Slashfood Ate (8): LA places to party like its Cinco de Mayo

by Sarah J. Gim (Subscribe to Sarah J. Gim's posts)
Posted May 5th 2006 2:54PM
Filed under: Parties, Beer, Dinner, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, West Coast, Restaurants, Cocktails, Lists, Slashfood Ate, America, Spirits

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It's Cinco de Mayo (that's "5th of May" if you took French in high school), so don your sombreros, head out to the local cantina, and start the fiesta! LA is a veritable goldmine of Mexican joints, with everything from upscale Border Grill to the taco truck on the corner (though we're not sure the taco trucks have blended margaritas). Here are eight places around LA to celebrate the victory of the tiny Mexican militia at Puebla. Get there early, since places will fill up fast on a Friday afternoon.

Baja Cantina, 311 Washington Boulevard, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, (310) 821-2252, www.bajacantinavenice.com - Get there early. Last year, I drove by it, and kept driving because the line was full of guys in Mardi Gras beads and straw hats waiting to get in.
Cabo Cantina, 8301 W Sunset Blvd (@ Sweetzer), Los Angeles, CA 90069, (323) 822-7820 - There is also a second location on Wilshire Blvd on the Westside. That's where Monkey was having his margarita!
El Carmen, 8138 W Third St (@ Crescent Heights), Los Angeles, CA 90048, (323) 852-1552 - It's dark and moody inside, with creepy masked Mexican boxers on the walls, but their selection of tequila is incredible.
El Cholo, 1121 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006, (323) 734-2773, www.elcholo.com - El Cholo also has a Westside location at Wilshire and 11th in Santa Monica. It is very popular. If I were you, I'd go there now. No, really, now.
El Coyote, 7312 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, (323) 939-2255, www.elcoyotecafe.com - Margaritas are HUGE, food portions are HUGE, but the girls are tiny.
Lula Cocina Mexicana, 2722 Main St Santa Monica, CA 90405, (310) 392-571, www.lulacocinamexicana.com -
Spanish Kitchen, 826 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069, (310) 659-4794, www.thespanishkitchen.com - I've never been, but all my friends love the place. A bit expensive, and sort of hipster-ish, but fun nonetheless.
Velvet Margarita, 1612 N Cahuenga Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028, (323) 469-2000 - Like Spanish Kitchen, it's a wee bit of a hipster place, so dress nicely. The giant margaritas in fresh pineapples are sort of touristy, so stick with a regular one on the rocks and you won't look like a plebe.

Tags: cinco de mayo, LA, LA dining, LA restaurants, los angeles, los angeles dining, los angeles restaurants, mexican food, mexican restaurants, MexicanFood

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-05-2006 @ 3:14PM

DanGarion said...

El Cholo is pretty good, I've been to the one in Irvine. But I don't suggest getting the sweet corn tamales. Although they are good, they were to sweet to has as the main part of a meal.

5-05-2006 @ 4:41PM

Kevin said...

SPANISH KITCHEN is AMAZING. Very nice, unexpected food and warm service. While we endured a very short, totally tolerable wait for our table, we were treated (gratis) to some tequila that was infused with some amazing fruit combo. Everyone in our group raved about their food. It's a little pricey, but the dining experience is absolutely worth it. Just do it!

VELVET MARGARITA is a fun place for a group of friends out for a fun, boisterous evening. The food at Velvet is nothing to write home about, but the atmosphere (think Disney's Haunted Mansion combined with Olvera St. downtown) makes for an interesting time.

5-05-2006 @ 4:53PM

M-L said...

UGH EL CHOLO blows. Don't forget Marix in WeHo for a good stiff one and the eye candy...

5-05-2006 @ 4:58PM

Kevin said...

Hey M-L! Marix is our haunt of choice tonight. Does this mean your name goes in before ours???

5-05-2006 @ 5:29PM

sarah said...

okay seriously, i can't believe i'm doing this, but...

my friends and i are likely going to marix (weho, not samo) tonight as well. LOL! if you see a very pale, little asian girl with a bunch of non-asians, come say hi. that's me.

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