Part of me wants to gatekeep this, but in my heart of hearts I know it should be shared. Rustic Canyon’s new happy hour is the best happy hour in LA and I don’t even think there’s a close second.
Chips and salsa. Chips come out PIPING hot. Every chip is the exact same angular shape and has the exact same satisfying crunch. Quality control unrivaled; they should make iPhones in the Rustic Canyon kitchen. These are high crunch chips. The salsa is phenomenal. It has a hint of smokiness. I usually find smoky salsa distracting but the amount of smokiness here is just the right amount. A hint of heat as well. The kind that builds over time, but doesn’t shock the throat or tongue.
Vermilion fish taco. The fry and batter is up there with the best I’ve had in the US or abroad (even stands up to the top fish and chips spots in Ireland). Flavor is great. Slaw is great. Just a hint of aioli/sauce (a huge pet peeve of mine is a fish taco smothered in aioli). The flour tortilla is warm and fresh, nice and thin, good flavor but fades into the background when the other ingredients call upon it to do so.
Birria quesadilla. If everything else was a 10/10 this is an 8/10. I would order it again, but it has two flaws. First, the consommé is in my opinion missing a little bit of depth of flavor compared to traditional birria. It tastes great, but I want a little more. On the plus side, the meat is perfectly cooked - just the right amount of tender beefiness. Second, it’s too difficult to eat. It comes already soaked in the consommé, so it’s too messy and soft to eat with your hands, but it’s a slightly crispy quesadilla so simultaneously a little tricky to eat with a knife and fork, and the cheese is stringy adding even more complexity in how to eat this thing without looking like a slob.
Not pictured: a wonderful happy hour old fashioned, sub in tequila for mezcal.
The portion sizes are incredibly fair. They’re not skimping or trying to rip you off like some happy hours. The fish taco is the size a fish taco should be - with a big hearty piece of fish. Chips good portion size. Birria quesadilla moderate portion size. Drink pour the same as a non happy hour. I don’t know of any other happy hour in LA executing at this level at these prices. The happy hour menu is quite abridged, but has just enough variety to string together a satisfying meal, assuming you eat meat and fish.
Rustic Canyon happy hour and a half
Every day they’re open, 5-630PM
Bar and high top tables