Advertisement

Scouting Report: Get a bowl of Honduran conch soup at Lempira

Share

Name of restaurant: Lempira, which is named after the Lencan chief who unified the native tribes to fight against the Conquistadores. (The Honduran unit of currency is also named after him.)

Owners: Ernesto Gomez and his live-in partner Maria Medinaun, who own the place, have been running the restaurant for about 21 years.

Concept: Lempira is one of the few Honduran joints in town, but they also serve pupusas and other Centro Americano food.

Advertisement

What dish represents the restaurant, and why: Sopa de caracol (conch soup). Sometimes called the national dish of Honduras, it’s reminiscent of Thai coconut soups, but without all the spice. Instead, it’s made with tender conch meat, yucca, slices of unripe bananas, bell peppers, and topped with chopped cilantro. The creamy pink coconut milk and tomato broth is incredibly comforting. The generous bowl is served with white rice and thick handmade tortillas formed from the same masa as their pupusas. Squeeze a bit of that lime before digging in.

Runner up: When it’s too hot for a giant bowl of soup, order something else from the Honduran section of the menu. Dive into the platano maduro, a soft plantain cooked and cut in half, topped with carne molida (ground beef), crema, shredded cabbage and the house sauce. It’s an unexpectedly satisfying combination of sweet, savory, crisp and delicious.

Those forgoing their diets can try the tajadas (fried plantains) con chuleta de puerco (pork chops) or the pollo frito (fried chicken). This dish is also blanketed by a mountain of shredded cabbage and topped with the house salsa and a dusting of cheese.

You also can’t go wrong with any of the baleadas, which resemble Mexican soft tacos, but are stuffed with refried beans, cheese and crema. Theirs are satisfyingly soft and made fresh to order. The egg varieties are an affordable breakfast any time of day.

Who’s at the next table: A family of four quietly eat their meal, while a soccer game silently plays on the small television overhead. The only sounds are from the cooking in the kitchen and the wheezing fan that attempts to cool down the warm dining room on a muggy Southern California day.

Appropriate for: Anyone craving homemade Honduran dishes without a high price tag — or looking for a casual meal after visiting the Hollyhock House.

Advertisement

Good to know: They don’t always have the conch soup or the tamales (sad face). Bring cash if you plan on spending under $10.

Service: Slow and methodical. Grab a couple of menus and seat yourself in one of the handful of tables in the joint. You can order at the tiny window or wait until the señor comes with his ordering pad. Best to pay at the window, too, or you can grow old waiting for him to come back.

What you’re drinking: A Styrofoam cup full of the deep crimson juice made from mora, an Andean blackberry. Other fruity options include juices from maracuya (passion fruit), guanabana (soursop) or nance, a tart yellow fruit that grows wild in Central and South America. (It’s sometimes called “yellow cherry” but it isn’t related to cherries at all.)

Info: 4848 Hollywood Blvd.(it’s just down the street from Barnsdall), Los Angeles, (323) 662-2927.

ALSO:

5 great fish tacos in L.A., and why you need to drive to La Puente

Advertisement

Mr. Kebap (not a typo) is a new Turkish restaurant in Fountain Valley

Dog Haus is taking over the world -- and all USC football home games

Advertisement