Friend who used to live in LA and has been back in town for a bit has made a request for a “fun” Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant this Saturday evening. As in lively, possibly hip atmosphere matters at least as much as the food. We would strongly prefer to stay in the Venice / Santa Monica / MDR / Culver City area but I’m drawing a blank. Oh and since we’re talking about Saturday evening I’d really like to be able to make a reservation or not wait an interminable amount of time for a table.
Before anyone suggests that I need to find new friends - she does appreciate great food and on this trip has already been to business or personal dinners at Cassia, Gjelina, Rustic Canyon, Felix… But this is a particular “I still miss living in LA” request that I’d like to fulfill. Help please.
Mercado, Tallula’s, and El Cholo fit the bill in SaMo. Gilberts el Indio will probably have too much of a wait and the food is worse than the other 3 anyway.
El Cholo is probably the right answer but Tallulah’s is where is go. Great location, nice cocktails, fun atmosphere and food with hits and misses but generally better than El Cholo
My vote goes to Casablanca on Lincoln in Venice. Love the handmade flour tortillas and calamari steak entrees. They have a margarita cart that goes around the tables for custom drink creations. Lively atmosphere, but I wouldn’t call it hip.
For a more hip atmosphere: tallulas or mercado. A lot of younger people and good drinks food isn’t bad at either place.
If you want more old school tex mex/ american mexican: El cholo/casablanca but its like the equivalent of the lawrys crowd lots of families and older folks with some younger people sprinkled in.
If you are willing to journey a little further east to beverly hills/weho gracias madre has an amazing patio, great drinks, super hip atmosphere, ok vegan mexican food and is quintessentially LA.
Thanks everyone for all the ideas so far. Trying to avoid El Cholo. Guerrilla Tacos or Salazar would indeed be great but for the geography thing. Mercado is a possibility, or Tallulah which I haven’t been to yet. Or we can take the path of least resistance and walk to Baja Cantina.
