Mala Pata

Mala Pata is a Latin American restaurant in Gateway Plaza on Crabtree Boulevard in Raleigh. Masa is the foundation of the kitchen, ground in house every day from heirloom corn sourced in Oaxaca, Mexico, and it turns into everything from tortillas to tamales.

Around that the menu leans on North Carolina seafood and on produce grown in the region, and the bar keeps a tightly chosen list of agave spirits. The restaurant describes its cooking as intentional and artful, and it also takes on catering for private events.

What to know

• The restaurant opened in May 2025.
• The menu can be filtered for vegetarian and gluten-free options.
• Roasted oysters come five to an order with chorizo XO butter, tortilla crisps and chives.
• Dishes labeled gluten friendly are very low in gluten but not fully gluten free.