Loreto Comes West: A Summer of Baja Seafood on the Santa Monica Proper Rooftop

The Frogtown favorite brings its approach to Mexican mariscos to Calabra this summer

There’s something poetic about a restaurant that perfected Baja seafood beside the LA River finally making its way to the actual ocean. This summer, Loreto’s three-year Frogtown residency expands west to the Calabra rooftop at Santa Monica Proper, bringing their uncompromising approach to Mexican mariscos where it perhaps always belonged.

From June 20 through September 1, the Santa Monica Proper x Loreto collaboration offers something rare in Los Angeles dining: a partnership that feels inevitable rather than opportunistic, rooted in shared values around ingredient integrity and cultural authenticity.

When Values Align

The collaboration reflects more than mutual admiration—it represents a shared commitment to reimagining hospitality around wellness and authenticity. Santa Monica Proper has built its culinary program on the principle that truly nourishing food doesn’t require compromise, eliminating seed oils across all restaurants while maintaining flavor and cultural integrity.

Loreto’s approach aligns perfectly with this philosophy. “We’ve been wanting to collaborate for some time,” says Alejandro Marin, Loreto’s co-founder. “We recognize a lot of qualities in Proper that resonate with us: the attention to detail, the design-forward thinking.”

For Santa Monica Proper, the partnership represents an opportunity to showcase how their wellness-focused approach translates across cuisines. By bringing in a restaurant that was already moving toward clean cooking methods, they’re demonstrating that seed-oil-free preparation enhances rather than limits authentic flavors.

“Avocado oil has definitely amplified the flavors of our tostadas,” explains Executive Chef Paco Moran. “The neutrality has helped ingredients shine through, especially in those dishes that are mayo-based.” This alignment with Proper’s ingredient standards happened organically, proving that health-conscious cooking and cultural authenticity can coexist beautifully.

For Executive Chef Paco Moran, the partnership felt natural from the start. “It doesn’t feel like a pop-up with a hotel to us, it feels like a collaboration with friends.”

The Food That Changes Minds

Loreto’s approach to Mexican cuisine comes from two distinct but complementary perspectives. Marin grew up in Mexico City surrounded by the complex preparations of central Mexican cooking, until family visits to Baja and Sonora revealed something different.

“When I started traveling in my own country and exploring or visiting my family in Baja and Sonora, I found that the food in the North was more honest,” he explains. “By honest I mean that it is more simple in preparation but with higher quality ingredients. Amazing meats and seafood! I immediately fell in love with it and wanted to bring it to the US.”

Moran’s path was less direct but equally passionate. Born to Salvadoran parents, he grew up eating fresh fish every Sunday when his father returned from fishing trips. Later, he discovered the bold heat of Sinaloan and Baja mariscos. “The spice, the acidity, the saltiness, it’s just unmatched,” he says. “My goal is to introduce these bold flavors in a manner that feels new but yet familiar without losing the integrity of mariscos.”

The Santa Monica Proper x Loreto Menu: Where Baja Meets California

The collaboration showcases this philosophy through dishes that feel both rooted and inventive. Take the Tostada Kondo, born from Moran’s years wandering the Santa Monica Farmers Market. “For years I’ve been visiting the Santa Monica Farmers Market and the one thing that I always loved was seeing all the fennel,” he explains. “The Tostada Kondo is basically an ode to the Santa Monica Farmers Market.”

Then there’s that bluefin tuna tostada that stops conversations. “A bite that will make your eyes go wide,” as Marin puts it. Each element is calibrated: the richness of the fish, the smokiness from the torched aioli, the acid cut of yuzu. It’s Mexican technique meeting Japanese precision meeting California abundance.

Redefining Clean Cooking

The seed-oil-free preparation methods showcase a broader evolution in how restaurants approach both flavor and wellness. At Santa Monica Proper, this commitment extends beyond dietary trends—it’s about creating food that nourishes without compromise, whether that’s a California-focused breakfast or, now, traditional Mexican seafood preparations.

Following Santa Monica Proper’s lead, every dish is prepared without seed oils, using avocado oil and other clean alternatives, showcasing how the collaboration maintains both restaurants’ standards while proving that health-conscious cooking can amplify rather than diminish bold flavors.

This approach represents something larger happening in Los Angeles dining: restaurants that refuse to choose between authenticity and wellness, instead finding ways to honor cultural traditions while embracing contemporary understanding of nutrition.

LA’s Evolving Food Culture

Loreto’s Frogtown location has been crucial to developing their multicultural approach. “It was important for us to embed the local culture and food into everything we do,” Moran says. “You find all kinds of inspiration in our food at Loreto: French, German, Japanese, Thai, Salvadoran, Peruvian, Chinese, Italian and Spanish.”

This reflects something larger happening in Los Angeles dining. “LA is constantly recreating its culinary identity because it is constantly evolving through immigration,” Marin observes. Mexican food here doesn’t exist in isolation—it absorbs influences while maintaining its essential character.

The result is cuisine that feels both authentic and contemporary. “Many people are having mariscos for the first time when they visit Loreto,” Moran notes. “I do the best I can to not only highlight Mexican style mariscos, but to also incorporate other cultures into our food without losing integrity.”

The Rooftop Experience

The Calabra setting transforms the Loreto experience without fundamentally changing it. Friday through Sunday from 4pm to 10pm, the open-air terrace becomes a stage for the kind of gathering Loreto is known for: unpretentious, welcoming, focused on the food.

“Sometimes I look at the parking lot, there’s quarter-million dollar cars, motorcycles, bicycles, scooters or just people walking in that live in the neighborhood,” Moran observes. “It has this non-stuffy, welcoming vibe. Tie in good music, good food and good drinks, a good time is guaranteed the moment you walk through the door.”

The ocean backdrop adds another dimension. Where Frogtown offers river storks and urban tranquility, Santa Monica provides Pacific sunsets and sea breeze. Both settings serve the same purpose: creating space for food that demands attention.

Industry Recognition

The collaboration has earned praise from LA’s culinary community, including from Santa Monica Proper’s own Executive Chef Sonnie. “I grew up eating at mariscos spots throughout LA,” he says. “A few years ago, Loreto opened in Frogtown, and helped put Baja cuisine on the map with Chef Paco’s contemporary approach. I went for my birthday a few years ago for the first time and it’s become a favorite amongst me and my friends.”

This kind of peer recognition speaks to Loreto’s impact on the city’s dining landscape and suggests the Santa Monica collaboration will introduce their approach to an even wider audience.

What Stays With You

When asked what they hope guests remember most about the collaboration, both Marin and Moran give the same answer: “The food!” But there’s ambition behind that simplicity.

“What we enjoy the most at Loreto is when our guests are wowed by the food,” Marin explains. “For a lot of people this is a new kind of Mexican food experience, especially when having mariscos that are elevated by the highest quality ingredients. We hope that we can take this feeling to a whole new neighborhood.”

Moran is more direct about the mission: “We don’t shy away from spice. Hopefully people start eating more spice.”

It’s about expanding palates and challenging assumptions about what Mexican food can be. In a city where authenticity and innovation often feel at odds, Loreto proves they can coexist beautifully—especially when there’s an ocean view involved.

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