Ray Garcia's Broken Spanish Reborn as Neighborhood Gem in Culver City

The modern Mexican restaurant returns with the same soul and a more midscale approach.

Jan. 29, 2026 at 1:55pm

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Ray Garcia's acclaimed modern Mexican restaurant Broken Spanish has been reborn in Culver City, with some of its signature dishes intact but a more neighborhood-focused approach. After the original downtown location closed during the pandemic, Garcia has reopened the restaurant, now called Broken Spanish Comedor, in a more casual space that still captures the essence of the original's innovative and personal-narrative cooking.

Why it matters

Broken Spanish was a groundbreaking restaurant that helped define the personal-narrative cooking that reshaped Los Angeles' powerhouse culinary culture in the last decade. Its reincarnation in a more neighborhood-friendly format signals Garcia's commitment to keeping his unique culinary vision alive and accessible to the local community.

The details

The new Broken Spanish Comedor features many of the original restaurant's signature dishes, like chicharrón reimagined as crisp-soft pork belly pinwheels, duck albondigas with smoky chipotle and bacon, and long-simmered lamb neck barbacoa. But the menu also includes some new creations, like roasted purple sweet potatoes with salsa macha and butter, and a flauta with smoked tuna and melted Chihuahua cheese. The restaurant has also amassed an impressive selection of agave spirits, including rare mezcals.

  • Broken Spanish originally opened in downtown Los Angeles in 2015.
  • The original Broken Spanish location closed in August 2020 due to the pandemic.
  • Broken Spanish Comedor opened in Culver City in October 2026.

The players

Ray Garcia

The chef and owner of Broken Spanish, who has reincarnated the modern Mexican restaurant in a more neighborhood-focused format in Culver City.

Broken Spanish Comedor

The new iteration of Ray Garcia's acclaimed modern Mexican restaurant, located in Culver City.

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What they’re saying

“Gratifyingly, nothing about this adaptation has the air of an intermediary stop. Garcia is present, physically at the kitchen window directing his chefs every night, and also spiritually. In many dishes I taste the initial excitement and electricity I remember from Broken Spanish a decade ago.”

— Bill Addison, Food Critic (Los Angeles Times)

What’s next

The restaurant is expected to continue evolving its menu and offerings as it settles into its new Culver City location.

The takeaway

Broken Spanish Comedor represents the successful reincarnation of a groundbreaking modern Mexican restaurant, maintaining its culinary vision and soul while adapting to a more neighborhood-focused format that feels timely and welcome in the current Los Angeles dining landscape.