I love this chain of restaurants- so it was hard for me not to leave a 5 star review.. but this location I wouldn't visit again. Seats are so close inside I was basically all in the others tables very loud discussion, I took the pictures early on ; soon after all booths and tables were full & convos were just bouncing off the walls But this was what made my time here not the best 1)There were small gnats flying near the tables& had to swat them away every few seconds .. so annoying and kinda gross. 2) the drinks weren't up to par as normal 3) I ordered the crab enchiladas & I don't recommend. I wanted to try something new I always get the el Sonora enchiladas- but this dish was a NO!! I like seafood thats fresh that doesn't taste like smelly fish. It was slimy and smelled really bad. Had to reorder. 4) our waiter took so long to come back and take my order - and I got a box so I could pay and leave. Other locations are so much better.. what I learned, if the vibe isn't right just go read more

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We were on our way to the Houston's in Pasadena on the freeway wondering why is there more traffic than usual for a Monday evening. We had reservations for 715 so we left the house about 630. If there's no traffic you should be able to get anywhere in Los Angeles in 30 minutes lol. Anyway my stomach was growling and I didn't wanna sit in traffic trying to get to a restaurant when we were passing by downtown Los Angeles that had several restaurants. We decided to get off and go to El Cholo instead, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. First off, if your not familiar with the area, please put it in the navigation because downtown has a lot of one-way streets and it's very easy to get lost. We found that out last night....lol When you arrive there's a parking lot right next to the restaurant. Don't fret if you don't see a parking attendant, it's self pay. There are signs with a scanner for you to pay for parking. For those who are familiar with this location , they used to have valet across the street but they no longer do so don't look for it. " I know? I was disappointed too". Upon entering the restaurant it wasn't crowded at all for Monday evening, and the hostess was very welcoming. We were seated immediately at the table of our choosing when giving the option to do so by the hostess. Our waiter was very attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu when we ask questions. He could of had a little more personality, he seemed somewhat militant or maybe just a little too serious.... Idk but professional nonetheless . Anywho, He explained their specialty drinks for us , which was nice to help us decide. The chips and salsa was good. The guacamole was excellent, probably some of the best I've ever had, which was made table-side. That was unexpected and a pleasant surprise , because restaurants don't really do that anymore. We ordered our food and everything came out quickly . Crabmeat Enchiladas: Two enchilada's filled with blue crab meat. Sauces that make you want to slap the cook it's so darn delicious. Just so flavorful it heightens your tastebuds to another level. Can you tell this is my favorite dish here? If not, it is lol. Cheese Enchiladas w/ chicken and red sauce: Savory and good. Definitely filling and my friend was full after just eating half. The drinks were great. Perfect. Nothing more to say. They had a nice variety on the happy hour menu. The ambiance feels like your sitting at your Mexican friends grandmothers house, but in a booth.... Lol. It was very comfortable , cozy and intimate with real pics of family, artwork etc... Overall great experience as usual. A must try if you haven't already. It's a great place for large groups, friends gathering for drinks or an intimate date. It's giving all those vibes. Great place! read more

Came here for the first time on a whim with my buddy who has a service dog. They had no issues putting us in the back to keep the dog out of sight from others who might not be comfortable with dogs in a restaurant. Elvira our server was amazing. She definitely made the night for us. Nest server I've had in a while. The food was delicious and it came in shareable size. So you get what you pay for. Definitely coming back. I wanted the chille Verde but wast on the menu and Elvira made it happen. She rocks! read more

El Cholo - My shredded carnitas plate with green chili salsa over, side of nopales, beans rice, sliced avocado. fajitas plate across - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Stopped by last minute craving some chips and salsa. The customer service was very welcoming, which I really appreciated. The food itself was just okay -- I wouldn't really call it authentic Mexican. It leaned more toward Tex-Mex and was on the bland side. Not bad, but not memorable either. I don't think I'll be going back. read more

This restaurant used to be so good, unfortunately now every time i order from here everything is mid, at times bland. Chile relleno would not recommend. Too much batter. Tiny chile inside. Rolled shredded taco 6/10 ok Seafood enchiladas 6/10 Cheese enchiladas 6/10 The best thing here consistently are the chips and salsa, those do not miss. I mix the guacamole + salsa and dip, delicious Honestly go to el coyote instead. read more

First time here after being told to come for years. Great service, good drinks. Awesome food. Worth a visit. Classic LA!

Great food in a perfect location with polite service... [[HIGHLIGHT]]nice clean restaurant with reasonable prices and an overall memorable setting to enjoy with family and friends!![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Great service. Sweet, cozy restaurant. Sat our large party in front of the fireplace and received our food quickly. Drinks were yummy! read more

El Cholo - A Taste of History - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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In Short, It's alright, but they need to fix it because they have competition nearby now. With a few more details, Drinks are ok. Everything else is just ok and sometimes sub par. Service is slow on many occasions so if you're catching a game you better get here at lunch for a dinner. Maybe a fajita would be a safe bet but I might be wrong. read more

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Just ok. This is a convenient place to go before a game at the staples center. It has a lot of history and tradition but the food is just alright. It's a typical Mexican restaurant that serves basic Mexican food. It's not amazing but it's not terrible either. I got the albondigas soup and it was alright. They combo plate wasn't bad and they served big portions of the rice and beans. They also gave us two types of chips to start - chips with melted cheese and the typical chips and salsa. There were a lot of carbs involved in this meal. Overall, a standard Mexican joint. Don't think I'll be back since there are better spots for my taste bud throughout LA. read more

El Cholo - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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5 stars to the staff but food taste is only 3, I'm afraid. Went there before a game at the Crypto.com Arena, and the place was packed. Luckily we made a reservation few days ago and had a table reserved. The staff were very friendly and helpful, totally deserve a mention here. The food was ok, nothing to brag about, and if I had to say something, I'd say the chips were hot and good! It's definitely a good place to hangout before a game, give it a try and show your support to the local community. read more

Service was good but the food was atrocious!! It's the worst Mexican food I have ever had the chile relleno was sweet for some reason and the tamales were hard and dry. The rice was undercooked the chicken had no flavor. The check came out to $250 for 3 adults and 1 child no alcohol was drank. I have no idea how they are still in business read more

Always amazing food!! love going here before concerts! Cheese enchiladas are unbelievable green corn tamale delicious! Crispy chicken tacos are yummy! Great nachos salsa iced tea love it! Always great food hot fast and great service!! read more

Checked in 3/1/2023. Friends birthday. She wanted to come to El Cholo. It turns out we went to the wrong El Cholo, this one on Flower and Olympic. And we were supposed to be at the one on Western and Olympic. The place was basically empty. There were 2 other parties there besides us. Maybe it has to do with the fact that they have no parking lot. Its either paid street parking which is extremely limited or lot parking which ranges from $10 - $20 YIKES!!!! Service was average. Food was average. Drinks were average. I guess pricing is average for the area/location about $40/person including food and some drinks. I had the chicken fajitas and the presentation of the hot sizzling plate was great. It came with refried beans, however they were canned beans, YUCK!!! I expect real beans at any Mexican restaurant with table service, canned beans are for Taco Bell! The sour cream was American sour cream and was super cold and hard, not that I hate it, but come on, I expect Mexican sour cream at a Mexican restaurant. What about the Fajitas? They look amazing in your video L to the A!!! They were average. Lacked seasoning and flavor and I didn't like the carrot strips in there. Overall just OK. read more

The best awesome atmosphere fantastic food. Had the arrachera Tacoma and burritos. Truly something else

Let me start by saying that we love this place. However when we recently went before a Kings hockey game it wasn't the greatest experience. I don't know if they didn't know there was a game that afternoon but they were obviously understaffed which lent to the mediocre review. read more

Chimichanga (5/5) - This is my first time trying chimichanga and they were delicious. The exterior was light and crispy, the filling was meaty and flavourful. The platter comes with some guac and lettuce. It's a perfect starter to share with friends. Guacamole (5/5) - The server rolls out a table and make the guac in front of us. We can customize it, whether we want to exclude any ingredients, onions etc, but we like the original type- just add all the good stuffs! and medium spice. It was refreshing and because the chips come unlimited, we devoured the guac so fast Steak Fajitas (3.5/5) - I like this dish and the sides that it comes with. The meat was ok, the veggies were delicious though! It was soft and juicy, the sizzling plate came with beans and cheese, the dish was served with a side of cheese, guac, and sour cream with tortillas - which you can pick whether you like corn or flour. so we pretty much build our own delicious tacos out of this dish, we love it! We ordered a couple of cocktails, they had a great variety of drinks and the waiters were lovely. He keeps filling our chips bowl. The atmosphere is nice and chilly. We love the patio, it's perfect to come here with friends for dinner and drinks. read more

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Excellent food! Perfectly flavored and not over spiced like American/Mexican wannabe restaurants. A great place to have dinner before any event at Staples/Crypto, LA Live area. Reservations are not required, but on game nights, it is suggested. When attending an event, you can also park in the parking lot West of the building, eat dinner, walk to the venue for your event. You'll know that your car is nice and safe when you come back. The service by Oscar was on point! My wife had a strawberry margarita, and said it was the best she's ever had, I had the fiesta platter, so I could enjoy quite a selection, such as chimichangas, taquitos, nachos, (see picture), and my wife had the Carnitas plate(see picture) which she said is the best she has had in her life, and we are not spring chickens! Highly recommend all! read more

El Cholo - Carnitas plato - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Stopped by for lunch while attending a convention close by The food was not disappointing You can tell they use fresh ingredients and everyone's food came out freshly made Chips and guacamole were really good too Highly recommend if you are in the area and craving good Mexican food read more

El Cholo - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

We stopped by on a Sunday since the brunch spot downstairs was a 40 minute wait. I was surprised that there weren't many people eating at the restaurant since it was packed everywhere else. The patio outside is really nice - would definitely opt for outdoor seating since it's a bit like a cave inside (I.e. incredibly dark and cold). We were seated immediately but our server took a really long time to get to us / take our order. In terms of food, it came out relatively quickly: I ordered the Sonora style enchiladas without chicken and lowkey regretted it as it was just tortillas and beans with an egg on top. Lucky my friend spared her guacamole and guacamole makes everything better! Overall, pretty average - I think I would wait the 40 minutes for the restaurant downstairs next time. The staff was really nice though! They let us switch seats since the sun was hitting me right in the eye. read more

Came here for lunch on a Friday. Was not busy and service was good. The chimichanga appetizer was really good. The Sonora nachos were less then whelming... the guacamole was very bland and overall the food was just ehhh. They did bring us free flan that was nice, but not too flavorful. read more

I loved the food at this place so much that I had lunch there two days in a row! Both times I ordered the Southwest chicken tostada salad. I would buy that dressing by the bottle if they sold it. As a bonus, the drinks have bottomless refills and the service was quick and friendly. Highly recommend! read more

El Cholo - Southwest chicken tostada salad - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Always a hit! Stopped to visit at our last trip to LA! Just a short walk away from Crypto Arena and The Novo.

FRESH FRESH FRESH! Excellent authentic Mexican food. I'm Mexican and this transported me back home. I ordered from them yesterday and I don't know why I don't order more often. All the ingredients were fresh. We ordered the taquitos, 1/2 portion guacamole, and chicken enchiladas. Everything was made to perfection. They give you the guacamole ingredients in separate little containers. When you dine in, the usually mix it tableside, so we didn't mind. You can see how fresh it all is. My bf and I enjoyed mixing the guacamole ourselves. The order came with generous portion of salsa, tortilla chips and a side of guacamole (complimentary). We will definitely be ordering from them more often now. read more

Really great food great ambience, quick service. This location has been there for many many years. I would highly recommend anything on the menu. The price is right. read more

It's just not the same I usually order the fiesta plater during my last visit I was not satisfied with the service or the food I guess it's just outdated read more

Old school, ambience, very authentic style, the food was good. The drinks are excellent and the service reliable. Restrooms are always kept clean and quite frankly, the restaurant itself is clean. read more

Margaritas are not to be missed! Get the Cadillac for extra happiness. I had the carnitas plate; the pork was super tender and was so delicious with the nopales. I wished the tortillas were cooked a little longer but Oscar, our server, was awesome. Don't forget to ask for the habanero salsa if you need more heat on your food. On game days expect a wait but the ambiance is so warm and inviting it's definitely worth it. read more

El Cholo - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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NEVER AGAIN! If I could give this place negative stars I would! Our waiter Arianna had no compassion in serving, one of the worst customer service. We were a party of 7 & had requested multiple refills on our water & took a while to refill. Talk about eating your food without having something to drink on the side. The rice came out cold & the refried beans looked like they were scraped from the bottom. I ordered a drink that never came out. One of our girls food was brought out late, while the rest were half way done. We were over the experience & the food. We looked over the bill & for a scoop of sour cream they charged $4! Ridiculous, I know! They charged 18% for gratuity that was not deserved! Yes we spoke to the manager & got this fixed but I would not recommend this place to anyone! read more

Visiting California for a few days & found El Cholo a hop and a skip away from our hotel! The establishment is enforcing social distancing practices! The inside of the restaurant is closed, however they do offer outdoor, covered seating in their patio area, which is really nice! All staff where face coverings & masks are required when entering! The food is really tasty! The chips & salsa were both made fresh & very delicious! They do bring the salsa in individual bowls, which I appreciated! For my entree, I ordered the Chicken Taquitos which comes with a side of black beans and rice. Everything was really good! Fresh fried taquitos and the tortillas weren't tough to bite into! That staff was pleasant & everyone greeted us when we came in and when we left! If I ever visit Cali again, I will definitely visit again! read more

El Cholo - Chicken Taquitos - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

California readers - please be patient with what follows. I am from Texas - so there are all sorts of fundamental facts of life that they don't teach you in Texas. One of these is that California-Mexican food exists and that it is different than Tex-Mex. I am like a four year old who has just found out about the difference between boys and girls. So where is the first place I eat Mexican in California? El Cholo. El Cholo claims to be one of the founders of Cal-Mex cuisine. I don't know enough California history to know if they are one of the founders or not. But the restaurant has been around long enough. SOMEBODY had to found the cuisine. Maybe Cal-Mex was founded in a house in some woman's kitchen. Maybe Cal-Mex was founded in a restaurant serving the general public. Either way, I was in love. I ordered chile con carne expecting the ground beef concoction with jalapenos, onions and cheese that I have come to love. They hand me a plate of braised beef cubes in a chili gravy much thicker than a carne guisada. Hmmm ... beef stew ... huh? Bad beef stew tends to be tough, or stringy, or tasteless - or in the worst cases - all of the above. This is why I don't do carne guisada back in Texas. This ....beef....stew...was...wonderful. It was not all about blowing the top of my head off with fire. It did not need cheese and onions and jalapenos to cover for a mediocre hamburger product. This was just a fine braised beef in a thick rich beautiful sauce. If I had been Dorothy, I would have turned to Toto and said, "Toto, I don't think we are in Texas any more." How was everything else on the plate? The refried beans were cheesy and lovely. (I like a garlicky refried bean myself, but I will happily take cheesy, thank you very much.) Neither Texans nor El Cholo have yet found a way to make Mexican rice interesting. Tortillas .......... that is where my Texas compatriots still excel. The tortillas here were just starch. * * * But, oh that chili .... oh that chili. Onions and jalapenos have been revealed as the cheap coverups that they really are. read more

EL Clolo never disappoints always fresh delicious, and great service . i highly recommend this location drinks our great we took two added meals to go that's how much we love their food. read more

The service provided by the staff was great. We were served warm tortilla chips with salsa and had our basket refilled by the staff. They must've known we enjoyed it. We ordered a few items from their menu. The filet Mignon tacos were good but so small. The fajitas were delicious. We ordered the steak fajitas with shrimp. It came in a sizzling platter and the portion was good. We ordered the Taquitos and had asked for no onion. The Taquitos were served with onion. There was three Taquitos and the taste was pretty bland. It was a little dry and lacking flavor. The Tortilla soup was one of the dishes we enjoyed. It was a good portion. I would recommend to try the steak fajita plate with shrimp & the tortilla soup. read more

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Food was delicious hands down, love a clean bathroom, but they need to work on clean silverware, dusting the restaurant more often and better parking. read more

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Visited before restaurants had to close due to COVID-19 Former co-worker arranged gettogether for lunch. I sat in the waiting area while waiting for the rest of the group. Once everyone arrived, we were escorted to a long table towards the back of the restaurant. Very pretty sitting area with a lot of light and quite a few tables. Not to busy and service was fine. Really good chips and salsa while we waited for our Mexican food which was good. The usual stuff that's served at Mexican restaurants. After the meal, our waiter gave us some candy which we all raved about. It tasted like molasses with nuts. Great place to hang out and catch up. Close to Staple Center, California Hospital, and the Convention Center. Parking was a pain though. After going around the block 2-3 times, I was lucky to find a metered parking space across the street which was a whole lot cheaper than parking in one of the lots. read more

El Cholo - Love this little candy! - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

This History is probably the only thing worth going for, the food was okay not great but not awful, fountain sodas tasted awful either they need new filter or more filters because LA was all I tasted, I ordered a Paloma and it was made very wrong! Its not that hard! But the service was great and table side guacamole is a cool experience but nothing special about the flavor, just guacamole and chips for an over priced experience. All and all ... if you want a place that looks pretty and historic with lots of celebrity appearances with photos to go with this place is okay but if your looking for AUTHENTIC FOOD just keep driving and hit up some food trucks! read more

Well, we were pretty lucky to schedule this little get together, just before restaurants were ordered to shut down their dine in areas, from this crazy virus. So this Mexican restaurant with a long and rich history of being in Los Angeles, is only a block away from Staple center, hidden among all the modern multi stories residential building dotting the downtown area. Met 3 of my old time friends here for lunch, a little get together reunion. Walking in, the place was beautifully decorated with that classic historical Spanish theme to it. Our Waiter was very friendly and attentive. Even after being there for almost 3 hours, catching up on old times, he was still checking on us, filling our drinks. The menu seemed a bit limited as I am use to going to Mexican restaurants with 6 or 7 pages full of choices. I personally choose the chili relleno, beef roll combo plate, comes with rice and beans. Everything tasted great, with the exception of the beans, a little thick & on the dry side, but edible. The chips & salsa were great, very addicting. Full service bar is available. The cost of the food was a little pricy and serving size was a little under whelming, but other than that, it was a decent meal, great ambiance. read more

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A Los Angeles classic, indeed. This DTLA location is not as famed as the one on Western, but is a valuable return to the center of the city, where the restaurant began over a century ago, and is every inch in the El Cholo spirit: generous in heart and food, with an array of people-pleasing offerings that celebrate the best of Alta California's unique heritage and sensibility. read more

This is our first time to El Cholo, and I very rarely, however I have nothing but all 5 stars and after reading some of these negative reviews I had to! The service is amazing - we first sat in the dining room but the server informed us they had happy hour and would be more then happy to move us to the lounge. This was perfect, because we came for lunch/ drinks and the prices are fantastic compared to other local places we saw - Additionally they were even better for happy hour. There were plenty of patrons even with a lot of guests, service was very speedy- we had our two drinks in under 2 mins. The food came just as quick. Appetizers were very tasty. Our main course even better! The vibe was also unique the main tables in the restaurant were very well designed, and had unique artwork/ decor that made it feel transported to you to Mexico! Then the lounge has a beautiful fireplace and large ceiling's. Great music and design made it a huge plus from anything generic nearby! I'm not sure what everyone has to say that's negative but reading them all sounds like negative Nancy's or competition restaurants trying to bring this down. Give them a shot! Our servers Maria B and Pilar - special shout out for taking the time to help us "Gringos" out!! Look forward to our next LA visit to come back! read more

El Cholo - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I just got off the phone with the manager. I have had too many problems with this location of El Cholo, point-blank. I have been going to El Cholo since I was a kid, literally. I'm born and raised in Los Angeles, the first time I went to El cholo I was probably like seven or eight years old. My preference is to go to the original on 11th 11th and Olympic however the downtown location is closer to me. Periodically I will order for delivery as I did today through Uber Eats. I ordered from them because Uber eats at the original El Cholo was unavailable. I've had several occasions where DTLA El Cholo got little knickknack things wrong in the order like the one time I ordered cheese enchiladas and they inexplicably put ground beef all over it so I couldn't eat it. ??? This time they just got the whole order completely wrong. Instead of getting the two cheese enchilada combo that I paid for, I got a cheese quesadilla. Not only do I not care for quesadillas but they don't cost as much as what I paid for, so it's not like I would say "oh, ok " However when I called the restaurant the host decided that keeping my business as a customer was unimportant and he decides to try to blame me for the error instead. First suggesting that I put in the order wrong and then suggesting that Uber Eats did something. However I. Can. Read. I know what I put in Uber Eats and it's easy enough for me to log back into Uber Eats and see the order. Hello?! And quite frankly his behavior makes it not too difficult to figure out who took down my information from Uber Eats and gave the wrong information to the kitchen. So I'm tired of dealing with them. Getting my order wrong is one annoying thing, but treating me poorly after they made the mistake is completely unacceptable. read more