San Diego’s East Village has been noisily undergoing an overhaul for several years. Single story buildings, parking lots, and forlorn warehouses in and around the neighborhood’s north-east region are quickly being transformed into dynamic new places to live, eat, and play.
Among these locales is IDEA1, a multipurpose apartment building with live/work lofts and commercial spaces anchored by Lola 55, a casual contemporary Mexican restaurant specializing in wood-fired tacos.
There, chef/partner Drew Bent is ushering in a new era of high-quality cuisine made with premium ingredients served fresh, hot, and fast.
Prices, it must be noted, are quite reasonable across the board. All nine varieties of tacos hover around $3-$4 and the most expensive items on the menu (local fish aguachile and ceviche tostaditas) are $6.50, making the stylish space amenable to repeat visits.
Drew says some of the ingredients he’s excited to work with include chipotle seco (a dried variety with floral flavor notes), opah from Catalina Offshore, and heirloom tomatoes from Point Loma Farms.
In the coming months, the affable chef says his “grand plan” is to source goods from a host of local producers, including New City, Wild Willow, and Cyclops Farms.
At first glance, the menu looks fairly familiar, but the beauty of chef Drew’s approach is how he upgrades standard ingredients to gourmet presentations in unique and unexpected ways.
This is evident in the pork belly al pastor taco with mesquite-grilled pineapple and cool cilantro crema, and the Baja-style fish taco, which swaps the traditional red sauce for a chorizo-tomato vinaigrette and adds pickled Serrano, purple basil, and frisee.
Vegans (and carnivores alike) should make a point to order the squash blossom relleno, a favorite of Drew’s that he calls “vegan soul food”. The indulgent option features housemade almond cream cheese stuffed into a beer battered squash blossom with poblano salsa, beet and textured soy chorizo, and crispy potato chicharrones.
The Caesar salad is also excellent. Drew modeled the dressing off a recipe from his days at Tender Greens and added preserved lemon, distilled vinegar, Spanish anchovies, and smoked pasilla salt to make it his own. Served with a charred lemon and butter-soaked croutons, it’s one of the menu’s sleeper hits.
With options spanning tacos, seafood, sides, salads, and desserts (including two varieties of ice cream sandwiches), it’s easy to construct a meal to suit your needs, whether it’s a quick bite or a serious feast. Cocktails, wine, and beer are coming soon. In the meantime, there’s always two agua frescas on offer (typically Jamaica and horchata).
San Diego: fourth-wave tacos have arrived.
1290 F St, East Village
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