This excellent OC restaurant can (and should) change the face of dining in San Clemente

It’s the little things, really. The colorful, weaved tortilleros holding housemade tortillas. Thinly sliced summer peach wafers curled into horns anointing on the salad. A charred onion confit casually nestled in chile guajillo in the birria de res short rib dish. The attention to detail (graceful, never fussy) at Gema, which opened in August 2022, only serves to enhance the ambitious yet approachable gastronomic Mexican cuisine by executive chef Juan Pablo Cruz.

Owned by Sarah Goldman, a local restaurateur, Gema took over the former Tamarindo space (also operated by Goldman, who took it from food truck infancy to brick-and-mortar adulthood) on El Camino Real. Designed by Echo Park-based Stayner Architects, the interior features blonde wood slats highlighting much of the space, from the walls to the ceiling. Most impressive is a chevron-patterned wood screen above the bar that allows diners an obscured peek inside the kitchen while waiting for one of the restaurant’s mezcal-spiked cocktails, while a series of potted plants and floral arrangements give the space its hint of earthy warmth. But the clean and airy décor, which extends to its sidewalk-facing open-air patio, serves as supporting player to Gema’s greatest star: Cruz and his seasonal menu.

“We don’t use anything that doesn’t already exist in Mexico, with 60% of our ingredients coming directly from Mexico,” says Cruz, who was born in California but raised in Mexico and toiled away in some of the world’s greatest restaurants, including one of Mexico’s most lauded restaurants, Pujol. He decided to venture out on his own after the pandemic when, thanks to a third party, he met Goldman and the two teamed up to create Gema.

Gema’s menu changes depending on the season and ingredient availability, and favorites on a recent visit included a Durazno salad, with farmers mix, blood orange vinaigrette, hibiscus cheese and castilla walnuts; sea scallops atop a bed of chile pulla, broad beans and cacahuazintle mayo; and the aforementioned birria de res short ribs. Appropriately complex yet entirely accessible, each dish proved flavorful with something new to discover with each bite.

My favorite of the evening was an infladita, an inflated (as the name suggests) pocket of blue corn masa encasing green chorizo, poblano rajas, a touch of cheese foam, and arbol salsa. Other noteworthy bites include the pulpo, smoked octopus with tomatillo jam and cambray potatoes, and the bunuelos, cinnamon fritters with a side of cinnamon ice cream, maria crumble and candied hibiscus, were a perfectly sweet way to end the meal. And if the chile relleno is on the menu, be sure to snap it up. Remember: the menu changes often; what might be on it one week could very well change the next; that’s part of the excitement.

“What I’m doing is a bit quirky, but I’m a bit quirky too,” Cruz says of his menu, which balances ambition with a sense of play. He says most of his dishes represent what he enjoyed as a kid in Mexico, with his mother being his biggest inspiration.

Also of note are the bar offerings at Gema, which, in addition to craft cocktails (as well as nonalcoholic concoctions made with house-made syrups and purees), features more than100 mezcals with 32 varietals of agaves. The full dining menu is also available to the bar for patrons who want to stick closer to the spirits.

It’s hard to overstate how special the food is at Gema. It’s the kind of spot food influencers like OC Food Fiend or Hungry Hungry Hee Jin should (and hopefully will) splash on their socials. In a just world, Resy should have a dedicated article telling you how to score a coveted seat (a la Libertine or Élephante). But Gema, which opened in a little over a year ago, is located in San Clemente, a town rife with fast-casual spots where taco Tuesdays and two-for-one margaritas aid in obfuscating Mexican cuisine’s vastness.

So far, Goldman tells me, Gema sees diners who’ve come into town, often from Los Angeles and San Diego, to see what the buzz is all about. But locals, who’ve been indoctrinated for years — nay, decades — with festive queso-driven spots and breweries galore, arrive at their table expecting endless chips and salsa posthaste. (Refreshingly, this just isn’t the case at Gema, so, please, don’t ask.)

Longstanding places popular with families, iconic local joints known for nonstop baskets of chips and guac are what, in part, make San Clemente’s dining scene so much fun on Friday nights. But there is more than enough room for a place like Gema. There can — and should — always be space for something new and unique in any given area. As special as Gema is, it’s also friendly and accessible. It can be your newest go-to spot for a second date or a choice celebratory eatery for diamond anniversaries. Bring your kids, especially the ones interested in culinary crafts. The attentive wait staff are friendly and ready to field any questions about the menu.

Grab a seat while you can. You won’t regret it if you keep an open mind and a curious heart. Try it because of the exceptional fare. Try it because it’s fun. Try it because it’s unlike anything else in Orange County.

Find it: 110 S El Camino Real (at Avenida Del Mar), San Clemente; gemarestaurant.com