Bay Area chef Lito Saldana is dishing on tacos, beer and fromscratch everything.
CHEF AND OWNER OF LOS MOLES AND 5 TACOS AND BEERS BUILDS HIS FOOD AND HIS CAREER FROM SCRATCH
Lito Saldaña’s culinary story is about timing, tenacity and taking chances. Eight years ago, Saldaña was forced to close Cocina Poblana, his string of upscale Mexican restaurants. He had opened the Emeryville and Jack London Square restaurants at the height of the recession, when fine dining wasn’t foremost on people’s minds.
But one section of the menu — moles — always did well, and no one in the Bay Area was focusing on the rich, 30-plus-ingredient sauces. So he did. Saldaña grew up eating from-scratch moles in a small town in southern Jalisco, Mexico. He immigrated to the U.S. when he was 18 to work in his brother’s restaurants, and worked his way up, eventually becoming a restaurateur himself.
Today, his mother Luisa’s bright mole rojo, grandmother Elena’s rich mole negro and six other moles grace the menu at Los Moles, which has locations in El Cerrito, Emeryville and San Rafael. Last year, Saldaña was invited to share his moles at Gourmexsf alongside seven other noted Bay Area chefs, including Gabriela Camara of Cala and Luis Flores of Flores SF.
His new concept, 5 Tacos and Beers, recently opened in Albany for outside dining and the weekend taco brunch is already a hit. Next up: Walnut Creek.
We caught up with Saldaña recently to talk about his journey from fine dining to comfort food.
Q
How did you come up with the 5 Tacos and Beers concept? A I didn’t see any other restaurants focusing on just tacos and beer, and the number five is like magic. We came up with the idea to only have five options — chicken, beef, pork, fish and veggie — to make things simple and easy to remember. But we have a lot of local beers. At least 25.
Q
Your Albany location opened in June. What was it like trying to open during COVID-19?
A
We had our lease locked in before the pandemic — back in September,
actually. We were just waiting for the (Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s) liquor license with the hopes of opening in December or January. We heard from the ABC on March 17, two days after the shutdown in Alameda County. So, mostly it has been a waiting game and not too much of a headache.
Q
What did you learn from Cocina Poblana?
A I learned that you don’t have to do an upscale restaurant. Instead create a place that identifies with yourself. We use only organic, local ingredients and make everything from scratch. Not just our food but even our furniture. We don’t hire architects or designers. We build our own succulent walls. This way it feels like you’re entering our house. I want everyone to feel welcome. That’s why our food is gluten-free and we offer Meatless Monday — and why our moles are vegan.
Q You serve eight moles. Some are family recipes, but others are modern creations. How did you develop those?
A A lot of time in the kitchen at the restaurant and at home. I try to work (on recipes) when I’m hungry. When I decided to change the moles to vegan, I was working on it for months. I kept making it and giving samples to my family and staff until they said they couldn’t tell the difference. The mole verde is my specialty, and I make it with fresh chile poblano. My mango mole is made with chile guero, red bell pepper and orange juice.
Q
What can we expect at 5 Tacos and Beers in Walnut Creek?
A It’s going to be one of my favorite restaurants. We’ll have fire pits and a misting system to cool people off during the hot months. We’ll have a big square bar in the middle of the restaurant with 30 to 40 types of beers and our own Don Lito Tequila, which is made at a small, family, craft distillery in Jalisco where they grow their own agave.
Q
Do you ever eat out? Where do you like to eat in the South Bay?
A
In San Jose, I like Mezcal. I also love La Viga Seafood & Cocina Mexicana in Redwood City. The chef, Manuel Martinez, is one of the best chefs I’ve ever met. And I told him that.