Andy Camacho has been a staple of Olvera St. since 1984 when he bought the ancient El Paseo Inn, possibly L.A.’s oldest bar (the former space where the restaurant now lives was used in the 1800’s for wine and soda-making) on one of its oldest street. From that day, the East L.A. native has gone on a tear of restaurant building with the help of his son Don Luis, who worked at El Paseo as a teen.
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With their company Camacho Inc., the duo have introduced Camacho cooking to Dodger Stadium, Universal CityWalk, two LAX terminals, and have a slew of restaurants from Mariasol on the Santa Monica Pier to Liberty Grill across from The Staples Center and even Camacho Cafes in Denver and Vegas.
Food GPS reports that the family is remodeling the defunct Bank of America building adjacent to Olvera Street for a new Camacho’s Cafe, with beautiful shots of the guts to prove it. The younger Camacho details the upcoming casual fare at the restaurant, which will stress coffee, pastries, snacks, tortas, and small plates over mega-family fajita meals, though the fare will change to fit the clientele. Also, the team is promising that the space will be used as a showcase for national Latino artists.
If anyone is going to do something right on Olvera Street whose name is not La Luz del Dia, it will be a Camacho. We look forward to hearing more from the family.
