8 Ways to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Los Angeles

From Festivals to Authentic Mexican Dining, These Places and Activities Are Sure to Keep Things Festive!

When he’s not riding his motorcycle on Pacific Coast Hwy, Luis Octavio Lopez is shaking up the best margarita in town. As an ambassador for family-owned distiller and distributor William Grant & Sons, Lopez is all about crafting an inviting and vibrant atmosphere. A true Los Angeles native, Lopez shares his insights on the best places to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month—happening now through Oct. 15! Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

El Cholo – The Original

Photography By: Mattia Cazzola

Photography Provided By: Wales Communication

Credit: Amanda Proudfit

Nearing its centennial anniversary, El Cholo has been an LA staple forever, explains Lopez. “El Cholo was probably one of the first, if not the first, Mexican restaurant that I actually visited with my family. It gave you the feel of Mexico without being in Mexico.” He adds, “It’s an LA classic, for sure. If you don’t know El Cholo, you get looked at like, ‘Wait, you’re not from LA!’”

El Cholo – The Original
1121 S Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90006
323.734.2773

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

La Placita Olvera

Located in the historic core of Los Angeles, La Placita Olvera is a favorite for Lopez. “La Placita Olvera is a place of pride, a place of culture—and not just once a month, but year-round, rain or shine. I was baptized at La Placita, which is the church. If you’re Hispanic, you have likely gone there at least five times in your life.” A cultural hub, La Placita Olvera overflows with authenticity. “It’s a true, brought-to-life, street of Mexico because they have vendors in the middle of La Placita and live performers on center stage. It makes you proud to be a Hispanic person in Los Angeles.”

La Placita Olvera/Our Lady Queen of Angels
535 N Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.629.3101

El Compadre

Photo by Alessandro Porri on Unsplash

Known for their flaming margarita, El Compadre is the place to go before Dodger games. “If you’re having a regular dinner and there’s a Dodger game going on, you’re going to be surrounded by fans up to two hours before the game,” Lopez explains. “It [doesn’t] matter what your background is; the Hispanic culture will hug you back—as long as you just show respect and love. And that’s honestly very beautiful.”

El Compadre
1449 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213.250.4505

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

Photography Provided By: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

Head to the Hispanic Museum to reflect on the past. “The purpose of visiting this museum is to become embedded into your own culture and learn something that you did not know,” Lopez says. “It’s a beautiful thing to take a look into history and see how far we’ve come and how many things we have contributed to.”

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
501 N Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.542.6200

Los Angeles Libros Festival

Provided By: Los Angeles Public Library

Photography Provided By: Los Angeles Public Library

Hosted by the Los Angeles Public Library, the Los Angeles Libros Festival takes place Sept. 24-25. “There’s a lot of bilingual books, and a lot of them are referring to history,” says Lopez. Bilingual books are available for kids of all ages to enjoy. “It is really nice to see little minds developing to become a dual-language speaker in the future,” adds Lopez.

Los Angeles Libros Festival
Streaming live on Facebook and YouTube

Javier’s

Head to Javier’s for any special occasion. This Latinx-owned business is one of Lopez’s favorites because of the atmosphere: “Whenever you do see a family of Latinos there, you know they’re out there celebrating for a big reason. It’s not your average dinner night. It gets treated like a big outing for celebration, at least within the Hispanic community.”

Javier’s
10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Ste 1005
Los Angeles, CA 90067
424.313.8143

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Make a Margarita at Home!

Photography Provided By: Mattias Dylan Horseman, @thebarpoet

Photography Provided By: William Grant & Sons

Don’t forget to enjoy sipping on only the best margarita recipe out there: Milagro’s Freshest Margarita. “The recipe specifically calls for our Milagro Silver tequila, made out of 100% blue agave, which is renowned for its crisp tastes and world-class smoothness,” says Lopez. The key is to use only the freshest ingredients. “Milagro tequila is made in the highlands of Jalisco, where some of the most delicious and sweetest agaves are cultivated.”

Ingredients:
2 parts Milagro Silver
3/4 part Agave Nectar
1 part Fresh Lime Juice

Preparation: Pour all ingredients into a Boston shaker. Shake and strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and enjoy!

Milagro Tequila
@milagrotequila

Luis Octavio Lopez
@chicharronesconlimon

8 | Explore a Museum

Museum of Latin American Art

Take a visit to the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach to explore different exhibits and collections of modern and contemporary Latin America and Latino art. Tickets are $10 for adults, and if you’re a student with a valid ID, you can get in for $7!