El Camacho Restaurante Nicaragüense

🇳🇮 NICARAGUA / A neighborhood favorite has recently changed locations in Pico-Union, but still has its wonderful kitchen slowly cranking out all the Nica hits.

🇳🇮 NICARAGUA
📍 2707 W. Pico Blvd.,
Pico-Union, Central Los Angeles
🅿️ Street parking
🥤 No Alcohol

📸 All photos by Jared Cohee
for Eat the World Los Angeles

About a year and a half ago, El Camacho (which goes by “Camacho’s” with multilingual locals) had to move out of their cute little space at Venice and Normandie. They have a lot more room now and a much bigger kitchen, allowing them to invite bigger crowds in at any one time and keep things moving. At many times it is still just one person working back there, so come with some patience knowing the foods they serve are wonderful.

With the gate not quite raised all the way and the lights seemingly never fully on, it often appears that the restaurant is closed. But rest assured, as long as it is after 9am every day of the week, they are serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Single men on Facetime with their families back home and big groups always seem to be enjoying their meals here at any time you pop in to eat.

“Salvadoreña” is on the hand-painted sign now at the new location, but this gesture is to welcome more of the neighborhood. The Nicaraguan flags on the walls inside give hints towards what you might want to order. One of the best ways to experience the restaurant and what the kitchen excels at is shortly after opening with a hearty Nicaraguan breakfast. There are different options with all the morning favorites from the country, or you can have it all right at the top of the menu.

The desayuno nicaragüense ($18.99, below) contains your choice of meat with eggs, gallo pinto, a block of cheese and fried plantains. A person who is used to this breakfast on a daily basis might describe it as simple, but it is anything but, each bite an explosion of flavor depending on the combination of ingredients you have included.

The further you get to the southern end of Central America, the more popular gallo pinto gets. Nicaragua and Costa Rica both claim it as their own creation, and the beans and rice dish is immensely enjoyed in Panamá as well. It is one of those things that everyone will compare (unfavorably) to the version their mother made, which had just the right amount of onions, garlic, and peppers.