Margaritaville: L.A.'s Tequila Trail
By Cadien Clark & Kelly Wardle, Editors & Patrons of Patron
With Cinco de Mayo on the horizon, it's time to start thinking about one of L.A.'s favorite pastimes: Tequila swilling. Editors Cadien Clark and Kelly Wardle have mapped the top margarita spots around town. Bottoms up and viva la tequila!
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El Cholo Restaurant
1121 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA
Proceed with caution: Strong, enormous and cheap, green demons at one of L.A.'s most established Mexican institutions will make you as loopy as the waitress's skirts. -
El Paseo Inn
11 Olvera St, Los Angeles, CA
The covered patio at this Olvera Street mainstay is the perfect perch for soaking up the sidewalk scenery, indulging in fresh guacamole and salsa and drinking tangy 'ritas. -
Mexico City
2121 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA
Mint chicken isn't the only appealing item on the menu. A margarita "on the rocks" might be the best thing--besides the atmosphere and celebrity sightings--about Hillhurst's lively Mex spot. -
El Chavo
4441 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Sunset Junction's newly remodeled favorite features a Dolly Parton shrine and a mean marg. Make sure to eat plenty of chips and tortillas along with the authentic fare, or you may be singing along with the musicians on stage. -
El Conquistador
3701 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles , CA
Mexican oasis caters to Silver Lake locals in search of potent margaritas and bottomless baskets of chips.
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La Cabana Restaurant
738 Rose Ave, Venice, CA
Friendly servers, wandering mariachis and a kitchen open until 3am daily make this a great spot for late-night drinks on the outdoor patio. The "Original" margarita is served in a plastic shaker that holds three drinks, and it's yours to keep as a reminder of why your head hurts the next morning. -
Marix Tex Mex Playa
118 Entrada Dr, Santa Monica, CA
Westsiders flock to this hidden, low-key cantina located just steps from the beach. The extensive margarita menu includes the Z-Rita, a low-carb version for marg lovers watching their calories--how very L.A. -
El Cholo
1025 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA
Viva the tasty local chain! The same super-macho margaritas found at the K-town original come with a completely different Santa Monica crowd: Upwardly mobile beachcombers looking for love, or something like it. -
Border Grill
1445 4th St, Santa Monica, CA
The popular Southwestern fare is a tad overpriced, but the fresh margaritas are worth the extra coin. As if escaping the Promenade's throngs isn't treat enough.
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El Coyote
7312 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Hold on to your sombrero! These badboys pack a wallop--frozen, on the rocks, with salt, without it, whatever ... Take a taxi if you plan on pounding them at Beverly Boulevard's famous red-leather-boothed cheapskate. -
El Compadre
7408 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Get them to light your fire at Hollywood's always-jammed eatery and watering hole, where the margaritas arrive in flames, the wait can be hours to see it, and nobody cares. -
El Carmen
8138 W Third St, Los Angeles, CA
Black velvet paintings and more than 300 kinds of tequila--but you don't need a passport to get into this bar. -
Velvet Margarita Cantina
1612 N Cahuenga Blvd, Hollywood, CA
In addition to traditional margaritas (including their $30 Platinum Velvet version), this fun, kitschy Hollywood spot mixes up plenty of other tequila-based cocktails for sipping beneath velvet Elvis paintings. -
Lucy's El Adobe Cafe
5536 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA
Both Hollywood flocksters and Hancock Parkies are loyal to the patio--and the pitchers of margaritas--at Larchmont's adobe for south of the border classics.
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Casa Vega
13301 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA
Dark, decades-old Valley hot spot doles out comfort Mexican and massive margaritas. -
Mexicali Cocina Cantina
12161 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA
North of the border cantina serves up margaritas and Cal-Mex cuisine.
