- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Alegria On Sunset
Category: Restaurants Mexican Mexican [Edit]
3510 W Sunset BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90026
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
(323) 913-1422
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 10 pm
Fri 11 am - 11 pm
Sat 10 am - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Jenn K. said: "I drove by this place once and it stuck out in my mind because I like mole and never know where to get some. This place doesn't have the prettiest or newest interior but the friendly servers and good food make up for that. I'm not…" read more »
240 reviews for Alegria On Sunset
Review Highlights
-
"Alegria is cash only and BYOB, which adds to its charm." In 38 reviews -
"two things: chilaquiles & cafe de la olla." In 6 reviews -
"Try any of their aguas frescas or specials of the day." In 10 reviews
Loading...
240 reviews in English
-
Review from Stomping S.
Los Angeles, CA
5/15/2012
I think it comes down to your personal philosophy of what makes a great restaurant, but for me it's an experience from start to finish that I crave, don't get bored with, and that rarely disappoints. Alegria is exactly this, and represents the best authentic Mexican dinner I've had anywhere, including Mexico City. Menu item consistency is an issue here, as is the case with most of my favorite restaurants, but if you order guacamole, agua fresca/licuado, pollo en mole or tampiquena, and cafe de olla, I don't think you can go wrong.
After 5 years, still one of my favorite restaurants in LA. Mom and Pop shop, so don't expect industrial scale or speedy service. Relax and enjoy it. -
Review from D B.
Los Angeles, CA
5/12/2012
Never again.
One other party in the joint and it took over 20 minutes to get a lousy inedible chicken mole, and whatever I got, dried out chicken.
Server was nice. but WHY go here when there are GOOD Mexi joints every mile on this part of Sunset.
BTW, NO parking at 6:30 in the lot as the nail parlor next door was PACKED with customers -
Review from Helen C.
Torrance, CA
3/13/2012
We ordered:
Tacos a la Crema: This was the best part of the meal.. but that really doesn't say much. Only thing I can say is that the mole on top of the rolled tacos were good.
Pollo en Mole: this was so disappointing: the mole was a little burnt.. the chicken was too tough. no bueno
Tampiqueña:. which is a grilled steak topped with griddle fired Queso Panela, strips of roasted Chile Poblano. Served with two cheese filled Salsa Verde Enchiladas and their homemade rice... the steak was a little tough.. it wasn't flavorful. the queso was the best thing on this plate.
Tacos de Pescado: was suppose to be Voted "Best in L.A." by Travel and Leisure Magazine..i don't think so.
I must say though.. tatthe fruit juices were delicious.. the best ones were the papaya and the basil lemonade.
Maybe I ordered the wrong thing? Nevertheless.. don't have the need to come back.
The service was good when they came by. -
Review from Sammi Q.
Los Angeles, CA
5/23/2012
This is a solid local mexican restaurant which caters to locals. The strip center and restaurant signage are worn out, and do not give justice to the good food inside. Among other things, we had a fresh quac, mango juice, and black beans. The mango juice is made after your order is placed, and is blended with ice. The black beans are vegetarian, but you wouldn't know it from the rich flavor. The quac is excellent. The interior is worn out and could use a little love.
A reasonable criticism can be made for the delay in getting the food to the table. I'm not sure why it takes so long. -
Review from Casey S.
Los Angeles, CA
4/23/2012
DO NOT PLACE LARGE ORDERS HERE
We placed a 15+ person order. Note, they do not have a fax machine, which would be fine, if everything went smoothly--which it did not. We called it in, double checked it, and were given an hour and a half estimate from the time we placed the order. All seems well.
When we went to pick up the order, we were told our order had been picked up by another office and that it would have to be re-prepared. This is an hour a half after placing the initial order, which was placed immediately upon their opening, and when lunch at our office is supposed to occur in a very specific window.
They told us it would be 30 minutes. It was an hour and a half. THERE IS ONE PERSON COOKING ALL OF THE FOOD. Not only that, it was being prepared inefficiently--one order at a time, down our list, versus grouping all of the same orders and preparing those at the same time. Additionally, after waiting an entire hour and a half at the restaurant, staff had not even calculated the bill. It was an additional 15 minutes to add everything up. Apologies were made, but were full of excuses. We were not offered any kind of discount.
It took us 3 hours from time of placing the order to get our food, and most of it was cold by the time it got back to our office. Food was decent, yummy guacamole, but this ridiculous mix up will preclude any future orders. -
Review from Jeff A.
Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 4/23/2012 8 Check-ins Here
Anyone who knows me, knows I'm the world's biggest fan of this restaurant. But the last two times I've been there, it's been a bit off, to say the least. Last time, I walked in on a whim, and sat down to order & eat there (normally I phone in for pickup). I sat there for an hour before I got my food. Today, however, I phoned in my order. I was told it would be ready in 30 minutes (which is a long time for tacos, mind you). I went down there right at the 30-minute-mark...and sat there for another 30 minutes, before the hostess finally confessed to me that my order hadn't even been started yet. I couldn't believe it. I had to walk out. I may not go back.
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
10/21/2010
Too bad I can't give this place 6 stars, cuz I would...especially now that they take credit cards!… Read more »
-
-
Review from Steven C.
2/28/2012
I'm a big fan of Alegria on Sunset- moreso before 6pm.. or maybe it's 4:30pm, when you can get their lunch prices.
Fresh complimentary chips n salsa = A+.
For $8 or $9 (else it's $12 at dinner i believe) their Edgar burrito is super super good. I love the smoked flavor of the meat combined with fresh healthier vegetable ingredients. That's my favorite item on the menu.
I have also tried the quesadilla which was nice, but my burrito was still better.
Important to understand that you do not go here for super authentic flavors. This is a variation using different ingredients but you feel good after eating and I think that's important!
Service can be hit or miss - are they understaffed? I have no idea. I have gone several times and had both ends of the stick. -
Review from Jennifer D.
Los Angeles, CA
5/7/2012
Fresh and healthy mexican food that tastes fantastic. What's more to say?
-
Review from Lisa G.
Moorpark, CA
2/6/2012
The food was sub par. I love Mexican food, I was not impressed. I was not happy with what is standard at many place for rice with your meal, you get mashed potatoes! MASHED POTATOES!!!
The service was nice when we had any.
We ordered the cinnamon tea since it was a bit of chilly weather out, the tea was the hottest (temp) ever. I used the ice from my water to cool off my tea & that wasn't enough. -
Review from Laura P.
Los Angeles, CA
1/20/2012
First time I ate here it took forever for the sever to bring me my coke, he didn't seem busy. Then when our food arrived my sister and I both got a tummyach after we finished eating and for the rest of the day.
The place seemed nice so I tried it again, same service and ok food, the prices are really to high. Nearly 15$ for two tacos and a side of rice.
The major compliant I saw one of the workers buying groceries for the store at the 99cent store next to the restaurant. I saw him walk back to the restaurant with the food. GROSS . I pay good money for food that seemingly is just from the dollar store. I'll never return again. -
Review from Ryan B.
Norwalk, CA
3/10/2012
Decent food overshadowed by a rude, irrational owner.
I had to place 3 separate orders for an office lunch. I'll say this again, only 3 separate orders. After I placed the orders, the woman on the phone puts me on hold and comes back to tell me, "The owner overheard your order and informed me that we can't do separate orders." Of course that doesn't make sense but I say fine and assume I can talk them into ringing up the separate orders when I get there.
When I arrived, the food was not ready and there were only 2 people working. One of them was a woman up front who ran the register, took orders, and brought out food for the customers. The other woman, the owner, was in back cooking. I explained to the nice lady up front doing all the work that because this was getting paid for with company credit cards, it absolutely had to be 3 separate orders instead of one. I even wrote out each entree and labeled how they should be divided by order. It was NOT difficult and would have taken an extra 2 minutes AT MOST. The woman walks back to the owner and says, "They have to pay for them separately. I think he's going to walk out if we don't let them." The owner refuses to budge. I ask if I can speak with her and the owner agrees to talk with me after making me wait out of spite. I know it was out of spite because you can see the kitchen, she only had 2 tables occupied in the entire restaurant, and she wasn't doing anything but walking back and forth.
She finally comes out and starts yelling at me. She says, "I told you we can't do separate orders." I calmly explain to her that, "it's only 3 orders, I've neatly written them down for you, and I HAVE to have separate receipts. One order is going to production, one order is going to accounting." she cuts me off to say, "You and every other studio." Again, I said, "But it's only 3 orders, all you have to do is ring them up in this order." This goes back and forth for a while but eventually she interrupts me and says, "I'll let you do it this time, but know that we DO NOT do separate orders." This whole exchange took about 10 minutes. I had to wait for my food for 15 minutes and the food quality wasn't anything special. It was average at best coupled with TERRIBLE customer service.
I paid, got my food, told the lady up front that she was nice and the owner should consider changing her attitude. She certainly isn't the the only Mexican restaurant on Sunset, let alone in Los Angeles. You can't treat customers that way, but it does explains why you only have two tables at 1:00 PM.
Thankfully, I kept my cool and didn't yell, knowing that I would later get on YELP to let out my frustrations.
-Ryan :) -
Review from lindsay b.
Los Angeles, CA
10/8/2011
Not sure what all the good reviews are about. The food was bad but whatever Im picky.
The servers were being so weird to my table, they acted like we deeply offended them by being there.
Def not going back ..super weird -
Review from Roach D.
Duarte, CA
8/16/2011
The potato tacos and mole dishes really stand out here.
You probably have already heard about the wonderful aguas frescas, and now they have added basil mint lemonade to their repertoire.
Fantastic!
If you're considering taking a date here and not paying, be polite and mention to the poor guy ahead of time that it's cash only. The ATM is too far to walk to in high heels... -
Review from Kait M.
Los Angeles, CA
12/30/2011
I have been looking for an amazing Mexican restaurant since I moved to LA, and today I finally found it! Alegria's food is so great, and the menu made choosing so easy! I am gluten intolerant, so can't have a lot of things. Their vegan options were also gluten free, and they were still just as delicious as ever.
The waiter was very good, checking on us frequently and filling our waters. It seems like that's a commodity in Silver Lake...so I appreciated it.
The selling point for me was the house hot sauce. It is so weird and addicting and delicious and I want a whole bottle of it for home.
I would definitely recommend it to Mexican food lovers. The only reason I gave 4 stars is because of the interior design/location. It is very cozy and dim in there, and not necessarily in an exclusive/homey way. Also, it is in a little strip mall which is kind of random.
I feel like a place that is this good deserves a great location, but then again maybe a place this good is better left hidden next to Baskin Robbins on Sunset. -
Review from Zach C.
Los Angeles, CA
9/15/2011
OMG I can not tell you how much I love this place. One thing I love more than a big fat burrito (ya, let the puns roll!) is probably women...wait! It is women!
Located on sunset, it shares a lot with baskin robbins, subway, and dominos. Small parking lot, but you can find nearby parking on the street or in the neighborhood when it's really crowded.
The place is very understaffed but the servers and waitresses are very friendly, even when 50 hungry patrons are breathing down their backs! That's why I order mine in advance and take it to-go! Ha, smart one here! I recommend you to do the same.
I really wish they had a liquor license, they do not serve cervecas or liquor, but they do have some mean fruit drinks, try them, they're good
As for burritos: Alexis, Edgar, and Burrito de Pollo are all very good and highly recommended. Also eaten the Carnitas plate but wasn't too enthused about it. The Enchiladas de Mole are pretty darn good, mole is a bit on the sweet side.
I love this place, real close to home, everyone is real warm here, just take your food to go and don't risk waiting around and complain on Yelp about how poor the service is. It's a mom and pops restaurant trying to do their best!!! -
Review from Sam S.
Los Angeles, CA
10/8/2011
The environment was friendly. The waitress was new. We came in and right away asked for a coffee and water. I guess you have to ask for two waters if there are two people cause she only brought one water. To start off they gave us pico de gallo. It was pretty bad. The chunks were huge and it lacked salt, lime and cilantro. We ordered guacamole and it too was lacking in flavor. My girlfriend mixed the pico wth guac, asked for extra limes and added salt and totally transformed the dish making it enjoyable.
I ordered the chilaquiles with eggs, she ordered the shrimp ceviche. Both of us, again disappointed. My meal was too dry, I had to ask for more green salsa on the side to smother over it. Again, it lacked flavor.
Her ceviche was spread out on a plate. Now, if you like ceviche, you know it needs to come more chopped finely and usually served in a bowl or glass to contain all the flavors with the lime. This plate was spread out and again, everything was chunky, it felt like a DIY type dish.
I was told this place was amazing, I tried it out for myself and it certainly wasn't. The menu looks great, they seem to have an idea of what they are trying to do, they are just falling behind on their delivery. I hope they can really pull it off cause the place, the menu, the vibe certainly has potential. Than again, reading other reviews, seems like they used to have something good going on and have been falling off.
Good luck Alegria, and thanks again for trying. -
Review from Matt R.
1/31/2012
We stumbled upon this place when a friend and I were sent to get food for a few people. The prices were a bit more than we were willing to spend but the food was decent and the lady that took our order was super nice. I had the fish tacos and they were amazing. The fish tastes fresh and is seasoned very well. It comes with a side of rice of beans, both of which are really good.
-
Review from Gloria L.
Los Angeles, CA
12/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
I am saddened to give them a bad review because I have been a loyal customer for the past 5 years if not longer, because I really love the Alexis burrito but this last time I went, I specifically said easy on the beans and this is because they are usually hard I don't like hard beans. Maybe I should have just stopped going a long time ago. I guess I didn't learn.
I also always got an agua fresca but again yesterday when I went it was not agua fresca it was more of a" raspado", shaved ice. I ordered watermelon, it should've been red, as watermelon is red, right? No it was a light shade of pink! It did not taste like watermelon at all! Just ice!
My BF had a carne asada qusadilla. Meat was so hard not even worth eating. He a ordered a strawberry agua and also got a raspado and his was worst just ice and specks of strawberry freckles. I think they only used 1 strawberry.
They usually serve chips and salsa but the tomatoes used were green and therefore had no flavor.
Furthermore, their prices are ridiculous! $9 for a quesadilla! $8 for 2 potatoe tacos!
$11 for the burrito, $3 for shaved ice water with no refill.
Also, I used to like their bread pudding which although it was pricey $6 i bought it a couple of times but the last time I had it it was just wet bread no chocolate no flavor.o
Many people rave about this place as excellent Mexican food but being Mexican myself, it's not real Mexican food, its more of a fusion. If you want real Mexican food go to East L.A. or on Sunset a few blocks down from Alegria, Tacos Delta cheaper too. -
Review from Jen B.
Los Angeles, CA
12/21/2011
The concept is good - fresh mexican, BYOT (tequila for the agua fresca), but honestly I will NEVER, EVER go back. The owner is so self-consumed and delusional, thinking she can serve us things that are missing key ingredients and try to play it off. The kicker was when she had to confess that they were out of avocados...HELLO it's a mexican restaurant and all of our dishes included guac. To add insult to injury, we had waited 40 minutes for her to come take our order. Then when the order arrived 90 minutes after sitting down, it was still missing things that she acted like was no big deal (no, I am sorry, a salad with just carrots doesn't really cut it when there are 4 other things listed.)
-
Review from Katie g.
Los Angeles, CA
1/8/2012
huevos rancheros
dobladitas de mole
chips & delicious salsa with mexican oregano
basil mint lemonade
also very nice enchiladas veracruzanas
pepsi in big plastic glass with small ice cubes
alegria suffers for its service-
part of why more and more people seem to be stopping by for take-out
a wonderful place to go for a conversational meal,
service is more frustrating if you are not expecting to sit awhile.
was wonderful when you could byo (no longer)
*will eat here again
*would enjoy the same dishes -
Review from Stephanie P.
Los Angeles, CA
10/24/2011
I took a couple of friends here, at the referral of a friend of a friend. I was so very pleasantly surprised how good the food was. I have since taken more friends here and so far all have requesting we go back, which we will, eventually. I like to try new places before going back to the first.
The only downside is the size of the place. Too many people too small of a location. Also, be forewarned, they are dry. -
Review from Nick K.
Los Angeles, CA
4/18/2011
Many reviews will tell you things about the decor, the delicious guac and the carnitas that is second-to-none.
But how many reviewers will take it to the next step? How well does the steak burrito reheat the next day, in a standard house kitchen that smells like a dog?
I just so happen to have a kitchen that smells like a dog, so I took up the mantle and got to the heart of the matter. It's a decent-sized burrito, and it contains green beans of all things. Even the day after, and after surviving 1100 watts of atomic microwave fury, the steak was juicy and flavorful and the cheese delightfully tangy.
So yes, the burrito can be reheated, and it will make your kitchen smell less like dog and more like delicious.
Also, the restaurant does accept cards. -
Review from Joice O.
Los Angeles, CA
9/6/2011
Service was kind of bland and slow, so was the food. Overpriced for the quality and presentation.
We had the roasted pork and a chicken burrito. Pork was ok, kind of dry, again nothing special. By the way, why would you put something on the menu when the restaurant next door (literally) has a very similar dish, cheaper and 100 times better. Maybe it was a bad day or something.
I don't think I'll be coming back though. -
Review from Le T.
3/4/2011
Whenever I come into LA, this is the spot I crave. Enchiladas Veracruzanas is my favorite dish...sauteed fish, and the warm roasted tomato salsa ties it all up. Service is always friendly....Yum!
Recommend if...
A) You have taste buds.
B) You enjoy fresh ingredients...all of the veggies they use taste like they were picked from the back kitchen.
C) It's over 100 degrees...an ice cold basil-lemonade will satisfy you! -
Review from Christina S.
Costa Mesa, CA
Updated - 10/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Been a while since Ive been here. We came here simply to have the fresh juices that they have here.. Spearmint, Basil lemonade is AH-mazing. Now, I typically have a rule of thumb that I don't order chilaquiles from restaurants. They are never exactly to my taste. But, I really like the chilaquiles here. Slightly different than how I would make them which is mixing the egg into my tortilla chips almost like a Mexicans version of a Shepherd's Pie.. Anyhoo, the salsa on the chilaquiles was amazing. I def. recommend the chilaquiles!
Listed in: i don't do fast food..., On the quest for Mexican stuff
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
11/12/2008
I remember the first time I came here my friend was talking this place up on just how good and… Read more »
-
-
Review from lorin r.
West Hollywood, CA
2/4/2012
Not the best. My friend raved about this place. You were supposed to be able to bring beer or wine in although they don't have a liquor license and the food was supposed to be very good. None of the above. Right after we sat down and finally when a server came to our table she informed us that since they had an inspector come in, they couldn't allow customers to bring in alcohol any longer. That was a real let down. The server left us and didn't return for some time. We almost left then she came back and asked if we were going to stay. We said yes, placed our order and here we go. It took quite some time to get our chips and salsa. Watching the team around the restaurant, we realized everything was very haphazard and unorganized. Their were three of us and only I had a knife and fork and we weren't offered more silver until our entrees came, but then my friend still didn't get a knife. Their chips and salsa are chips and pico de gallo very coursley chopped and hard to get on chips. The guacamole was bland and had an odd flavor like it had been in the fridge for quite some time. The chimichanga was not crisp, it was soft and soggy. It had hardly any red sauce on top and was predominantly rice(white and tasteless-not spanish rice) and rather dry chicken. Very little cheese and sauce. I asked for more sauce that we were charged for and I realized that it was not that rich luscious ranchera sauce one would expect. It was very light and bland so it was basically useless. My fiance got that as well and he had the same problem. My friend ordered the smoked salmon quesadilla and found a hair in it. After overlooking that and finishing, we were offered a free dessert, and chose the bread pudding which was supposed to be 3 kinds of cream and chocolate chips and pecans. I really thought this would be good. I was rooting for it. It was bland and hardly sweet. It just seemed to be one misstep after another and I'm still hungry. Although we were told we couldn't consume our beer, we could have gotten over that if only the food was good. Alas that was not to be. Adios Alegria y no quiero regresar!
-
Review from Michael L.
Los Altos, CA
12/19/2011
This place is all right. The server was nice, the entree was high-quality, and the decor was cool, but I came here expecting a 4-star restaurant, and this only a 3-star. The chips were sort of stale and came a little late; they didn't come with any salsa. The enchiladas were not hot, and the mealmate's burrito was not more than the sum of its parts.
-
Review from lisa u.
Los Angeles, CA
7/3/2011
A friend told me about this place and said it was amazing Mexican and I just had to try it.....
I think it's pretty good, defiantly not worth the drive or hype in my opinion. I had the shrimp tacos and they were tasty, my dad had chicken taco's were OK too.....the service was THE WORST.
the guacamole was nothing special as well as the salsa...was really hoping for something better....I have to say places like this are on every corner in Chicago and usually get slammed at 3am
I'll keep looking for excellent Mexican food -
Review from Stef B.
Los Angeles, CA
5/25/2011
This place has decent food. Nothing special, nothing terrible.
The highlight is that I can eat Mexican food in a small (maybe even a little bit cramped) place without having to wait in line at a taco stand as buses zoom by, or sit in a room filled with guys who work at a car-rental place drinking margaritas and "ironically" enjoying annoying Mariachis. -
Review from Doug D.
Los Angeles, CA
1/1/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Have I really never reviewed Alegria???
The Posole Verde is a favorite of our fam.
The Carnitas are outstanding
...but the Budin Alegria is our favorite.
People quote as family style but I think of it as "Clean Cali-style healthyish awesomeness" That may sound strange but you dont leave fealling sluggish and weighed down. You leave feeling happy!
Thanks Alegria!Listed in: Top Restaurants
-
Review from Sandy R.
Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 2/3/2011
No more BYOB!!!!!!!!!!
Oh the outrage! Still rocking food, but looks like ABC shut em' down on the BYOB.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
8/6/2007
Yum-tastic! One of the best (and most original) veggie burritos that
I have ever had the pleasure of… Read more »
-
-
Review from Jeffrey A.
Los Angeles, CA
8/24/2011
Got here at 9:30 pm and they told me they were closed even though the sign said 10 pm and people were eating. Apparently they are open until 10 pm but just decided this one evening to close early.
-
Review from Gabriela G.
Los Angeles, CA
9/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
I am so sad to have to write this review, especially because this used to be one of my all time favorite spots in silverlake for mexican-american fare. Sadly the quality of this place has deteriorated dramatically since the last time i was here over a year ago.
BEFORE:
the restaurant was always packed no matter what time of day you went, the decor was more quaint and warm, the food tasted fresh and homemade. One of the highlights used to be the chips and salsa they brought out to your table while you ordered. The salsa was very flavorful, tangy and fresh with a mildly spicy kick at the very end.
NOW:
the restaurant was empty at 1:30pm which is odd since its prime lunch hour. We were offered chips and guacamole to start (which they charge for) and i had to ask for the chips and salsa instead of having them immediately brought to our table. The salsa could barely be called a salsa. the tomatoes and onions were not chopped thinly and small bur rather rough and large. your chip would break trying to get your salsa on it, and you could only fit one piece of tomato or one onion because the pieces were so large. I had to add hot sauce and salt to the salsa because it tasted of nothing. the vegetables were mushy and flavorless. the chips were store bought vs. fresh. I recommended my friend order the fish tacos because last time i had ordered them i remembered them being delicious.
And I was craving their famous tortilla soup so i ordered that for myself. My soup was chicken broth with a mountain of melted cheese and whole tortilla chips. It was as if a bad nacho plate fell into chicken broth and the waitress brought it out to us. There was a side of rice to pour into the soup as well as less than a spoonful of soggy tomatoes, no cilantro herbs nor a lime to squeeze into the soup. It tasted absolutely disgusting and i had a really hard time trying to separate out some of the mountain of melted cheese so that i could taste any consistency at all. I thought to try my friend's tacos to see if they were as delicious as i remembered them. The fish was bland, no sauteed flavor, no delicately chopped onions, and the limes on the side to squeeze on the fish were dry and had no juice coming out of them, the tortillas the fish were on were not homemade and the black beans on the side were unseasoned and had been microwaved prior to being put on her plate. I had a taste and felt bad for having recommended this dish and restaurant to my friend.
There is nothing special about Alegria at this point, the only thing that remains the same is the expensive prices to eat here, and that now they accept credit card (this place used to be cash only). I had written a review a while back raving about the quality of this place, but will now be taking that review down since i dont want to be misleading.
So many wonderful restaurants in the area that this one has fallen behind and now comes up short of everything that is tasty! sorry alegria but you do not bring alegria into my life or onto my plate anymore!
The only upside is the iced cinnamon tea which is refreshing and delicious and the guacamole was ok (not great, but ok).
Parking is abundant outside the restaurant, and now more so than ever since it's totally empty of customers! -
Review from Liz R.
Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA
10/18/2010
I have only tried one dish here, so the 5-star rating is based on that and that alone.
The carnitas....... OH. EM. GEE..... 'Nuff said.
It melts in your mouth...literally. I am not a huge fan of carnitas, but I tried a bite of my mom's once(after listening to her moaning at every bite..which was pretty disturbing, so I had to put an end to th madness...... and see for myself.). Buy, am I glad I did. It was to die for. SO moist. So tender. SO perfeect. -
Review from J G.
Los Angeles, CA
11/10/2011
To start out with, service was excellent. The waitress was above and beyond friendly and attentive. As for the food, Alegria was good but not great. I am a recent transplant from NY and everyone talks up the LA mexican food but so far I haven't been that impressed. I had the fish tacos, which won some best of award, and they were good, but nothing blew my mind. The guac was great, as were the cool blended fruit/water slush drinks. Bummer that they don't have a liquor license but I got impression you can bring in booze in a plastic cup so long as its not flagrant. I would go back but I won't be rushing.
-
Review from Sabrina B.
Los Angeles, CA
2/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
This unassuming Mexican restaurant in a strip mall serves up fresh and flavorful dishes at moderate prices. Cinnamon tea is a must as is the guacamole - simple but tasty!
Easy lot parking but can get crowded. -
Review from Meghan R.
12/17/2010 1 Check-in Here
The food was great, all ingredients were really fresh. I had the tacos doratos - one chicken and one potato. I actually preferred the chicken which is rare for me. Could have used a little more spice or flavor in the potato one.
I had a sip of my friend's kiwi blended drink and it was SO tasty. Will get that next time for sure.
Service is a tad slow and what a bummer I can't buy a beer with my tacos (hence the removal of a star) -
Review from Stephy S.
San Francisco, CA
6/12/2006
I seriously can't say I've ever had a bad meal here. It's cozy (13 tables tops), cute (Mexican arts n crafty decor) and very fresh (as in you can actually see real vegetables used as opposed to the normal mish mosh of ingredients that guarantees food coma status within 10 seconds of putting your fork down.) The specials are usually amazing and the flat iron steak dish is superb. I mean, hello grilled meat and grilled cheese. Done and DUN!
It's BYOB, cash only and there is usually a wait, but if you want some the best Mexican grub in town, this is the place to go...even if it is in a mini mall ;) -
Review from Lolo M.
Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 3/2/2009
Strike Four: closed on Sundays.
Hungry don't take a break.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/29/2009
The food is really, really good. Especially the fresh squeezed juices. I gave it three stars, each… Read more »
-
-
Review from Maria O.
10/16/2009
Had heard so many good things about Alegria, my sis and I finallly had to try it. I had the fish tacos, these were good but a tad salty, however the rice and black beans on the side were sooo good! My sister ordered the Jason Burrito which had veggies, black beans, chicken and beef. It was everything in life that she loves, and it was HUGE. I saw her eyes get as wide as the burrito before her, mocking her, saying c'mon and try little girl. The burrito totally kicked her ass, but she put in a good fight, she got like halfway through it after a plate of chips and pico de gallo and their homemade honeydew melon juice. But my sister's no quitter so she took it home only to have the other half of the burrito be spirited away by my mom, who blamed my brother bc she didn't want to admit anyone can make better burritos than her.
We also had a completely decadent dessert that I think Imust now go perform an act of contrition for: The chocolate chimichanga. That's right/ You heard me. The Chocolate Chimichanga. It's a tortilla wrapped almond hershey bar dressed with fresh whipped cream and raspberry sauce, Curse the sadist that dreampt this up. It was bomb. all in all meal for 2 with dessert came up to $40 with tip. Service is fast frendly and the shouts of "GOOOOOL" from the kitchen staff alone were worth it!
