ABOUT
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to celebrate and serve the presence of the mother which resides above us, within our hearts, within the earth, and in all those who nurture us. We serve cuisine inspired by the kitchens of Mexico sourced from locally grown ingredients. Welcome to a seat at love's table. Un lugar en la mesa del amor.
OUR STORY
We first conceived the idea of Gracias Madre while visiting the families of our employees in Mexico. We wanted to both offer organic Mexican food to the communities we serve as well as honor the mothers who work tirelessly in the kitchens of Mexico and often live without their husbands and children while they work side by side with us in California. Inspired by some of the recipes of these families and the love of their mothers, Gracias Madre serves organic, farm fresh, locally sourced food, full of flavor and love.
CHANDRA GILBERT
EXECUTIVE CHEF
With the arrival of Gracias Madre in Los Angeles, Chef Chandra Gilbert finds themself once again featuring bold flavors and seasonally-conscious ingredients. The veteran chef, who has 33 years of experience working in the restaurant industry; including stints at Alice Waters' Café Fanny in Berkeley, Cowgirl Creamery and Greens Restaurant in San Francisco; has been with the Café Gratitude family since 2004 when they began working as Director of Operations for the esteemed family of vegan restaurants in the Bay Area. It was during that time that the idea for Gracias Madre began entering into the conversation with Café Gratitude Founders Matthew and Terces Engelhart. Together, they co-designed the restaurant's aesthetic and co-created the menu featuring produce from the Engelhart's Be Love Farm in Vacaville, bringing Gilbert's dream to fruition with Gracias Madre's San Francisco opening in 2009. The restaurant, located in San Francisco's Mission District, quickly garnered critical acclaim for its vibrant interpretation of Mexican cuisine. With the opening of Gracias Madre in West Hollywood in January 2014, Gilbert brings that passion to Los Angeles with a menu that blends produce from Be Love Farm with ingredients sourced from local farmers markets.
MAXWELL REIS
BEVERAGE DIRECTOR
This is our Beverage Director Max. He loves agave spirits, cocktails, and Swedish death metal. Maxwell Reis originally hails from Napa, California and currently resides in beautiful Los Angeles where he curates the bar program here, at Gracias Madre. Max fell in love with agave spirits during his 10 years spent working behind LA bars, and solidified that love by taking every opportunity to experience mezcal and tequila’s production first hand. When he’s not in Oaxaca filling water bottles full of mezcal, he’s here, preaching ethical agave practices and making some of the best cocktails in the city. If you see him behind the bar, say ‘hi’, but know you’ll be leaving as enamored with mezcal as he is.
LOCATION
8905 Melrose Avenue West Hollywood, CA 90069
Phone 323-978-2170
Fax 323-978-2168
HOURS
Weekdays: 11am - 11pm
Weekends: 10am - 11pm
Weekend Brunch: 10am - 3pm
Weekday Lunch: 11am - 4pm
Weekday Happy Hour: 3pm - 6pm