La Concha: Where Guadalajara and Home Meet

Jan. 11, 2012 / By

 

 

Mojarra frita.  Photo by Prumsodun Ok.

La Concha is a comfy hole-in-the-wall sitting in one of Anaheim Street’s many strip malls. It isn’t a five-star restaurant but once you go in there and try the food, you will fall in love.

La Concha is located on 2612 East Anaheim Street, Long Beach, CA. The restaurant has been family-owned for 18 years and two brothers currently run the place. It can appear empty at times but La Concha can easily get packed. Featuring modest décor, a jukebox, and a television that always seems to play the soccer game, it is a nice place to hang out amongst the company of friends and family. In fact, the restaurant has a home-like feeling—it’s as if you’ve never left the house and all you have do is order food.

As you browse the menu, enjoy La Concha’s chips and salsa. You won’t be disappointed. The salsa looks like pico de gallo but it tastes more like a delicious, spicy shrimp cocktail. You won’t be able to stop munching and might even forget to order.

La Concha’s menu is based on traditional food from Guadalajara, Jalisco. Their most famous dish is said to be a torta ahogada: a bread similar to a French roll that is stuffed with pork meat, onions, and drowned in a spicy red sauce with a hint of lemon.
La concha is not only known for the tortas ahogadas though.

The mojarra frita is another great dish. Let me mention that this was the first time I got a plate with a fried whole fish on a bed of french fries. The plate also came with rice, beans, and a small portion of salad. These items were a tasty combination with the fish, which was cooked so that it was crispy on the outside but tender inside. The lemon and hot sauce gave the dish its finishing touch.

La Concha seems like a place where you can close your eyes and run your finger down the menu. It seems like you can’t go wrong with any of their dishes—I haven’t. I will definitely be visiting often.

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