Paramount’s long wait for its own craft beer hangout is over. Mexican Monk Brewhouse, a Latino-owned taproom tucked into a room adjoining Horchateria Rio Luna, quietly opened this week and is already staking its claim as the neighborhood’s new beer hub. The space pairs house-made contract brews with a curated can wall and a compact kitchen turning out wings, pizzas, and truffle fries. Owners say the whole point is simple: give locals a place to grab quality craft beer without trekking to Long Beach or downtown Los Angeles.
As reported by LAist, Mexican Monk is in a soft-opening phase, with current hours set for Thursday–Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday from 1 to 9 p.m. The taproom is pouring six contract-brewed house beers and backing them up with a 26-can wall that highlights independent, Latino-owned breweries from across Southern California.
City approval and the space
The City of Paramount granted a conditional-use permit that allows David Vazquez’s Mexican Monk LLC to operate with an on-site beer license at suites B and C of the downtown property, according to Paramount Planning Commission minutes. What had been a mostly unused room adjoining Horchateria Rio Luna has now been converted into the taproom, part of a broader push to breathe life back into the commercial strip.
A brewer with deep local roots
Behind the brews is Ray “Ricky” Rivera, co-founder of the SoCal Cerveceros homebrew club and operator of Norwalk Brew House, who is serving as the taproom’s brewer and a public face for its programming. In a profile by VoyageLA, Rivera explains that he connected with the Vazquez family after noticing their cafe was already pouring independent beer. That chance encounter turned into a partnership that aims to center Latino culture in both what is poured in the glasses and how the room itself looks and feels.
Built for this neighborhood
The taproom is opening in a community that has been through a rough patch. Enforcement operations near a Paramount Home Depot last year, which drew federal agents and large protests, were documented by the Long Beach Post. In the fallout, local business roundtables estimated that neighborhood commerce dropped roughly 20 to 30 percent on average, according to LAist. Against that backdrop, owners describe Mexican Monk as intentionally neighborhood-focused, designed as a spot where residents can regroup over a pint and some bar food.
What’s next
The team behind Mexican Monk says the taproom will host community nights, bottle releases, and collaborations with local Latino-owned breweries, and they are encouraging patrons to sign up for event announcements and ticketed releases. For the latest schedule and contact information, check out Mexican Monk Brewhouse’s website.
