El Compadre

Doesn't Recommend

mer112

Joined 2 years ago

Be careful if you're a large party. My family has been dining here for the past three years. We've always enjoyed the retro environment, the service, the live band and the food. Tonight we were a party of 14. My father and I decided to split the bill. After providing the waiter with our two credit cards, he came back with two bills, but not the original bill. When we asked if he had added anything to the tip, his response was "sometimes the restaurant adds 10%, sometimes we don't." This didn't sound quite right, so we asked him to confirm. He came back a couple minutes later and said they had added 15%. We found this a bit sneaky and left the tip at 15%. After departing the restaurant, none of us felt right about the way this was handled, so I called and asked for the manager. He ("Mario") had a real attitude, and said I should have asked for him at the restaurant. When I explained that we had talked to both the waiter and the host about our concerns, he said he "didn't have time for this," and then he hung up the phone. I called back, same thing. Wild. So....either we had an unfortunate misunderstanding, and an unprofessional manager, or El Compadre is scamming large parities. Whatever the case, we won't be coming back. If you're a large party at El Compadre, please check your bill carefully.

Recommends

ShaneCall

Joined 2 years ago

Amazing Mexican Food!. There are a lot of Mexican food spots in Los Angeles, not all of them are very good. El Compadre is one of the best. Great service, fantastic traditional dishes, chips and salsa done right (one of the best parts of eating at a Mexican food restaurants - they do it well!), also great drinks/bar! Cant go wrong with their flaming margarita. If you're thinking Mexican food in the Hollywood area, this is your spot.

Recommends

tinamri2

Joined 6 years ago

Fresh, Delicious Mexican Food. I was with a party of eight. The service was great, and I really loved the food. The margaritas (on the rocks) the best I have ever had, stronger than I usually like, but so flavorful I could still drink them. I had a chicken tostada salad. The chicken was lean, the lettuce was fresh and crips, the guacamole was fresh, and the sour cream was very fresh. I think they have the best salsa I've ever had. I wasn't crazy about the tortilla chips, a little greasy, but overall, this was a very good restaurant, and I will definitely go back.

Recommends

Martha Burr

Joined 10 years ago

Citysearch Editorial Review. Maybe it's the kitschy-gothic Mexican hacienda decor (think moody red light and wrought iron lanterns and chandeliers) or maybe it's the flaming margaritas. Whatever it is, this Eastside favorite packs an eclectic crowd, from neighborhood families on weekdays to Echo Park hipsters partying down on the weekends. A live Mexican music trio keeps the festive vibe going for birthdays and celebrations, but you might want to watch out for a little mayhem after Dodgers games. The shiny long wood bar is a magnet for regulars, especially during happy hour. Menu standards are found at good prices--nothing’s over $20 and dinner combos are all under $10 --with choices ranging from tacos, burritos, enchiladas and tamales to carnitas, chicken mole, chipotle shrimp and ceviche tostadas.

Doesn't Recommend

Guz

Joined 3 years ago

BAD BAD. My friends asked me to join them for Mexican food and we ended up at the

EL COMPADRE. When we arrived I was not comfortable with the atmosphere.

The bar is to close to the. The dining area the people at the bar drinking were to loud

Swearing and getting crazy, these suppose to be a family restaurant but the atmosphere is geared more towards adults.this restaurant attracts the bad elements of the surrounding area

This place is no El Torito, the food is of second rate, the food is too dried, and in fact we all got a bit of diarrhea the next day. I was in law enforcement for ten years while at this restaurant the people that work there seem to be doing some sort of transaction in the restroom and also noticed a couple of transaction in the back of the building as we were exiting the building. I would avoid this restaurant if you are looking for good food or a relaxed place. This place is neither. See for yourself if you do visit el compadre

Recommends

jamestindell

Joined 4 years ago

flaming margaritas. the thing with el compadre is really the novelty of the margaritas. The food is good as well, but not "the best in los angeles" by any means. a good time though

Recommends

bmgreeley

Joined 5 years ago

Legendary margaritas? Really?. 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.

Recommends

jerrymcgwire

Joined 5 years ago

Bomb. 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

Doesn't Recommend

joshysmail

Joined 8 years ago

Yuck.. 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.

Doesn't Recommend

lisateacher

Joined 5 years ago

horrible service, so-so food, wrong address. 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!