A Tí Keeps Evolving Into a Uniquely L.A. Mexican Restaurant
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In the last year and a half, chef Andrew Ponce has come a long way from his pop-up days. Last February, the Los Angeles native became a proud first-time restaurant owner in the form of A Tí, a chic yet casual Mexican brick-and-mortar in Echo Park that infuses the traditional Mexican American culinary canon with ingredients and culinary techniques from around the world. (Think al pastor tacos made with koji-cured Ibérico pork and a crispy duck confit served with a 500-day mole and lime crema.)
Beyond expanding and refining the restaurant’s offerings—including a newer brunch service on Sunday afternoons—the Mexican American chef also brought A Tí to New York City for a sold-out four-night pop-up in August. By the end of the year, L.A. TACO had named A Tí one of the best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles and Vogue had named it one of the best restaurants in the city, period.
In December, Resy contributor Kat Hong also named A Tí one of the year’s most defining restaurants in L.A., and praised its technique-driven menu, which draws on Ponce’s various experiences cooking in the city’s most critically acclaimed kitchens. Among them are Bestia, where Ponce spent close to half a decade working under Ori Menashe; the original Fairfax location of Jon & Vinny’s; and the now-closed, universally beloved Taco María in Orange County.
We spoke with Ponce to talk about his past experiences eating and cooking in L.A. have contributed to the development of A Tí, and what he sees in the future of A Tí (including a soon-to-debut tasting menu).
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Resy: How did you come up with the idea for A Ti?
Andrew Ponce: I never thought I was gonna cook Mexican food, ever. I grew up as a chef mostly within Italian restaurants and California cuisine restaurants. But once I started working at Taco Maria, I saw Mexican food in a totally different light and started connecting the dots. I felt very inspired by what chef Carlos [Salgado] was doing. That drove me to push myself and start A Tí in 2021. I always knew I wanted to have my own restaurant, but as a young cook you don’t know how that’s actually going to start. At that time, it was still pandemic-esque, and people were doing a lot of pop-ups and outdoor events, so all of that fell into place.
How did you and your family eat while you were growing up?
Very simply. Growing up, food was not romanticized the way it is now. We ate a lot of very simple Mexican dishes, a lot of beans and rice. Any time you were hungry, there was a pot of beans on the stove. My dad barbecued carne asada and chicken from the meat markets: nothing fancy, nothing crazy. I actually hated mole growing up! It was in my extended family’s rotation at parties, and I remember vividly being at my family’s house and saying, “This is gross!” Funnily, now it’s one of the most important dishes at the restaurant. My love of food really grew as I started cooking professionally.
Who have been the biggest influences on the menu and on your career as a whole?
To be honest, I really fell in love with food when I first ate at Animal. That restaurant made me want to become that kind of chef. I cook through the things I’ve learned, techniques and flavors. But everything I cook here is a representation of myself and growing up and some chefs. Chef Ori [Menashe, of Bestia] and chef Carlos [Salgado, of Taco Maria] are my biggest draws. They’re on my Mount Rushmore of chefs, so to speak. Their styles are very unique. Bestia is not just Italian food; it’s Italian with Californian and Middle Eastern influence. I definitely draw from both of them, but I try to ask myself, “What does Andrew want to cook?”
How is A Tí influenced by restaurants like Ray Garcia’s cuisine at the Broken Spanish? How about Enrique Olvera’s Damian?
I haven’t been to the new Broken Spanish Comedor, but I went to Broken Spanish back when I was a young cook, maybe in 2016 or 2017. At that time, I wasn’t thinking about cooking Mexican food. I definitely respect and appreciate Ray Garcia and Carlos Salgado and Wes [Avila]. They paved the way for someone like me to add Japanese ingredients to this Mexican dish. I also think Enrique Olvera has set the standard. Damian is a beautiful restaurant, one of the most perfect restaurants in my opinion, and it’s pushing Mexican cuisine to that next level. I respect that so much.
I feel like A Tí represents the next generation of Alta California cuisine—where you’re not having to be as unapologetic about cooking Mexican food in a nontraditional way. It’s just built into the DNA of the restaurant.
When people come to A Tí they’re definitely taken aback and think “Oh! That’s completely not what I expected.” That’s where I live, in the intersection, and that’s where I’m finding my voice. Being Mexican and American and being able to use that as my strength.
How much has the menu changed since you opened in late 2024?
I’m tweaking something every week. There’s specials, there’s things I take off, but the core hits of A Ti will stay: the tuna tostada, the crispy beef tacos, and the duck mole. Everything else is my playground. When I first started A Tí, I was doing a lamb neck birria, but that transformed into an oxtail stew. The scallop aguachile was a cucumber broth; now it’s a squid ink. We do get a lot of regulars who come here, and it’s nice to do small little changes so when they come, it does feel like it’s a slightly different restaurant.
How would you describe the vibe of A Tí?
It’s a place with a sense of calmness. I really try to evoke that with the dim lights, the candles, the music. There’s so much going on in the world, and a lot of restaurants that have loud music where you have to scream across the table. I want the guest to come in here and discover that they are the energy, they are the vibe.
What are the absolute crowd favorites, and what are your favorite menu items?
The fan favorites are the duck mole, the tuna tostada and the crispy beef tacos. My favorites are the pozole that we do on Sundays, the duck mole, and the fried quail.
How have you built an audience for A Tí in an era when it feels like everyone has a PR firm and is working with social media influencers?
I’m old-fashioned. I love just going up to tables and talking to people. Back when I was doing the pop-ups, I knew every single person that was following us. While social media has helped and a lot of press have started to follow us now, we still don’t work with anybody outside: no PR firm, no influencers. It’s just us making sure people are coming in and having a good time and telling our friends. For us, as a small restaurant, that’s actually better. We like to be tucked away on Sunset. People come here because their friends told them about it, or come back with someone they came with before. We’ve seen that organic growth. I love it that way.
When you look into the future, what do you imagine for A Ti?
I see myself doing pop-ups in Japan or New York, but also smaller spinoff concepts that are derivatives of this restaurant—maybe a taco or ceviche bar in Orange County. It would be hard to duplicate A Tí because it’s so personal to me. Right now, I’m here everyday and still figuring things out at the restaurant. How can I get the kitchen to operate at full capacity, even if I’m not there all the time, with my team still being able to execute?
Why Japan? I use a lot of Japanese products that aren’t really seen [by diners] on the plate, like koji and amazake. I mixed the amazake and pulque once and it was amazing. Japanese and Mexican flavors go very well together. They have the best seafood over there, so why not go over there and do ceviches and aguachiles? These are goals and dreams for years from now…my goal first and foremost is to build a strong foundation for this restaurant before anything else.
What else can diners expect in terms of new menu developments at A Tí?
While we are a neighborhood restaurant, we have a lot of people coming out here on the weekends, and I want to make sure it’s worth the trip. In the last year, I’ve added more entrées and appetizers so people can have fun and choose different things. I’ve actually been working on a tasting menu the past few months, which includes pig ear chilaquiles. I did a frog leg taco because I love [Here’s Looking at You], rest in peace, and they had the [salsa negra] frog legs. I treated it like carnitas and shredded it up. But the kitchen at A Tí is so small; it’s not meant to be doing what we’re doing. I’m trying to figure out what’s more efficient and what we can get away with. I want to put Mexican pasta on the menu, because I’ve been cooking pasta for a long time. I’m definitely ambitious.
