An adventure in flavor: Balam Mexican Kitchen in Lynwood is miles from ordinary

LYNWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- You don’t have to travel far to taste your way through Mexico.

Welcome to Balam Mexican Kitchen in Lynwood, a charming little spot with indoor and outdoor spaces, and festive decorations throughout.

“I’ve always had this concept of opening up a restaurant with different styles of cooking from different parts of Mexico,” owner Rosendo (AKA Chendo) Jacquez said.

Balam is known for its gourmet tacos, each costing around $5.

Jacquez said the magic starts with the made-to-order, blue corn tortilla.

 “Every single taco, if you come out and order 100 tacos, we got to make 100 tortillas on the spot,” Jacquez said.

His family comes from a small town in the Mexican state of Jalisco, where the barbacoa method of slow cooking meat is extremely popular.

Here, the barbacoa is the best seller.

But my favorite part of the trip was visiting the Mexican state of Yucatan with the Cochinita pibil taco.

Slow roasted pork, black beans, and pickled red onions.

 “This one is my absolute favorite,” ABC7’s Rachel Brown said.

“It’s very citrusy,” Jacquez said. “When we cook it, we do put orange peels in it.”

Outside on the patio, Helping Hands Coffee, once a popular pop-up, is now a permanent fixture here.

 “Community is key,” Jacquez said. “The community has been good to us.”

COVID and recent ICE raids only strengthened the restaurant’s relationship with customers, Jacquez added.

“I feel like it’s just brought us closer,” Jacquez said.

In solidarity with the community, Balam Mexican Kitchen hands out free produce every Thursday at 3 p.m. to people fearful to leave their homes.

“We give them a safe space to come and just come quick, and grab a bag and leave, go home,” Jacquez said.

Balam Mexican Kitchen will celebrate 11 years in business this fall.

They are open Tuesday through Sunday, and closed on Monday. 

The restaurant is at 11700 Long Beach Blvd., in Lynwood.

Thank you, Rowland Beccera, for the submission.

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