El Compadre

I really like the ambiance of this place. The decor is nice and dimly lit and occasionally there is a band playing. Sometimes I'll just watch sports on either of the two tvs at the bar.

I've been here a few times and usually have a good experience with drinks and food, but tonight the drinks were pretty disappointing. My friends and I ordered margaritas at the bar which tasted more like sweet tarts mixed with pixy sticks. We could barely taste any alcohol in them and it left me with more of a headache than a buzz. On the upside the table service was fast and the burrito that I had was pretty decent. It was very reasonably priced for a sit down joint.

Usually I wouldn't hesitate if someone asked if I wanted to meet them here for dinner, but now I might, at least if I'm in the mood for margaritas.

Pros: Food is reasonably priced

Cons: Margaritas

Posted 12/06/08

El compadre is my fav mexican getaway in LA.. LOL. Their tamales are the bomb.. order the corn tomales and tell you dont like them.. if you don't your taste buds got problems

Posted 12/01/08

This place is disgusting. I have too many friends that like mexican restaurants based on their chips and salsa and their drinks. The drinks might be alright, but the food is terrible. The salsa is good, but the chips are just heated store bought chips, nothing special. I've been here a few times and I can't do it anymore. Their huevos rancheros plate is an unrecognizable blob of grease on a plate. Their chicken in a burrito is oven roasted whole chicken with skin fat and just yuck. Do yourself a favor and don't eat here. If you want quick and just a stand type burrito or taco then go to Yucca's on hilhurst. Order the Carne Asade or Conchinita pibil. Also Terre's Mexican Grill on Melrose is amazing. There's no wait staff, but their empanadas are pretty special.

Posted 11/30/08

first of all, it's the wrong address for whatever reason...it's actually 1449 w. sunset blvd...thought the food was going to be good after reading the reviews. the food was okay. i got the huevos con chorizo with rice and beans...got the chorizo, but barely any egg... so so-so on the food. a friend got the torilla soup...wouldn't recommend it...for 8 bucks and some change, it was a very small bowl of torilla soup...and the taste was okay...so overall, the food wasn't horrible, but not great...

BUT the SERVICE was horrible! we had 3 different servers throughout the whole night who didn't really want to serve or take our orders...our wait time for everything was very long...to order, to get our food, to get our check...and the place was not busy! about 60% of the restaurant was filled...we expected better service because it looked like it was a local favorite.
i asked for my left over portion (which was half of the meal) to be boxed, and they took it but never returned with it....the server said he didn't hear me when i asked for to be boxed so he threw it away, and then shrugged his shoulders...without an apology! then just walked away....
never going back and would not recommend it until the service gets better...so i hope the owners of el compadre read this site because i would absolutely not recommend it based on SERVICE!

Pros: good ambience, good margaritas

Cons: bad bad bad service

Posted 06/01/08

Absolutely Terrible!.. Went went here for a birthday party thinking it would be a fun place to be with margaritas and mariachis. The flaming margaritas didn't flame in two drinks, the service was about the worse I have ever experienced and the food was AWFUL(cold and the cheese in the enchilada wasn't even melted). On top of it all we were seated next to four girls that were only drinking and screamed and yelled with every song. The management did nothing about it except to say that perhaps they would be leaving soon. We asked politely if they could tone it down so we could try and enjoy our party a little, and they started hurling insults at us. When the mariachis came over to sing happy birthday they started yelling at us that we were being too loud. We brought a cake and it took the waiter three trips to bring 8 forks. We had to get up and go find the waiter on 3 different occasions.

Pros: Can't think of any

Posted 06/01/08

I love love love mexican food and this was the first restaurant I was introduced to when I came to LA from Santa Barbara 4 years ago. I fell in love with the chips and salsa. Major turn-on. Its spicy, so if you don't like that ask for an alternative or do what we do, ask for a side of sour cream which you probably won't be charged for.
That said, I come here probably once a week and have turned all of my friends on to it. The margaritas are to die for. I've read about the poor service, I've sat at the bar, at a booth, outside, etc. I've waited an hour for a table and the hostess felt bad and gave us a shot on the house. I love this place and this is a place you should experience yourself. The mariachi band is a plus.
I think this place deserves better reviews.

Pros: chips and salsa, flaming margarias

Cons: parking, seating

Posted 05/28/08

me sooooooooo happy with el compadreeeeeeeeeee. yummiii. i so like drink margarita coconuts!!! my husband no like friendly man who bring big big burrito. i like man who rough with coconut. mean like meanbull. hot like fire. drink like cowboys. me go many futures times for drink and big big fatie food. next time take cab.

Posted 04/25/08

I went to this place based on other reviews. Noone mentioned how dark it is in there or the fact that the entrance places you at the bar and there is a ramp that I am sure someone has fell on. The host desk is in the middle of the place (in case you go). This place is too dark to see how clean or dirty it is. The inside of the enchilada was cold, the order should have read rice and "cheese" on the side based on the amount of cheese they placed on the beans. We sat in a corner booth and the silk flowers they had as decor were dirty and you could tell noone had cle3aned the corners in months (I ran a tissue and noted the dirt). The water smelled of chlorine. I ordered the famous fire margarita, and that was creative as to how they keep the fire flaming in the drink. The service was good, but overall the place needs to be cleaned.

Pros: The Margarita's are creative in appearance and the salsa is good.

Cons: Not all dark restaurants have the same ambience...

Posted 03/01/08

This has become the spot to go to. It can get super packed on the weekends, but its worth the wait. I always order the Enchiladas Verdes and Strawberry Margarita and my husband gets the El Padrino, which is amazing! I always have to have a bite of the steak that comes with it. I love that the margaritas come on fire!! They're delicious. The Mariachi is great and the service is friendly and fast. I love the chips and salsa too!! YUMMY! I just went again for Valentines and it was awesome! Don't listen to the few people who say not to go here. They are crazy! Totally recommend you try it for yourself. Why would it have 4 and a half stars!! There are no reservations but if you call 30 min. before you get there in advance sometimes they will put you on the list so by the time you get in you can be seated or at least not have to wait as long to be seated.

Pros: Inexpensive and yummy food, great margaritas, live mariachi

Cons: long wait on weekends, $10/margarita (but worth it), parking, no reservations

Posted 02/14/08

I used to frequent El Compadre at least once a month. Decent food, good margarita.
The last 2 times I went I sat at the bar and waited at least 5 minutes before the bartender bothered to ask me if I wanted a drink. Not a big deal on a Fri or Sat nite but this was Monday and there were 10 people in the whole place.

The old bartender was more interested in talking to his pals.

There are far too many other mexi places in LA to frequent one that doesn't give a cr*p about it customers.

Pros: ummm.... it's open?

Cons: service service service... that old crank of a bartender

Posted 11/02/07

I walked over to El Compadre last week and I still have a bitter taste in my mouth from the experience. The food was bland and the drinks were way too sour. The staff just as sour. I cannot understand the attraction to this place.
There are many other Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles where I would rather spend my money.
Never again.

Cons: food, service and the margaritas

Posted 11/01/07

I love El Compadres. Their salsa has something in it that makes the company I usually eat with giddy and the drinks are certainly heavy on the liquor. Great Margaritas, Love the Chicken Chimichanga!!!! The Ambiance is nice, dark and private. The Band is wonderful. Can get a little out of control. I once had to wait over an hour to get my food and it was the wrong order/ However that was an isolated incident. I have been many times and always leave full and tipsy.

Pros: Traditional Mexican, Magic Salsa, Heavily Liquored Drinks

Cons: Sometimes disorganized.

Posted 08/18/07

I visited this place because it was within walking distance of my brother's place, and he likes to go there. The margaritas were great -- and not just because of the gimmick of the flame on them... I thought they were flavorful and really packed a wallop. The food was good... we all had chicken dishes. No complaints. The guac was also pretty good, though it has shredded lettuce in it, which I found a little strange. In the end what I really liked about this place is the ambience -- I always fall for a dark restaurant that you can spread out in with your friends and laugh and talk while still enjoying some good music (that isn't so loud you can't hear yourselves.) Great place to hang. I've read the complaints about the service, too, but ours was very attentive throughout the night.

Posted 01/06/07

I just moved here from NoCal and wanted some good Mex. The first few times we went here in Aug-Oct of this year, it was pretty good. But tonight was our last. The food was mediocre at best: crab enchiladas with no flavor and chicken mole enchiladas that had lousy mole sauce. And there's nothing worse than lousy mole sauce--except for never being asked how you thought your food was. We wanted to comment on the lackluster performance by the chef, but after being served, no one came to our table... we had to ask for our check and it came from another server... El Compadre is probably a decent place for a magarita, but that's about it.

Pros: Good margie

Cons: Lackluster, flavorless food and absentee waiter

Posted 11/18/06

The food is average. The highlight is the flaming margarita, so it's more of a fun place to go with friends. It gets packed on weekend evenings though.

Pros: Flaming margarita

Cons: Crowded

Posted 11/17/06

Love this place! Great margaritas, quesadillas, seafood dishes. The atmosphere is dark and cool. Places like this make me love Los Angeles. Great place for group or date.

Pros: Everything!

Cons: Long Wait on Weekends

Posted 11/09/06

Go and get a beer and order their biggest burrito they have. I forgot the name but it starts with a "C". Seriously, it's one of the first places I think of when I want mexican.

Pros: The food and service.

Cons: Can be a wait to be seated....

Posted 11/09/06

This place is very much like the one in Hollywood awesome margaritas, great food and great atmosphere! I love El Compadre!

Pros: Service was great, margaritas are the best

Posted 10/10/06