Malo

I had really high hopes for this place when I walked in. Immediately I was impressed with the trendy décor but unfortunately that was the only time I was impressed.
The host was on the phone with what sounded like a to go order. After a minute or two of waiting, my friend and I just decided to sit at the bar.
We got greeted right away and were given waters pretty quickly so I thought things had taken a turn for the good. The water tasted like cucumbers water which was a nice surprise.
However, the bartender was at the bar talking and gossiping with her friend that was eating so it took me awhile to get my order in.
I ordered the beer battered fish taco and the spicy cucumber.
The food came and the taco was good. The cucumber was just covered in lime and what tasted like tajin. I was so disappointed with this. They charge $ 5 for something that they would sells you for $ 2 outside on the street. Seriously, that price is way too steep for what it was.
Again it took awhile to get my check cause the bartender was talking to her friend. I quickly paid and left.
Please get more attentive staff.

THANK YOU MALO FOR HELPING ME TURN 40!!! I just had my birthday party here, and IT WAS AMAZING. Roberto and his staff helped me serve food and margaritas to over 100 people. The food just kept coming — and he can make margaritas faster than my guests can drink them! (my friends can drink fast). The food here is so delicious. The space is perfect — private upstairs, with room to mingle and room to dance. I am so happy to have chosen this place. I am definitely going to throw more parties here.

This place deserves negative stars. I walked in and was greeted by the smell of sewage. All during the meal a strong smell of sewage came from the back. They should not be in business. Food was mediocre, restaurant totally empty.

This place is awesome. Tequila for days, tacos for days and bartender Edgar has great skills and great costumer service. all they need is live music, for examplea DJ or a live band!

Just had lunch with a pretty big check. Julia, the bartender/​server was sarcastic and provided poor service. Too bad cuz it is close to home.

First time here, the service and food was excellent. I tried the pozole, taquitos, fish taco, and Mexican pizza on the happy hour menu. All very tasty. I also ordered 2 Cadillacs that were delicious!

I love the vibe of this place and I’ll definitely be a repeat customer. I went here for dinner but ended up taking advantage of their awesome happy hour deals too. Their fish tacos were delicious and had just the right amount of every ingredient and were tasty without being to spicy. The service was great and our server offered great recommendations. Valet parking was easy. I highly recommend checking out Malo for happy hour or dinner!

This is one of my go-​to spots for Mexican food. Some tips:
Pros: Interesting twists on Mexican food (pomegranate seeds in the guac, cola-​braised chicken tacos, Echo Park style corn on the cob, several vegan options), good for sharing or ordering solo, execution and flavors are usually really good, service at the bar or in the bar area is usually good.
Cons: On visits with 4+ in our group, the service has ranged from so-​so to horrible.

I want to thank malo for hosting our fire station Xmas party last night. The service was excellent Roberto took great care of our group along with staff. Bart the manager made the whole process super easy and was very accommodating. Having large groups is difficult and malo made it look easy with a large room upstairs with separate bar also. Food was awesome and it was brought out hot and in timely manner. Once again thanks malo.
Thank you for listening

Yes they take reservations.
Parking either on the street or validation $ 4.
Made reservations for 9 and we got there early but the hostess was super nice and greeted us and accommodated us no problem.
Free chips and salsa when you get to your table which is great.
I ordered a classic margarita which was yum and table side guacamole for an appetizer. It tasted great but I didn’t really like the pomegranate added on top. The old saying if it isn’t broken don’t fix it. Anyways got some of the corn on the cob it was so delicious I wanted more. Lastly I tried the cod fish tacos with rice and beans and it was excellent. The only thing I didn’t love here was our waiter he could’ve been a bit more energetic he was just too laid back and out of it in my opinion. I would definitely come back for the food.

Used to come here on the reg and it was bomb. Bout 3 years ago they opened mas malo downtown and something changed, i think the chef, when that happened, the og malo turned shitty, food got worse, salsas got worse, staff sucked. Stopped going.
Skip 2.5 years.
Driving by in traffic.
Im surprised theyre still in biz, i figured things improved.
Stopped in for beef and pickle tacos which i used to love here. Bartender hardly friendly. Got my order, first bite in and something is off. They have potatoes hidden inside the meat. Potatoes are not listed on the menu?! Wtf?!
Is stalin running this place?
So over it. Just go out of biz finally so something worthwhile can move in.
Ugh.

Just like the name says… not great. Not great food, not great servers.
Wanted to give this place the benefit of the doubt because their building is so damn cute and I’m on a burrito quest, but not impressed.
Also, definitely lacking in the veggie options department.

I’m speechless the drinks, Food, Service is extremely good. The waiters are amazing and polite specially Onesimo and Pablo.

I actually thought I’d already reviewed here, but then I remembered it was Mas Malo. I’ll say off the bat that I prefer the aesthetic of Mas Malo more. It’s just a gorgeous building that is better lit inside with incredible period detail that I always enjoy taking in.
Real Estate aside, I find no discrepancy in the food quality between either venue. If you’ve been to one, you know what you’ll be in for at the other, quality upmarket Mexican fare with a good assortment of tacos and various entrees that should accommodate any eater.
While the food here is always worthwhile, I think the real reason I come are the cocktails. From standard margaritas to more exotic combinations they make some solid drinks.
While there are many options around Silver Lake, with places opening consistently, it’s good to find a place that is both familiar and consistent.

We arrive and within the first five minutes the food expediter spilled salsa down the entire side of my shirt (inside and out) and pants and didn’t even apologize for the incident and I was left washing and drying my shirt in the restroom with no sorry of acknowledgement from anyone on staff.
This place even though my friend left a 20% tip fails to realize that we as patrons pay your salaries and without us your business fails. Customer service goes a long way as far as impression and continued patronage and after tonight I’ll spend my money at a better establishment. I get that people have off nights too as I work in the industry but zero acknowledgement is BS! Adiós Malo!

I was on my way to a concert at the Greek, which is about 10 minutes from Malo. We had some time before the concert and dropped in, just in time for happy hour. It was a really beautiful August evening so decided to dine on the patio.
Dinner: It was happy hour, so we ordered some guacamole fries to share (see photo). OMG. So good. And only $ 5. I had the Mexican Caesar salad (see photo). It was delicious! Super fresh and flavorful. My friend had the carne asada which was delicious (see photo)!! The marinade is a little sweet but super good. The charred taste is very authentic and appetizing. I had several bites :-)
Cocktails: I had a spicy cucumber margarita which was delightful. My friend ordered something off their happy hour cocktail menu, I forget what, but I remember she loved it. Good drinks. This is important.
Service: Our server was a beautiful, lively Latina. I sort of had a girl crush. She was fun and friendly and awesome.
Parking: Metered street parking or valet.
We made it to the concert on time. Stopping at Malo for dinner before hand was a brilliant idea. No doubt I will back. Soon.
Hasta Luego! xo

I really enjoyed dinner last night.
We had the guac and paid for one extra also, I believe it was burnt habanero and it was so yummy. We took it home and used it with breakfast burritos the day after it was so good.
I also had the cucumber chili appetizer which I loved but just isn’t my husbands thing.
We had 2 Tesoro blanco tequila shots each. They were great, I loved the sangria back they were served with. 5 stars.
For dinner my husband had the pork shoulder which was heavenly and I had the two beef and pickles tacks which were tasty as always.
We each had another drink as well. My husband isn’t big on tequila so he had the mojito and I had an off menu jalapeño Serrano margarita that I was very fond of.
The reason for 4 stars not 5 is simply the price. It ain’t cheap, but it sure is yummy.

5 stars for the echo park corn and the chewy chips with guacamole.
All the other food 3 stars.
The service is a little low energy but very polite.
I had the pickle and ground beef taco, nice but not much flavour.
The dessert was not very exciting at all, basically fried corn tacos sprinkled with cinnamon sugar but charging the same price as a real dessert… why not just have churros?
I think it’s a little expensive for what it is but I would go back for the corn but just get entrée size!

The name of this restaurant is totally deceiving because this place is amazing! There is nothing «malo» about it. Malo has quickly become one of my favorite spots to have Mexican food because it is just so yummy.
I love, love, LOVE the chips and salsa, corn on the cob, and spicy cucumber margarita — all of which are staples in my meal WHENEVER I stop by for lunch or dinner. My boyfriend also goes crazy for their al pastor tacos.
Malo has a decent size patio, dinning room, and cantina. Every area, aside from the patio, is dimly lit and sexy, making Malo a great place to have a romantic dinner or catch up session with friends. The customer service is Grade A and everything is moderately priced.
Valet parking is available for $ 3 or $ 4 dollars. The restaurant is located right across the street from the old Bates Motel which has been turned into an all white work of art, so you can go take some pics after your meal. You’re welcome :)
LOVE IT!!! MUST TRY!

I live pretty close to Malo, but never end up coming because a) my husband is a picky eater and b) when I get away from my husband and want Mexican food, I have a lot of options, most of them cheaper than this place. I finally made it over for Wendy Ortiz’s book launch, and really enjoyed the place as a bar. I’ll probably come back, at least for more drinks.
The space is pretty big, but we stayed in the upstairs area, which has its own tables, its own bars, and, presumably, is available for rent for private events. This was a great venue, relaxed and festive with plenty of room to eat and drink and mingle. I sat with some friends at a comfortable table with plush seating, and had a couple margaritas. Service at the bar was friendly and quick.
The house margarita was excellent, just tequila blanco, lime juice, and agave, in some delicious combination with a salt rim. The spicy cucumber margarita, though, was even better, and I’d come back to Malo to get this again. This also had the tequila blanco, the lime juice, and the agave, with cucumber, bitters, and Tapatio on top. It was hot and flavorful and really delicious.
I read over the menu while I was there, and was pretty tempted to order some food. I’ll update this review if I end up eating here one day, but in the meantime, I enjoyed Malo as a bar, and would wholeheartedly recommend stopping in for some margaritas.

I have been a fan of mas malo in downtown for years, and recently had my first experience at this (original) location.
When I pulled into the valet ($ 4 with validation), I had to wait quite a bit for the valet to come over. There was a guy picking ticks off his dog in the parking lot. When I got out of the car, the valet kept looking me up and down and saying I was beautiful, which is always both unsettling and flattering at the same time.
My friend unfortunately thought we were meeting at *mas* malo, which gave me an extra 30 minutes to hang out at the bar and have a drink. I was greeted and helped promptly. I went with the piñata smash, which is one of my favorites. They make it very thick here, so if you are trying to keep your lipstick intact, forget it!
When my friend arrived we were seated on the outside heated patio. Our server was friendly and helpful. We ordered the chewy chips and guacamole (always delicious) and shared the pork belly tinga soft tacos and side of (mexican) corn on the cob (2 pieces). This was plenty of food for both of us, but I’m not a huge eater and filled up on chewy chips.
I love all things pork belly, and the tacos were good, but nothing to write home about. The corn on the cob was good, but kind of expensive for the two tiny pieces you get.
The cocktails — I ended up also having a spicy cucumber margarita AND the strawberry margarita special — all 3 I had were delicious, but very thick and chunky. They are also expensive, but par for the course in LA.
Minus a star for the mouse that ran behind the table at the end of our meal. It was raining pretty heavily that day so it probably came up from the sewer. We were sitting outside and it so rarely rains here that I’m not really concerned this is a chronic problem. I wasn’t planning on writing about the mouse here on Unilocal,but when I mentioned it to the hostess, she kind of shrugged and gave me a «well what do you want us to do about it» answer, so I’m not totally satisfied that it would get passed on to management or that measures would be taken to prevent said mouse from getting into the kitchen.
Overall, I’ll keep coming back for the drinks and the chewy chips, but the food doesn’t really get me all that excited.

I have come to Malo about four (4) times now.
THE AMBIANCE:
The entrance (s) to this place can be a little confusing. There is a bar entrance off of the Sunset Blvd. sidewalk and there is a front entrance if you walk into the parking lot next to the restaurant and up the walk-​way they have created. There is valet available I believe in the evenings. If you are facing the building off of Sunset Blvd., the bar will be on your right and the restaurant is on your left. I have dined in the patio and at the bar. The patio is cute and the bar is alright. I feel like Malo can look nicer and would probably attract more people if they put a little money towards renovations. For one, some of the tables in the bar area are kind of beat up and they are not leveled. You will be sitting at a small table and then if you have two (2) more people or so coming you move another small table over and they’re uneven. The bar room is pretty dark even though there are no curtains covering the bar entrance door. That’s another thing — the bar entrance door. It can look nicer than just a glass/​metal door that you find at your local corner liquor store …
THE DRINKS/​FOOD:
I have enjoyed the drinks at Malo, which is another reason they should fix up the place! Drinks are good. I am a big fan of potato tacos and I enjoyed them here. The chips and salsa dip are okay.
THE CONCLUSION:
Some money needs to go into the place. It’s not Bar Rescue status so the owner needs to get some ideas from a decorator. Malo has potential!

Located in the hipster town of Silver Lake, Malo serves up Mexican food with a little twist. Though the traditional tacos and chips are in order, they are known for their beef and pickle crunchy tacos and chewy chips. The location was perfect for our Christmas dinner party. The lower half was the bar and seating area — the upper was the private rooms and extra seating area. The atmosphere was fun and intimate.
The ground beef and pickle was what I wanted to try. On paper, it was interesting, but after eating it, it basically was just a burger inside a hard taco shell. Maybe the hype too large for its own good. It was just average for me. I also had a bacon and shrimp taco as well. This was a nice balance of fatty bacon and seafoody shrimp. I am just not a fan of crunchy tacos. The sauce did save the taste a bit.
There was a lot of hype about the chewy tortilla chips, and I can see why. Those things were dangerously addicting. The texture of the chewy tortilla chips was all just new and interesting. For those who think they are going to be like stale tortilla chips, you are wrong. You just have to try it for yourself. What made these chips better was the sauces they had. My favorite was the mole. It was rich and complex in flavor. Though, they had 4 different kinds, and they were all good.
I also ordered the Cast Iron Fried Chile Relleno. This was a battered and fried poblano chile with jack cheese inside. It was then smothered in ranchero sauce. The batter on the outside tasted kind of funny. Maybe bad oil? The poblano and the cheese inside was nice. The chile was sweet and the cheese was smooth. I was sad to see a lack of queso fundito on the menu.
To be honest, I did not enjoy the food too much. I wouldn’t come here for a specific dish. Despite that, I would come here again for the atmosphere. It is a great place for large groups. the location and setup was perfect. Next on the agenda, Mas Malo, their second restaurant in Downtown LA.

Came here for Cinco de Mayo with my coworkers after work to enjoy some yummy food and drinks. We had gotten reservations for 8 so our table was upstairs. The upstairs area was pretty nice with textured walls and mirrors.
We ordered drinks, chips, and our individual entrees. I’m not sure if it was because they were incredibly busy (didn’t seem too bad since there were a couple of empty tables) but our server was hard to track down most of the time. We had to flag her down like crazy to order our food and get refills on our drinks.
She also forgot my friend’s tortillas even though her dish was supposed to have it and one of my other friend’s food didn’t come out until about 30 minutes after everyone else’s.
Overall, the food was just okay. I got the beef and pickle tacos that I saw a lot of in the Unilocal reviews, but it was nothing too special to me. I guess due to the wait and having to flag down a server multiple times, it wasn’t as great as we’d hope.