El Compadre

I just pulled out a very suspect curly hair out of my salsa that is just the right length to heavily suggest cook did not wash hands after bathroom use, if you know what I mean. I couldn’t eat any of my food.
The manager was very embarrassed and they did dump the entire batch of salsa. The staff was very nice about it and I am sure it was an accident. I’m sure not a regular issue, but it was my first time here and so my sample size of experiences is limited.

I had tacos and the tacos were delicious. The waiter was also great. However, i think they can improve on their drinks. I had Michelada which was horrible and I also had a mango Margarita and it wasn’t so great.

My hang out! Near home, Staples and the Movies. South Park! Love the fish tacos with my fresh jalapeño uncut, on the side. I think they have one of the best salsas for chips in Los Angeles. My favorite are my custom made Margaritas… Fresh lime (half to ¾ a lime), one oz. of Cointreau and two ounces of Cazadores Reposado Tequila! Bartenders are great. I have my favorites (3), but they know who they are. Perfect hours, yummy food, great drinks! Psssss… Sit at the bar!

They have Mexican everywhere now and usually that’s good enough for most people. Well this place steps it up a bit! Totally went in here blind going to dinner with coworkers and no expectations.
Well I was pleasantly surprised. First up our table was not ready but we had a large group. No biggie. Bar time! (BTW you should play a game and take a shot every time you see the word tequila. Now drink!)
So everyone expects tequila and margaritas. Well they got that. And a lot of it. The tequila menu is extensive and quite impressive. Even the margaritas are next level. They will light them on fire for you. Cool nice touch. If you’re like me and you’ve learned tequila is fire and will burn your ass like a stove. Well no worries. They got plenty of other liquors for you. No you’re picky? Well have a beer. Tons on tap and just an impressive list as the tequila.
Now down to dinner. First thing when you sit down, free chips and salsa. Be careful with that salsa. It can burn you almost as bad as the tequila. Now the only negative thing I can say is the guacamole was ehhh. It was missing salt or something. The whole table of 15 folks didn’t like it. Just get something else or stick to the hot salsa.
Food was great and nice portions. I got combination 1 with a little steak. Cooked well and nice flavor. Rest of the dish was good, minus the guacamole.
Overall place was really cool and in a convenient location from the convention center. Staff was great from the bar to the servers. If you also need to catch the game tons of tvs to and no real bad seat to view. So quit reading reviews and just go already. Kudos if you’ve keeping up with the shots! Tequila!

The service was very slow. I believe I was told «I will be with you in a minute,» more than I was actually waited on. We dined here because it’s proximity to our hotel which was near the staples center. This was our first experience with Mexican food in Southern California, and to be honest I wasn’t impressed.

If you’re going to visit an El Compadre go to the one in Hollywood (I haven’t been to the Echo Park one). The Los Angeles one is not up to par. Margaritas had too much triple sec and salt, rice was not good and the portions were much smaller than the Hollywood branch.

This place was a great place to go to for lunch. It’s conveniently across the street from the Staples Center and the LA Convention Center. Their chips and salsa were amazingly delicious. The chips were nice and warm and the salsa was spicy and flavorful. I had their beef fried burrito, which was tasty and moist on the inside. This place is known for having «flaming margaritas» and if I go here again, I might try one.

0 starts. Came at 1030 when they close at 12. Tesa told us the kitchen was closed. Then stopped us and said its open. THEN sat us down and came back to say it’s closed. It’s was my birthday. Didn’t comp or offer compensation. Beer wasn’t cold chips and salsa were old! On top of that the waitress was giving us no attention so we had to go get our own beers.
It was my first time. I heard great things and wanted to try it on my bday.

Enjoying El Compadre before the Anthony Hamilton & Fantasia concert. The flaming Pineapple Margarita is my favorite & the food is good too. I love the atmosphere the service is great and the staff is awesome. This is one of my favorite restaurants to visit in LA. Come in and enjoy the experience

The nachos were very good! Especially the beef which was well cooked! The special sauce made the nachos delicious. There was enough cheese and guacamole to grab the table chips and continue eating! I would recommended the nachos if you wanted a crunchy food. The ceviche was decent. From what my friend told me, the shrimp was a bit dry. But overall the ceviche was decent. It was a good plate. The table brings chips and salsa, the salsa was really good! Spicy and fresh. The chips also taste crunchy and not old. Some places the chips taste too salty and the texture is stall but not here.

Great place, good people, fast service… first time here for 5 de mayo, even though it was stupid crazy and crowded… service was super fast.
Try the jalapeño/​mango margaritas. Thanks Cybelle and Fernando.
Andy manager, super cool… here again next day, and they remember us… yeah love that.
Trying the food today, I give it a 5 star.
Music is great variety from 90’s hip hop, old skool and rock…
Found our new spot.

Just okay. So loud. More of a party atmosphere.
The food was expensive for the quality.
The meatball soup was good. The thin and greasy chips were good. The salsa was flavorful. The refried beans were good. (Tried to get the mashed potatoes and asparagus but they were out of it). The carne asada steaks were dry, overcooked and flavorless. The most disappointing part of the meal.
Friend got the flaming jalapeño margarita and that was cool looking!

Stopped in to watch the (free!) PacMan vs Bradley fight. Nice strong cocktails, fresh tasting Beef Fried Burrito, and Chicken Quesadilla is on point.
Parking was great because we found free street parking near Staples Center! Service was prompt and friendly, and atmosphere is fantastic. What more could you ask for…

Love coming here
Ordered the combo special — tamale & chili relleno came out hot and steamy.
As always the free chips and salsa heaven.
Lots of tvs to watch your favorite team
Full service bar too
Have one of there famous margaritas.

I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the Mexican food out here in CA. Each restaurant seems to be better than the last. So suffice it to say that my expectations are getting a bit lofty whenever my buddies pick out a Mexican restaurant, however my tour guide for the evening is a local so I knew that she would have a hidden gem that would still impress me. El Compadre was a pleasant surprise being across the street from the hockey arena and right next to a Hooters (haha). Despite the location, the food here was really good.
We started off with a couple of flaming margaritas — it’s like their signature thing. My guess is that they take a really high proof alcohol and pour it on a small bit of a fruit peel and light it up. No matter how they do it, it makes for a cool photo opportunity with your beverage. The other nice thing they have going for them is a wide variety of margaritas. I ordered the Purple Cadillac frozen margarita which was pretty strong.
The salsa here is also pretty darn amazing. It’s on the spicy side, but perfectly compliments that flaming margarita. The waitress was quick to refill our waters as we demolished the yummy salsa. My cohort then ordered the burrito and I got the enchiladas. The beans are vegetarian but the rice is not. Kudos to the waitress for pointing that out when I asked about the beans. I always appreciate it when they staff knows the menu that well. They gave me a huge side salad instead of the rice which I also appreciated, although it was really just a huge plate of lettuce.
The menu has a lot of «a la carte» options for if you aren’t that hungry or just want to try a bunch of different stuff. There are televisions everywhere so if you’re looking for a good place to watch the game then this is a great choice. I liked the ambiance and the fast, friendly service. That comes in handy for sure when you’re on a quick lunch break or have to dash off to the game.

After experiencing the LA Auto Show, I asked the girl at the KIA test drive booth where she went for lunch, and she pointed across the way towards El Compadre. She said that it was Taco Tuesday, and she had just got four tacos for eight bucks. I was quite surprised a tiny thing like her ate four tacos, but took her suggestion and walked across the parking lot and street to arrive here.
I entered, and walked a bit into the quiet and empty establishment until I was greeted. Hostess lady asked if I’d like to sit at the bar. Then she asked if I could sit at the bar. I wasn’t planning on getting any alcohol, and didn’t really want too. But replied that I could if she needed me too, but I would prefer a table. The place was pretty empty and had rows and rows of empty tables. Wierd. There’s a car show nearby. This place should be packed. I asked if I could sit at a table, and she smiled and pointed towards a bank of unoccupied ones. I found one and sat down as a waiter came by to get my drink order.
After inquiring about Tuesday Tacos, waiter asked how many tacos I’d like. I questioned how large they were. He made a weird hand gesture to approximate the size. I still had no idea how large they were. I figured if a little KIA girl could eat four, I could probably do at least one more. So, I ordered five polo tacos. A basket of chips and salsa were slid onto my table. Then my iced tea and tacos arrived. They both came out to me fairly quickly. Unfortunately That was the last I saw of the waiter.
As I ate the spicy salsa on the tacos, I quickly drank the iced tea to extinguish the heat. I quickly ran out of iced tea. Nobody came to refill it. Nobody checked in on me. Nobody noticed my «empty drink» calls. You know, when you suck on the straw in the empty cup extra loudly in hopes that somebody notices. Nope. Nothing. Eventually after eating four out of five of the tacos, I finally got up and walked towards the bathroom to flag down the girl who had brought me the iced tea in the first place. She quickly refilled my cup and I continued work on the remaining taco. They were really good.
The Tacos were tasty, and just $ 2 a piece. My bill was about $ 15 after tax and tip. Even the hostess herself mentioned how dead it was in the place. Maybe they were expecting a big car show rush? I dunno, I guess I figured they’d pay a bit more attention to me with nobody in the place.
I’m not in that area all that often, so who knows if I’ll be back.

This place is not what we are used to. The one on Sunset is Waaaaay Better!
Service is great here! They are friendly and very welcoming. The food is not the best. It’ll do if you want the American Mexican food version. We asked for horchata to drink and we were told they don’t have it! Not even the machine made one!
Not to mention the food portions are a lot smaller. Mind you I keep comparing it to the Sunset location, where food portions are a lot bigger AND tastes like authentic Mexican food.
One of the plates we ordered was wrong but was quickly fixed and they didn’t give us a stinky eye for it either as other restaurants tend to do when they mess up. Food came out and still did the job, filled our bellies.
Moving along to alcohol… drinks are NOT good! We ordered Mango Margaritas and they tasted sour as if the mango mix had gone bad. We got our drinks resolved with a Coconut margarita & a Melon Margarita.
Maybe I have a very biased opinion because I am Mexican, this place is a little too Americanized for my like. If that’s your thing (American) Mexican food, by all means it’s your love to go t

When u pay a cover charge to watch the fight and the bartender is ruining ur vibe. Honest this guy doesn’t even wanna be here… literally #noonebehindthebar
Not good for fight night. It’s 1800 and the got a movie on… wtf

Been here a couple times now and I am a fan of the drinks. Last time I came was for happy hour and the margaritas are only $ 7. Also got $ 2 tacos but don’t recommend those as they were tiny! How much are they regular price!!! The green sauce that accompanied them was good tho. Chips and salsa were also tasty and not too hot. Not sure if this place ever gets packed but the several times I’ve been here, I haven’t had a problem getting a seat. Bar seating provides a good view of all the TV’s playing sports. Seems they also show PPV fights as there was advertising for the Mayweather fight.
I believe the flaming margaritas are $ 13 regular so it’s a good deal when they’re $ 7 for happy hour. I’ve tried the mango and Cadillac ones and they are nice and strong. Maybe next time I’ll have an actual entrée and review the food.

Great drinks, awesome tacos, and best of all, their service here is excellent. We came on the a super busy evening after a huge event from the Los Angeles Convention, and while all tables were taken, they were able to accommodate our group with their huge table near the bar! We also lucked out that we came on Taco Tuesday! Yes, ½ off on tacos! My steak taco was just fantastic. The owner even came out to greet us and checked to make sure our experience was fantastic!
Until then, Cheers! ~ :p