Churrería El Moro will open in Los Angeles next spring, as first reported by Eater. It’s not the beloved 89-year-old Mexico City churro shop’s first location in Southern California, however; El Moro opened an outpost within Costa Mesa’s Mercado Gonzalez last November, marking the churrería’s first expansion into the United States.
In Los Angeles, El Moro will take over the Patra Burgers space in Echo Park, with plans to open by the end of May 2025. The longtime burger joint will operate within the building until the end of this year before closing for renovations to make way for the churro shop.
Known for late-night hours, signature white-and-blue branding and, of course, extremely delicious churros, all of El Moro’s 16 locations also feature glass windows that allow customers to watch every step of the process that goes into making each craggy, sugar-dusted fritter. The company’s CEO, Santiago Iriarte, said the choice to open in Echo Park is intentional. The neighborhood has long been home to a large Latino community, some of whom might be familiar with El Moro from trips to Mexico City. “We’re searching for our core nostalgic customer,” the third-generation owner told Eater.
After L.A., Iriarte is also considering further expansion into the United States and possibly elsewhere. Where to next, you might ask? Potentially Nevada and Texas.
El Moro Costa Mesa is located within Mercado Gonzalez at 2300 Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa. The company’s only U.S. churrería is open from 6am to 11pm daily.