Tata's Café owner says restaurant honors memory of late dad; customers call it 'jewel of Hawthorne'

HAWTHORNE, Calif. (KABC) -- Tata's Café in Hawthorne is a local favorite brunch hot spot, and it's easy to see why.

"The food is fabulous," said Rodney Wilson, a customer.

The restaurant's entrees, which have a Mexican and Californian influence, include chicken and waffles, chilaquiles rojos, chorizo and potato burrito, avocado toast, Nutella French toast and a 24-ounce pork chop, which is the chef's favorite.

The specialty pancake sampler is a must try. It includes a pineapple, peach cobbler, blueberry and banana pancake.

"We're focused on food. I think our priority is food, first and foremost, and then our customer service," said Tata's Café owner and head chef Luis Vanegas.

Vanegas opened Tata's Café three years ago, shortly after his father passed away from complications of COVID-19.

"The name Tata's was what my daughter used to call my dad," he said.

Luis loves food and loves to travel. Pictures he's taken all over the world are hung throughout the restaurant.

"That's where you get inspired. Tasting other flavors, meeting people, enjoying food with people," he said.

Whether you're a local or a tourist, there is so much to enjoy at Tata's Café - the food, the specialty lattes and the mimosas.

"It's the greatest jewel of Hawthorne," Wilson said,

"It's crazy. You do something that you love not expecting anything in return, any recognition you know," Vanegas said.

Tata's Café opens at 8 a.m., seven days a week.

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