After a six-week closure, LA’s 92-year-old taquito stand is back. Cielito Lindo reopened last week after more than 1,000 donors helped raise more than $53,000 through a GoFundMe campaign, surpassing the owners’ $40,000 goal.
Doors reopened June 24 with limited hours and now operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to its Facebook page.
“WE’RE BAAAAACK,” the stand wrote. “We’ve already served hundreds of you over the last couple of days and…boy, were you jonesing for taquitos and avocado sauce.”
The post has received hundreds of comments rallying in support of the restaurant.
Cielito Lindo has been an institution on Olvera Street since its founding in 1934. It closed recently after a challenging year for the business, the owners wrote on their GoFundMe.
“[We have tried to] stabilize operations while navigating the rising cost of food, inflation, deferred maintenance, rent debt, and a very difficult environment for small restaurants in downtown LA,” their GoFundMe read. “Right now, we are facing urgent electrical and plumbing repairs, along with the lasting financial impact of the COVID shutdowns that devastated Olvera Street and many small family businesses like ours.”
Known for its hand-rolled taquitos and salsa, Cielito Lindo was founded by Aurora Guerrero, the current owners’ great-grandmother, after she immigrated from Zacatecas, Mexico. It quickly became one of the most recognizable restaurants in all of Los Angeles.
The stand was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. Other famous faces who have visited Cielito Lindo included Orson Welles — who reportedly ate 43 taquitos in one sitting — as well as Eve Babitz, Cheech Marin and Lupe Fiasco.
“This is bigger than a business,” their GoFundMe read. “It’s about preserving a landmark built by immigrant women and woven into the story and soul of Los Angeles since 1934.”
