Taqueria Mila, Santa Rosa
Live music is great. Tacos are great. If crust punk, hardcore and black metal shows in a space no bigger than a one-car garage or a studio apartment can be improved at all, it’s only with the addition of carne asada. Taqueria Mila is a family-owned restaurant that hosts live music of all kinds after hours and captures the DIY spirit far better than any bar or brewery possibly could. Pack a bunch of people into a space that is not designed for live music at all and sell them killer Mexican food. That’s punk. That’s good business.
There’s no such thing as a boring show at Taqueria Mila. The close-knit feeling is what makes it a special, outside-the-box community space. It’s right next to a smoke shop called ZaZa Smoke & Lingerie, too, so all the bases are covered. And it’s well worth the price of admission and a quesadilla to see the look on the elderly tios’ faces when the amps turn on and the screaming starts. It’s the kind of undertaking that stems from a pure love for art and communal joy. A tough thing to find and something that needs to be treasured in the Bay Area or anywhere else.
