If you were staying at Le Montrose (cnr Hammond & Cynthia, West Hollywood)...

[Onara]

...where would you go to eat Mexican food?

Cheap, moderately-priced, expensive, anything

Just bear in mind that the more we have to travel to get it, the better it needs to be to justify the drive

[rednyellow]

you can walk to the place just a building or two west of lacienega on the south side of santa monica. I forget the name but the food is good.

[Servorg]

If you are thinking of Mexico Restaurante y Barra (the pink and aqua paint facade place on the south side of the street) I thought they had closed?

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Mexico Restaurante y Barra
8512 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

[New Trial]

Tinga is quite good but more of a gourmet stand than full meal sort of place (there are tables and chairs). Loteria Grill is also good in a similar sense. More fun and filling than authentic (let alone fantastic) is Gardens of Taxco. Down in Beverly Hills, Frida is decent. Better choices to the East, West and South if you are prepared to travel.

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Loteria Grill
6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Gardens of Taxco
1113 N. Harper Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90046

Frida
236 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Tinga
142 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

[coffeebrownies]

You can walk down the hill to the Gardens of Taxco (maybe a mile and a quarter) and have a lot of fun. The banana dessert is peculiarly memorable to me, for some reason. Even though I haven't eaten there in a decade, I can conjure up that one right away.

The menu is prix fixe and there are mariachis. (I mean really--how can you not have one mariachi experience!) But don't get all Chowhoundish about the food. It will be fine. And they don't have a full bar so they only have wine margaritas. Conversely, we inhale the Tinga tacos a few times a week. And we always plan on waddling down to Yogurtland (3 blocks or so south) for some fruit and froyo to top it off.

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Gardens of Taxco
1113 N. Harper Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90046

Tinga
142 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

[Ciao Bob]

Pinches on Sunset for a quick, close and darn good taco stand.

[dan23]

Loteria at the Original Farmer's Market on 3rd: two miles away, very good, fun.

[nosh]

Bout once a month, I take the freeways from Westwood all the way north of downtown to buy two or three al pastor burritos (sliced from a rotisserie spit, without beans) and extra hot sauce to bring home. Carnitas Michaocan, the stand north of Chinatown on the N/W corner of No. Broadway at 19th, open 24/7. A stand. The best hot sauce EVER.

As you approach or depart downtown (the 110 Harbor Freeway) from the 10 (Santa Monica) you are close to El Parian, which is also beloved on this board. Another very informal taqueria, which many think must be closed before they find their way inside.

[Onara]

Thanks. Never thought of Downtown as a spot for Mexican. But I'm a tourist, and open to all advice