California-style Mexican restaurant adds second Manatee location. Take a look
Inside the new Los Chiludos restaurant in Bradenton, graffiti-styled artwork shows a cultural blend of Los Angeles and Mexico.
A lowrider Chevy Impala is depicted along one wall, with the Mexican flag across the other.
It represents what Los Chiludos offers: California-style Mexican cuisine.
The restaurant recently opened a second location at 4418 E. State Road 64, Bradenton. Its original location opened in 2022 on Anna Maria Island.
“My dad … had a ‘63 Impala SS, it’s on airbags so it’s riding low and everything,” co-owner Alonzo Lemus said. “That’s the true style out there (in California). We even have the lowrider bike in here.”
What’s on the menu?
Some signature menu items include the California burrito, birria tacos, tortas and the Chilango burrito.
But in the California-Mexican style, Los Chiludos offers wet burritos.
“That’s huge in California,” Lemus said. “You put the salsa, you put the cheese and let the cheese melt almost like enchilada style … use a fork and knife rather than using your hands.”
The California burrito is made with grilled steak, steak fries, queso, pico de gallo and guacamole.
Tortas are a type of sandwich that can be made with different meats.
“It’s a toasted bun, the bun’s a little bit different that what a baguette would be, it’s softer than that,” co-owner Tera Lemus said. “Almost in between a baguette and a French bread, I would maybe say. And then it’s toasted, topped with mayonnaise, refried beans, lettuce, your choice of meat, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole.”
The birria tacos are made with slow-cooked shredded beef and topped with onion, cilantro and cheese.
While it’s not a California-style thing, Los Chiludos developed its own queso to serve customer demand in Florida.
“(If) a lot of people are asking for something, we’ll try it out,” Alonzo Lemus said. “And that was one thing. And people love our queso. It’s insane how much queso we have to make every day.”
Average menu prices range from $4 to $15 per item.
How it started
Jose and Tera Lemus started Los Chiludos in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area before moving to the Suncoast to open their first Manatee County location in Holmes Beach.
Their sons, Alonzo and Anthony, are running the new Bradenton spot, while Jose and Tera operate the Holmes Beach location, Alonzo said.
“Each of us have girlfriends and we’re each expecting a kid … so we want to grow with that and be able to support our family,” Alonzo Lemus said. “... Not only is our food very important to us making sure everything tastes good and quality, but also our customer service.”
First day crowd
On its first day, the new location inside the Braden River Plaza, had multiple people waiting for the restaurant to open at 11 a.m.
Green, white and red balloons, representing the Mexican flag’s colors, greeted diners near the ordering counter.
“You never know when you’re doing a grand opening how things will go,” Tera Lemus said. “We have (the other) location on the island. We had no idea how this one would go. Really glad to see the excitement of everybody.”
The restaurant has weekly specials and serves an array of beverages, including beer and frozen margaritas.
Los Chiludos is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is closed Sunday.
For more information, visit LosChiludos.com.
