Pez Cantina

What Pez Cantina does

Pez Cantina is a Los Angeles-based coastal Mexican seafood restaurant group founded in 2014 by husband-and-wife team Chef Bret Thompson and Lucy Ramirez Thompson. The company's culinary concept is inspired by Loreto, Baja California, and centers on fresh seafood dishes (ceviche, spicy ahi tuna tostada, green shrimp aguachile), tacos, handcrafted cocktails, and signature molcajete presentations. It operates two full-service restaurant locations: the original Downtown LA restaurant at 401 S Grand Avenue in the Financial District, and PEZ Coastal Kitchen in Pasadena, which opened in 2021.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model with three revenue streams: dine-in service at its two physical locations, online ordering and takeout via Toasttab, and a catering and special events operation managed through TripleSEAT. Reservations run through Exploretock. The company also sells a proprietary in-house seasoning product, Boom! Chile+Lime Spice, in 4.9 oz containers through a dedicated e-commerce storefront (boomchileandlime.com). Customer segments include Downtown LA professionals, local residents, corporate clients seeking catering, and event hosts for weddings, anniversaries, and private parties.

Pez Cantina is privately held, with no external venture capital or private equity backing, and the founders maintain direct control. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees, consistent with a small independent restaurant group. Technology is limited to standard restaurant-platform integrations (Toasttab, Exploretock, TripleSEAT) and a Squarespace website; there is no proprietary technology platform and no AI/ML capabilities. The company has been featured in LA Weekly, LA Times, Eater LA, Zagat, and CBS Local, and participates in Dine LA Restaurant Week.

Name

Pez Cantina

Legal name

Pez Cantina

Website

https://pezcantina.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pez Cantina operates a coastal Mexican seafood restaurant group in the Los Angeles area, serving dine-in customers at two locations (Downtown LA and Pasadena), catering corporate and private events, and selling a branded Boom! Chile+Lime seasoning via e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mexican Restaurant Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)

Keywords

• Mexican seafood restaurant
• Coastal Mexican cuisine
• Event catering services
• Premium spice blend
• Casual upscale dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Service: Full-service coastal Mexican dining experience with lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, and bar service at Downtown LA location. Customers can make reservations through Exploretock.
2. Online Ordering and Takeout: Takeout and delivery orders placed through Toasttab platform for Los Angeles area customers.
3. Catering and Special Events: Off-site and on-site catering services for corporate lunches, happy hours, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and corporate events. Comprehensive event packages with customizable menus and seamless execution.
4. Retail Seasoning Products: Sale of Boom! Chile+Lime Spice premium seasoning blend directly to consumers through their e-commerce platform boomchileandlime.com, packaged in 4.9 oz containers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pez Cantina operates full-service coastal Mexican seafood restaurants at two locations (Downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena), serving dishes such as ceviche, tacos, and handcrafted cocktails. The company also provides on-site and off-site catering and special event services for corporate and private occasions, and sells a proprietary retail seasoning product called Boom! Chile+Lime Spice through its own e-commerce site.

Product overview

Pez Cantina operates as a coastal Mexican restaurant with a diversified product portfolio. The core offering is the restaurant experience at two locations (Downtown LA and Pasadena), complemented by a retail spice product (Boom! Chile + Lime Spice) and comprehensive catering/event services. The company was founded by Chef Bret Thompson and Lucy Ramirez Thompson, drawing inspiration from Loreto, Baja California cuisine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Boom! Chile + Lime Spice: A premium seasoning blend of Chile and Lime created by Lucy and Chef Bret Thompson, available for retail purchase.

Products and services

• Pez Cantina Restaurant (Downtown Los Angeles) Full-service coastal Mexican seafood restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles offering lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, and bar service with dishes such as ceviche, tacos, and handcrafted cocktails, targeted at office workers, professionals, and local residents.
• PEZ Coastal Kitchen (Pasadena) Second restaurant location in Pasadena, CA offering the same coastal Mexican cuisine as the Downtown LA flagship, with extended evening hours and a patio-style dining room.
• Boom! Chile+Lime Spice Proprietary in-house premium seasoning blend of chile and lime created by Lucy and Chef Bret Thompson during the pandemic, sold in 4.9 oz containers via dedicated e-commerce site for home use on fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, cocktails, popcorn, fries, and other dishes.
• Catering & Special Events Comprehensive catering and event hosting service offering customizable menus for corporate lunches, happy hours, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, corporate events, and engagement soirées, with on-site and off-site catering options delivered through the TripleSEAT event request platform.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Petty Cash Taqueria: Chef-driven modern Mexican taqueria in Los Angeles. Comparable as an LA-based chef-driven Mexican concept, though operating at a more casual fast-casual price point than Pez Cantina's full-service model.

Broad incumbents

• Rosa Mexicano: Upscale Mexican restaurant group with locations in major U.S. cities. Comparable as a full-service, higher-end Mexican dining concept serving corporate and event clientele with coastal-influenced cuisine.
• Uncle Julio's: National chain of casual Mexican restaurants with locations across the U.S. Comparable as a scaled full-service Mexican dining operator, though less culturally specific than Pez Cantina.
• El Cholo: Historic LA Mexican restaurant chain founded in 1927 with multiple locations across Southern California. Comparable as a long-established, independently owned Mexican restaurant group operating at greater scale within the same regional market.

Direct peers

• Frontera Grill / Topolobampo: Chef Rick Bayless's flagship Mexican restaurants in Chicago. Comparable as a chef-driven, regionally authentic Mexican concept with strong media profile and cultural authority in the Mexican culinary space.
• Casa Vega: Iconic family-owned Mexican restaurant in Sherman Oaks, California, operating since 1956. Directly comparable as a multi-generational, independently owned Los Angeles Mexican restaurant with strong local brand recognition.
• La Mar by Gaston Acurio: Celebrity chef-driven coastal seafood restaurant with locations including Miami and Los Angeles. Comparable as a high-end, coastal seafood-led dining concept with cultural authenticity and a strong chef-founder identity.
• Oyamel Cocina Mexicana: José Andrés's Mexican restaurant in Washington, D.C. focused on regional Mexican cuisine. Comparable as a chef-led, culturally authentic Mexican dining concept with strong media recognition and event-driven revenue.
• Border Grill: Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger's modern Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles with catering operations. Comparable as a chef-driven LA Mexican concept with an emphasis on fresh, coastal-influenced cuisine and catering services.
• Guelaguetza: James Beard-recognized Oaxacan restaurant in Los Angeles with multiple locations. Comparable as an authentic, family-driven regional Mexican concept with cultural programming and a cult LA following.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/pezcantina
• Facebookfacebook.com/pezcantina
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pez-cantina

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pez Cantina