Salsa and Beer Opening Its Family-Style Mexican Restaurant in Calabasas

Gabriel Huerta, the owner of Salsa & Beer, insists that the upcoming Calabasas location will be his last. Replacing Coco’s Family Restaurant, at 4895 Las Virgenes Road, this will be the sixth Salsa & Beer and, despite the number of restaurants opened up by Huerta under this name, he told What Now Los Angeles (WNLA) that he has no interest in franchising. 

“It’s not like a franchise. I’m the cook and the chef at the same time,” Huerta said. Salsa & Beer is a family-oriented, traditional restaurant. “Not too fancy.” There’s nothing else to the new location besides a bigger parking lot that’s close to his home. While the concept is the same, Huerta chose this location because it feels like a more “private” location for customers. 

As a family-owned and operated business, it’s a bit harder for Salsa & Beer to come across cooks who can create its traditional, yet somewhat difficult Mexican cuisine. In fact, as head chef, Huerta cites this as the main reason he’s calling it good after Salsa & Beer opens up in Calabasas. It’s difficult enough as it is, being the guy solely in charge of one Salsa & Beer location in Van Nuys and four more in North Hollywood. 

Huerta, like many, blames COVID for the ambiguous opening date of his restaurant, but he did give WNLA a rough estimate of about two to three months. What he hopes is that they get an opening sometime before December. This location is his priority and he can’t wait to move forward.

[Edited to change West Hollywood to North Hollywood]