Sonora Cafe

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180 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036

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(323) 857-1800
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Reviews
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Best

I go to Sonora all the time, open seating in the bar, good looking people, food is fab, cadillac margaritas are delicious! Consistently great service. Even though the restaurant...

Worst

Whatever these rave reviewers were smoking -- can I get some of that? This place was lame and overpriced, with weird, open/no-privacy seating, and food that's ""ok"" but certainl...

Great food & Service 7/13/2008

I go to Sonora all the time, open seating in the bar, good looking people, food is fab, cadillac margaritas are delicious! Consistently great service. Even though the restaurant took Nachos with Grilled chicken off their menu, they make it for us every time we go there. Very accomodating! Also, there is always street parking. Pros: great service, food, street parking, drinks more
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Great place! 12/30/2007

Awesome food. Best pork chop in LA. The ceviche as an appetizer is a great choice as well. It's a small cozy restaurant, very nice however not too fancy. Pros: Good Food/Great for dates and small groups more
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Best Mussels! 12/17/2007

You have to try the Baked Mussels! Never a bad choice and the price is reasonable! This IS a great date place. Have dinner at the bar area. It is very romantic and the lights are perfectly dimmed. This place must have magical qualities because my first dates always melt before me at this place! Pros: Best Bakes Mussels in town. Intimate ambiance Cons: Closes early. more
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Great Date Place, Customer Service, Food and Ambience 11/3/2007

Had a late dinner at 9:15. Promptly seated around this time. Nearby parking and valet. Great ambience and texture to the place. Definitely set the tone for the meal. From the Host, to the waiter, to the people who brought us the food. Fantastic Service. Waiter came at perfect times throughout the night. Food came at the perfect times. Cocktail line up was fun and delicious. High quality. We got enchladas, ceviche and carne asada tacos. Some of the best I've ever had. Chips, Salsa, cornbread, jalepeno bread complimentary was good too. Waiter came at perfect times throughout the night. Definite date place, but also a great place to hang out. Many people were in suits; however, we went in casual. You have to add this to your list! Pros: Great Parking, Service, Ambience and Food Cons: Expensive more
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A bit stuffy, but worthwhile for the food 7/9/2007

The Sonora Cafe restaurant is pretty popular but it's hard to pin down what the crowd is. I went early in the evening and it seemed to be a lot of well-dressed (read suits) peeps. One time before a bit later in the evening it seemed to be more trendy. Either way, the food is good, and service has been average to good. Not a good date place but a nice group outing scene. more
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Southwestern Fine Dining 4/15/2007

Nice place for special occasions. The tortilla soup is impeccable and complex in flavour and the flan for the dessert unforgettably creamy and custardy. wow. very impressive. their special house pork chop ($28) is a huge portion with tender meat, but a bit overdrenched in the strong BBQ sauce. Their mussles are salty, but delicious and covered in jalapenos, a nice twist on a seafood favorite. Our waiter was a bit on the slow side, looked like he had to take care of the entire room, but the ambience seemed to encourage a slow dining experience. Half bottle of wine was great (Fifi Cabeneret Sauvignon), they have a large wine list and I heard from the neighboring table that their pomegranate martinis are exciting. Our neighbors also told us to stay away from the enchilladas. Luckily most of our dishes were A+. Crowd was forty something. Definately recommend a visit to Sonora - good Southwestern cuisine is rare in L.A. Pros: Flan by Alex Martinez, Tortilla Soup Cons: Inattentive Service unless you're over 50 or have a big party more
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great spot, don't miss it 1/2/2007

this place is great, i'd eaten here once before a few years ago, and remembered the food to be great, and was then impressed even further. the service is first class, the food is delicious, we had a great time here, i'd recommend it and can't wait to go back. we had the mussels as a start, which were so great, and i'm not even a big fan of mussels, and the tortilla soup, which was yummy - they even split it for us. we had a fish dish that was great, but the filet was out of this world good. this is way better value for the money you pay. Pros: great margarita list Cons: no parking, valet only more
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Great Food...and Cocktails.. 12/5/2006

We dined at Sonora on Sunday night and the atmosphere was lively and fun. The food was great. We had an amazing Trio of Quesadillas appetizer. The cocktails did take a while to arrive but were very happy with our choices. They have an extensive list of exotic margaritas. The berry margarita was delicious. Looking forward to going back. Pros: Food, Cocktails, Decor Cons: Slow bar more
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Huh? 7/4/2006

Whatever these rave reviewers were smoking -- can I get some of that? This place was lame and overpriced, with weird, open/no-privacy seating, and food that's ""ok"" but certainly nothing special. Not to mention cold food and lousy service. If you're looking for what this place WISHES it were, there are better choices. Cons: Price, Service, So-so food more
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Delicious food, snobby waiters 3/15/2006

The title says it all. The food is very good here and the space is beautiful. Unfortunately the host, waiters, and bussers are all a bit snobby. They don't seem like they enjoy their jobs or working with people. I witnessed several occasions where the waiters and host were rude to each other. Their interactions really affect the mood of the restaraunt. more
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Good Chicken Enchilladas 1/14/2006

I had a pomegranate martini and chicken enchilladas. Both were very good. My boyfriend had the carne asada tacos and a vodka martini. The steak was a little chewy and rare for my taste. I would not reccomend the tacos. A little pricy but i think worth it. Good ambiance and had a nice laid back feel. Good date place. I didn't go into the bar area, but it seemed like a good place to meet a few friends for drinks and catching up because it's not too loud. Valet was about $5 but you could also park on the street nearby. Pros: good for dates, friendly staff Cons: carne asada tacos more
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Its all about the mussels 12/11/2005

Great way to serve mussels - everyone loves them! Baked with salt and chiles they are unusual and somehow concentrate the taste, just leave some for me. I like the game entrees that are healthful and the monday wine deals are a bonus. Pros: wine, fireplace, park on the street Cons: not cheap more
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Nothing Like El Cholo 5/1/2005

Whoever wrote that ""insider tip"" that a better value alternative is El cholo, is el nutso! If you're deaf, blind and have no taste buds I guess they're interchangeable. It's like saying a lower price alternative to a filet mignon is a Big Mac. This is a sophisticated, beautiful restaurant where it's quiet enough to actually have a conversation. And the food bears no resemblance to the assembly line type food of El Cholo. El Cholo is good for what it is, but it's not fine cuisine like the Sonora Cafe. Pros: food, service, ambience Cons: pricey more
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Everything was wonderful! 12/14/2004

My first visit here was fantastic. The crabcakes had big chunks of tasty crab and not overly fried. The ceviche was delicious. We had the swordfish and Cowboy steak - both were excellent! The flan was one of the best I've tasted - and I've tasted a LOT of flan. Note also that I took a friend here for his birthday. This friend doesn't usually appreciate expensive food, but said the food here was totally worth the price. I spent about $150 on dinner for two (including wine). It wasn't too busy when I went (6:30pm on a Tuesday) and service was very good. more
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Great Food 3/1/2004

I love the food at the Sonora Cafe. It's a little pricey, but the food is worth it. I've always had excellent service. Also, on Monday nights they have a wine night where they feature wines for $1 over the cost price. Can't beat that! The only drawback is that the menu is a little limited, so if you go there often, there aren't a lot of choices. Great atmosphere, great food! Pros: Great Food, Nice Atmosphere, Tues. Wine Night more
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wonderful special occasion dining 1/29/2004

Just great! A little loud, but its LA. Service is a bit slow and at times servers a bit rude, but its LA. The food and drink more than make up for it. The Cowboy steak, seafood salad and bass are particularly wonderful. Pros: FOOD, margaritas more
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Mucha sabrosa 1/18/2004

Came here with some co-workers and had a great southwestern experience. Sonora serves up traditional spanish/mexican foods with a kick. I had the fillet mignon burrito which came w/ creamy guacamole and polenta cakes... $18.95. If you don't see it on the menu, you can ask the manager to prepare it for you. We also had the crab quesadillas.... very delectable. This place is a little out of my budget, but i think i would definitely be back here for a special occasion. Service was fabulous. Pros: Kickedup Mexican food, Great service Cons: Prices more
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Excellent 1/15/2004

It's hard to put into words how great this restaurant is. Everytime I've gone, I've had one of the best meals to date. The meat is always tender with tons of flavor. The sauces are brilliantly combined to enrich all the dishes. At lunch, I highly reccomend the duck tacos and the carnitas. At dinner, you've never really lived until you've tried their antelope. If you're not as daring have the pork shoulder. The best I've ever had. And on top of all this...the mixed drinks are incredible. Pros: taste, originality, service more
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Delicious and Pretty 12/11/2003

The service was great - our server was extremely attentive, the dinner and dessert were both delicious, and the place is beautiful. I liked the fact that it was such an upscale restaurant but nobody was at all pretentious. I had not dressed up and did not feel uncomfortable; and when my date and I decided to walk around and explore the place nobody thought it was wierd. Pros: Great Service, Delicous Food, Beautiful Decor Cons: Pricey more
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One of the Best 10/8/2003

I reserved a private room for my friend's 25th birthday. I was a little anxious about the service, since we were in a private room, and usually that means ""Out of sight, out of mind"". However, their service was excellent!!! They checked on us every 5-10 minutes or so, and they were soooooo nice! All of the servers, and the host. The food was pretty good too. The place looks lovely. And I was getting tons of kudos for picking such a great restaurant to have a dinner party in!! Excellent. Definitely will go there again....special occasion or not! Pros: Service, Decor, Food Cons: None!!! more
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Menu for Sonora Cafe


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Editorial

  • In Short
    Cavernous, but with enough nooks and crannies to generate a sense of intimacy, this Mexican cafe is done up in traditional Santa Fe style. The bustling bar area is crammed with...

  • 10/4/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Payments: American Express, Diner's Club, Master Card, Discover, Visa, Carte Blanche
  • Neighborhoods: Greater Wilshire / Hancock Park, Central LA
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