LOS MOLES
MEXICAN RESTAURANT & BEER GARDEN
Specializing in Moles and Craft Beers
The City of El Cerrito celebrated the opening of a new and
exciting restaurant on September 1, 2017, which occupies the
building of the former Carrows Restaurant located on Potrero
near San Pablo Avenue. Los Moles Beer Garden is a thriving
Mexican restaurant and bar created and owned by Chef Lito
Saldana, which boasts not only a large, spacious interior, but also
a large outdoor patio area (the Beer Garden) perfect for enjoying
warm spring afternoons and evenings. The El Cerrito location is
the third Los Moles restaurant opened by Chef Lito since 2012;
the first location was established in Emeryville, and the second
opened in San Rafael in 2015. Los Moles Beer Garden is not
just a typical Mexican restaurant. What sets it apart? Why, the
Moles, of course!
Not being a culinary expert of Mexican cuisine, I didn’t
know about “Moles.” I’d heard of Chicken Mole but hadn’t
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eaten it before. When I asked Chef Lito what the restaurant
name, Los Moles, translated to in English, I learned that the
word “mole” (pronounced mo-lay) is the generic name for
traditional sauces originally used in Mexican cuisine and for
dishes based on these sauces. Moles are made with various
ingredients to create different flavors, with chile peppers being
a common factor. They are often made for special occasions
and celebrations and are very time consuming to make from
scratch, requiring many fresh ingredients and long cooking times.
Consequently, not many restaurants in this area offer moles, or
may offer only a single type of mole.
Born and raised in Jalisco, Chef Lito grew up in a very small
town with only 10 houses where the residents took care of each
other like family. He often watched and helped family members
cook traditional Mexican recipes, including mole. Although he
RESTAURANT REVIEW
6120 Potrero Avenue, El Cerrito | (510) 230-4855 | losmoles.com
By Vickie Lewis