Petite Peso: The Little Shop of Flavors
Walking along the always under construction 7th Street, colloquially christented “Restaurant Row” recently, you would barely notice the brasserie-chic energy of a tiny eatery named Petite Peso. French aesthetics and Filipino dishes combust in this supremely small space (most of it is the kitchen). Its display of polvoron cookies and ensaimadas seem to quietly compete for your attention on a street dominated by loud taco trucks and large gourmet spots like Bottega Louie and Joe’s DTLA.
For any cuisine as uncommon as Fillipino, the challenge would seem to get those adobo rice bowls competing with the various ramen and chinese spots in the neighborhood. But Robert Villanueva, President and co-founder of Petite explained they’re unphased by their unique role, “we love the Downtown community, culture and creatives that live and work in DTLA and knew that Peso would be accepted here.”
It’s co-founder, Tiffany Tanaka, is the Chief Experience Officer, while Ria Dolly Barbosa - Culinary and Executive Chef - have also done their part in making sure people that walk by don’t forget the looks or aroma of their little spot. By the names alone, you could already taste the trio’s savor of Filipino fried food and Provincial town feels.
Petite Peso is filling the shoes of the previous sole Filipino eatery in the area, the Rice Bar, which closed down at the same spot back in May.
“We miss the hotels being occupied,” Robert said, “and all of the events at Staples Center and the other venues that would have contributed to our business if they were open.”’ Nevertheless, he didn’t seem concerned; Petite has only done business post-covid, and is doing quite well during these times. Despite its hard-to-spot-size, Petite’s nearly 30K followers are relishing in daily uploads of bright, mouth-watering Crispy Chicken Sandos, Passion Fruit Halo Halo drinks (think frappe), and their most popular dish, “The Impossible Lumpia,” which has its own Instagram account. “We try to always create unique, fun and positive ways to interact with our peeps.”
Along with a strong social media following comes the prospect of expansion; the demand is certainly there, according to Robert. “We see Peso having a second location. We feel that people are really digging the Food, Hospitality and Vibe and we want to be able to bring that to different parts of LA.”
Anyone who comes across Petite Peso, be it online or walking by its humble boutique, would agree that it is an underdog in the cutthroat business of L.A dining, but it has all the stuff you need to grow into a city hotspot, a la Tacos 1986 and Dolly Lama. You can spot its neon sign and retro looks six days a week, on 419 West 7th St. , from 11AM-9PM.
Written by Daniel Nieblas | Photographed by Rebekah Lemire
