With locations across Orange County, including Irvine and in San Diego, Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar has celebrated a decade in Southern California. With two locations in Irvine — Puesto Park Place and Puesto Los Olivos, the chain has become familiar for its warm plates and welcoming vibes.
With a signature interior design by renowned architect Paul Basile, Puesto’s Park Place location features a 5,800 square foot floor plan with stunning Douglas fir timber, juxtaposed against metallic features, mixed with eye-catching architectural patterns that make use of a dynamic floor plan.
Puesto has been a family owned and operated business since opening its doors in La Jolla in 2012. Founded by a trio of brothers — Eric, Alan and Alexander Adler — and their cousins Isidoro and Moy Lombrozo, Puesto continues to symbolizes the family’s love for modern Mexican cuisine.
Thanks to its master brewer-backed cervecería, a well-rounded cocktail menu and some incredible Mexico City-style tacos, Puesto has become one of Orange County’s most well-respected eateries.
How respected? In addition to a decade of service, Puesto has another milestone to celebrate in 2022 — a quest for 20 million tacos sold. In April, the San Diego Tribune reported the company had sold approximately 18.3 million tacos since 2012 — roughly 1.8 million tacos annually.
Puesto’s highly sought after taco begins with a non-GMO blue corn tortilla. From there, Executive Chef Luisteen Gonzalez has created a tasty list of speciality tacos that include their Chicken al Pastor made with Jidori chicken, hibiscus and chipotle tinga, avocado and piña habanero pico, and a Tamarindo Shrimp taco made with tamarindo-chile sauce, classic guacamole and cilantro. Not to be overlooked is the Short Rib Quesabirria taco, featuring crispy melted cheese, braised short rib, Jalisco salsa, pickled radish and classic guacamole.
This holiday season, Puesto is sharing the love for cocktails and tacos with all its fans, with a Puesto Happy Hour and Taco Tuesday celebration, starting with half-off tacos from 3:00 p.m. to close, every Tuesday.
This year, Taco Tuesday can be combined with Puesto Happy Hour which goes from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Puesto Happy Hour includes a long list of margaritas, including a $9 Perfect Puesto Margarita made with reposado tequila, fresh lime and organic agave nectar. Another favorite is the Hot Sauce (Spicy) Margarita, which is made with blanco tequila, pineapple juice, cucumber, fresh lime and habanero. Aside from cocktails, Puesto is also offering $5 draft beers.
For those that want a true brewery experience, the Puesto Cervecería is located at the Mission Valley location. Doug Hasker, a Veteran Brewmaster from San Diego, is the Head Brewer at Puesto Cerveceria and has refined a well-rounded list of beers. Earlier this year, Puesto’s Mexican Lager, Mexican Amber and Mexican Negra Lager were awarded silver medals at the 2022 Great American Beer Festival.
Hasker is well known in the brewing industry, with more than three decades of experience working with spirit industry heavyweights Gordon Biersch and Ballast Point.
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