LA Friends Open Reunión 19 on Valentine's Day

Four Los Angeles friends — chef Christopher Haydostian, chef Esdras Ochoa, mixologist Daniel Eun, and Charlie Tsai — are drawing from their varied cultures to bring an eclectic, LA twist on tacos and Mexican fare to Austin with their restaurant, Reunión 19. At this kick-back spot on the city’s Eastside, executive chef Haydostian collaborated with his longtime buddy Ochoa — known as the Taco King — to develop a menu that focuses on playful West Coast-infused interpretations of Mexican cuisine, from fire-roasted corn with caramel popcorn and Tajín to a roasted cauliflower taco with adobo, grilled jack cheese, and avocado. Located on East 2nd Street, Reunión 19 opens Friday, February 14.

Al Pastor Taco. Images courtesy of Reunión 19

The menu at Reunión 19 accentuates that LA sensibility and focuses on West Coast-inspired adaptations of classic Mexican food and tacos. Most everything will be housemade, from the sour cream to the handmade flour and corn tortillas. Starters range from ahi tuna with smoked fish black bean tapenade and avocado on a tostadita to aguachile with Argentinian prawn, serrano harissa, avocado, and chiltepin. Other offerings include pollo asado with aji verde and charred lemon, grilled cauliflower steak with house-made mole and seasonal vegetables, carnitas cooked in authentic hand-hammered brass vessels that Haydostian and Ochoa purchased at a market in Mexico, beer-battered snapper fish tacos, and patatas a la french—carne asada french fries with aji verde, an LA twist on traditional nachos.

Circo Street Corn

Haydostian and his craving for carne asada—simple marinated grilled meat—proved the impetus for Reunión 19. After moving to Austin, he quickly realized that it was difficult to find the tacos—a smattering of Mexican, West Coast, and fusion—that he liked growing up in Los Angeles. He reached out to Ochoa, the founder and executive chef of LA’s popular Mexicali Taco & Co. and the co-founder and partner in LA’s celebrated al fresco spot Salazar who had recently opened 11 Westside in Hong Kong and Sancho’s in Mumbai, and the two began brainstorming, eventually traveling to Ochoa’s birthplace, Mexico City, where they spent several days researching and tasting at restaurants and markets in the city and surrounding pueblos before making their way to Mexicali—where Ochoa grew up—and Calexico (on the U.S. side) and then Ensenada and Tijuana. They applied the authentic techniques and flavors they studied and created the menu at Reunión 19 building on the idea of paying homage to their cultures and experiences. As they pulled more friends into the project , their vision for the menu evolved—much like the culinary scene in LA where everyone cooking is from somewhere else.

Ochoa, who in 2018 was a semifinalist in the acclaimed Netflix program The Final Table, will be hosting guest chef experiences at Reunión 19, calling on many of his friends from around the world to share their culinary talents for evenings of food, drink, and fun.

The focus on scratch made and natural ingredients extends to the bar as well, and the cocktail menu, which was developed by renowned mixologist and friend Daniel Eun, emphasizes agave spirits—mezcals and tequilas. Eun, who has been at the forefront of the craft cocktail movement for the past decade and now helms the bar at the Wilshire and at Ochoa’s 11 Westside in Hong Kong, is hyper-aware of the integrity of a drink and the importance of attention to detail and his menu features boosted aguas frescas, palomas, frozen drinks, craft beers and wine.

Housed in the old Gotham space, Reunión 19 is fresh and easy, with a bar featuring a pressed-tin backsplash that plays nicely with the artwork and minimalist tables and booths. The vibe is relaxed, family friendly, and social. The vibrant #TACOL️VER light fixture across the back wall says what this shop is all about. Reunión 19 is located at 1700 East 2nd Street and is the scheduled to open on February 14. The taco shop is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week from 10am-10pm; brunch will be offered later this spring.