The San Diego Zoo is offering an all-new adults-only  Bear Crawl Walking Tour, a boozy adventure that allows guests to explore the zoo in a whole new light. 

This 21+ experience includes a 90-minute guided tour where guests can see sun bears, sloth bears, grizzlies, and more, all while sipping on a choice of beer or wine. After exploring Bear Canyon, get an exclusive private tour of Panda Ridge, where you can meet the world-famous pandas after hours. The tour includes two alcoholic beverages, your choice of wine or beer. 

 Celebrating its first anniversary, Bar Siesta is starting brunch this weekend.  Offerings include buñuelos with cinnamon sugar, challah torrijas, the Siesta take on  French toast with Pedro Ximenez sherry, and Bub & Grandma’s challah.

San Diego Zoo

Weekend brunch at Bar Siesta

Huevos rotos is a spring on Spanish “broken” eggs, with fresh potato chips and pickled Jimmy Nardello peppers (and the option to add jamón Ibérico) as well as a full Spanish breakfast with fried eggs, heirloom beans and grated tomato, confit king trumpet mushrooms, morcilla and jamón Ibérico. There are also two new cortados on the menu,  one with honey and orange blossom, and one with cinnamon and palm sugar. The brunch menu runs Saturdays and  Sundays from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.,  in addition to the regular daytime menu. Get  reservations via OpenTable, 

Komal will be selling tamales for pick-up for Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations. The four options available include the rojo, verde, leche, and chuchito. The Rojo is filled with sweet corn and squash calabacita, the verde is filled with chicken and tomatillo milpero sauce, the Leche is filled with oranges and strawberry jam, and the chuchito is filled with pork and topped with pickled veggies and a roasted tomato sauce. 

The tamales will be available for pick-up at Komal on Monday and  Tuesday, December 22 and  23, or Monday & Tuesday, December 29 and  30. Last call to order for those days is the Sunday before. Orders are by the half dozen or dozen and can be placed via their Toast site or by phone. 

Gelson’s Market in West LA is offering a rotating schedule of events in its on-site restaurant. Every Tuesday for the month of December from 4 p.m. to close, enjoy a fiesta of flavors including tacos,  margaritas, and smooth mezcal.

What’s Popping Up is a column in the L.A. Weekly that explores everything new in food and drink

San Diego Zoo

Leche tamale (Courtesy Komal)