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El Carmen

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Reviews for El Carmen

Nothing beats the tequila and tacos at El Carmen! - Citysearch
See the full El Carmen review at One Delish Dish.co: This place is one of my favorite spots in LA. El Carmen is an unassuming tequila bar/restaurant tucked away on 3rd st. in the Mid-City West area. The entrance is just a plain door with a small awning and an old neon sign above it, but the tacos, insane tequila selection and Mexican wrestler decor make El Carmen stand out above the rest. Their bar has every kind of tequila imaginable, complete with a tequila sampler and a novel-size list of margaritas. My personal faves are the jalapeno and the cilantro-ginger margaritas, but the pomegranate and blood orange margaritas are also really tasty and popular. This place is great for happy hour, a light dinner or also for drunken munchies (since the kitchen is open late). The menu has a variety of options like nachos, ceviche and flautas, but I have a soft spot for their carnitas taco, the chicken enchiladas, and the sweet corn tamale. At $4.25 for one carne asada taco, I wouldn?t classify this place as the absolute cheapest in town, but they use quality meat and the unique art and music filled ambiance is a lot of fun and definitely can?t be found elsewhere.

tequila- to kill ya! - Citysearch
if you're looking for tequila, look no further. this place has got it. i like the red vibe in this place- it's kinda sexy. i've taken a lot of dates here cuz its easy to get romantic at the bar (if you can get a spot). actually the place is small so you can eat dinner here so that you make sure you have a place for your lady to sit. get the taquitos. and of course, plenty of tequila.

How great is this place! - Citysearch
Dug this place for years, never fails to deliver on food, ambiance and of course, drinks. Great crowd too. Happy hour has some nice offerings and attracted a good size crowd, even on a weekday. Bonus, a few blocks from The Grove, so nice place to head after a movie.

Mmmmm.... Pomegranate Margarita.... - Citysearch
My co-workers and I went to El Carmen last night for Happy Hour, most of us for the first time. I really liked it, although it's a cozy place with no outdoor, you quickly warm up to the place because of its pros. Mexican theme, great service - even though it was crowded, she was there whenever we looked up, and the food and drinks kept coming... (That's partly due to our amazing boss though) We couldn't stop raving about the food, we kept saying, "OMG, this is sooooo good! (Munch, munch, munch) Did you try the shrimp? (Munch, munch, munch) What about the guacamole? (Munch, munch, munch) Did you try the ceviche? And we kept eating! It was great! We love to eat, and all that is on the Happy Hour menu!!! Don't forget to try the pomegranate margarita... Bomb!

WOW. Great drinks and the Food is amazing - Citysearch
After work my co worker and I went for Happy Hour let just say we had a great time. Idalia the cool waitress told me to try a watermelon margarita it was grrrreat. Oh my the Tequila Shrimp were amazing but the Apple Fritter A la mode was mouth watering. If you are looking for great drinks, food and service this is the place to go.

WOW!! Best Margaritas Hands Down - Citysearch
So we went to this place for some coworkers. The place looks kinda small from the outsite, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Wrestlers are looking over you in this hot spot, with great ambience. The best part was the Cactus Fruit margarita. Wow!!! You must also try their desser menu. Their apple firtter a-la-mode was amazing!!!! Overall this place was a great spot, with people to mingle with and fun atmosphere.

Fabulous Fun! - Citysearch
Went last night after work for happy hour and let me tell ya we had a blast. The drinks were very tasty "watermelon margarita" on the rocks my fave as recommended by our cool waitress Idalia. The Tequila Shrimp didn't even touch down on the table "Banging"! You cannot leave without getting an order of the Apple Fritter A la mode...K if you do you I just might have to send my doggie Dolce Vita to teach you a thing or 2. Bottom line we had a wonderful time the food and drinks were "Fabulous". Looking for a low key place to have a great time, look no further!

Mexican Wrestlers and Tequila - Citysearch
El Carmen is one of those bars that just makes you happy. With the bold and funky decor of black velvet paintings, wrestler masks, Mexi-comic wallpaper, and illegal Vietnamese snake bottles, El Carmen gives so much in such a small package. It's like the "Three Caballeros" but with booze. The specialty drinks are never a disappointment, especially the homemade pineapple-infused tequila on the rocks and the lip-burning spicy Margarita. Don't let this small bar fool you...the food at El Carmen is some of the best (if not the best) bar food in all of Los Angeles. Notably the fish tacos and the potato flautas will make you regret eating that stupid lean cuisine you had 2 hours ago.

Try the Cactus Fruit Margarita! - Citysearch
The cactus fruit margarita is amazing! The guava is yummy too. I always have my friends try a shot of the Fusion... it's tequila marinated in pineapple. Although it's frequented by the Hollywood-type, I like El Carmen for it's 'authentic tendencies.' The red sauce on the enchiladas is really good; it's not a salty wanna-be Mexican sauce. The asada tacos are tasty and so are the flautas. fyi - service is consistently mediocre.

Cinco De Mayo, Get there no later than 7:30 to avoid a line - Citysearch
I went here two years ago for Cinco De Mayo and had the best time. The highlight of the night ,were the large Margaritas! However, I was a bit disappointed this year. They no longer have the large Margaritas. That was the main reason why I chose El Carmens, but all in all it was still a fun atmosphere and the drinks were good. Nothing beats El Carmens when it comes to Cinco De Mayo. ;) p.s I would of given 5 stars but the not having the large Margaritas really disappointed me, plus one of the bartenders was a bit on the snobby side that night. Who goes to a bar to get attitude from a bartender, especially when you are tipping them? Not me! I would stick to the male bartender, he is a really cool guy plus he makes the drinks really good.

All Around Great - Citysearch
New to the neighborhood, and am definitely making this my place. Friendly, competent bartenders make a strong drink - all of which are very good. Some of the best margaritas in LA, and there's innumerable tequilas to sample. And whoever said "don't eat here" is WAY off the mark. The chips and salsa with guacamole was the best I've had in years. The cheese enchiladas were excellent as well, and inexpensive. Dinner for 4 people with 2 beers was $61. Great value anywhere, especially on 3rd St.

Great margs - Citysearch
Don't eat here, but definitely head over after dinner at dougboy's for the best margarita in LA and a perfect jukebox crowd.

My personal favorite bar in LA - Citysearch
I've been going to El Carmen consistently for about 2 years now, and have come to the conclusion that it is my favorite drinking spot in LA. Not only is the atmosphere and decor awesome (good music, slightly trendy but still laid-back crowd, and you've got to love all the lucha libre decor) but the drinks and food are very good. If you're planning on eating dinner there late night, definitely call ahead -- they have a table in the back for large groups, and the place tends to fill up. They do, however, keep tables for those dining -- just there for drinks = standing room/a lucky snag of a seat at the bar only. I highly recommend the potato flautas -- or the nachos, if you're sharing -- and grab a spicy margarita or a pineapple infused tequila to drink. The servers can get a little forgetful when it gets super packed, but the bartenders tend to be right on their game -- i have, however, had a tough time convincing them to sell me one of the Tito la Brea paintings off the wall. We'll see where that goes.

Best Margaritas in L.A. - Citysearch
If you like your margaritas blended/frozen, this is the place to go. Seriously. Very seriously. It's as if they use a smoothie machine. The perfect consistency, deeelicious flavor! Mmm, I want one now. Happy hour weekdays 5-7 is beyond awesome, $3 for the best margaritas in town? Unbelievable. That's less than what I just paid for a small vanilla latte ($3.05 at the Coffee Bean). Good small bites too, vege tacos, enchiladas with a great spicy ranchero sauce, warm chips and salsa/guacamole. Very cool decor. Small, laid-back vibe, like you're in Mexico, not on West 3rd street in the middle of L.A. Wide wide selection of tequilas (although I just stick with the house margs) and a cool drink called the Mexican Painkiller, which is basically a combination of a margarita and a pina colada. Cool matchbooks too, if you're into that.

I love El Carmen!! - Citysearch
This is my favorite place to go with the girls, or on dates. The decor is awesome and it's very dark and sultry. Their margaritas don't give me headache the next day, the staff is genuinely friendly and the food is authentic Mexican at a great price. And I love that I don't have to order a full dinner if I'm not that hungry. They sell their tacos a la carte. El Carmen rules!!!!!!!

If you want tequila, this place is cool - Citysearch
Very solid margaritas...huge tequila selection, other than that it is nothing special but I guess it's a fun spot if you are kicking it on third street.

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