04/11/09

Always a line for a reason!

by iLOVEfood

Firstly, I'd like to say to those who wrote bad reviews you are insane. Secondly, STOP COMPLAINING THAT IT IS EXPENSIVE! YOU ARE IN LA and at the GROVE nonetheless. Anyway, Loteria is bombbbbb! Best chicken nachos ever. Great tortilla soup. The tacos are amazing too. I've gone 10+ times and never tasted anything I didn't like. It has better Mexican food than some of the places I've eaten at in Mexico, and that's not a lie!

• Pros: Great food!
• Cons: Busy.

02/12/09

Mexican food, but really real Mexican food.

by realtaco

After reading the different reviews, and having been a steady customer since Loteria's opening, all I can say is, try this place once, and I bet you'll soon be back for more.

If in a less casual mood, try Hollywood blvd Loteria. Same great food, but with alcoholic beverages and waiters to do the walking. I just love what these guys are doing, congrats.

Jay Sonman

• Pros: real mexican cuisine
• Cons: not close enough to Anahein

01/19/09

best mexican food in LA BY FAR!

by claudss

if you know mexican cuisine you know this is authentique.

Im from Mexico City and everytime I travel to LA I have to stop at Loteria Grill. It's the only meal EVER I've ever had outside of my country that trully tastes like home cooked or grandma style.

It's extraordinary!

Each and every ingredient used in the making of these exquisite dishes is as mexican as it can get. Don't believe me, go ask the cooks and the nice chef Jimmy Shaw- mexican born and raised!

Go enjoy some real mexican food here, you'll never regret it.

07/27/08

amazing huevos rancheros

by crankypanda

Great breakfast food. Tasty tacos. Everything is a little expensive ($10 for huevos rancheros is a little steep), but still worth it. The flavors are amazing. I just don't like waiting in (sometimes) long line and fighting the Farmers' Market crowd.

• Pros: everything is super tasty
• Cons: large weekend crowd at grove/farmers' market

07/03/08

honestly the best

by tbalder73

I am a native of Mexico City, so I am always on the lookout for truly Mexico-City style tacos, which are smaller, usually come with onion and cilantro, and include non-processed, authentic tortillas (whiter corn). These tacos are one of the few I've found in LA that are truly Mexico City style, with less grease and all flavor. The mole and the chicharron tacos taste homemade, like the way my grandmother cooks. It's a no frills place, but good food is all you need in a real taco stand. The prices are ridiculous, esp. compared to what you pay for tacos like these in Mexico. Recommend getting the platters that come with tortillas. You'll get more food and can make your own tacos. The breakfasts are also great. Oh and keep in mind, burritos aren't truly Mexican. They are an American invention (I never even knew what a burrito was growing up until I came to the states). So while they sell them to please American palates, they are not the most authentic thing on this menu. This is a TACO stand. Come for the tacos. Get a burrito somewhere else.

05/03/08

Not the best by a long shot

by aws3

Some tv special (I think it was Elmer Dills) claimed this place was one of three in Los Angeles to have the best tacos in town. Not! $3 for a taco that you literally will finish in two bites. The taste was not great,but okay. For the price, uh,uh. tHE average person will need at least six of these bite size taco's just to qualify as a meal. that's $18 for one person's taco's. Not a great value and not the best tacos. Much better for the price are Pepe's in Downey,Ca, Burritos El Chavo in Studio City,King Taco in Pasadena,and Burrito King in SilverLake. These are just a few quick stops for much better food. Poquito Mas and Las Fuentes in Reseda are also very good. Like one review mentioned, Farmers Market food stops are way overated. Somebody must be gettin paid.

02/11/08

The absolute BEST authentic Mexican food ever!

by kumarik

The Loteria Grill has the best Mexican food, hands-down. Here you will find traditional recipes without loads of cheddar cheese and refried beans. (The term "Mexican food" can be misleading -- real Mexican food isn't as greasy.) It's a great place to take family and friends.

I haven't tasted one dish that I don't like, and that's saying a lot! Some of my favorites include the calabacitas, papa con rajas and tinga de pollo in a taco or tostada. My boyfriend enjoys the enchiladas and chilaquiles verdes.Their salsa is to die for! If you aren't sure what to get, I recommend starting with the probaditas sampler. You get to try all 12 tacos on mini-hand made tortillas. Loteria serves white or green rice as opposed to the traditional Mexican rice found at many restaurants. They also serve black beans only. They have great horchata. So fresh tasting. Try it and you won't be disappointed!

Some advice: Don't go on a completely empty stomach. It's best to budget your energy and be prepared to fight for a spot at the food bar and/or a place to sit down and eat your food. The food is so good that you might find yourself in a long line.

• Pros: Tasty food at reasonably affordable rates; 10% discount for KCRW members
• Cons: Parking; often very crowded with long lines

01/25/08

The BEST Mexican food in Los Angeles, maybe in the entire USA!!!

by sushi_king

Loteria Grill is awesome. I've lived in the southland my entire life and I've never come across Mexican food so tasty, so tantalizing to the tastebuds than this little spot at the 3rd Street Farmers' Market. Do not scoff or disagree until you've tried it. I've taken many a friend here, and all have been blown away by the fantastic food.

Recommendations: Get an Albondigas en Chipotle burrito. My favorite. Or try the tacos. They have 12 different types (which you can order all together with the taster plate), but I especially love the shredded beef.

In all seriousness, unless you're allergic to good stuff, you can't go wrong with Loteria Grill.

• Pros: The food. All of it.
• Cons: Getting to the Farmers' Market is a hike and parking stinks. BUT IT'S WORTH IT!!!

12/22/07

The only authentic Mexican place in Southern California.

by jcrogel

I am from Mexico City, born and raised and I was very frustrated that I couldn't find any good Mexican places in Southern California. I tried literally everything from the Spanish Kitchen, through the taco trucks passing by East LA and the Valley, and all of them disappointed me terribly.

When I first went to La Loteria I thought that it would be another "Americanized version" of Mexican food but I was deeply pleased when I tried their dishes because it had the real deal. I've tried almost everything on their menu and I have never been slightly disappointed.

Yes, it is a little bit expensive, but in LA what is not expensive? besides, if money is the price I have to pay to get good Mexican food, I think it is worth it.

The best Mexican food in Southern California and by extension, the entire United States.

• Pros: Flavor, authenticity
• Cons: Parking

10/26/07

I'd hardly call it Mexican.

by tmares

I'm in agreement with the last review. Although I am not as saavy as to the origins of dishes and such, I can safely say that on its best day, La Lotteria doesn't come close to even the smallest hole in the wall in the "real L.A." The farmers market is always highly overated and overpriced however, so I didn't have many expectations to begin with, just an apetite and not enough time to go elsewhere. Despite the fact that I was starving. Do the owners even realize that some of the ingredients they use are not even commonplace in Mexican food? Truly, I was disappointed and will NOT be eating there again. Just travel about 10 miles east of this place and 10 out of 10 of the restaurants you find will exceed the standards of this place for half the price.