WHY Chiles rellenos, lengua en mole and good margaritas, all at low prices.

WHAT Manny Lares seems to be the main man at this family restaurant, but then there’s his brother, his two sisters, his niece…. We all cook, we all wash dishes, we all go to the bank, he says. Downstairs is a quiet room for eating enchiladas in peace, but the place to be is upstairs, where the flamenco guitarist entertains the diners, many of whom return weekly for the hearty southern Mexican classics.

WHO Rent-controlled south Santa Monicans.