Review: The Brentwood Village’s newest restaurant Casa de Campo

When driving down Barrington Avenue in Los Angeles, you may have noticed the new addition to the Brentwood Village. Casa De Campo is a fresh, Californian take on Mexican cuisine.

Casa De Campo opened at the beginning of September. It is clean, rustic, and aesthetically pleasing. The restaurant has Mexican style mosaic counters and wooden chairs and tables. The small space offers a cozy feel and there is also seating outside for those who prefer fresh air.

Apart from the convenient location and appealing space, the restaurant is reasonably priced. For example, all of the tacos, are priced between $4.95 and $6.25, including the steak and fish tacos. A meal, including drinks, dessert, and a side can be under $15.

Casa De Campo is having a soft opening which means they are not finalizing their menu until they can get a better idea of the needs of the community.

I recently had the chance to speak with the owner, Ash Amir.

“We are seriously a local restaurant for the neighbors and for the people,” Amir said. “We do not do and have not done any advertising because we want to focus on what the neighborhood wants.”

According to Amir, everything is made to order and microwaves and freezers are not used to ensure that the food is fresh. Their supplier works directly with local farmers so that the food is antibiotic free, natural, wild caught, and non-GMO.

The menu offers a variety of options for a vegan, a meat lover, and anyone in between. One highlight is “Mama’s Vegan” tacos which include portobello mushrooms, a pipian verde sauce, and caulini, a vegetable which is similar to a mix of broccoli and cauliflower. For pescatarians, or anyone who enjoys fish, the “Pescado” tacos are a must have. The cod is fried and served with Pico de Gallo. The “Braised Beef” burrito is another appetizing option that is served in a fresh flour tortilla. The corn for the taco tortillas is fresh corn masa which is baked in order to get a better and more natural flavor.

In addition to the assortment of entrees, unique side dishes help make the meal complete. Sides include sweet corn and nopales. The sweet corn is served off the cob in an aioli sauce. Nopales are an edible type of cacti that are uncommon but very tasty.

For breakfast, Casa De Campo has various types of pan dulce, a Mexican pastry made from sweet bread. There also is a breakfast burrito which is easy to grab on your way to work or school.

The flavors of Casa De Campo are reminiscent of Mexico and Spain. Amir lived and cooked in Spain. While living there, he and his wife came up with the idea of Casa De Campo. When they came back to Los Angeles, his wife designed the restaurant, and Casa De Campo was born.

Amir knew about the restaurant business in Los Angeles since he already had the successful restaurant Manchego in Santa Monica. His other restaurant, Manchego, is also a combination of Spanish cuisine and local flavor; of the specialties is Spanish tapas. It also serves a variety of salads, sandwiches, and Spanish dishes. There is also a cheese dish called Manchego, which is made from sheep’s milk from La Mancha, Spain.

You should not leave Casa de Campo without trying the special Mexican Bottle Soda or one of the sweet treats including flan and churros.

Casa De Campo’s remarkable flavors will quickly become a morning, evening, and weekend go-to. The wait for a Mexican restaurant in the Brentwood Village is finally over.