La Cuevita opens Friday: More mescal, but the bats remain

for now, the sign remains the same

The Little Cave on Figueroa was aways a low-key place to grab a beer, with adorable Bettie Page-esque dj's spinning PIL and heavily-tattooed bartenders who invited you to the premiere of their horror movie at the bar. But despite the charm of the pitch-black interior and spooky clientele, all things must evolve. This is especially true in Highland Park, home to increasing hordes of newcomers who don't really have that many bars to choose from, compared to say, Echo Park and Silver Lake. 

A freshened-up interior has Mexican flavor

So the Little Cave is now La Cuevita, turning from goth bar for Latinos to hip Mexican bar for those who don't flinch at $12 cocktails. The interior has been spiffed up with bare rafters and touches of Mexican decor, as well as more tasteful artsy bats than the previous mascots. Who knew there were windows in the crepuscular space?

taps and tequila at La Cuevita

We tried several cocktails created by Thirsty Crow's Cooper Gillespie and Jared Mort of Oldfield's, including the namesake La Cuevita with smoky mescal and ginger beer, the jalapeno margarita with grapefruit juice, the unusual mole Manhattan with a slight chocolate taste and the refreshing Mezcalada with Clamato, Corona and mescal. There's a solid selection of tequila and mescal, the same beer taps as before, and the same two outdoor drinking areas.
On Taco Tuesday, $1 tacos and $5 margaritas help keep drinking costs down. And conveniently for the olds, there's now a highly generous happy hour that stretches from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Now if they can just bring back that dj once in a while...
La Cuevita
5922 N. Figueroa
Highland Park
(323) 255-6871