Gish Bac

"Oaxacalifornia’s best restaurant, famous for its Valles Centrales barbacoa, is also your destination for artisanal moles. Steamed in banana leaves for two hours, the tamales de mole negro (black mole) with shredded chicken yields moist bites of palate-pleasing flavors: Mexican chocolate, dark and smoky notes of dried chiles, and a mélange of sweets, savories, and spices." - Bill Esparza

"Maria and David Ramos own one of the coziest dining rooms and most impressive Oaxacan restaurants in the city, serving stellar mole and excellent lamb barbacoa on the weekends. The latter makes Gish Bac an unmissable spot on California’s barbacoa trail. Be sure to order the horchata or jamaica to wash down the meal." - Eater Staff

"Maria Ramos is a third-generation Oaxacan barbacoa master with deep roots in the Mercado de Tlacolula in Oaxaca. Her barbacoa enchilada, or pit-roasted lamb in a chile-based marinade, is a smoky, spicy taste of pre-Hispanic tacos de barbacoa. In a city full of Oaxacan restaurants, Gish Bac is esteemed for its barbacoa and traditional Oaxacan cooking." - Bill Esparza

"Gish Bac in Mid-Wilshire has made a name for itself over the past decade-plus for excellent housemade meats and its weekend-only barbacoa parties. If you’re into all things grilled and smoky, the tlayuda with Gish Bac’s Oaxacan trio is a good place to start: juicy cecina, snappy chorizo links, and tasajo with crisp, jerky-like edges and a plump center. If you’re here on a weekend, their smoky goat barbacoa is worth planning an entire afternoon around. The chivo is slow-roasted over avocado leaves until it slides off the bone and served with lime-doused consomme—a delicious reminder of why Gish Bac is a classic. " - sylvio martins

"Gish Bac in Mid-Wilshire has made a name for itself over the past decade-plus for excellent housemade meats and its weekend-only barbacoa parties. If you’re into all things grilled and smoky, the tlayuda with Gish Bac’s Oaxacan trio is a good place to start: juicy cecina, snappy chorizo links, and tasajo with crisp, jerky-like edges and a plump center. If you’re here on a weekend, their smoky goat barbacoa is worth planning an entire afternoon around. The chivo is slow-roasted over avocado leaves until it slides off the bone and served with lime-doused consomme—a delicious reminder of why Gish Bac is a classic.  " - Sylvio Martins