The Restaurante Juquiila on Venice Boulevard in Culver City, located next to the vegan joint The Grain Cafe and an aquarium fish store, is tagged “Juquiila 2,” as it’s the second location after the celebrated first one on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles.
“Some of the Mexican cuisine we serve here at Juquila in Culver City include the Huevos Rancheros, Quesadillas, Chicken Fajitas, and Fish Soup,” they boast online. If anything though, they’re being humble. The same level of quality and the same choices available at the original L.A. location can be found here.
From the outside, the storefront isn’t anything fancy, but then a swanky exterior isn’t necessary. The staff are super-friendly, and the inside of the restaurant has a warm and authentic vibe. The traditional art, including that which is painted on the restrooms, is a nice touch, and the overall feeling is a welcoming one.
The menu offers a tantalizing selection, and the only challenge is choosing just the one item. The breakfast (or desayunos) items look amazing, including the Huevos con Jamon (eggs with ham); you can get eggs with all sorts of great things.
Elsewhere, the menu is equally well stocked. We went with a simple Chicken Burrito, which turned out to be phenomenal. There was nothing simple about the flavors, which blended and matched fresh ingredients beautifully.
First of all, and super-importantly, the chicken is cooked wonderfully. Not too chewy, the white meat hasn’t has all of the flavor cooked out of it, as is so often the case. Rather, it’s bursting with meaty flavor and it offers a lovely texture to the entire burrito.
The rice, often an undervalued burrito ingredient, is similarly handled expertly. Not too soft so as to be clumpy, and not bullet-hard, the rice adds a delicious starchiness and some lovely natural flavor. Seasoned to perfection, the rice really binds the burrito together.
Onion, cilantro and tomatoes add much-needed tart, and enhance the flavor of everything else whilst bringing some crunch. The hot sauce/salsa has a proper bite, but most people won’t struggle with the heat level. More importantly, it’s tastes wonderful and doesn’t overpower the other ingredients.
The tortilla wrap is fresh and light, while the salsa that comes on the side is vibrant and makes for some great dipping. All in all, we can pick the ingredients apart and isolate them, but this burrito, like all burritos, is all about the sum of the parts.
Restaurante Juquila 2is located at 10022 Venice Blvd., Culver City 90232. Call 310-841-2520 or visit orderjuquila.com.