El Cholo Restaurant

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1121 S Western Ave (at West 11th Street)
Los Angeles, CA 90006

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(323) 734-2773
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El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
El Cholo Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
Reviews
( 28 )
( 66 )
( 18 )
( 20 )
( 7 )

Best

if the mood strikes for some mexican food,,, then this is the spot to go... great prices, good portions, satisfying taste.

Worst

although the building may be historic, the food is horribly bland. Nachos? Chips with melted cheese on top. dishes come with generic ""spanish"" rice and flavorless refried bea...

VERY MUCH OVERATED 1/18/2003

THE FOOD NEVER LIVES UP TO IT'S REPUTATION.WAY TO MUCH MONEY FOR MEXICAN FOOD. more
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- - - 1/13/2003

Popular, but very bland food, weak Margaritas. Original one on Western is in a very bad neighborhood. There are a lot of better Mexican food restaurants in town. more
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EL CHOLO IS THE BEST 1/11/2003

I WENT HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST MONTH AND I REALLY LOVED IT! ITS THE BEST MEXICAN RESTURANT I HAVE EVER BEEN TO. THE FOOD WAS GREAT! more
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The Cholo -- for college tastes only 1/7/2003

The Cholo -- great place during the college years but definitely not the place for the educated palate. Lots of cheese and no flavor -- margaritas are cut with vodka -- guaranteed to give you a headache. Take a pass and try one of the other 5000 Mexican restaurants in town. more
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Sneaky Margaritas 12/25/2002

El Cholo truly has the best margaritas in all of Los Angeles. Trust me, I have tried them all. Rebecca's of Santa Monica runs a close second, but El Cholo is the one. more
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Bravo! 12/24/2002

The atmosphere is cozy, interesting, and fun. The drinks are great, the food is wonderful. There's the option to sit in the restaurant, the bar area, or the outside patio. It feels like your out in a spanish villa. Pros: Valet Parking, Indoor/Outdoor Option, Inexpensive Cons: ? more
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God-Sent Food!!! 12/19/2002

Been eating at the El Cholo Chain Restaurants for years... I LOVE THEM ALL and there other restaurants as well :) KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, A SATISFIED STOMACH!!! :) more
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Great food 12/19/2002

This isn't your normal Mexican Resaurant, this is more southwest U.S. A lot of pride goes into the building and the food. more
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Nachos and Margaritas 12/13/2002

There is nothing healthy about this place but it really is fun. I like the nachos and margaritas. The tamales (in season) are good too. Pros: nachos, margaritas more
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Cholo RULZ!! 12/12/2002

I visited El Cholo a while ago, and the food was amazing. The helpings were so big that we could have simply ordered a starter and gotten full on that! Pros: Good value, Good food Cons: Crowded more
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Average Food/ Average Prices 12/2/2002

I've tried El Cholo's about 4 times now, and I really don't understand the hype that this restaurant has. It's just a bit better than El Torito's and that's not saying much about authentic Mexican food. Whether you order one dish or a combo, the food and the sauces taste the same. I wouldn't recommend this place, unless you like El Torito's. more
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Get your mexican food elsewhere 11/24/2002

This place basically caters food for people who don't really know what mexican food is. There are better places that are terrific, even El Torito beats this place. Pros: Nice drinks, Nice decorations, Nice napkins Cons: Food not good, Service is crap, Too expensive more
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Long wait for overrated food 11/21/2002

We went to El Cholo following a football game with a party of 5. We ended up waiting over 2 hours to be seated (we did enjoy the margaritas but since we had to drive home the number was limited) . When we finally did get a table and were served we found the food to be much overrated. There are any number of Mexican restaurants that offer better food at lower prices and without the wait.. Pros: good margaritas Cons: overrated food, long wait, overpriced more
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Nothing special 11/17/2002

I didn't think this was a great place. The food was so/so - I have had much better. The atmosphere was cool but service was absolutely terrible. We had to hunt down someone to get our check. I'd say go elsewhere. Pros: cool atmosphere Cons: bad service, food wasn't great more
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best mexican food in west LA 11/14/2002

Tlapazola Grill has to be one of the best restaurants in west LA its worth your money the food it GREAT and the flavors are magical one of the best dishes has to be the nightly special, DUCK serves in pork wine sause. more
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chep bland food 11/8/2002

The food was not very good and the watier was slow. He took for ever to take our order. The only good thing is cheap food. Pros: Cheap Food Cons: Not very good food, servise slow more
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LA Lemonade 11/7/2002

LA lemonade is the best margarita in town. Food is pretty good too. more
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Service may be the only high point 11/3/2002

The service is good once you are seated down. Yet the food there is not what one can expect. Having gone there I was deeply disapointed at their soup and tacos. I didn't believe it could be called Mexican. Other than that everyone should at least go once to see what all the hype is about. Its a good place for business and family/friend environment. Just dont expect greatness in food. Pros: ambience, service, drinks Cons: food, price, not authentic more
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so so 10/31/2002

They have a great after work vibe but you can do better at a hole in the wall mexican stand. Nice for sit down. Cons: loud after work more
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What? This is a chile relleno?!! 10/28/2002

I ordered the combination plate of a chile relleno and a beef taco. What I received was a 1 inch strip of pepper with no cheese wrapped up in egg and my taco was served on a different plate that looked like a taquito. Rice and beans were way too salty to eat. My daughter ordered a shirley temple drink and when it arrived they were so cheap it didn't even come with a cherry. I complained about the food, but they said that's how they prepare the food. Don't waste your time and money here. more
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Menu for El Cholo Restaurant


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Hungry hordes line up at this L.A. institution for potent margaritas and famous green-corn tamales.

Owner Message

  • "...this 'true institution' continues to produce 'green corn tamales straight from heaven' and the 'best, strongest margaritas in LA' after over 75 years 'these guys have got it down!'...."
    - Zagat Restaurant Guide

Editorial

  • In Short
    Low ceilings and exposed wood beams crown this venerable family-owned restaurant, with vintage photos of L.A. and memorabilia lining the colorful walls. High-back booths fill the...

  • 5/2/2008 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Monday - Thursday: 11:00am - 10:00pm Friday - Saturday: 11:00am - 11:00pm Sunday: 11:00am ??? 9:00pm
  • Payments: Diner's Club, Visa, American Express, Master Card, Discover
  • Neighborhoods: Central LA, Mid City
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