Looking for a sit down Mexican rest. in East LA???

[afs]

Hi all~
I live DT and would really like to know if there's any sit down Mexican rest.'s in East LA?? I've been to all of the classic burrito places and taco stands and they all rock but I can't think of any sit down places other then the place on 1st Garibaldi's(SP?) been there and it was cool but a place with a basic menu, bar and great margs is what I'm really looking for....anyone .....anyone???

Mucho Gracias

AFS

[slowrider]

Ana Maria on 1st (not sure on the Marguerita thing here)
Linda's Mariscos on Olympic (they have a bar and restaurant)

[justanotherpenguin]

as a 40+ years el tepeyac devotee, i find that i always wind up there, regardless of previous plans. i have heard that "Ciro's" which is just south of el tepeyac on evergreen, on the opposite side of the street, has good food and a bar. i have never been, so i don't know if it's full or just beer & wine. there are several threads on chowhound that refer to this place. please report your final outcome - should be interesting.

[carter]

Ciro's is beer only, while El Tepeyac serves no alcohol.

[jdsoda]

i've been to ciro's --and really like it --it's very "homey"/"mom&pop" kind of place --there isn't a "bar" but as "carter" noted, there is beer. i love the two "salsas" they have --one has fresh chunks of avocado in it and the other has roasted jalepenos --mixing the two together rocks.

[Emme]

have you been to
la parilla
teresita's (esp for albondigas)
el tepeyac
los antojitos
carioca
el rinconcito del mar
??

does mercado la paloma count w/ taqueria vista hermosa and chichen itza count?

[LaLa Eat]

I was going to list some of the above but than re read your post about wanting a bar with margarita's...I am pretty sure that La Parrilla (east los location), Tepeyac, Teresita's, Mercado la Paloma do not serve margaritas, but I could stand corrected... Not sure about the other ones on list above. La Parrilla serves "wine" margaritas..So now I would also like a rec for a place to get margaritas in east los angeles! When I want a margarita I go to Villa Sombrero in Highland Park or El Compadre in Echo Park (they serve their's flaming).

[Servorg]

Teresitas is wine and beer only.

[Emme]

my bad. somehow my brain negated that point... got focused on mexican east sit-down...

[LaLa Eat]

I did the same thing : )
Searching some
La Cabana
3120 Fairmount St
Los Angeles, CA 90063
(not sure if at all related to Venice one....?)
Serves margaritas....

[afs]

Thanks!
But el tepayec etc. I've been too, el compadre and highland park locals like sombero and arco iris are great too but the real question is there a place like these in east LA??
So then La cabana might work??

[LaLa Eat]

The La Cabana rec was found on line, so I cannot say for sure.
I was hoping others would have recs...Anyone?
I think the reason there are not many sit down Mexican resturants with margaritas in East LA has to do with the various issues of history, race, economics, culture and politics of the area, coupled with hoops you need to jump to get a liquor license...? And the fact that much of East LA is an unincorporated part of Los Angeles?
La Fonda is rumored to be opening their new location at the Eastern building downtown and will be the go to place in your area for what you are looking for, if it happens! see link-
http://la.eater.com/archives/2007/11/...

[perejil]

I think it might be difficult to find Margaritas because they're not a traditional Mexican drink. They're a Californian (Alta y Baja) thing and therefore restaurants serving regional Mexican cuisine would not include them on the menu. When they are included, it's to appeal to a Californian preference.
For a sit down, there's Tamayo on Olympic but I haven't been there in years. I loved El Gallo Grill on Cesar Chavez before it burned down.

[LaLa Eat]

Tamayo’s!!! I have been racking my brain here (obviously with all my posts on this thread :) ) I had no idea they still existed, ironically I actually grew up (early years) down the street from the Tamayo family!
I agree with part of your assessment, i.e. the margarita is geared and appreciated to/by a certain sector. I am not so certain of your statement that the margarita is a Californian alta/ baja invention though…

[perejil]

I always heard the margarita was invented in Tijuana but according to wikipedia, the Tijuana origins are debatable. In any case, I like mine on the rocks and made with Jimador. :)