El Chavo Restaurant

Hung out at the bar for a little because the other bar we were going to was too crowded at the moment. Review is only for drinks. I didn’t try any of their food and am unfamiliar with this area so didn’t know they changed ownerships. Anyway, really liked the speciality cocktail called, Green Gloves. It’s a jalapeño infused tequila drink and it was not weak!
Things were fine until the bartenders buddies came. One of his friends brought their dog inside and I’m scared of dogs but it was a calm and cute dog so I didn’t freak. I just cringed inside a little when he took the dog back to the kitchen. I’m guessing to show his co-​workers. Just didn’t seem sanitary to me. Also, when we were waiting to get our change back we had to wait an extra 10 – 15 minutes cause the bartender took forever making drinks for another set of his friends. Another worker ended up closing our tab. Parking was easy to find on a Saturday night so that was a plus.

Came here for my bday thinking it was the same delicious and friendly restaurant I’ve been coming to for the past 10 years. Boy! Was I ever wrong!!! It’s changed ownerships and everything is so different. Was greeted by a smug waiter stating that they did change owners and «don’t expect cheap tacos and beers anymore»! Wth. He then proceeded to say «a lot of people leave after realizing it’s a new owner «. Well to our curiosity, we stayed. Big mistake ! We ordered the yellowtail civiche which was mostly jicama. I ordered the plantains enchiladas which were so hot I couldn’t even eat them. For $ 11 it only came with 3 mini ones. Mind you, I waited 15 minutes after my sister received her $ 13 one Chile relleno which came with soggy rice. Never agian! Oh and our smug waiter never checked in on us. Never coming here again. I’m sad that an old favorite restaurant had become the victim of gentrification, which includes horrible overpriced food and terrible service.

We showed up and realized the new ownership. We decided to give it a shot. Bad idea.
1. The yellow tail ceviche was more like a syrupy coconut, jicama salad with bits of fish.
2. My plate came first, my sister’s 10 minutes later
3. Chile Relleno entrée was flavor less. A battered Chile with syrupy cheese on a bed of soggy Spanish tomato rice.
4. My sister’s plantain enchiladas were scorching spicy, she could only eat a third. I think her insides will be torn up
5. Service was poor. Hardly got checked in on. We had to flag the waiter to inquire about my sister’s entrée.
Oh and before we ordered, I mentioned it was my sister’s birthday. Guess no extra attention there. Oh well, at least we found it will never be the good old El Chavo food and experience. I seriously don’t know if they’ll make it without making some serious changes. However, awesome, modern, Latin eclectic décor.

It’s always sad when a favorite restaurant goes away. We’ve been coming here for 38 years and our jaws dropped last night when we walked into El Chavo. Where was our beloved restaurant? Same name, but absolutely everything else was different. No more upside down sombreros painted in black light paint hanging from the ceiling, no more green corn tamales on the menu, no more dark, cave like atmosphere. All gone! Replaced with a huge picture window overlooking Sunset Bl, a new streamlined, creative and modern menu, great new décor and some of the coolest handprinted murals i’ve seen.
The food, especially the yellowtail coconut ceviche and the duck with rice (arroz con pato) are wonderful! The drinks are perfect and our waiter, Alexander, was outstanding. He walked us through the whole menu and offered his recommendations which were delicious.
Loved it!
Looks like we’ll be coming here for the next 38 years.

Old Chavo was better. The new menu doesn’t even have chicken tacos?!
They have valet now for 3.5 which is unnecessary.
I had the short rib tacos for $ 12, they could have used more salt, here over all they were good but they were tiny! Where’s the rice and beans? This place went from authentic, home style to pretentious.
Service was good. They should change the name so people don’t waste their time thinking it’s the old Chavo.

So… have you ever had that moment at a restaurant when another party is getting seated and just want to quietly tell them «leave…now»?
Take this review for what it is based on the fact that A) I went to the old El Chavo many times when I used to live here, B) I know nothing about any back story behind the change over, which probably explains a lot. From Unilocal guessing it’s closing and this is a temp pop-​up situation? New El Chavo sucks. A tortured hipster version of the prior quirky incarnation. Service was all over the place but generally friendly, one star there. Food was edible, didn’t send it back, star #2. Liked the fact that the menu was brief but options were scant and not exciting. Chips were thick, salsa that came along with tasted like canned enchilada sauce but with the consistency of baby food. Chicken tinga wings were ok, short rib tacos were dry and chewy. Décor was a bummer, even if this is a temporary situation – which it felt like – the weird ½ normal, ½ stark white room felt very frickin’ bazaar. Most unsettling was the man in the pinstripe suit stationed behind the «ceviche bar» in the corner. Who are you? Why does that even exist?
Overall waste of money and left feeling icky and yearning for the past. Strongly advise against this place.

Was nervous to see the new El Chavo after so many great times at the old one. Went to the el Chavito side with some friends. Not a good first impression of the new one. They lost the great jukebox, covered every wall with horrible «street art». It was like walking through the worst Mr. Brainwash exhibit ever. Margaritas were weak, salsa was weird and creamy. I didn’t have any food other than the chips so not sure about that. It’s not terrible, but it feels like all the soul of Chavo was discarded in favor of a weird incorrect idea of what is «hip».

There is nothing extraordinary about the food or their margaritas on the rocks with salt. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with them. The service… The gentleman who served us was beyond friendly. He was attentive, prompt and all smiles.
Nearest Metro Station: Red Line Metro Station at Vermont/​Sunset

I loved the old El Chavo since 1997, until they changed their enchilada sauce. Then Casita del Campo became my go to. But I wanted to try their new concept so I went last night for the first time in like 9 years.
Ambiance: Better than I remember! They have kept the perfect amount of kitsch and opened the space up a bit so it feels less stuffy. I was worried about kitsch removal, thankfully unfounded.
Service: They are certainly attentive, I will give them that. Doesn’t always come together perfectly but not for a lack of trying. I believe they will get there.
Drinks: A+ cocktails, however, it would behoove them to serve a full bar and not just tequila and tequila cocktails. I tried two tequila cocktails and loved them both.
Hot food: Wow! They have a great chef in the kitchen. We actually met her because my mom has crazy food allergies and needed to ask the chef some questions. She was sweet as can be and she can really cook. Chorizo and eggs were phenomenal. Perfectly cooked eggs, amazing chorizo they make themselves, served with delicious little tortillas. Chicken wings were fantastic, drenched in sauce and maybe crema and maybe cheese… not sure but SO good. Pig ears with the guac was a real nice touch. Though a little chewier than I like they were dusted with cumin and really tasty.
Ceviche: The main reason I wanted to come was for the ceviche. Since my mom can’t go near gluten, raw bars are always a winner. And a whole portion of the restaurant is devoted to the ceviche. And yet, it was the worst part. Luckily for them it will not take much to improve. The ceviches are already beautiful and artfully presented. The flavor and texture combinations are spot on too — inventive and surprising and very well done. The flavor needs to be kicked up like 4 notches though. There was no bright acid, no tartness, it was all kind of lackluster and drab and one note. A shame to see such pretty food that is so close, almost there, but does not hit the mark in the mouth. We didn’t even finish eating one of them.
Weird things: They are serving way too many freebie carbs. Why are there so many fried plantains served with the ceviche? Why are there so many pieces of pig ear with the guac? Why are there so many tortillas with the eggs? Why are there so many chips for a tiny bowl of (albeit fantastic and revelatory) pico de gallo? Usually I think this is a good thing but it was overload. Also weird — their menu says it has a star next to items that are gluten free. Someone printed it opposite though. Stars appeared next to items that contained gluten. So it said things like torta and churro were gluten free when they so obviously are not. They said they will fix that asap.
I want this new concept to do well, because I like the chef and her food, and I like ceviche in general (though it will take this place down if it doesn’t improve) and I feel such nostalgia for the space. I hope they iron out the kinks and stick around.

The only reason I make money is to eat. A lot. I also can’t resist a good pop up! I unfortunately end up going back as many times as possible before they leave me. #weddingdiet
So…The things that were on point:
Octopus ceviche. Habanero kick! Perfection.
Chicharones! Ugh. Kill me. It’s so good. Freddy Vargas’s take on it… I could this everyday for the rest of my life.
Also Wings ANNNNND crispy pig ears!
This place was made for me. The alcohol doesn’t hurt either.

The Green Gloves cocktail is off the chains. Was skeptical about the fried pig ears and guac, but I wanted to try it anyway. It was perfectly cooked and a total winner. The ceviche was refreshing and totally beautiful visually. I loved that as a touch and would definitely go back to try more of the menu.

This is my neighborhood go to all the time; day time cheap beers, lovely patio outside, night time pre-​party before wandering around, late night stop by for free chips and cheap margs. The bar exhibited a zeitgeist that all hipsters loved — all inclusive of cheap prices, decent food, and a very racy blacklighted poster of miss Dolly Parton (rumored share holder of said establishment).
After a year of tumultuous updates on whether or not it would open or close (and an even more tragic sense of timing when it was closed on my birthday for what we thought was for good), its finally ‘re-​opened’.
We stopped by last week and while skeptical of its new concept (pop up ceviche and craft cocktail program), we wandered into the same ol’ spot we had missed. While it does have a new bevvy of hip ass wall graffiti, our favorite cheap margs and beers were still there to greet us.
We will come back, despite our aversion to giving into the new hipster raw fish popularity rising in the area, to ensure that our favorite watering hole still lives on.

I was not impressed with the changes in the restaurant. The ambiance is nice, but the food and service was mediocre. We must have showed up on one of their first nights changing hands. Overall, I thought their concept was too hipster and had overpriced food. The margarita was ok. It was kind of a zoo the night we showed up.

Neither the menu nor the staff do a good job at describing the dishes.
This place used to be an okay Mexican food joint. It changed ownership 3 weeks ago and the menu is completely different.
If you LOVE ceviche, go somewhere else.

Love the food and the I Looove the artwork!
Ambiance is great! Makes me feel like I’m at an art show

I met a few friends here because it’s one of my buddy’s wife’s favorites and some local know it alls keep posting articles about how they’re closing their doors for good in the near future. I lived in Los Feliz for 12+ years and had never been inside, but always found the mural on the exterior to be cool. I will give them a solid «A» for décor and ambiance with the low light and decorations you can find along Revolution in Tijuana or down on Olvera Street.
That being said, being in Los Angeles, I expect my Mexican food to be outstanding — like I was actually south of the border.
The margarita’s were weak to the point that I question if they actually had any tequila in them. I ordered a taco as a side/​appetizer that I found to be mundane. I went with the chicken mole, dark meat for a dollar or two less… also somewhat lacking in flavor. That meal came with the old standby, beans and rice on the side — unspectacular, not that I expected much.
While I’m sad to see a neighborhood mainstay go by the wayside, if that is indeed happening; I don’t regret getting my Mexican meals elsewhere when I lived in town.

I absolutely adore El Chavo! This place has an old-​school vibe low-​key lighting and excellent food! It was established in 1966 by my father’s dear friend Ricardo who was the original owner. The atmosphere is laid-​back, festive and oh-​so cozy! They also have a great little bar right around the corner which you can enter from inside the restaurant. Just a great place to have a great Mexican meal and enjoy some great atmosphere!

Old school restaurant since 1966. Over the decades I’ve passed this place located on Sunset Blvd and never bothered to dine here, what a mistake. The interior is dark with the perfect amount of lighting so you can at least see your food. Before we ordered our food I got a couple of house margaritas which set the mood. I ordered the famous house El Chavo Green Tamales and they were delicious. Fast friendly service what more can you ask for, everyone was happy with their orders. The only sad part is this restaurant is planning on closing its doors mid December 2015, goodbye El Chavo you will be missed.

Chavito happy hour 5pm-​9pm everyday!!! Very festive restaurant with 2 bar areas, and huge outdoor patio area.
Weekend Nights — Great place to come with huge group or with friends that want a local feel without lines on a wknd. If you like the tiki bar, you’ll enjoy the less crowded version here. Basically wasn’t packed, but wasn’t empty type of place. Feel like a local dive bar on an okay night.
Simple outdoor area is very chill. Unique boutique hotel. Didn’t eat here so I can’t comment on the food, and the drinks were okay. So basically giving a higher review because I love decorative chill places.

This place is THE WORST it’s honestly a step above Taco Bell. If u want «Mexican American» food come here. But if u want AUTHENTIC Mexican go to Acapulco right across the street
WHY: I ordered a margarita which just tasted like mix with no tequila
Then I ordered a plate of taquitos which was just ONE taquito cut in half HOW with bland GRINGO salsa and chewy beef so gross I CANT