Chichen Itza on South Grand Avenue in Los Angeles’s Mercado La Paloma has been one of the most celebrated Yucatecan Mexican restaurants in the country since Gilberto Cetina opened it, building a menu around the cochinita pibil, sopa de lima, and the distinctive Yucatecan cooking tradition that is genuinely different from the northern Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines that most Americans know — a cuisine shaped by Mayan heritage, citrus, achiote, and the banana-leaf slow-cooking techniques that define the Yucatán Peninsula. It appeared in Season 22, Episode 12 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Griddles and Vittles,” which aired May 29, 2015. Guy Fieri found a Los Angeles kitchen doing Yucatecan Mexican cooking with the authenticity and depth that earns a restaurant its place among the most important Mexican restaurants in America.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Chichen Itza
City: Los Angeles, California
Cuisine: Yucatecan Mexican
DDD Season: 22
DDD Episode: 12
Episode Title: Griddles and Vittles
Original Air Date: May 29, 2015
Address: 3655 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90007
Phone: 213-741-1075
Website: https://www.chichenitzarestaurant.com
Status: Open
What to Eat
The Cochinita Pibil — slow-roasted pork marinated in achiote and citrus, wrapped in banana leaves and pit-roasted until the meat shreds into something deeply flavored and unlike any other Mexican pork dish — is the Yucatecan signature that earns Chichen Itza its national reputation and the item most first-timers order on the recommendation of anyone who has been before. The Sopa de Lima — a Yucatecan chicken soup with lime, tomato, tortilla strips, and the citrus brightness that the Yucatán climate produces — is the soup that most regulars order every visit. The Panuchos — hand-made corn tortillas stuffed with black beans, fried crispy, and topped with cochinita pibil — are the Yucatecan street food item worth ordering alongside. Find a Los Angeles hotel on Trivago.
Plan Your Visit
Check the website for current hours. Chichen Itza is located inside Mercado La Paloma — a community market in South LA.
Address: 3655 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90007
Phone: 213-741-1075
Website: https://www.chichenitzarestaurant.com
Status: Open
Flavortown Approved
Chichen Itza is one of the most important Mexican restaurants in the Triple D catalog — a genuine authority on Yucatecan cooking that most visitors to Los Angeles never find. Stream the Griddles and Vittles episode on Amazon.
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Chichen Itza appeared in Season 22, Episode 12 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Griddles and Vittles,” originally aired May 29, 2015.