The 3 Sexiest Micheladas in Town
Half a glass of tomato juice with half a glass of beer just ain’t cuttin’ it
Written by Brittni Rae
It isn’t easy finding a good michelada. Some restaurants try to get away with pouring half a glass of the tomato-clam concoction and filling the rest of the glass with a Mexican beer of choice, but it takes more than a two-step process to accomplish the perfect “miche.”
There needs to be the proper ratio of spices to lime juice, Clamato, and beer. Whatever the ingredients are, these four need to be the basis. The perfect michelada needs to be spicy, yet refreshing. Cold, but not so cold that that the ice melts, causing the beer to be watered down. It needs to have the perfect balance of tomato flavor to beer; and if at any point the beer loses its essence, the michelada has failed.
Type “best micheladas” into the search engine on Yelp and a list of the nearest Mexican restaurants is bound to pop up. This information alone is not sufficient enough, hands on research needed to be conducted; it is, in fact, the number one rule of journalism.
After researching pictures, comments, instagram hashtags, and conducting surveys on places to visit, it was time to try the top five recommended places. The three mentioned restaurants below got it right.
In third place is a miche from Armando’s Mexican Restaurant in San Gabriel. This drink was packed with spices, literally. The whole top of the beer was doused in spicy seasoning.
A michelada from Armando’s is a favorite among locals. A mere mention of the restaurant’s name heard over conversation caused Alhambra resident, Gabby Kanbara, 32, to say “Their micheladas! Have you tried their micheladas?” Looking up #Armandos on Instagram will display many photos from guests who have dined there, raving about the Mexican drink.
At Armando’s a michelada is referred to as a chavela. A chavela is similar to a michelada, but the difference is that a chavela includes worchester sauce and Tabasco, which adds more of a vinegar type of flavor. Either way, it’s a fan favorite, and for only $5.50, it’s a steal too.
Via-Mar in Baldwin Park had the next best michelada. This one tasted very similar to a bloody mary. It was extremely refreshing and addicting. The tomato flavor didn’t overpower the beer, yet somehow retained its hearty flavor. Don’t go here for the food; this place doesn’t have the best Mexican food in town. Strictly go here for the drink, because it’s worth it.
This miche is huge. It’s made in a tall beer mug, and garnished with a celery stalk and a single shrimp, which is delicious when marinated in the beer. Jesse Sepulveda, Duarte resident, 24, commented saying, “It’s really good. At first you’d think, ‘This is just like any other michelada,’ but then you realize, ‘No. Nevermind. This is really good.’”
Finally, the absolute sexiest michelada can be found at Baja California Bar and Grill in Norwalk. Granted, Norwalk isn’t necessarily “in town” but it is so worth it that distance won’t matter. This drink is delicious. While enjoying his michelada at the bar, Luis Jaramillo, 54, with 33 years of legal beer drinking experience under his belt, stated,
“This is the best michelada I’ve ever had.”
What factors may have contributed to this miche being the winner? Well, the fact that the rim is covered in chamoy pretty much does it. For those who are unfamiliar to chamoy, it is a sauce made from fruit pulp, usually apricot, and a mixture of lime, spices, and chiles. It is usually in the form of paste, less often as liquid. Chamoy is most recognizable from being used in Mexican candies, but its sweet and sour flavors are often paired with fruits and vegetables.
Disclaimer: the chamoy they use is made in-house.
When asked what ingredients made his chamoy so special, the manager of Baja’s, Isais Ocampo, stated, “All special, sorry can’t tell you.” Along with the chamoy are mango and cucumber slices, perfectly ripened.
Some people aren’t into chamoy because of its sweet flavor, but for those who do like chamoy, small drops of the paste will fall into the drink, make their way up the straw, and taste oh so good when paired with the beer.
In order to produce the best michelada in town, Ocampo makes sure that his michelada is set apart from his competitors. This is why Baja’s michelada contains only a small amount of ingredients: some Clamato, salt, pepper, celery salt, lime, and Tapatio. He claimed,
