Ortega 120

Chef Thomas Ortega does a great job of  taking the Mexican dining experience beyond the old standbys we all love, but are accustomed too. His name sake restaurant does a great job of marrying the farm fresh ingredients of California with the traditional flavors of Mexico. The restaurant has received critical acclaim and numerous awards including: Favorite Mexican Restaurant by the Daily Breeze and  "Top Ten Mexican Restaurants in America"

 Mexican food is always fun and festive. There are so many options and sometimes I think a lot of us forget that there is more to Mexican food than tacos and burritos.  Ortega 120 is located in the heart of Redondo Beach and offers all of those traditional favorites, but lots of other unique dishes that are a part of the chefs signature creations. Some of those mouthwatering creations are: pan seared Tilapia, Mole Ribs and a Latin Version of surf & turf with skirt steak and jumbo shrimp. My eating adventure started with chips, which were warm and fresh and salsa with just the right amount of heat. 

My mango Cadillac margarita was tasty and smooth and I usually prefer ice blended margaritas. It is not surprising that the margarita was so delicious considering that Ortega 120 has won numerous awards for their signature drinks and has created "Tequila University" which teaches patrons everything they ever wanted to know about Tequila including what the best appetizer pairings are. Everything I tried made my tastebuds happy, but what really stood out was a scrumptious appetizer called: Mexican style street corn. Baby corn fire roasted with a perfect blend of of dried pico de gallo, mayo and cotija cheese and so amazing I could have eaten a plate of these and gone home happy.  I indulged in a flavorful chicken torta with a side salad and had two sweet endings: Hot fresh churns with chocolate dipping sauce and homemade vanilla ice cream and warm Malasadas (portuguese donuts). Too good to even describe...

Fresh Salsa

Aren't fresh chips addictive? So hard to stop at one

Mango Cadillac Margarita

Mexican Style Street Corn

Look at the cheese, herbs and spices. So yummy

So you can tell I hated it by the empty corn cob, LOL

 If you have never tried a Torta, you are missing out on one of life's great pleasures:-)

The most delicious and flavorful salad with cilantro vinaigrette

Chicken Torta

 Chicken Enchiladas garnished with pickled onions

Mexican rice with fresh cilantro on top

Great atmosphere. Perfect for hanging out with friends or date night:-)

 Hot Churros with chocolate sauce and homemade ice cream

The homemade vanilla bean ice cream was de-licious!

Warm Chocolate sauce for dipping

 why stop at one dessert, when you can have two? These Malasadas (Portuguese donuts) with chocolate dipping sauce were the perfect after dinner treat.

can you imagine these with fresh coffee?

This ice cream was so good that I wanted to turn up this little serving dish and drink the remains, but that would have been unlady like huh? LOL

Try it for yourself and you will know what I mean:-)

Ortega 120

1814 Pacific Coast Highway

Redondo Beacch, CA

310-792-4120