Josef Centeno, chef of acclaimed restaurants Bäco Mercat, Orsa & Winston, Bar Amá, Ledlow, and P.Y.T., debuts his latest project, BäcoShop, in Los Angeles’s Downtown Culver City. BäcoShop showcases convenient lunch, dinner, and grab-and-go items, including the namesake filled flatbread and a selection of colorful salads, sides, and desserts. BäcoShop is committed to inspiring, high-quality ingredients and unique, bold flavors from around the world.
Centeno made the first bäco nearly a decade ago as a popular staff meal after long kitchen shifts—an adaptable flatbread base for savory meat, fish, or vegetables, combined with vibrant and tangy sauces, aromatic spices, and bright greens and herbs. At BäcoShop, the signature flatbread is made fresh every day and acts as a vessel for Centeno’s creativity, available as a folded bäco or wrapped as a bäcorrito, riffing on flavors from the Eastern Mediterranean, Spain, North and East Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and regions of Asia. Highlights from the bäco and bäcorrito menu include:
- Grilled Steak with coffee rub, mild red chile, almonds, hummus, charred scallion crema
- Green Herb Chicken with thyme, Meyer lemon vinaigrette, spiced yogurt, green cabbage, parsley
- Chile Shrimp with sriracha, buttermilk cabbage slaw, mint
- Braised Pork with cotija cheese, green peppercorn mustard, dill pickles
- Roasted Eggplant with fava hummus, spicy chile, red cabbage, cilantro
Salads and vegetables celebrate local produce and seasonality, such as the “Caesar” Brussels Sprouts with kale, pecorino, and breadcrumbs; Pickled Beets with turmeric vinaigrette and parsley; Roasted Cauliflower with winter fruit and poblano-buttermilk dressing; and Buttermilk Cucumbers with dill and pickled grapes. To accompany the food, BäcoShop also offers homemade aguas frescas, tonics, and a selection of wine and beer.
Quick grab-and-go items include Bäco Snax—a mix of dips and appetizers such as pickled carrots, hummus, olives, nuts, and feta cheese – served alongside bäco bread or house-baked crackers. The Trio Salad—three of the daily vegetables and salads—is also available in the grab-and-go case, along with other snacks including Seasonal Pickles, Pomegranate and Walnut Dip, and Hummus.
Located at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Irving Place, the Downtown Culver City space seats 44 guests total, designed by the Los Angeles-based firm Bells + Whistles. The BäcoShop exterior features a textile-inspired painted pattern facade, created in a collaboration between Bells + Whistles and Memo New York, as well as a shady patio and poppy-red framed windows to accentuate the modern and bright storefront. The interior centers on a visible kitchen with an area dedicated to preparing fresh Bäco flatbreads—as well as a Carrara marble counter and glass deli case. Other design elements include exposed high ceilings, oak tabletops, painted concrete floors, handmade tiles, and light pendants by Knotwork LA.
BäcoShop is open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
