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    El Merendero

    3.5 (499 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed 5:30 am - 8:00 pm

    El Merendero Photos

    EL MERENDERO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - El Merendero

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    Amber C.

    We've been coming here for decades! Great food, staff is always nice & the place is so clean!

    Marcus P.

    Always good food here. Big portions as well. Servers are always great polite and check on you pretty often. Food usually takes what I feel a lil longer than it should but hey, I'm not complaining

    Soft Taco
    Rosalinda A.

    Food was delicious! Meat in the taco was so soft. Everything was so flavorful & big portions!

    MerendeRos
    Reen C.

    This past Wednesday was My first time at this location. I've passed it for years and finally STOPPED in. The taco enchiladas chalupa rice and beans plate was GREAT . The waitress was very attentive and the price for the food was well worth it

    California Burrito
    AJ O.

    I grew up coming to El Merendero and now I bring my family here. They just celebrated their 50 anniversary so that should tell you they're doing something right. The staff is always very nice and polite. Everything on the menu is very tasty and consistently good. Their chile verde is delicious and tastes great over a burrito. The restaurant is a decent size and they're able to accommodate large parties. Sometimes it gets pretty warm and loud inside, but it's bearable. There's additional seating outside under a covered patio that's nice to sit at as well. The restaurant does have a window to order to-go, and you can call your order in for take out as well.

    Yup I was there ...
    Black Wolf R.

    Ambiance and service: Hole in the wall Mexican food with order at the window lady who might roll her eyes at you because she wishes she was done, but has 2 more hours to go. Expensive for what it is and where it is. Food is tasty. Tried the torta and it was good. Carne asada had good flavor. Beans and rice were really good. This place has a patio outside and indoor seating. It's festive with Christmas all-year- long lights outside and modelo beer banners strung along the patio. Nice concrete patio seating. Got take out and it was annoying to get home and discover they screwed up the cheese enchiladas and put beef in them. I even checked the order before I left. I would have had to cut into the enchilada to confirm it was only cheese like it was ordered. My bad for not taking that extra step! No just no. Read the ticket. Funny thing was I saw confusion on the three guys prepping my order. Why ? It says Two cheese enchilada combos that means no meat in them !! Focus my peeps focus so there won't be any hocus pocus. Anyways last thingto mention; the time it took was way too long long like 20 minutes. Like hungry people at home waiting for me and their food were ready to file a missing persons report with the po po. Like picture on the side of a milk carton taking tooo E-Frain long ! Enjoy this place for what it is and find your favorite number on the menu board. Don't expect too much and be

    Steak Picado Burrito
    Laurie D.

    My husband and I had dinner at El Merendero last night. I ordered the grilled fish off of the Senior Meals menu. It was absolutely delicious! I couldn't believe what a great value this was. It was only $8.99 and came with grilled fish, a huge portion of rice, and a beautiful salad. It also came with a large soda. My husband ordered a combination burrito with steak picado, beans, and rice. It was huge! He could only eat about half of it. He normally gets the chile verde burrito, but he said the steak picado was way better. He raved about this burrito, and he doesn't rave often. We both enjoyed our dinner and will visit again soon!

    As always, Great food, fast service, great price, clean restaurant. Can't wait to go back again.

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    5 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    3 days ago

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    2 days ago

    Solid, always good. We get this to go a lot to feed many. Really can't go wrong with anything on the menu that I've tried.

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    2 months ago

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    1 month ago

    Nice spot that's been around for years and right next to the Fairgrounds. I like their burritos, salsa and great chips!

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    4 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    26 days ago

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    11 months ago

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    21 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    8 months ago

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    2 months ago

    We really enjoy going to El Merendero! Food is good and the service is great! The Tostada's ate really good and we love the Chili Relleno's.

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    4 months ago

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    5 months ago

    Incredible authentic Mexican food that I've been eating since 1978 and it is as great as I remember.

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

    This place is so tasty. And they are always so nice. I always choose this taco place over the others in the area.

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    3 months ago

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    8 months ago

    The best breakfast burritos around. Full of meat, potatoes and cheese. Red and green salsa is excellent. And, they open at 5:30 am!!

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    1 year ago

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    4 months ago

    Delicious food, my go to place when im in the area. I will order tamales tacos and burritos. Its always good.

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    1 year ago

    They're Chili Rellano Burrito is not what I expected, it's basically chopped Chilis added to a bean and cheese burrito

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    6 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Definitely will be back! Great service and delicious food! Can order outside or dine in. Good size portions and wonderful flavor!!

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    Page 1 of 13

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    Do they have refried beans?

    Beans are refried and very delicious.

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    La Popular

    La Popular

    4.1(1k reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $$

    My favorite place in the village as a local. I love their taco Tuesday it's pretty amazing. My…read morefavorite is the rib eye tacos, and the desert and the aqua Frescas. The tequila options are great if you drink. It is a loud spot though so if you don't like that it's not for you. My favorite server/bartender is Alex and David. I haven't tried much of the other options and when I did I wasn't a fan of the other food and that's coming from a Latina. I do love their chips and salsa and they have great cocktail options. Most bartenders are nice but some are not. I come at least once a week.

    Have come a few times before, and as a vegetarian I do think the menu options have improved since…read moreopening. Not terribly inventive Mexican given what's out there in DTLA or even OC but kudos for attempts at menu expansion! I do think the guacamole is really good, the mezcal offerings are awesome, the decor is upscale and Happy Hour pricing is worthwhile. I find this restaurant very loud however. Because of that, I booked outside seating on OpenTable for Cinco de Mayo for drinks at 6:30 for 4 of us. We arrived at 6:25. We were notified that they were running behind, but still were not seated at 7... we were told there was no outdoor seatings coming up in the near future but they could honor our reservation shortly at an indoor table... but unfortunately it was club-decibel live music for the holiday so we went elsewhere. I do feel that managing holiday crowds and reservations is a reasonable expectation for a restaurant of this caliber/ price point. Recommend as a local option only but with a few caveats, not my top choice.

    Photos
    La Popular - Embers in Paradise cocktail

    Embers in Paradise cocktail

    La Popular - Creamy Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

    Creamy Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

    La Popular - Ceviche, Ahi Tuna Tostadas

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    Ceviche, Ahi Tuna Tostadas

    La Paloma Restaurant - Chile relleno and cheese enchilada

    La Paloma Restaurant

    3.6(663 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$

    I've always passed by here but never had the chance to try it until one of my friends invited me to…read morecome out with her and some others :) I ended up ordering the Nachos, and they were actually pretty good! I'm not usually a Mexican food kind of person, so this was a pleasant surprise. The cheese was flavorful, and the ground beef and beans added so much to every bite too! And of course, you can never go wrong with sour cream haha. I wasn't planning on taking leftovers this time, so one of the servers recommended I get the small instead of the large, and I'm glad I listened! Even the "small" was still super loaded and filling. I was struggling to finish it by the end haha. All in all, I would definitely come back again and reorder the Nachos lol. One of our friends got the La Paloma Wings, and they looked so appetizing that I'm already thinking about trying those next time! The staff was also incredibly friendly and helpful with all my questions, which made the experience that much more enjoyable!!

    After youth soccer at the LA County fairground field, we came here with a couple of football…read morefamilies to enjoy a meal together. I've driven past this spot countless times on Foothill Blvd. over the years, but this was our first time stopping in. Since it was right before Christmas, the place was dolled up with holiday decorations-- poinsettias, garland, and even a few beautiful amaryllis bulbs in bloom. Our server was a young kid, but most people are younger than me nowadays. Salsa never ran empty, chips were warm and plentiful on the table. I enjoyed the two item combo, and it was good. This restaurant reminded me of the old days going to Acapulco restaurant with my family when I was a kid-- the outside of the building may be modest, but the inside is the kind of old-school restaurant that hearkens back to a different time. As another reviewer said, it's somehow "nostalgic."

    Photos
    La Paloma Restaurant - Retro styled seating area.

    Retro styled seating area.

    La Paloma Restaurant - Yummy chile relleno w taquitos

    Yummy chile relleno w taquitos

    La Paloma Restaurant - September 17, 2024

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    September 17, 2024

    El Merendero - mexican - Updated May 2026

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