavor that enhanced the flavor. I’d definitely recommend this dish!
They gave us a dessert menu, which was enticing too. There was an ice cream place I wanted to try nearby though, and I had to pass. Next time though! I’ll definitely come back again.

Anepalco was a little above average. I was there on a Wednesday and it was not that busy at all. Easy to get a reservation and the service was outstanding. They were super friendly and answered all my questions about the menu. I ordered the dishes they recommended and here’s how it tasted!
4 stars — Complimentary bread and butter. So cute! That’s right, I just used the word cute to describe food. But you will too when you come here and see them start your meal off with bread, in this little burlap sack. They are little baguette shaped rolls that come with a chipotle style butter. We had to ask for seconds of these.
2 stars — Queso fundido. I’m not sure I liked the style of this appetizer. I was expecting it to be more of a creamy dip, but the cheese came out solid. I used the spoon not as a scoop but like a knife to cut through it. The cheese was surrounded by this tomato chipotle tasting sauce. That was the better part. Spreading that sauce on the bread that’s served alongside it saved the dish for me.
3.5 stars — Enmoladas. It was basically two cheese enchiladas. I opted for no chicken but it usually comes with jidori chicken. Once again, the sauce made this dish for me. It was a mole sauce, which was creamy and dark, so what you’d expect from a mole. This one was not too sweet and still savory, so balanced.
5 stars — Once again, the service is fantastic. Although their menu doesn’t look vegetarian friendly, just ask them and they can give you good recommendations on which dishes they can customize for you. Made me feel like I could enjoy my meal with the rest of the table!

[Originally posted June 2014 — I accidentally wrote a review for the wrong location, figured I’d post here instead because I did have this on my most recent trip 11/​19]
These are the BEST chilaquiles I have ever had in my life. HANDS DOWN.
You are not gonna find random scrambled eggs and stale chips in this version. Seriously, look at the pictures. If you know what’s good for you, forget anything in the vicinity of Downtown Disney and make your way over here for breakfast ASAP.
I ordered the Anepalco’s Chilaquiles with carnitas on top. OMG. HEAVEN. I also had the aguas frescas of the day, which happened to be watermelon. I don’t even need alcohol in this for it to be good. They’re that good.
GO GO GO GO GO GO. Thank me later.

What gave me the final push to eat here was the opening of Trois Familia in Silver Lake. All this talk about them being the first and only French-​Mexican restaurant got me intrigued by this style of cooking. There’s Mexicano that serves up refined Mexican cuisine that probably uses some French technique in their sauces and cooking. Then there’s Anepalco where our local food bloggers say serves up French-​Mexican cuisine for the past 8 years or so.
There’s two locations. the original café location and this newer restaurants located inside a ALO Hotel. Once you see the hotel, you’ve arrived. It’s a bit hard to find as we missed the location and drove a while to find a place we were able to make a u-​turn to turn into the parking lot.
I have had Anepalco on my list, but rarely make it down to the city of Orange. It’s close to Disneyland, so this would be a great option to enjoy a nice meal after or before a day at Disneyland. It’s also close to the Outlets of Orange, so I imagine a nicer option than what I saw of the restaurant choices there before or after a movie.
Jorge was our server and he was very attentive coming from a fine dining background experience. We chatted about the best restaurants in the OC. Playground being the top and Anepalco the top for Mexican food. Gustavo Arrellano is also a fan and is a regular here.
I asked him to make recommendations based on my desire for interesting flavors. He recommended the carnitas sandwich for lunch and the their famous chilaquiles. Their signature chilaquiles is the red version, but he convinced me to go with the more sour green tomatillo version.
I usually like my chilaquiles version crispy. This version wasn’t crispy, but I did enjoy the flavors and plating of this dish. The version at Bracero in San Diego is my most favorite. I also like my egg sunny side up in my chilaquiles. This version was a scrambled and folded neatly at the top of the dish. My aunt really enjoyed this dish so much and thought there was meat inside it. The pork carnitas was probably the best I’ve ever had. From the crispness of the ciabatta bread and the flavors of the pork. I was wowed by this meal.
Now what is French-​Mexican cuisine. I asked and he said that it’s Mexican food applying French technique into each dish. I’ve seen their dinner menu, and it looks like they are actually mixing some French style of cooking into the Mexican food compared to the lunch menu.
Chef Danny Godinez is doing something very special at Anepalco. Something that would fit quite well in maybe in Mexico City. From what I read, Chef Danny had stints at some of Orange County’s finest restaurants, such as Michael Mina’s Stonehill Tavern and Charlie Palmer. The same training as Break of Dawn’s Dee Nguyen and the Playground’s Jason Quinn. I can’t wait to try to go back for their dinner menu soon and also to try their cocktails.
Along with Bracero Cocina in San Diego, this is my my favorite Mexican restaurant in Southern California! I have yet to have a full meal at Corozon y Miel, but from what I tasted as a bar food, Corozon y Miel is up there as well for top Mexican in SoCal.

The reviews don’t lie! Come here for their chilaquiles because they are as good they look. You can get the green or red sauce dishes. I have had both and prefer the green one. I was thinking it would be oily, but the chips aren’t greasy and the postion size is huge. You can add meat to it, but it tastes fine as is. I added the carnitas and could barely finish it, so two people can easly share it! I have eaten several outstanding dishes including their chicken crepes, huevos divociados, and their egg benedict which are all good brunch picks. Next time, I want to try their mole.
They upgraded their décor and the hot pink is a little much, but you can also sit outside if isn’t 100 degrees out. Last time I was here their AC was broken so it was unbearably HOT. Food and service was still on point though.

This review is solely for its anepalco chilaquiles as I’ve been here five times and have ordered the same thing every time! It’s just too good, I can’t not get it. It is a very dense dish as they pack the tortilla chips together and soak it in this delicious tomato sauce to make it more casserole like. And it’s accompanied with the most amazing mole sauce and topped with an egg, sour cream, guacamole purée, and pico de gallo. I just had it yesterday and I could definitely go for another right now.
Anepalco itself is very easy to miss as it’s located in the Ayres Hotel on Chapman and City Blvd. But it is a French/​Mexican fusion restaurant — a mix of cuisines I’ve never heard of before! You can see the french influence though in some of their other items on the menu such as the croque madame. The service has always been great each time I’ve dined here and if it’s your first time, someone at the table MUST order the anepalco chilaquiles!!! It’s the first item on the menu so you can’t miss it!

Okay so I know this place seems super random considering it’s the restaurant for the Ayres Hotel and all, but be open minded and give it a try! I only ate here because I was staying at the hotel but was so impressed by the food I came back again and again. I’m scared to tell you what I really liked because their menu changes constantly! On my first visit I had my meal all picked out from the Unilocal reviews and they didn’t have any of the items anymore! Be prepared for that! A few notes:
–Love the outside patio with the twinkle lights.
–The food is supposed to be mexican-​french fusion. I didn’t feel the french as much as the mexican, but whatever the result, it’s delicious!
–Fave lunch item: poblano sandwich.
–All the drinks are amazing including the agua frescas. Cocktails are creative and well balanced.
–Service at lunch time always seems to be better then dinner time.
–They do NOT like substitutions or even eliminations. It messes with the chef’s vision. (For example, they wouldn’t even do my salad dressing on the side!) However I have found they are more flexible at lunch time.
–Dinner comes with an adorable packet of mini soft baguettes and spicy butter.
Next time I go back I’m getting the chilaquiles! They look amazing!