You may not see El Venado if you're driving by and even if you do you probably wouldn't be inclined…read moreto stop in. This is a small little Mexican restaurant in the Mid-City area which is definitely worth a drop in if you happen to be in the neighborhood. The food here is really good for the price. Under $10 easily for a full meal including drinks (non-alcoholic) and tip. While I think this is probably best used as a lunch joint I've actually only been here for dinner. It just that's its such a casual place that it doesn't really scream dinner. If you're into burritos do not pass one up here. They are very good. If you're into carne asada on the other hand, do pass this up. I knocked off one star for the crappy carne. No good. This place isn't much to look at from the outside and it's only a bit nicer inside but the food is good and cheap and the service is really good. They waiters are always really nice and can recommend something good. Also make sure to hit up the self serve salsa bar!

Maybe it's because I'm part white and my Mexican father makes great Mexican food. Maybe it's…read morebecause my husband is Salvi... But why in the HELL would you get rid of the ONLY good dish on your menu? The only reason my husband and I even THOUGHT of going to this place for meals was because we wanted pazole, and we knew that this place had AMAZING pozole. And now it's gone. And their food is bland. The guys down the street from our apartment, who set up on the side of the road next to their truck, make better tacos than El Venado! I am crushed. SOMEONE FIND ME SOME POZOLE!

I was introduced to this spot by a chef friend during a trip to LA some time ago. I remember eating…read moremy first taco(s) here and despite being stuffed, it was so good that I got seconds. I have dreams about this place and I'm pleased to say that the last time I was there, it more than lived up to my previous expectations. It's in the parking lot of the Arco station and is super low key, so I went in with literally zero expectations my first time there. It's not as impressive looking, nor does it draw the crowds like Leo's does, but trust me, this place tastes much better than most I've ever had. The tacos are the standard street taco size. They have a condiment table with your standard salsas and toppings. The al pastor is quite literally the best I've ever had, and I've had tacos at hundreds of places (not an exaggeration) over the years. It's the perfect amount of porkiness, spiciness, and right on a fluffy and yet slightly crisp tortilla, and rounded out with a slight sweetness from a piece of lightly charred pineapple. The way that they crisp up the meat after taking it off the trompo and serving it makes the experience that much better. It's actually much the same way that Leo's (and lots of others) do it, but they seem to take the time to make sure that it gets the proper char. It's just more attention to detail to bring you the perfect morsel. They also have pickled red onion, which gives a nice sharp tang and crunch to it. If you're visiting LA, skip Leo's (which is good, don't get me wrong) and come here. You'll get a much better product with less wait time and less crazy lines.

This place is so overlooked. I've lived in LA for 8 years, once walking distance from Leo's, and…read morethese are the best carnitas & chorizo street tacos I've ever had. Personally, I'd skip the al pastor, but you can't really go wrong when they're all only $1.50/ea.

Had a good experience at this place. Awesome food very friendly and great service. I left very…read morehappy.

I had posted a positive reviews months ago, right after this new owner bought the business. Ever…read moresince then, I became a regular. Decent food for a decent price as I like to support small business owners. I had noticed that the portions/servings started to become smaller and smaller (typical dishonest small business tactics) and today I just had horrible service that motivated this negative review. The female owner and her adult son who are typically there, weren't, so their servers just extended amateur service. There was a dog inside of the restaurant barking for over 20 min until I got up and talked to the manager who finally did something about it. I'm really disappointed with their tactics and lack of customer service skills, they also pretend they don't understand English. AVOID THIS PLACE.

So great to rediscover Loteria Grill ! Now a takeout only and catering location on Pico near…read moreCrenshaw. It's a bit out of the way but worth the trek. The food was delicious. Loteria Grill was a favorite on Hollywood Blvd before it closed just before the pandemic started. The margaritas were the best in the city. The space has been empty since, other than a horrible bar that was open for a few months and closed. You are still missed on Hollywood blvd Jimmy Shaw

DO NOT order from here. There is plentiful Mexican food in LA and I don't want anyone to lose their…read moremoney like I did when I gave them a shot. They're expensive and misleading in their ordering process. Don't pay for the "extra" guac or "extra" queso. I did, and my nachos (which cost $30) didn't contain either of these, let alone "extra" portions. It's like someone says your burger comes with medium fries, but you can also upgrade to large fries. So you upgrade to large fries, and then you get no fries. I called them after receiving my order and they blamed Uber Eats for the guac (because of the way their "system works"), but no explanation for the queso. Basically was told to fuck off and go away. I mean... why should they care? They already got their $30 for cheese-less, guac-less, nachos lol. Anyways, I wound up just ordering from Taco Bell afterwards because this place left me so unsatisfied. Please don't order from Loteria --hopefully they'll go out of business soon. The only things worse than their customer service are their exorbitant prices and subpar food.

Great service, awesome sauce food, great ambiance!!! TOP NOTCH quality. Definitely will come backread more

Worst place to eat. I found a worm in my burrito!!! My soda was flat and it was to expensive, 20…read morebucks for a small as burrito.

The pupusas are really good! Just a heads-up! the phone number listed is not correct. The correct…read morenumber to order is (323) 641-0902. I accidentally called the wrong one and placed an order somewhere else. When I showed up here, they didn't have my order, but they were super accommodating and made my food anyway. Great service and delicious pupusas!

When you find an empty bottle of Night Train on the floor I think they don't mind if you bring in a…read moredrink in from the liquor store next door. The pupusas were solid, the curtido was a bit rubbery but if I'd had a little Night Train I wouldn't mind at all.

I dont know why they show this place as a cafe, but it's a pollo place…read more We were kinda surprised that they dont have an English menu but the cashier helped us with the menu. We got whole chicken with 2 sides (rice & coleslaw). They gave us homemade tortillas and tortilla chips w/ salsa. After 10mins they served chicken but it was under cooked. So, we told the lady about it and she took the chicken and brought a fresh batch of chicken back w/ guacamole 5mins later. Guacamole was also homemade. We could see chunks of avocado seeds inside of Guacamole. The chicken taste was surprisingly good. This was maybe 4th time to try Mexican style pollo for me,(except el pollo loco) and i recommend it because of the sincere service and the fair pricing and taste

Ordered combo four with grilled chicken, coleslaw and beans. Chicken wasn't dry considering its…read moregrilled but really lacked flavor. Beans and coleslaw were run of the mill. Salsa isn't very spicy. Overall food could have been great and it might an off day but if feels like food lacked flavor. Oh and they charge 75 cents for swiping your card.

Food was made poorly called to let them know my mom almost choked on that big piece of meat and the…read morelady responded with "whatever" don't go here!!! Lady's name was Patricia!

The staff here are always really nice. The food is always spectacular and the vibes are always…read morewelcoming! The prices are great! There is reasonable parking I will continue being a loyal customer here.