At which Los Angeles restaurant did Carmen Rocha introduce nachos in 1959?

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At which Los Angeles restaurant did Carmen Rocha introduce nachos in 1959? She introduced them at El Cholo Spanish Cafe.

Rocha, a waitress from San Antonio, brought to Los Angeles the snack she had known in Texas: tortilla chips layered with melted cheddar cheese and jalapeños. El Cholo's history credits her with making the dish for regular customers before it became an established menu item.

This was not the invention of nachos themselves. That origin is generally credited to Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, who created the dish in 1943 at the Victory Club in Piedras Negras, Mexico. Rocha helped carry the food westward and popularize it in Southern California.

A common mix-up is confusing El Cholo with another famous Los Angeles Mexican restaurant. The question asks about Rocha's workplace, not the birthplace of nachos or the later stadium version sold by Frank Liberto.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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