Stay local this Mother’s Day: 9 Boyle Heights places to brunch with mama

This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on May 5, 2025.

Mother’s Day weekend is upon us!

Whether you’ll celebrate on May 10 — as many Latin American countries do — or on Sunday, May 11, this weekend is clearly the perfect time to show mom or that maternal figure in your life some love. So what about brunch? And better yet, eating locally?

Boyle Heights is full of delicious destinations to catch up with mama while indulging your taste buds in good food and drink. From old-school favorites like El Tepeyac Cafe and Birrieria Don Boni to newer hotspots like Tenampal and Brooklyn Ave. Pizza Co., we got you covered with a list of local spots to brunch this Día de las Madres.

Tenampal

Tenampal is located on 1st Street in Boyle Heights.

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Ricky Rodas

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Named after a 100-year-old mariachi restaurant in Mexico City, this popular Eastside brunch spot owned by brothers Leonardo and Isaac Crespo prides itself on a strictly scratch menu.

Putting a twist on tradition, huaraches are made with blue corn masa and topped with slow-braised suadero, beans, queso Oaxaca, coleslaw, crema and black salsa macha (try it with a fried egg on top!). Chilaquiles and enfrijoladas are solid, as is the breakfast sandwich, which is served on Brujo’s sourdough bread. If you’ve got a hankering for burgers, the freshly ground brisket smash burgers won’t disappoint. The place has limited seating, so grab a cup of café de olla (sourced from the nearby Picaresca) while you wait.

Birrieria Don Boni

Mother’s Day special at Birrieria Don Boni.

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Alex Medina

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Since 1972, this Jalisco-style birria restaurant has been satisfying that craving for slow-cooked, simmered goat or beef with a side of consommé. Whether it’s soaking in a taco or quesadilla, topped on nachos or scooped up with a fresh homemade tortilla, this old-school birria destination is a great place to take mom on her special day.

Order family style for a homey feel and don’t sleep on dessert: flan, Abuelita chocolate ice cream or a churro bundt cake à la mode is the perfect sweet to balance all that savory. Special $8 strawberry, lime and mango margaritas are available on Sunday for all the mamas.

La Parrilla Restaurant

Customers enjoy lunch at La Parrilla Restaurant in Boyle Heights.

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Alex Medina

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Boyle Heights Beat

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If nostalgia is what your mom craves, this 47-year-old Cesar Chavez Avenue homestyle Mexico joint is the place to be this weekend. From the kitschy decor, colorful chairs, and comfy vinyl booths to the tiled tables and muraled walls, La Parrilla is the place to indulge all of your senses. Dedicate a song to mami from the many musicos playing mariachi classics or boleros while enjoying chile rellenos or enchiladas served with cheese-strewn refried beans and rice.

Savor fresh, homemade flour and corn tortillas made on an open brick-flanked griddle while sipping on a hot cup of café de olla or a salt-rimmed margarita. It’s Mother’s Day — have both!

Brooklyn Ave. Pizza Co.

Pizza, wings and fries served fresh at Brooklyn Avenue Pizza.

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Jakob Layman

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Shutterstock

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Got a sporty mama? Take them to the open kitchen at this lively neighborhood pizza spot for some savory comfort foods while games play on the TV screens.

But that’s not all there is to watch; here rising chefs toss naturally fermented dough and veteran bartenders shake up creative cocktails. Owned by Jorge Sandoval, Brooklyn Ave. Pizza Co. is named after Cesar Chavez Avenue’s former moniker and is located beneath L.A.’s oldest music venue, The Paramount. Popular picks include the mole wings and cherry bomb pizza with fresh mozzarella, marinara, spicy Italian salami and pickled peppers drizzled with honey. Try the coke and lime-based Rough Rider Libre, especially if your mom is a Roosevelt High School alumnus, or the mezcal, mango, Tajín-rimmed Mama Mangoñada to mark the occasion.

Un Solo Sol

Green pozole is a popular item on the menu at Un Solo Sol in Boyle Heights.

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Jacqueline Ramirez

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Boyle Heights Beat

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What started as a food service business providing healthy meals to local public schools is now a beloved 15-year-old vegan restaurant owned by naturopathic medicine aficionado Carlos Ortez. Named “unity” after the many cultures highlighted on the menu, including Latin American, Middle Eastern and Asian, Un Solo Sol offers nutritious spins on classics like pozole, which is packed with leafy greens, mushrooms, tofu and hominy.

Other health-conscious options include the nopalitos wrap, served with black beans, salsa and Indian Kachumber salad and rolled in organic whole wheat lavash. If you just want something light, there’s a fruit bowl and organic quinoa, buckwheat and millet porridge. Whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, mom will leave feeling good and looking even better.

Otomisan

Guests enjoy dinner at Otomisan on March 26, 2025.

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Andrew Lopez

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Take mom on a trip back in time to this cozy homestyle cooking relic, keeping Japanese culture alive in Boyle Heights. Originally opened in 1956, chef Jeffrey Ige took over Otomisan last July and is passionate about preserving former owner Yayoi Watanabe’s recipes as well as the restaurant’s vintage decor.

Lured in by dishes his grandma used to cook, Ige continues to serve classics like panko-covered fried pork cutlet tonkatsu, tender teriyaki chicken, flavorful udon and light and crispy tempura. Mom will appreciate the warm and friendly vibe at L.A.’s oldest continuously operating Japanese restaurant.

Pink & Boujee L.A.

Brunch at Pink and Boujee.

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Jacqueline Ramirez

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Embracing her love of fashion and culture, local chingona Yesenia Castro opened this brick-and-mortar food truck offshoot to inspire other young women to start their own small businesses. Using natural dyes from dragon fruit and beets, everything from homemade tortillas and pancakes to cremas and cappuccinos is colored pink. But that’s not all.

The exterior and interior are also pink! Tap into your inner girly girl and take mom on an all-pink food journey sampling unique twists on Mexican favorites like tacos and chilaquiles at this truly one-of-a-kind 1st Street taquería.

Casa Fina Restaurant & Cantina

Customers enjoy a meal at Casa Fina in Boyle Heights while being serenaded by mariachi.

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Courtesy of Emmanuel Deleage

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Opened in 2017 by playwright extraordinaire Josefina López and co-founders Alonzo Ricardo, Emmanuel Deleage and chef Agustín Álvarez, Casa Fina was created as a cultural community hub and celebration of classic Mexican cuisine. Located in the former home of the longstanding Mexican seafood restaurant La Serenata de Garibaldi, Casa Fina features an art-filled dining room where community and flavor come together.

Proceeds from events and sales support López’s beloved Latinx theater space CASA 0101, down the street. Enjoy popular dishes like the overflowing molcajete mixto, comforting chicken tortilla soup and camarones al mojo de ajo at this late-night hotspot. A special Mother’s Day menu and free margaritas for all mamas are available all weekend.

El Tepeyac Café

Front entrance of El Tepeyac Café.

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Alex Medina

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Boyle Heights Beat

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This café has become synonymous with the legendary “Manuel’s Special” — a massive five-pound burrito containing chile verde, rice, beans, guacamole and cheese, named after former owner Manuel Rojas. A true cultural landmark, El Tepeyac has been drawing locals and visitors alike since it opened in 1956 by Rojas’ parents.

The Evergreen Avenue mainstay is now run by Rojas’ grandson, Carlos Thome, a third-generation restaurateur carrying the legacy of generous portions in a cozy environment. Bring your appetite and share the ever-popular Hollenbeck, machaca or okie burrito with mom.