Broken Spanish Returns: How Ray Garcia Built One of America's Best New Restaurants
By Chloe Bennett
The original Broken Spanish opened in 2015 near the Los Angeles Convention Center, quickly establishing Garcia as a definitive voice in modern Mexican cuisine. The kitchen refused to fit into Eurocentric expectations of luxury dining. Garcia served crispy pig head alongside warm, hand-pressed heirloom corn tortillas. Duck carnitas shared menu space with chanterelle mushrooms in velvet moles.
When the pandemic shut down indoor dining across California in March 2020, Downtown Los Angeles suffered catastrophic drops in foot traffic. Corporate offices emptied, Staples Center sat dark, and the convention calendar evaporated. Despite community support and high-end takeout efforts, Garcia announced the restaurant's permanent closure in August 2020. The loss felt definitive.
Garcia spent the intervening years running high-profile residencies, consulting on regional concepts, and helming Asterid at the Music Center. Yet his original culinary identity, rooted in the Mexican-American heritage of his upbringing in East Los Angeles, demanded an independent platform. Planning for the return began in late 2024, culminating in the early 2026 debut of Broken Spanish Comedor.
Chloe Bennett explores the intersection of pop culture, streaming entertainment, digital trends, and contemporary lifestyle. Her weekly commentary reaches thousands of culture enthusiasts.
