Hole Up in Hermosa’s Favorite Surf Lodge Día De Campo
After opening their first restaurant, Abigaile, in 2012, BlackHouse Hospitality Management began taking the South Bay by storm with their unique dining concepts and undeniably good food.
Very different concepts, each restaurant is linked to the next by a common thread: a certain cool factor. The fourth to open, Día de Campo is a self-proclaimed modern surf lodge (of sorts), complete with communal tables, oversized leather armchairs and Mexican throw blankets. Some might remember it as the old Cafe Boogaloo spot, but the new laid-back, rustic, yet industrial, renovation has made it lighter, brighter and, quite frankly, cooler.
Half of the weekend brunch menu consists of creative cocktails, including a tequila flight of cazadores blanco, reposado, & añejo (with the option of adding on extra añejo… if one prefers), so this may be the perfect spot to celebrate the 4th of July holiday weekend. Happy hour, or as they like to call it, ‘Bandito Power Hour,’ is Monday through Friday until 7pm. Not to be confused with ‘Emborracharse Hour’ on Friday and Saturday nights from 11pm to midnight.
Come dinner time, locals like to pull up a chair and nosh on innovative dishes like Chocolate Duck Quesadillas with Oaxacan cheese, salsa negra and tamarind; Huarache, (a dish that originated in Mexico City in the 1930s) consisting of fried beans, crispy shrimp, mole, avocado salsa and lime crema; and Red Braised Lamb Nachos with tomatillo salsa and ricoto creme. Seafood is also big on the menu, especially oysters and ceviche (yellowfin tuna, hamachi, uni, shrimp and salmon). After a day spent playing volleyball or lounging on the beach, groups of friends gather at the restaurant to fill up on Wood Grilled Lobster, Whole Market Fish and a Mexican White Shrimp Boil with all the fixings. Then there are the tacos, which you can never go wrong with.
Carne asada, fish, carnitas, shrimp, you name it, and they serve it with variations of pico, mole and salsa. As difficult as it may be, diners should definitely save room for dessert, because with dishes like YoYo’s (coconut cake, spiced guava jam and toasted coconut); I.C. Sando (Mexican chocolate cookie and salted caramel); and Potted Tres Leches (sea salt-chili and hazelnut), how can you not? With great drink specials, live acoustic music on Wednesdays and a modern Mexican menu that leaves you looking forward to your next visit, Día de Campo is holding strong in the heart of Hermosa.
Día De Campo
1238 Hermosa Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
310.739.1829 | DiaDeCampoHB.com
Photography Courtesy of Día De Campo
