El Arco Iris

Arco Iris was a family favorite since the 80’s. In the past we have rented the banquet hall and had the food catered on 2 occasions. That’s how much we loved this restaurant. At previous visits I had noticed that the service was getting bad along with the portions getting smaller and the prices getting higher. Today Fathers Day was the ultimate worst experience at this restaurant … I don’t know if the servers are younger family members or if they have hired outside servers BAD BAD BAD … From taking our drink order to having to ask for a damn napkin along with the bad service I ordered a Coctel de Camaron $ 11.99 it was the size of a small desert bowl I gasped when the server set my order on the table … I am one to leave a tip even when the service is questionable but sorry to say I didnt leave a tip … I’m also sorry to say that in my option Arco Iris has lost its family values. Arco Iris will be my ultimate last resort when choosing a Mexican restaurant… I guess if your new to the area you’ll think it’s the best but for a family or families that grew up in the area hopefully you’ll know what I’m saying is true

I like this place but I think the prices could be better, I really enjoyed there mango margarita and appetizers but I still think they could be cheaper, also the place isn’t super fancy looking.

Came here for the first time on a Saturday night. Luckily it wasn’t that busy. The green salsa was nice and spicy, the pico de gallo a little watery. The value for money is excellent– I got a 2 enchilada plate with rice and beans for $ 11.95, husband’s chicken mole was only a few dollars more. Nice waitresses, plenty of choices. Good solid Mexican food.

I noticed that the portions are getting smaller and prices are getting higher:(the child’s chicken fingers was really skimpy… love the food! But my 3 stars reflects the child’s plate & portion size in comparison to the price.

Very good food and service for classic Mexican restaurant. The drinks were great too. The milanesa plate was among the best I’ve tried.

My girlfriend brought me here for lunch and I was blown away! Such a classic great space! They have their own free parking so that’s a plus. Walked in and we were seated right away. The back of the booth is a little higher so you can’t see the next table. It gives customers more privacy which is really nice.
Our server, Alfonso, was SOOOOOO friendly and nice! We ordered some drinks and he said he was going to make something special for us! This is fun!
Food started to come out and it all tasted so good! My girlfriend said she loves the rice because it reminds her of her Moms. Now that’s a compliment!
I can’t wait to go back!

Today I came to celebrate my birthday and the dinner was great! I really wished that Jessie (the busboy) was our waiter… he is charming and was the first person to ever get my drink right! I usually order a michelada with NO clamato but every person at this location manages to get my order wrong… BUT not today! Thanks Jessie!

HOMOPHOBIC!!! My GF and I had one server that was serving is in the beginning of the night and when we kissed once our server switched and at first we thought she was cut for the day/​night or on a break, we realized she was here the entire night. Our new server which was male was super nice, but then the original lady who served us came up to us later and said customers were starting to complain… That we have our arms around each other. I don’t think this would happen to any straight couple at all since we weren’t all over each other. I may contact my lawyer. This is sick this generation should not be this way.

Mango margaritas – Delicious! Was perfect for splitting between 3 – 4 people, and more cost-​effective that way anyways! Potato tacos were great, surprisingly filling for only getting two to a plate. The rice that came along with it was just the right amount of fattening goodness: p The restaurant itself is older, and relatively dark inside. Definitely not giving in to the hipster takeover of Highland park haha. Can’t wait to come back and try more!

My wife and I love it here. It’s a family owned place that has been in the neighborhood forever, and you can definitely tell. Everyone is friendly, casual and nice. The food is great, the drinks or awesome (I especially like the Mexican White Russian), and just being here amongst the family, the locals, and college kids puts you in a great mood.
As long as we live in HP, this is one of our go-​to spots.

Perhaps the best rice I’ve had at a Mexican restaurant. I always order the enchiladas and have always enjoyed the experience. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to take friends here if they were visiting in from out of town, but for a lunch spot near work I’ll be a frequent visitor.

Don‘t come to this restaurant if you are expecting high quality food and services.
I went here tonight for the first time, and was hoping to get exellent dining experience. Unfortunately, it took the owner 10 minutes to clean an empty booth, took her another 10 minutes to ask a server to place an order. Then, after 20minutes, the food I ordered was different from what I expected. I complained to the server, and immediately she cried right in front me!!! The owner came by my table and gave us a horrible attitude and was ready to throw us out.
Anyway, I will never come here again. Not only the food is just okay, but the owner and servers’ behavior are so strangely dramatic. The craziest dining experience ever.

El Arco Iris was our go-​to sit down Mexican spot for the better part of a decade. I even ordered their veggie mix as a veg option for my wedding, since our caterer didn’t have one. I hadn’t been for six months or more but couldn’t really remember why. I had a bad feeling about the last time we ate there but no specific memory of why. Last Saturday we were starving after a long day out and I wanted a margarita so we opted to go back. It was 9:30, they are supposed to close at 10.
When we walked in, there were one or two tables occupied and the rest were covered in food and trash. The busser told us to wait up front (actually the back) to be seated. After being ignored for a few minutes, we picked the only clean table and sat down. The waitress came over and frantically/​unapologetically told us that they were closed since it was slow, so if we wanted to eat we had to order right now, and shoved some menus in our direction.
Well, sorry to inconvenience you. No thanks, won’t be going back.

First of all, they have fantastic rice and beans. At most places, only one or the other is truly good — or both are just an afterthought. I don’t usually care for rice all that much — but I crave this because it has so much flavor.
Second, the menu is varied and it’s all great. I love Armando’s special (a steak with spicy ranchera sauce), the fajitas, and the crunchy tacos. My friends rave about the enchiladas, burritos, and camarones al mojo de ajo (huge prawns with garlic).
Third, try a pitcher of the mango margaritas — or any of the many margarita varieties they offer. ¡Salud!

In 1964, Gustavo and Irene Montes opened El Arco Iris Restaurant with the hopes of bringing a taste of their native Queretaro, Mexico to the people of Los Angeles. With the help of their children and later, their grandchildren, El Arco Iris has grown from eight tables to a full-​service restaurant with catering and banquet room facilities. While the scenery may have changed over the years, Lela and Papa’s recipes for their signature dishes — chile verde, mole poblano and carnitas — have not.
STATS:
Sunday 10:00 a.m. — 9:00 p.m.
Monday 11:00 am — 9:00 pm
Tuesday — Saturday 11:00 a.m. — 10:00 p.m.
Private lot
EXPERIENCE:
Haven’t been here since I was a teen-​one and don’t really remember how it was back then, however, I’ve been here a couple times over the past year and thought I best review it before I forget about it again.
This family owned restaurant one of the many icons in da Highland Park hood, an eatery frequented by the locals and their fam bam. Decorated in all things Spanish, the interior’s open floor plan is conducive to large gatherings. In addition, a back room is available for private parties.
I found the staff were friendly and helpful on each of my visits, they were also quick to serve the hot food while it was still hot and cold food while it was still fresh, as well as keep beverage glasses full. First time as adult I came here to lunch with a bunch of peeps I’ve known since high school and who frequent this eatery quite often. Even with a large party, staff was on point to take our beverage and food order and deliver everything correctly the first time, while maintaining full bowls of gratis freshly prepared chips and flavorful salsa.
On my first visit, met up with some peeps I’ve known since high school. They not only grew up in the area, they grew up having family dinners here at the El. We had a table full of food and drink.
Of course, I ordered my staple, carnitas, al la carte.
Although I believe that expectations are only a set up for a let down, I’ll admit, when it comes to certain things, carnitas being one, I don’t expect them to be as good as «my mother’s”* but I do expect them to be plentiful and flavorful enough to want to take some home for the next day’s lunch. El Arco came pretty darn close and yes, I did take home leftovers.
The carnitas were slightly crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. I’ve been told that I eat my carnitas like a weda because I load up my warm flour tortillas with carnitas, onions, cilantro, pico de gallo/​salsa, guac and wrap it up like a burrito. So why don’t I just get a burrito? Where’s the fun in that?!?
Anywhoo, nearly everyone else in da group were regulars, so of course they enjoyed their meals, especially their House margaritas, made with Zavaño Blanco, Triple Sec, Sweet and Sour, and freshly-​squeezed lime juice, which seemed to keep coming. Btw, they have quite a tequila selection, if you’re into that kind of think.
Second more recent visit: Scouting urban trail with a fellow Crew member, we stopped in for a bite since it was enroute of our scouting and also a possibility to stop here once our trek became available for the rest of The Crew.
I ordered the carnitas quesadilla,
while my trekking buddy ordered a cheese quesadilla and a Bloody Mary. www​.yelp​.com/​b​i​z​_​p​h​o​t​o​s​/​e​l​-​a​r​c​o​-​i​r​i​s​-​l​o​s​-​a​n​g​e​l​e​s​?​s​e​l​e​c​t​=​q​o​n​8​j​Y​O​8​Y​k​W​w​F​t​u​U​c​ZZaTA Oh my! They aren’t kidding, it is mighty spicy. A drink that will definitely wake you up out of our stupor. Unfortunately the quesadilla wasn’t up to par. I can’t recall what hiking buddy ordered, but she enjoyed her meal.
Overall El is a pretty good place.

Came here because of the reviews and they did not disappoint.
Stephanie, our server, was able to make some great suggestions since it was our first time here. The Barbacoa plate was delicious and my girl described her Beef Tostada Deluxe as a plate full of yummy goodness. Lol. Definitely coming back and bringing the rest of the fam.

Childhood favorite of my GF, so she has a certain nostalgic bias. Not so for me, so I’m able to really pick this place apart, and what I found wasn’t too great.
Arco Iris really suffers from the typical ho-​hum Mexican joint pitfalls: bland rice and beans, and mediocre main plates.
Of the various plates, nothing is really remarkable in a good way. Albondigas, chile verde plate, tacos, enchiladas. Nothing conjures any sort of positive emotion from me.
What I have a gripe with is the overly spicy salsa. So difficult to eat your chips and salsa without resorting to mixing the overly tame pico and the fire sauce.
Also a big miss was my Chile Verde burrito. Pork was very tough, but even worse, drowned in salsa that it so hot it’s not enjoyable.
I don’t really think I’d come back if I had the choice, but I’m sure that someone will drag me here again and again.

Nice dinner (4 stars)
Been here half a dozen times and last night we 3 had a nice dinner.
The top shelf margaritas were right on.
Guacamole and chips were good.
Lots of hipsters were there last night, with their chatty babies.
We got the rib eye, enchilada mole, and barbacoa.
Nice family run business and it was only a 5 minute wait since Friday night was busy.
I definitely plan to be back.

Came here with some friends on a random weekday and discovered it was Happy Hour! Everything on the Happy Hour Menu was about $ 3. The portions are ridiculously large.
The chips and salsa were brought out quickly. And being super hungry, we all decide to get the Happy Hour Guacamole. I can’t remember exactly how much it was, but I believe it may have been $ 2. Regardless, it was a lot of yummy guacamole.
We also ordered the Happy Hour Quesadilla, again, it was for the three of us, it came with sour cream. The size of the quesadilla is two large burrito flour tortillas with cheese in the middle. It didn’t really fit on the plate it came on, hung over the edge a little.
They also had tacos on the Happy Hour menu. I took a look and immediately picked the Carnitas tacos. They were $ 4 for two. There was so much meat on top of the tortillas that it was hard to wrap the tortillas around all the carnitas. I think one of my friends finally gave up and used a knife and fork. All three of us had food coma afterwards.
We had no issues with slow service at all, however, we came at an irregular hour (I remember it was before the dinner rush). So as long as I can go before the dinner rush, I can order off the Happy Hour Menu and also the regular dinner menu. I can’t wait to go to this place again!

Came here for dinner after seeing such good reviews. Fairly large restaurant located in highland park — even had a standing bar inside!
Slow service — food came out extremely slow and we weren’t really greeted when we walked in. Had to ask one of the waitresses if we should just take a seat before they acknowledged us. Maybe just short staffed that night? Food came out extremely slow — we waited over 30 min before anything came out. Good thing there is complimentary salsa and chips!
I got the Caldo De Pollo ($ 9) (chicken soup) since it was a cold day. Yes the broth was flavorful but it tasted very much like chicken stock. There were 2 pieces of chicken in the entire soup (bones included) and lots of vegetables (corn on the cobb, cabbage, zucchini, potatoes). Also came with Mexican rice and a tortilla. I was a bit underwhelm, especially for the price. Felt the soup didn’t have much content, just a lot of chicken stock.
Fiancé ordered the 2 soft taco combination plate ($ 11) which came out with Mexican rice, beans, and tortillas. Lets just say he had to eat my tortilla and rice to really get filled up. The plate was big, but the food was thinly spread.
Not sure we would come back again. Maybe the service was so slow that by the food came out, we were so hungry it did not like enough.