The Best Mexican Restaurants in Los Angeles

The Spanish first settled Los Angeles back in 1784, calling it Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Ángeles Asistencia (say that 5 times fast). Since, the Hispanic population continues to influence the culture of Los Angeles, making it one of the best places in the world to eat Mexican food. This city loves its Mexican food and doesn’t care to discriminate over venue, authenticity or regionality. From food trucks slinging street tacos to the post-bar crowd in Hollywood to downtown establishments presenting the finest Baja-inspired seafood, Angelenos celebrate them all. But what do the savviest foodies consider the best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles? Check out our Tastemakers List. We used data covering thousands of restaurants to discover the top spots in the city. For locals and visitors craving amazing Mexican fare in LA, we suggest booking a table at one of these amazing restaurants and rapido!

The OpenTable Team

13 Restaurants

Updated January 28, 2021

Restaurants:	Petty Cash Taqueria & Bar, El Compadre - Hollywood, Petite Taqueria…
Price Range:	$$ - $$$
Cuisines:	Mexican…
Neighborhoods:	Beverly / Fairfax / La Brea / Third St., Hollywood, West Hollywood…

Petty Cash Taqueria & Bar

$$$$

Mexican

Beverly / Fairfax / La Brea / Third St.

4.7

987 reviews

Imagine Tom Petty and Johnny Cash took a trip to Tijuana to drink mezcal and feast on street food – such is the inspiration for Petty Cash Taqueria’s vibe. It’s the brainchild of chef Walter Manzke, a son of Southern California who trained at some of Europe’s top restaurants. The chef envisioned this “semi-authentic taqueria” around top-quality ingredients, artfully seasoned and simply presented in the form of tacos, nachos, quesadillas and more. Tortillas are hand-made and grilled to order over wood charcoal, as is prime steak for carne asada dishes. The seafood showcased at the ceviche bar is sushi-grade. Ample vegetarian options, such as rainbow cauliflower nachos and grilled maitake mushroom tacos, are tempting enough to compete with meat and seafood dishes.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

El Compadre - Hollywood

$$$$

Mexican

Hollywood

4.7

404 reviews

El Compadre is an LA institution that celebrates classic Mexican dining at its kitschiest. There are now three venues across the city, but the original El Compadre on Sunset Boulevard dates to 1975 and is certainly among the best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles. Go there ready to embrace such in-your-face features as signature flaming margaritas, an all-night mariachi band and bright red vinyl upholstery. The cuisine is casual and pleasingly nostalgic. It capably indulges diners’ desires for classic Mexican comfort food – think cheese-doused combination platters, sizzling fajita plates and heaps of rice and beans.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Petite Taqueria

$$$$

Mexican

West Hollywood

4.5

260 reviews

Petite Taqueria is an inviting and eclectic space on La Cienega with vintage touches, vibrant art, velvet booths and candlelight. There’s an outdoor patio as well. The trendy West Hollywood eatery presents creative Mexican dishes along with tequila-based cocktails. All the typical favorites feature on the dinner menu. Among them are bean and cheese burritos, queso dip, a taco salad and a weighty wet burrito with chicken, steak, shrimp or vegetables. A few unexpected items include lamb birria tacos and empanadas stuffed with Okinawa sweet potato and roasted cauliflower. Vegetarian dishes are well-represented and include a number of Impossible-brand chorizo concoctions.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Bar Amá

$$$$

Tex-Mex

Downtown

4.6

379 reviews

Downtown diners craving Tex-Mex would be hard-pressed to find a better spot than Bar Amá. Here, chef Josef Centeno elevates the classics of Tex-Mex cuisine with top-quality ingredients and an imaginative touch. The restaurant has a casual vibe and menu to please every appetite for lunch and dinner daily. Options range from small plates to bright salads to familia-style feasts. Critics highlight the roasted cauliflower with cilantro pesto, San Antonio-style puffy tacos (a signature dish) and homestyle green enchiladas served in a cast-iron skillet. Hit up “super nacho hour” for great deals at the bar.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Toca Madera - West Hollywood

$$$$

Mexican

West Hollywood

4.4

2852 reviews

West Hollywood’s Toca Madera is often described in the press as sexy, probably due to its flaming drinks and super-sleek space with its centerpiece 100-foot bar of crystal quartz. Behind the bar are over 100 tequilas inside private lockers. Other assets include a back patio adorned with succulents, skulls and skylights. Certain culinary preparations lean toward the dramatic, such as chicken, jumbo shrimp or various steaks served over hot lava stones. A raw bar presents several ceviches including a vegan coconut ceviche. Save room for a churro ice cream sandwich, a certain highlight of the dulces section of the menu.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Experiences available

View Experiences

Gracias Madre - West Hollywood

$$$$

Mexican

West Hollywood

4.6

5928 reviews

Gracias Madre serves Mexican cuisine for the vegan and organic crowd, yet its lovely rustic space draws diners of all kinds. The team behind Gracias Madre (and the original in San Francisco) work closely with California farmers and artisanal producers. Locally sourced, organic produce becomes 100-percent plant-based dishes with bold flavors evoking Mexico. Exemplary items include a pozole with a rich ancho-chile broth, sopes with a mango-habanero salsa, and barbecue jackfruit carnitas tacos. Gracias Madre is open for lunch on weekdays, dinner nightly and brunch on weekends. For vegan diners it’s consistently regarded one of the best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

SOL Mexican Cocina - Playa Vista

$$$$

Mexican

Playa Vista

4.5

683 reviews

SOL Mexican Cocina presents produce-forward Baja-style cuisine in an upscale setting in Playa Vista. There’s an outdoor patio warmed at night by fire pits. Meanwhile the airy, light-filled dining room offers a glimpse into the open kitchen with its oak wood-fired grill. The restaurant excels in hand-crafted margaritas. It presents a dozen options including a mango con chile frozen margarita and a blackberry-ginger version. Creative tacos dominate the dinner menu, among them pig ear chicharron tacos, “canarditas” duck tacos and Ensenada-style fish taco plates. Another intriguing option is an octopus and charred tomato dish with spicy red mustard greens.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Dia de Campo

$$$$

Contemporary Mexican

Hermosa Beach

4.1

744 reviews

Dia de Campo draws on a range of complementary inspirations, among them East LA cocinas, classic West Coast fish houses and surf shacks. All befit its location just a block from the sand in Hermosa Beach. Seafood is a star of the restaurant’s dinner and brunch menus. These feature half a dozen ceviches, grilled and crispy shrimp and mahi tacos, and a lobster for two with house mole sauce and chili butter. Other highlights include a weighty machismo Cali burrito with hanger steak, fried egg, potatoes and Monterey Jack, and a cactus salad with jicama, avocado and pickled cabbage. Some of the more intriguing brunch-only items are a pumpkin zucchini pound cake French toast and ancho lamb shoulder with crispy

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Pink Taco - Sunset

$$$$

Mexican

Hollywood

4.3

600 reviews

Pink Taco, a small regional chain of restaurants plus a fleet of taco trucks, has a popular venue on Sunset Boulevard. The brand specializes in straightforward SoCal versions of Mexican classics. Expect street corn, trios of tacos and some elevated entrees like lobster enchiladas. The menu also includes taco bowls in chicken, carne asada and vegan versions. Diners can load up any items with all manner of bright and bold house salsas, such as arbol, cactus, pineapple serrano and tequila pico. Pink Taco’s happy hour (3 to 7 p.m. every day) presents great deals on food and drinks, including house and frozen margaritas.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Luminarias Restaurant & Special Events

$$$$

American

Monterey Park

4.4

689 reviews

For more than 40 years, Luminarias has drawn diners from all over Los Angeles with its stunning Spanish hacienda setting on a Monterey Park hilltop. Sweeping views across the San Gabriel Valley, a two-story patio, waterfall and pond, plus cobblestone pathways and lush foliage all make the restaurant a beautiful place to enjoy some great food. Authentic cuisine in addition to the space make Luminarias one of the best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles County. Highlights of the nightly dinner, weekday lunch and weekend brunch menus include handmade tortillas, table-side guacamole, traditional menudo and generous combination plates.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Experiences available

View Experiences

Blue Plate Taco

$$$$

Mexican

Santa Monica

4.6

798 reviews

Inside the Shore Hotel, just half a block from the Santa Monica Pier, is Blue Plate Tacos. With ocean views and a bright, beachy vibe, it’s a casual and popular spot for modern tacos and more. The restaurant uses organic and sustainably sourced ingredients whenever possible. Exemplary menu items include nachos loaded with vegetables from the Santa Monica farmers market, and a ceviche mixto with lobster, shrimp, calamari and pomegranate seeds. The restaurant also presents a tempting drinks menu that includes pitchers of margaritas and sangrias, plus seasonally rotating aguas frescas.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Palmilla Cocina Y Tequila

$$$$

Mexican

Hermosa Beach

4.7

757 reviews

Palmilla Cocina Y Tequila specializes in Cabo San Lucas-style seafood, and is also known for its bright, flavorful cocktails. Margaritas in many flavors and two types of sangrias made fresh daily are among the most popular choices. Executive chef Christina Cipris shows a masterful touch with Mexican seafood with such popular items as lobster tacos on house-made blue corn tortillas, white fish ceviche and Michoacan-style achote beso salmon. The upscale restaurant, a sleek black-and-gold space on the Pier Plaza with a patio and fire pit, opened in 2011. Its coastal setting makes it one of the best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles for diners seeking stunning ocean views.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

El Cholo Cafe

$$$$

Mexican

Pasadena

4.2

889 reviews

El Cholo Café first opened downtown in 1923, making it one of the oldest as well as one of the best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles. The current cafe, a cheerful and sprawling hacienda-inspired space in Pasadena, became El Cholo’s new home in 2010. In homage to its long history, the menu lists the year that El Cholo first served each item. A handful date to 1923, including Sonorora-style enchiladas, Joe’s traditional albondigas and green corn tamales. Carmen’s original nachos have been a hit since 1959.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Explore OpenTable

Los Angeles

The Best Mexican Restaurants