Walking along the 1st Street Corridor heading East, a bright pink building stands out from all the rest. Its name and tagline — Pink and Boujee, “Not your average taquería” — are sure to get people to look twice.
This story originally appeared in Boyle Heights Beat, which is an LAist partner newsroom.
Once inside, if the smell of tortillas hechas a mano doesn’t grab your attention, then the bright-colored pink brunch foods surely will. The color pink comes from the dragonfruit and beet used to color many of the food items. But the color is not limited to just the food and the outside building. Inside, the restaurant walls, chairs, booths, and decor are all pink.
The concept first went viral on TikTok with more than 800,000 views when it was still a pop-up food truck in the fashion district in May of 2022. Now with a brick and mortar at 1908 1st Street since February, supporters from near and far are showing up.
“I’ve always loved food. It’s been a very important thing for me growing up,” said owner Yesenia Castro. “When I created Pink and Boujee I wanted to create something that represented a little bit of everything.”
For some customers, the pink aesthetic definitely makes a difference.
“It’s a cute experience to just not go to your regular taqueria, and it elevates it,” said Angel Jaelin, a customer visiting from Seattle, Washington.
“I know it might be hard for people to understand,” said Castro. “I think once you really see the beauty of it and the art of even making something pink that still has the rich flavors, it might change your idea once you try it and once you learn about it.”
The restaurant is Mexican and family-owned, which is important to the 28-year-old.
“We work and try our best to bring good quality things while still keeping traditional flavors and still making it look really pretty and presentable,” she said.
I think once you really see the beauty of it and the art of even making something pink that still has the rich flavors, it might change your idea once you try it and once you learn about it.
For customer Keithy Arabella Orellanam, seeing her generation put a twist on traditional foods is exciting.
“The pinkness is the reason I came last week, but the tacos are the reason I came this week,” Orellanam said. “The tacos are the bomb, I’m not even gonna lie.”
The menu has themed names for its dishes, for example, Boujee Chilaquiles, Pink Taco Trio, and Pink Pancakes. Prices range from $10 to $15. The restaurant also serves non-alcoholic mocktail drinks, like virgin mimosas and rosé, along with aguas frescas. Although tacos and alcohol are the usual pair, Castro wants to curate a different and healthier option.
“We had a girl celebrating a bachelorette,” Castro recalled. “I gave her a rundown of what we can and can’t provide, because people usually want to have mimosas and such. She’s like, ‘Oh my god that’s actually perfect because I’m a year sober.’”
Castro didn’t set out to be a restaurant owner. She attended a magnet high school in Downtown Los Angeles focusing on fashion, business, and electronics. While she was excited to do something creative, she found herself pursuing careers like medicine in order to make money.
“I went to medical school, but that didn’t work out,” said Castro. “I ended up being in sales, and that didn’t work out. That’s when I kind of navigated to the business world. I did a little bit of everything I would say, to prepare me for what I’m doing now.”
The pinkness is the reason I came last week, but the tacos are the reason I came this week. The tacos are the bomb, I’m not even gonna lie.
Caroline Salinas, a content creator and a social media strategist, understands that deviating from the status quo is hard and that’s why she supports Latina entrepreneurs where she can.
“I think with our background, we’re taught to chase careers that are typical,” Salinas said. “So whenever I see someone chasing a dream that is risky, I admire that and I want to support it.”
For Salinas, unique takes on traditional food like at Pink and Boujee allows customers to learn about the journey someone took to add flair to these plates.
“There’s beauty to trying the different subcultures within the Latino cultures,” she said. “It’s also been interesting since social media has kind of gotten bigger since the pandemic, it’s really beautiful to realize that Latinos show up. When one is struggling, someone will make a video and people will show up and save them.”
As a DACA recipient growing up in Boyle Heights, Castro is not new to hard challenges. Pink and Boujee has given her hope about what the future can hold.
“We can open doors for other entrepreneurs or other DACA recipients, I just feel like that itself is important,” said Castro. “If I could do that, take up space in the spaces that I have taken up, as an immigrant and DACA recipient, then I know anyone else can do it.”
“To me that is success,” she added. “That is being successful, what you do with your platform and with your power.”
