E K Valley Restaurant

VEGETARIANS: I ordered a veggie burrito and found pork in my food. If you like getting what you ordered you will probably not love this place.

A relaxing and great neighborhood oasis. It might not be possible to get fresher Mexican dishes in LA. A husband and wife team own this quaint spot and their care and attention is everywhere — from the folk art to being incredibly hospitable to of course outstanding food.
Guacamole A+
Pico de Gallo & Salsa A+
Fajitas are fresh and sizzling, tortillas always warm
Bring your own wine/​Cerveza and they supply the glasses
And the prices are incredibly fair.
Enjoy.

Loved the decorations. Very colorful, with lovely thick tablecloth and vibrant tabletop skulls. Location is very close to my work and in a nice area of Culver.
Chips were good, salsa not toooooo spicy but spicy enough to make my face flush a little! Extensive menu, and loved that they had hibiscus juice — takes me straight back to a trip I made to Mexico this past June.
However! Bit pricey for the quality of the food. I did not think that my fajitas were top notch, although I appreciated the large portion size. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing? Should I have gotten plain tacos? I may try this place one more time, but as of now, not super impressed with the food itself.

Reason for visiting: The barista from Cognescenti sent me here!
Type of mexican food: Family owned authentic Mexican and Oaxacan inspired food.
Location/​Parking: You’ll be able to identify the restaurant by it’s orange and yellow exterior. Plenty of street parking on the other side of Washington Blvd and the residential area.
Ambiance/​Décor: Nice homey feeling restaurant with mexican decorations. You’ll also see some paintings of skeletons (Día de Muertos) on the walls. Most of the tables have pineapples and some plant looking thing in a skull pot. There’s also outside seating available.
Service: Loved the service. The waitress was very friendly, attentive, and recommended many yummy items to try. Food came out at a good rate.
Food: I ordered two things which came with complimentary chips and also.
1) Chips and salsa: Very good! Couldn’t have enough of the salsa. Guilty of getting another saucer of salsa! Very fresh and had this acidic/​refreshing/​sweet/​spicy kick to it.
2) Al pastor taco ($ 2.50): Yum and was on point. Meat was tender and the sauce did not overwhelm… but price tag is a bit high. First time seeing pineapple chunks on a pastor taco which gave it a sweet flavor. Tip: Add a little bit or a lot of lemon on your taco and proceed to nom nom nom.
3) Chicken Taquito ($ 7.99): So gooood! The quantity and quality of the taquito was great. Chicken was tender and the flauta was fried to perfection. The orange rice, guac, cabbage and beans was delightful and the mexican cream did it for me! Tip: tastes better with some lemon juice! :)
I will definitely try the mole next time!

I ordered 4 asada tacos which came out to $ 10.95 they were $ 2.50 each for small street tacos which I think is pricy. Originally I saw an old menu where they were 1.99. The tacos were just okay. You were suppose to get chips & salsa but instead I got chips & red hot sauce for my tacos and just one container. The wait seemed long for 4 tacos & so I was surprised that my food didn’t seem hot. The place is definitely a hole in a wall spot which I thought would make it really good. Parking was pretty hard but that’s Culver City I parked a couple blocks away and walked over. Wasn’t busy though I came on a Tuesday around lunch time. Wish they had a taco Tuesday special because they definitely weren’t worth the price. I probably would not return here.

This place wins my vote! It’s simple, delicious and cheap. I tried a salmon and an asada taco and while they were definitely small, they were both really flavorful. The salmon taco was really good and I would definitely order it again. The entrée came with a small portion of rice and a green salad (you can opt for beans if you prefer). My only complaint is that the portions are small, but their prices are really fair. My friend ordered an asada quesadilla for $ 8 and it was a perfect size. The bill between the two of us was less than $ 20. That’s a nice change of pace from what we usually spend going out. Go for the down-​home cooking and not for the service. It’s nonexistent without being rude.

I just don’t get it. I tried this place based off of the great reviews and expectations were not met.
First, I definitely don’t trust reviews that glorify street parking with crap like ‘green zone for conveniently dropping off friends …’ while you drive in circles waiting for a spot to open up. Come on people, this place does not have a lot for parking. Not saying that’s a negative, but it’s not a positive either, it is street parking and sometimes it sucks.
Also, get over this whole byob you wannabe hipsters.
Now onto the food. Charging for extra chips? –1 star. I got tacos and a burrito. Everything had some strangely sweet tasting sauce, like a light mole, but this was not in the food description, and I don’t like mole or sweet in my mexican food. –1 star. Even without the chips or the sauce, I was not wowed by the food at all, it was just okay. I can cook ‘just okay’ in my own kitchen. –1 star.
I won’t be returning to this place. I bet the same people that love this place also love Olga’s bland mexican food. There are plenty of awesome mexican places around to go to instead, Gloria’s on Venice, Campos on Jefferson, or Pepes on Centinela.

This is a no-​frills restaurant that just serves quality Mexican food. No alcohol license, nothing fancy on the menu, just good ol’ fair. I tried the Clayuda, which is sort of like a Mexican pizza, and is way too much for one person to handle. So don’t be a hero and share your food!
I also had their cucumber drink, which was quite refreshing.

Crusing around Culver City on a Saturday, we were looking for lunch and the great Unilocal reviews brought us in. Not very many people in the place, but we sat down and took a look at the menu. It’s a cozy place they have, looks like a converted house. I ended up ordering the two taco plate (carnitas and carne asada with rice and beans), my wife got 3 tacos, and my brother in law got the quesadilla.
Food was decent. Carne asada was solid but my carnitas were a little dry. And the tacos were small! The three of us left a little disappointed and still a bit hungry. I’d say we won’t be back, I don’t know what the hype on Unilocal is all about.

First visit. Oaxacan style food. Seems to be family run; a child doing math on the table closet to the kitchen. Friendly employees, nice fresh paint, and pleasant décor. Family friendly prices. It gets a five for this non-​food part.
Started with salsa and chips. Got the upsell of guacamole. $ 5. My friend liked it. I ordered the clayuda which looks like a pizza on large tortilla covered with refried beans, shredded Mexican string cheese, tomato, and a choice of chorizo, thin beef, or pork. $ 11 plus $ 2 more for all 3 meats. I’ve had it before in Dtla. This was good too.
She ordered the mole roja on thin slices of chicken breast. The mole was very tasty. The chicken itself was so-​so, thus the markdown. The grilled veggies looked good. We or ordered the flan. It was fair but they put too much chocolate and yucky sweet red liquid over it, to make it look trendy. It was edible with the stuff scrapped off. My friend thought it was not good, period.
My overall impression is favorable. In spite of the misses. I’ll go back and give it a second chance.

Stopped by for lunch and had the chili Rellano and Chicken Enchilada’s in mole. Both were very good. This the type of Mexican restaurant perfer, original, unique and no cookie cutter like the rest. Our bill came to $ 31 for 2. Hot chocolate was $ 3 and the Guac is $ 4 which is only enough for 2 in my opinion. Very satisfied with our meal and over all experience.

One night when I was craving Mexican and asked my bf if he had any nearby recs. He’d seen this place numerous times just driving by and thought it might be worth a try. It’s small and humble but the interior is cheerful, with colorful art and decorations everywhere. It’s really homey and comfortable, and the people welcome you like family – the service is really great. Upon scanning the menu, we realized that it was Oaxacan-​style Mexican, which means molé! I haven’t had molé in a really long time so I got their cheese enchiladas with molé, and my bf got their veggie burrito. We both really loved our food – again, very homestyle in the best way. My bf’s banana shake was awesome too, tasting of perfectly fresh bananas. We were impressed and definitely plan to try them again.
STEPH JUDGEMENT: A wonderful little family-​run gem for Oaxacan cuisine.

I loved this place! My friend frequents this here often so it was her idea to come. I’m so glad she brought me. I vow — I will be a regular!
We came late, close to closing time so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. They have a few tables & chairs outside so we sat there. The young lady who waited on us was so nice. She told us she was the owner’s daughter. The owner brought our food out and chatted us up a bit. Super nice guy as well. I love a good family-​owned restaurant.
I had the carne asada street tacos. They were delicious. My friend is a vegetarian so she got the veggie enchiladas. She loved her meal. The veggies were abundant and flavorful.
In short the food is excellent and so is the service. If you’re looking for good Mexican food in Culver City, this is the place to go.

What a great place to eat. Street parking is available. The area is nice. The service was great and attentive. «BYOB» hell yeah. The green sauce on the enchiladas was fantastic. The house chili tasted just like my grandmothers. Extra points for that. I will definitely be back. For Two people it averages to about $ 30 to $ 40.
Pro tip: Get some gas x after.

Authentic, delicious and reasonable!
**BYOB**
My bf and I came here after reading the fabulous Unilocal reviews… I am ALWAYS a fan of Mexican food… my bf can take it or leave it
2x during the meal he told me how good it was and that we should return.
We were greeted warmly at the door and shown promptly to a table.
We pursued the menu (so many delicious looking choices! Hard to choose!)
My bf had the mole (damnit, that was what I wanted!)
When I froze while ordering, the waiter did not miss a beat and suggested the barbacoa. He did not steer me wrong!
Barbacoa is served with your choice of 2 –rice, beans (black, refried), or vegetables. All three are excellent choices.
Mole is served with 2 side AND tortillas. If you are opting for barbacoa, I recommend springing for tortillas on the side of you’re a carb-​fanatic like me.
The whole meal was flavorful and filling. We could not stop talking about how wonderful it was!

First and foremost the food is good. I had one Shrimp Taco, One Fish Taco (which is Salmon) and One order of Taquitos. The best of the three were the Chicken Taquitos.
The shrimp taco was very good but I found them to skip since they only put two medium size shrimp on a taco. They have a very limited selection of Beers to choose from. This is a cute little place and the staff are friendly. I did not like the tact that a small extra bowl of chips will cost you $ 1.50 more (come on guys give me a break).
I wish they had their complete menu so I could read it on Unilocal

Cute enough place inside, once you’ve found parking.
We had a moderately on-​time dinner and it was almost empty, but started to fill up as we were leaving.
Guacamole is decent, chips are okay. And the horchata is the real thing.
Barbacoa was a bit fatty and buried in the sauce, and the mole– I’m not all that familiar with mole– wasn’t bad. The carne asda left something to be desired, tho– could tell it was reheated, and not in a good way. Rice and tortillas were okay.
Not bad, but not strong enough to be particularly good either.

I must say, I can’t really vouch for the high reviews. Sorry peeps, my palette does not agree.
Came here for dinner with some friends on a week night. First off, the salsa and chips were good. The salsa was more sweet, reminded me of mole, and had a nice kick. Too bad each additional basket of chips were an additional $ 1.5. I also didn’t go for the Guac although the owner kept insisting that we order it. no bro, I don’t want to pay extra for guac i can make at home.
In terms of price, it’s a bit on the higher side for the amount of food that they give you. My friend order the burrito and it was mainly beans/​rice as oppose to meat in the filling. The burrito was also quite dinky for being $ 9
I ordered the carnitas oink oink… some pork dish sauteed with onions, bell peppers, and cactus. Although the sauce was great in this dish, the pork chunks were quite dry and the amount of food was not very satisfying.
Probably won’t come back and if I was craving oaxacan-​mexican cuisine, I would suggest trying El Nopal. More delicious, and better price.

So I came here to eat; it’s very unassuming but I came based on the Unilocal reviews! So, I came here after a court hearing and was so pleased with the chicken tacos and a shrimp taco I had. The presentation was good, the service was okay and the price was right!
It is definitely a little hole in the wall, but that’s how I like it and good if you are on a budget.

I’ll sum it up this way. I took 3 of THE most hard to please people I know out to dinner here and they loved it. I did my usual Unilocal searching for «Mexican Food» in Culver City and EK Valley came up and I am so glad it did. I didn’t want to go to some chain restaurant and this sounded like a great place.
This little «hole in the wall» type restaurant earned its 5 stars this way…
The service was outstanding. Our waitress was so friendly and her goal was that we enjoy our meal — and we did. My mom ordered the Mole Enchiladas and the waitress suggested the she try the sauce as it is not for everyone. She promptly brought a little taste of the Mole and my mom did not like it and ordered something else. I did like and will try it next time. I managed to have a coughing fit and without asking the waitress brought over a glass of water. Great wait staff makes a meal all the better!
Thee food was fantastic. Every dish was meticulously prepared. While I didn’t get grilled veggies with my meal, my friend did and they looked delicious. I put up pics of everything, but I had the cheese enchiladas with the green Tomatillo sauce, black beans and rice and so did AG and JG. I especially liked that the black beans were not whole bean but pureed and a bit like mashed potatoes.
MJ had — Three Crispy Chicken Taquitos covered with black beans, cabbage, guacamole, salsa, cheese, and mexican…
MH had — Barbacoa Plate baked beef marinated with aromatic buajillo salsa. served with tortillas…
Here is the link to their menu
Lastly, something about the place makes you feel like you are in Mexico somewhere. i can’t explain it, but I liked the feel of the place. it was clean, bright and dressed in cute Mexican decorations.
Know before you go…
1. Totally casual, small, hole in the wall type place, but great atmosphere.
2. A few tables outside which on a warm day would be great.
3. Fantastic food and service.
4. Free parking around the corner and a green zone out front for dropping folks off.