La Villita Cantina

Food was great, service was not. It took forever to get a dessert menu after we asked for it.

Great place for some yummy Mexican food! Lovely Blackberry Basil Margarita! Super close to UCB, so awesome for a delicious meal before the show!

Waited 5 minutes to be greeted and seated by the harried person at the host stand and another 15 minutes before our drink order was taken by our waiter. Lots of people rushing around and no one carrying anything. After we ordered, however, food came out quickly. Meal was tasty though flavors were a little one-note (cinnamon and liquid smoke feature highly on this hipster menu). Food here is always served a little less than hot for some reason. Guacamole is outstanding as are the drinks. Don’t plan to have an intimate convo, however, as it’s loud!

Bad parking situation. Great atmosphere but the food was bit bland and we were not offered salsa or hot sauce. Drinks were delicious. Would return and ask for food more spiced and/or ask for salsa and hot sauce.

My favorite Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles! Amazing food and service.

Was not impressed with the food. Chips were stale, salsa was bland, margarita was too sweet and the food overall seemed very tex mex. We were anticipating a much better dinner, given the reviews we read.

Giving it 5 stars for its gluten free vegan menu. So excited to have a place like this close by. The food is very good and so is the service.

The best place ever, I love thst their menu has both traditional and vegetarian options.

So great! Loved the place and food. Jensen was a fantastic server as well.

Great food & service.

Jensen is an amazing server. So attentive and always has a smile. The food is delicious and I love the atmosphere! Highly recommend!

The tostada salad had barely a tablespoon of chicken in it.

Their service is not very good despite it not being very busy. They made a mistake on the bill to top it off!

We stopped into the restaurant during the Ciclavia event. Worthy. Plus we wanted to help a local business since the event may have affected their business.
The food was good. We had tacos and the mango salad. The salad actually was quite tasty and I would try to make it at home.
The margaritas were ok. And the same for the Paloma cocktail.
Service was good, but the place was empty at 1:00. Probably because of the street closure in front of the establishment.
Worth a try. Reasonably priced.

Thanks for the lovely dinning experience.

A really good spot.

Awesome drinks and food in a fun atmosphere.

Friend dinner!

Friendly service and good Mexican food, nice menu selection, fun environment, interesting drinks menu!

Tried this new place in my neighborhood and discovered a little gem! Service and food was fantastic. The only suggestion I would have to management is it’s way too bright inside. We had a 9pm reservation and it was like cafeteria lighting. Turn down the lights, put some candles on the tables and we’ll be loyal customers.

What an opportunity to create a great Mexican dining experience in this neighborhood. What a fail. The food was edible at best. This could be SO much better. We won't be going back.

I come for the el Coche Fantastico Margarita's & Cauliflower taco's! Y.U.M.!

Great restaurant, food and top-notch margaritas. Need to Uber/Lyft as parking is limited. I like that it has high ceilings and great ambiance.

In KA for a conference

I’m never disappointed with the food at La Villita. My most recent trip for Friday dinner included the carnitas enchilada platter and chicken adobo fajitas. Both come with beans and rice, are well seasoned and absolutely delicious. Their quesadillas are great too. My only criticism is they do not give chips and salsa with the meal unless you pay $6 for them and an order of guacamole is pricey at $11. It’s still a wonderful place.

Reservation and customer service was great! Food was very good.
Special occasion, so we ordered margaritas. They were very bad. Not much flavor, not good drinks.

The interior setting is lovely, the food was OK, but the service was pretty bad. Took a long time to get our food and the servers, etc. were not very interested.

The servers were fantastic and the place was super cute. Food was good too.

Great vegan options! Delicious margaritas. Wonderful ambience.

Delicious food, great wait staff. The only problem is that it was very difficult to hear each other, even the person sitting next to me.

Super fresh food! Amazing service from Andrew & fellow staff. Such a great night all around! Thank you!

First time here with friends and it was amazing! Great service, beautiful space and an entire vegetarian menu!! Will definitely be back!

I want to like La Villita, but the food just is not that great, and neither are the drinks. The staff are super nice. The place is pretty. But the chips are light to the point of no flavor. My smoked chicken enchiladas were pleasant but the flavors were not that great all together. The margarita seemed watered down. The tres leches cake was delicious but the flan was too heavy. For a Saturday night it wasn’t busy. If they could get the flavors right they just might make it.

Not impressed. Food was mediocre. Rice and beans cold, only tacos were warm.

Place is trying to be hip but it was underwhelming. I’ve lived in the neighborhood for 30 years and was hopeful. Sigh.

Took an hour and a half to receive our overpriced food. We had it have it all wrapped to go because we were going to be late for our show. After leaving, noticed that 2 of the 7 meals ordered were wrong (1 missing). Awful!

Food doesn’t come in a good pairing size if you want more than just a main course. Our food came out luke warm; this includes the multiple appetizers, soups and entrees we ordered. Margaritas were watered down and the lime juice was over poured. Attempted to order another margarita and the jalapeño seeds made it unbearable to drink.

Asked the waitress for recommendations and vocalized concern that we were ordering too much but the waitress said that it was an okay amount of food. After eating the appetizers, soup and getting to main course I was unable to have more than a bite or two of my entree which was actually the best tasting but I had too much of the other courses. Really wish the waitress would’ve been able to recommend a better way to taste the menu.

The food was delicious, fresh, and the service was excellent. I'd come back here over and over!

Food was delicious, especially the smoked chicken and clever use of pomegranate seeds as a refreshing punctuation. Drinks were unremarkable which is strange because we loved the drinks on our first visit. Different bartender? Our server was delightful and attentive which was a vast improvement over the first visit when we were seated and then abandoned for 20 minutes after our drinks were delivered. Noise level is crazy loud, especially when there’s a birthday party of drunk people on the other side of the restaurant. We almost had to shout to hear each other and Franklin Avenue seemed sedate by comparison when we left. We’ll go back, but we’ll bring earplugs next time. Pricey for what it is, too. But that’s dining in hipsterville for ya.

Healthy Mexican in the neighborhood! Go early with kids and they have simple items and great chips, salsa and guacamole! Enjoyed the combination plates, and many options for vegan, veggie, meat lovers, and gluten free!

First time at our new neighbourhood restaurant for brunch. Awesome menu options for us as vegetarians.
Great space - such a nice job on the design of this old space.