Photo Courtesy of Flickr BlogEl Carmen oozes hipster chic as soon as you walk in the door. With its low lighting (some of which is glowing from water filled lamps that your kooky great-aunt might have had) and it's Mexican wrestler paintings (and masks) that adorn the wall, you know this place is going to foster a fun evening.
Besides the quirky decor, this place is known for it's menu of over 400 tequilas, as well as an impressive list of specialty margaritas. I set my sights on the Watermelon Margarita, which at $8 was about 3 shots and tasted like I bit into a fresh watermelon - yum!! You certainly get your money's worth on booze (the beer is also reasonable at $5).
Although I intended to sample more of their food menu (the menu is small, but has enough to satisfy any lover of Mexican food), the 3 drinks before we got a table lended to less eating and more inappropriate storytelling. I was very impressed with the freshly fried corn chips, as well as the salsa and fresh guacamole (which disappeared in a matter of minutes). As a table we shared the nachos which I thought were very yummy and had a lot of flavor. My perpetually-mad-at-life Mexican friend made sure to poo poo the nachos for their inclusion of black beans, not refried. I happened to like this touch, making me feel less guilty for eating fried food and drinking excessive amounts. To each his own.
This is a great place to get the night started. I wouldn't go there just for the food, but the food/drinks combo is certainly worth every penny you spend and I swear you'll leave cooler than when you entered.
When in need of social lubrication, hit up this Mexican hot spot and you won't be disappointed!
El Carmen
8138 West Third St.
Los Angeles, 90048
(323) 852-1552
$-$$
3 comments:
such an awesome atmosphere at this place!
i haven't eaten since you last blogged. You might want to do something about that before i die.
please.
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