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Mon. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Tue-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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A Tequila lover's PARADISE!
Saturday night before a gathering at The Griffin, a small crowd decided to hit up Malo's for their renowned margaritas and tacos. I went in the wrong door and ended up at the bar. This was a fortunate mistake, and a classic example of my good luck while on a new adventure. My friends, who are regulars here, were next door at the restaurant waiting a ridiculous 45minutes to be seated. I had seated myself, and they joined me.
Within a few minutes... Chips with Pico de Gallo and house margaritas were on their way. A promising start to our night. The margarita was good, and strong. One of these for even my liver is just right with dinner.
While sitting there, I saw the display of at least 50 tequilas... Normally, Vodka is my drink of choice. However, I started to dream of taste-testing several of these rare tequila choices, a cab ride to a nearby friend's home, and crashing on a comfy couch; but alas, this was not our last stop, and I had to drive. (Some other time, I will check this fantasy off my bucket list).
So, I stuck with my one margarita, and we all ordered the 3 Carne Asada soft tacos - under $7. These puppies were yummy enough to give classic LA taco trucks a run for their money.
I CANNOT resist good plantains, and their menu boasted of deep fried plantains battered with coconut and served with creme and citrus salsa. With no hesitation, these were a must-try. They didn't disappoint. One bite of these babies and you are hooooooooked!!!!! Sweet, soft and tender inside, and the fried batter makes them finger foods (easy to share without a fork). The salsa was HAWT, but I like some fire in my salsa... Um... In fact, a little fire in a lot of things is a good, in general. :)
All this, plus tax and tip, and I was out the door for around $25? Excellent start to my night.
This place is SO GOOD! I am vegetarian and tried their veggie beef taco w/ pickles (BTW I HATE PICKLES) and I loved EVERY bite of it! I have no idea how they can transform me into a pickle lover but they did it! We also had the yucca fries w/ Chipotle dip YUM!! Scored A+ in my book.
Only downfall is they are always SUPER busy so make a reservation!
Happy Hour Review
Seems like our waitress at Malo take took the restaurant's name a little too literally with her bad behavior, which was unfortunate since the space is cool (bar on one side, restaurant on the other), the drinks and food are good and cheap, and the crowd is an interesting slice of hip and/or tattooed lesbian LA mixed with a few average Joe's. And apparently, Malo offers one of the top tequila tasting rooms in the area.
A little novella of our experience: Upon entrance, a restaurant hostess told us the restaurant wasn't open yet, but that we could have a drink and a bite at the bar. However, the hostess did not give us the scoop on ordering happy hour selections, which could have used a little explaining.
We ordered a pair of $5 margaritas and chips and guacamole at the bar. Served the drinks right there and then by Bartender #1, we then moved to a newly vacated table and waited for the chips. Drinks were strong and tasty. Ten minutes later, we still didn't have our chips, but it appeared someone else, who was standing near where we had been, did.
As Bartender #1 was nowhere to be found, I asked the waitress when we might expect the chips and received a lecture about needing to stay at the bar when you order at the bar. Apparently the other J & I were seated in her section, where serving was "how I make my money." I offered to move, she declined huffily. This homegirl doesn't play, so the other J and I moved ourselves to the bar so Malo Waitress could make her money.
By this time, the chips had made their second appearance, but were delivered to a table of guys adjacent to where we had been sitting pre-lecture. Hungry-crabby by this time, I sarcastically told the guys to enjoy the chips - apparently bitchy conditions were catching!
A new Bartender #2 seemed frustrated by the happenings; no doubt she'd seen numerous appetizers enjoyed by the wrong parties. She very kindly provided a second margarita on the house, which other J & I happily shared while grubbing on the finally delivered chips and guacamole. Third time's a charm. I also enjoyed the delish ground-beef and pickles taco, which was needed to soak up some of second margarita (hey, it was our second bar of the day!).
Moral of the story: We completely understand if you're supposed to sit down and order from a waitress so she can earn her tips, we just ask the procedure be explained/streamlined/etc. Especially to us confused newbies; they should be able to tell who we are - we'll be the ones eating someone else's chips by mistake.
Malo was one of my first friends in Los Angeles, and a good friend at that. Up until the recent renovation, Malo was paradoxically very bueno. Now I am left with a difficult task: learning how to embrace Malo as two separate entities, where one was once sufficient, and preferred.
Allow me to begin with "Pre-Op Malo" which can still be encountered when dining on the patio:
-Not everything is mind-blowing but the good items are consistent.
MUSTS:
-The chewy chips and habanero salsa
-The pickle and beef and potato tacos
-The Chilaquiles Brunch
-The Mojitos
BUSTS:
-The service is slow and often comes off as being a bit "high"
-Drinks are pretty expensive and small
And now "Post-Op" Malo, which can be encountered in the bar and in the new upstairs area:
MUSTS:
-Smokey Mezcals
-Comic relief - lots of drunk old chicks and skanky Hollywood spillover
BUSTS:
-New swarm of douchey clientele
-Crowded bar
-Bitchy Bartender (please note this is SINGULAR, they aren't all bad)
Go to Malo during the day and order safe. You will not be disappointed.
Malo is just mediocre Mexican food with a "gourmet" skew sold at high prices.
Appetizers: Chewy chips are just par-fried tortilla strips. They were very oily and, while perfectly salted, I wasn't fond of chewing on oil-soaked tortillas without any crunch. The habanero salsa with creme was delicious: spicy and creamy at the same time. The guacamole was definitely not anything special - it wasn't spicy or citrusy and didn't even taste like avocado.
Hard tacos:
Lobster: Fresh and rich. I wish there were lime/lemon for brightness.
Shrimp: Buttery and rich. Again, I wish there were a hint of citrus.
Ground beef with pickles: Kinda like a hamburger in a tortilla. The beef was really oily and greasy...I had oil dripping down my hand...but the pickles added an interesting flavor to the taco.
Dessert: Mexican chocolate chili-infused ice cream sandwiches. Pretty good balance of chili and chocolate, but I've had better chili chocolate dishes.
My bill came to $50 for the above meal, not including tip. The service was sub-par. The place is super noisy! I couldn't even hear my friend talking without her having to speak loudly and lean closer. There is valet parking for $4, not including tip, unless you find a spot on the street. I would not come back.
The first time I went to Malo, I was there for a wrap party. I remember thinking to myself that the food was alright. Nothing amazing, but good. Last night, I went back with a group of friends.
$40 for a pitcher of margaritas. If you are going to drink, stick with beer. They are $5. Chips and salsa will run you $4 for each different type of salsa you want to dip your chips in. The most expensive thing on the menu is $12, but it is also tiny. I ordered the Shrimp "Diablo". While it was very tasty and very spicy, I only received 8 shrimp on the smallest skillet I have ever seen.
Perhaps I am spoiled from all the other mexican restaurants I've been to, but they usually cram a bunch of food on one plate. I guess this is a hip, fancy LA Mexican restaurant. I'm not going back.
In Spanish, Malo means bad.
It pains me to say this but my experience at Malo was just that.
I went to Malo on a Friday night for my birthday. It was early, like 6pm, and I was with one other person. To repeat, it was a party of TWO.
There was plenty of seating and I had heard good things from some coworkers so I was pretty psyched.
Ok we get seated and we are just enjoying the cool interiors, the low black and red lighting... etc. I was catching up with a friend hadn't seen in a while so I didn't mind that a waitress hadn't come to our table yet.
However, close to 10 mins goes by and another party of 4 gets seated right near us. About 2 minutes later, a waitress appears at their table and within moments they have drinks and chips and here I am with a lousy glass of water courtesy of the busboy.
I am a little upset, hungry and majorly in need of a drink so I flag down the nearest waitress. When I point out that no one has come to our table yet while the other table has been served, she snottily replies "Well I mean, she (points to other waitress who is sitting down at another table, chatting!) is supposed to be your waitress but, I mean, I could help you."
Oh gee, thanks for doing me that favor.
The poor service set this place off on a bad foot. I would have given this place one star but the food was pretty tasty albeit overpriced.The margarita was yummy and so was the chicken mole but overall I think you pay for the atmosphere and trendiness.
It's a shame that there food was actually pretty good and I hear they have some good specials but I will not be returning to Malo.... no bueno.
I don't know what happened! This used to be one of my favorite places for happy hour. Happy hour at Malo is anything but happy. Good luck getting the bartenders to pay attention to you, even on a slow night. I was waiting at the bar to place an order while two bartenders just chatted and chatted and ignored me. I said, "Excuse me" at least 3 times to get their attention. Then when I asked for a drink, I got a cold nod and super slow, unfriendly service. I get it... I've worked in restaurants and I know it can be a grind but there was no one there and I was being nice. I over tip, for God's sake! I also had to watch the bartender do shots while I waited for a cocktail. Good times. If I didn't love the chips and Burnt Habanero sauce so much I wouldn't have been there! From now on, I'm going to El Chavo. They're nice there and they have better margaritas.
There used to be a bartender named Dana there and she was GREAT. Always fun and never was a jerk, even if the place was slammed. The last three times I've been there it's been dead. No wonder. The staff hates the customers.
Also, some friends of mine also had dinner there recently and said, "The waitress hated us from the second we sat down. Awful."
I was at Malo two times in as many nights this week, and I have to say: they did a darned good job both nights. Sunday night I went in with TB, early, to try to coax the sweet and firm manager to let me have a private party of 30 people then next night (Taco Monday) in the upstairs room. She said that if I could get 20 people there at 7, when my party was to start, she'd do it for me, though Malo doesn't take reservations on Mondays (they DO every other night). Unfortunately, getting 20 of my friends to my parties on time is impossible, and in their defense, a lot of them actually work, and drove east just to see me off to Peru. TB and I shared the shrimp ... um ... something Oaxaca, in a red sauce, with corn tortillas from their regular menu, and a couple tequilas (reposados that Malo suggests) and a couple beers. We had the habañero salsa, which was quite hot, and which I enjoyed.
The next night, Taco Monday, was the night of my going-away party. Arriving at 7 was something of a mistake. I should have had the party earlier or on another day, because while my friend S and I got a table in the bar, we had to wrestle for more space as more friends piled in. It sucked. Other friends, some of them Yelpers, had the bright idea of getting a table in the adjacent room, and how they did this, I'll never know. First, there was a line out the door; and second, I was so busy trying to accommodate everyone and everything, I hardly saw where the hell they ended up.
When I finally found them, I was happy. However, I spent the rest of the night running back and forth as friends came and went, came and went, bringing me used fiction in English as I had requested, for my three-month research voyage in Peru. I think I drank a nice shot of tequila, a beer, and then another nice shot. S bought me tacos, and I didn't like the hamburger pickle thing everyone talks about, but the potato ones are really good. Greasy, but good, and they came out in a reasonable manner and the order was correct.
I'm impressed with the service, especially the guy who waited on T and I on Sunday, and the harried but WONDERFULLY competent servers on Monday. They were slammed for hours and they got all the checks right, the drinks were perfect, and the tacos and other foods arrived in time. I mean, this place gets SO busy, I cannot believe I had a party of a total of 30 people coming in and out and nothing got screwed up.
Reminds me of home - San Francisco - the vibe here is hip and relaxed. Very mixed crowd which is great - gay, straight, youngish, oldish. Delicious margaritas, potato cheddar tacos, eggplant tacos and more. Monday night's dollar taco night and you also get a break on cocktails. It gets super packed though so get there early. It's also great to rent the upstairs section for private parties (I've done this twice).
One drawback for me is that it often gets too noisy but I guess that's part of the charm (or lack of it at times).
The first time I lost my virginity, I wanted to wait for the right guy... Until I got stoned and that went out the window.
However, this time I'm getting it right. My first yelp review and it HAD TO BE MALO!
And in many ways, Malo is like a teenage lover - really good looking, a little rebellious, and let's not forget, Mexican. Although the food might not be mind-blowing at first (a little fumbly perhaps?) you'll find yourself craving it more and more until you're desperate to get married and make Malo babies*.
As a vegetarian, my favorite is the potato cheddar tacos, and of course the chewy chips are worth the visit alone. My husband and I are here at least once a week so if you go, look for the tequila happy couple playing footsie in the corner.
*One should always use protection until you are ready to procreate. So, please use condiments - I recommend the salsa flight.
I would expect this place to have a higher rating than 3.5 stars. Although I have not been in over a year (because I don't live in the area anymore), I used to really enjoy coming here.
First off, the atmosphere is part Hollywood cool, part Silverlake hipster. You'll find all sorts of people mingling here. It's low lit, as if playing hard to get with your sense.
The bar area is small, but has a few tables and a good digital jukebox. If you're drinking, the reason to come here is the tequila. Certainly I have been to places with a larger tequila selection, but not anywhere nearby Malo. You'd have to search to find a comparable tequila bar/restaurant in the area.
If you are eating, you definitely need to the order the chips - both kinds, wet and dry. I know what you're thinking: wet chips? Gross. Yes, that was my initial reaction too. But wet does not mean soggy. These aren't chips taken from the bottom of the bowl at your 6th grade pool party after 20 kids have stuck their wet, dripping hands into them. These are carefully crafted, freshly cooked and prepared chips with enticing salsa. The wet chips are soft and slightly chewy. They're not what you expect in a chip at all, and that's what makes them so good. Get the regular chips as well for a nice contrast.
I can't remember specific entrees that I've gotten but I know my friend raves about the al pastor tacos, and I agree that they are really good. Basically, you can't go wrong with any meal choice. Even if it's sub par, just suck down another tequila shot and it won't make a difference (but I highly doubt you'll find food here that requires that sort of treatment).
At first look you will think it's a trendy Tequila bar, which it is, but the food is actually really good, especially in LA where it is difficult to find good Mexican food. Most people tell you they know a good Mexican place and then it turns out they are from New England and don't know good Mexican from a hole in their shoe.
Try:
Tacos Al Pastor
Beef and Pickle Tacos
Corn on the Cob
Fresh Beans
Chile Rellenos
Their three or four house salsas are not great so don't take that to be indicative of these other dishes. Also Margarita's are okay, but a bit too acidic, try Cuba Libre for good margs.
Brunch at Malo!
Desaymuerzo? I've been to Malo plenty of times for dinner and drinks, but it's their brunch that finally got me yelping.
I was told about the newish weekend brunch hours and immediately thought of their chewy, homemade, fresh tortilla chips made into chilaquiles. It made sense that the best chips in LA would make for the best "bfast nachos"! Needless to say, Malo did not disappoint.
My perfectly seasoned chilaquiles were made with red salsa and topped with sour cream and fresh chopped avocado. The chips were a good mix of crisp and chewy... either way they were loaded with flavor. I also got to try the bacon cheddar pancakes... which I didn't expect to be so fluffy (under the cooked-in top layer of bacon pieces and shreddar...) but they totally were... fluffy and tasty, especially with the cinnamony syrup. The brewed coffee was good, but the dulce de leche cappuccino is really the way to go... rich, frothy and just sweet enough to satisfy. As if that weren't enough, I also had a generous side of bacon and the Malo potatoes...
I was there on a Sunday morning, arrived sometime after 11am, was seated right away and the service was great. I'll definitely be back to try the papadzules and pozole!
Soy Chorizo Tacos and great Margaritas, it was love at first bite and sip. When I was first invited to Malo I was hesitant because I'm trying to get off the meat train and Mexican food is not traditionally known for being vegetarian friendly, however I was in for quite a treat. They had a plethora of veggie options, and it was a Monday so there was some special happy hour dollar menu situation going on and I think I only spent about 15 bucks including drink.
Malo es muy bueno!
I know I know I know, Malo on Mondays is THE place to be seen (bc its soo scene) in Silverlake. I get it, its hip. The interior design is cute, the lighting is dim, its packed, there's hot chicks and hot dudes all around....
These are all things that I am aware of, but let's shoot it straight here people, my experience this past Monday was pretty...well they said it, malo (it means, eh...not so good, poor, kinda bad).
While I appreciate a $1 taco, I'm not going to kiss anyone's feet over it. Especially that sassy server that we got stuck with. She wasn't helpful, practically ripped the menu out of my hand when I was opening my mouth to order, only to let me know that the menus were wrong and they are redoing them and they are really low on the ones that are correct and then she disappeared about 20 minutes. Finally we ordered, I got a potato taco and a soyrizo taco.
As I dug into my tacos, the potato was great, but the soyrizo taco was cold. It was COLD. OK...so I got sassed by the waitress, had to wait, did I mention I had to pay $4 for salsa...and then...I get cold tacos. Sorry Silverlake scene, Malo is definitely not my favorite whether my bill is $5 or $15.
FYI, you will get gear checked at Malo. If I ever go back, I'm definitely going to wear something completely obnoxious just because.
Two stars. Dear Waitress, why the hell are you so mean? It's not funny like the grumpy bartender at Cosmos. You are flat out pissed at nothing. You take away the drink menus but then we don't know what we want to order. If we ask what beers are available you are a real bitch about telling us. You make a mean face and say "you can only have the hard shelled tacos right now, the kitchen is going to close". Wipe that mean look off your face and show some decorum! If you don't like your job go do something else!
The drinks are over priced but good enough. Tacos are wonderful, but that might be the alcohol speaking up. Won't be returning. I don't care how close you are to my house. I did like the people on the way home, standing in front of Akbar. One girl said, "I like your purple hair- whoever you are". I said I was Coraline and she said, "cool Laraline!" And then these other guys saw my crutch and said, "Run Forrest, Run!" I like all of these individuals much better than the waitress. $43 dollars good for nothing! Muy mal! Pay lots of money & get treated like crap.
1 Tequila 2 Tequila 3 Tequila FLOOR! They have all the best tequilas and they certainly know how to use them! The Margaritas are so good and the pickled tacos are to die for!
If you are looking for a stiff drink and yummy tacos, with an electric vibe, Malo is the place!!!!!
THe Casa Noble Organic Margarita is the best!!!!!
I'm feeling a bit torn about this place... I want to give 4 stars because it is a non-chain restaurant, and they have some unique offerings in terms of mexican food or mexican inspired food to be correct.
3.5 stars but rounded down because for the type of food served, and the price they charge, you should really get more (unless they are using organic ingredients or something extraordinary). However, for 20 bucks per person without a drink and no dessert it is not a deal when all you had were tacos, chips and a couple sides to share.
I did enjoy their soy version of the pickle beef taco (reminded me of a fancy Jack in the Box taco with a little tang from the pickle). That was about 7 bucks though!
I wasn't really impressed with the eggplant/potato taquito because it was kinda bland and tasted predominantly like potato. The texture and everything else was good, but the flavor just wasn't there (for 5.50 for just two, not worth it in my book).
We also ordered the flight of chips and salsa which were good (liked the fresh taste and thickness of the tortilla chips) but the salsa, while tasting good, did not have the flavor I would warrant an extra charge for. The one I liked best was the habanero cream one, but I have had better versions of that also. (if you visit San Jose, try La Victoria's orange salsa from the bottle! Squirt that stuff all over your food and you are good to go. OMG, that stuff is addictive! You will just want your tongue to take a bath in it.... yes, that kinky AND good!)
Lastly, we ordered the bananas with cream and garlic chips, as well as the fried plantains. Both were just average. The bananas with cream and garlic may have been better with some black beans a la Cuban style but it wasn't something I would HAVE to order again.
I think I would enjoy the discounted taco night or brunch a bit more. The staff and seating were nice though, but kinda loud due to the acoustics and busy nature of the location.
$1 tacos. nuff said. (monday nights)
I actually wish i could get away with just saying that, but i can't. I am such a huge fan of White people Mexican food, but damn their tacos aren't great at all. They do serve a great salsa and they food isn't terrible, but i did some investigation and found that their tacos are regularly about six bucks?? WTF? All and all i would go there for a drink and if i felt like i needed to talk shit about hipster they have plenty to choose from, but other than that i much rather eat at hugo's or taco bell.
oh man i almost forgot... the hostess from this past monday night was the worst!! It was so discouraging, she didn't have the slightest clue about what was going on AT ALL. There was a table for six and four open for 25 minutes before they sat anyone. Dang. I almost forgot to mention that and almost gave them 3 stars.
Avoid Monday night like the plague! Couple of the bartenders were EXTREMELY SURLY!! I've waited in line for soup with the soup nazi (yes he was a dick) but at least he was efficient. The women who "helped" me were rude AND slow. I'm guessing they hate working a "specials" night but it's messed up that they so readily show their lamme attitude.
The worst part is that I like this place fir the good and drinks but after several times of getting rudely blown off, I might be over this place altogether
try the mexican chocolate ice cream sandwich for dessert! So good. spicy, creamy, chocolaty, nutmeg-y, addicting deliciousness. mexican chocolate ice cream, that is.
Excellent food and all-natural, homemade margaritas! The chewy chips aren't the healthiest, but are fantastic and so are the salsas. I also recommend the soy mini-tacos with pickles -- sounds gross, but taste delicious. Fun fact -- there is a tribute wall to songwriter, Elliot Smith outside.
I have mixed feelings about Malo. First two times I came here were 4 star experiences, but at least 2 of those stars were due to my company. Since I no longer talk to one of those stars, here we land with a solid 3. Margs are good but really pricey. The habanero salsa is the best thing on the menu, and probably the only reason I would ever come back here, think: smokey, creamy, kinky. Trendy with a capital H. Monday or Tuesday is dollar taco night. They take your dollar menu away after you order with the hopes that you'll forget it's dollar taco night by the time you finish your first drink or that you will be too embarrassed to ask for it back. Scandalous. On the East Side, its one of the shmancier places to fine dine on Mexican. Never had a problem with service, but maybe I was just lucky or too handsome to be rude to. Worth checking out.
You kinda have to know what you're getting yourself into here... Its a great place to go if you had a rough day at work and you want to blow off steam. Great margies, kinda loud, mediocre service... but its pretty much worth it! Ground beef and pickle tacos are yummy, guacamole and chewy chips are delicious and the corn on the cob is amazzzzing! Expect to wait for a table if you don't have dinner reservations. If you order the right thing , you can get food and booze for less than $15! Or... you can spend a lot more than that since its easy to get carried away!
The quality of the food is good but the service is only so-so.
Seriously, you're going to charge me for chips and salsa? I've never heard of that before! The happy hour isn't all that great and I can definitely get better service, quality and variety at El Conquistador.
Ambiance is nice and we all had a good time, but who charges for chips and salsa? That's like charging for the bread that restaurants bring to the table! BULL!
Great...great brunch..Sangria pitchers are a weee bit expensive but wow the bacon chedder pancakes DELICIOUS seriously go mexican brunch it here and the people who work here are super nice.
can't wait for their second location to open woohooo
I had no idea this place has been around for more than 3 years! I have seen it many a time on my various Sunset drives (because I'm too lazy to take the 101), but the timing never seemed right to stop in and check it out.
Well, now i have.
The venue is separated into a dining area (to the left) and the bar (to the right), and the layout doesn't allow you to see the other side from the side you're sitting on.
I sat at the bar, and the bartender acknowledged me immediately and gave me the quick nod and mouthed that he would be right with me. This gave me a chance to look over the menu (it was just the drink menu), and when he returned, I decided on the 100% Organic Margarita ($11), because i didn't want to feel disgusting (as I tend to after really sugary margaritas) before I even had the opportunity to try a bite from their pretty spectacular looking eats menu. The margarita was smooth and precise, just the way I like it. And, the bartender noticed my sour mood and tried to perk me up by telling me he made it with love. (Awwww, sweet.)
I milled over the menu for a bit, and was intrigued by their chips and salsa selection (the chips are fried to order, and you can request chewy, and the salsa variations looked tasty). Since I didn't have the capacity to go overboard with the chips and salsa like I normally do (just not feeling excessive on this evening, I suppose), I will have to go back and try the salsa flight for a real taste of Malo's finest.
I did order the eggplant and potato taquitos from the "hard shell taco" category (2 tacos in each hard shell taco order, this one was $5.50). I was toying between this and the albondingas and side of butternut squash. I kind of wish I had went with the second toy. It was my fault. Eggplant and potato lack kickass flavor unless doused in something lip-smack worthy, which they were not. So, the taquitos were bland, but they kind of matched my attitude, so I don't entirely put the burden on Malo.
I know i will be back to try it out under different pretenses (i.e. I get my act together), so until we meet again Malo...
I'd like to give Malo more stars but it's declining rapidly. Food is good, except the guacamole. The salsa is over priced but the habenero is 5 stars. So good. The margaritas are also very good, real margaritas the way they are supposed to be. But they are small and pricey, beginning at 9 bucks. Great tequila choices, just expensive. Probably the most authentic around though, just real juice.
The problem with Malo, besides the prices for the value, is the service. The bartenders are aloof, ineffective and just plain unfriendly. I can make my own margarita, thank you. Cocktail waitresses are no better. How can these hags make any money? You work for tips!!!
In the restaurant the waitresses are nicer but the food service is painfully slow.
Happy hour is the only time worth going. The management should fire most of the bar staff and give you slightly bigger glasses for your dollars. It used to be better, that's all. For 2 people, 2 margaritas and snacks and tip **can't understand why i feel compelled to tip these cranky servers** it runs about 60 bucks, ouch. Bigger glasses for the bucks could get your rating up again!
Just my two cents...
I want to give it one star, but 2 stars for the chewy chips. I really love the chewy chips, but it's torture to get them.
I guess if you're a hipster living near sunset junction and you like to get drunk and pay for overpriced tacos then this place is awesome.
It's kind of an insult to all the real taco stands/trucks all over los angeles. They do have those cool vegan/alternative tacos, like the potato and eggplant, which are admittedly pretty good, but also super small. In fact all of their tacos are small. You need to buy $20 worth to feel full. The carne asada tasted healthy... I mean in a bad way, the meat was dry, possibly overcooked and not juicy or dripping with some greasy marinade (like real carne asada). I never understood the gen-x entrepreneur need to ruin bluecollar/greasyspoon food staples by making them "healthy/pseudo gourmet" That's what's going on here. Instead of water with lemon, its a cucumber slice. COOL DOOD, maybe i don't want cucumber flavored water. Stupid hipster gimmicks over value and quality.
The only time to go to this place is on monday nights when the tacos (most of them) are one dollar, even then its kind of like walking into a cockroach infested pantry in a ghetto..SWARMS of hipsters all over. really loud... uncomfortably loud shitty acoustics, and pretentious wait staff with short attention spans and too many people to serve. Also the wait is like 10 hours. You might as well make reservations on sunday.
this place had potential but ended being another lamestain restaurant in l.a.
I would always pass Malo on the way to my bars so when my cousin and I craved Mexican one night, I thought we'd give it a go. We went on a Sunday night and there was no wait when we arrived. Inside was pretty; the walls were aligned with what seemed like red velvet (couldn't quite make it out due to the dim lighting). We started off with margaritas which is a great way to start off the night no matter where you are. They were strong, which means we got our money's worth. Then I ordered the chicken enchiladas and they were small but delicious. My cousin got the carne tacos and those were also small. In terms of value, this place is just okay-- the quality of the food is not equal to it's cost. Thus, I may return when I stumble in one night in a drunken stupor but I won't plan on going, per se.
I have gone here a few times, its OK but what really pissed me off was going there and having the tables on both sides of me arrive later and get their food before me. I am not ugly, WTF.
great tequila selection, friendly wait staff and lobster tacos -- yum! i'll be back.
*brunch only review* Malo's Sunday brunch is decent-to-very-good, and the drinks specials are delicious (perfect, perfect bloody mary; others report that their bloody marias were also muy delicioso).
I tried the beef-and-pickle tacos but thought the fried taco shell was too heavy/oily, the beef was bland, and the pickle...was just a pickle.
I had the pozole poached eggs - more flavorful than many pozoles I've had, but then again less flavorful than really great pozole. The poached eggs were an awesome touch.
The stand-out, hands-down winner and one of the reasons I would return here again and again? The chips and salsa. The chewy tortilla chips are INCREDIBLE. Oh, the chewy goodness! And the salsa flight features four unique and equally delectable choices (the favorite of the table being the Burnt Habanero & Creme, Serrano chile and tomato, tomatillo y avocado, and pico d' gallo. If you can get more of the Habanero Creme and ix-nay the pico d' gallo you'll be doing yourselves a favor. Trust me.
Malo USED to be one of our favorite places to go after a fun night of drinks at Tiki Ti...last night changed all that!!! We expected a bit of wait since we have gone pretty regularly over the years and know how busy they are on a Saturday nights..and we had a decent size group (7). It was difficult to track down the hostess, and when we did she took our reservation and said that it would be 20-40min, which is pretty normal there so we headed to the bar for drinks while we waited. The bartenders and the drinks were good as usual, so no complaints on that end. Things started to go bad when we decided to check on our table...
"Hi we just wanted to check on our table it's been about 30min" us
"It's going to be another 30-40min, if at all, we have another party of 7 ahead of you. The most I can offer you is separate tables away from each other in the upstairs section" hostess
At that point 2 of our friends didn't want to deal with waiting anymore so they decided to go some where else...5 minutes after they left we were offered a table upstairs, and we thought all would be well. We were seriously craving the lobster tacos by that point...When the waitress finally came to take our order she seemed rushed, one of our friends who tried to ask her questions about some of the dishes and she actually told him she was too busy and said she would have to come back to take his order!!!
Drinks came out in a decent time and then we waited.....and waited.....and waited....no drink refills....no check-in from the waitress...nothing...the top floor was almost cleared out except for our table...did they forget we were up here??? The few times we saw the waitress she rushed in and out to other tables and deliberately didn't make eye contact with us...eventually most of the people in our party were so frustrated and hungry that they decided there were no tacos in the planet worth this kind of wait and lack of service so we tracked down the waitress and tried to clear the bill and just leave...it was quite a mess. In my opinion...If you are going to expand you restaurant you need to expand your kitchen, waitstaff and busboys...BAD MANAGEMENT!!!!
Malo is a very accurate name for this whitey take on Mexican food. If you like paying six bucks for sub par tacos served cold instead of going to a food truck and getting awesome tacos for a buck, this is the place for you. The salsa platter is insanely overpriced and mediocre, the atmosphere is annoying, and having anorexic models as waitresses means they aren't getting enough oxygen to the head and subsequently get half your orders wrong. Not that it matters since they won't be back at your table again after they take your order except to serve the check with a perfunctory smile.
Friday night
the place was pretty full, but had lots of empty tables here & there
the service was not just cold
or unfriendly
it completely neglected us!
It took forever for my friend to get to the hostess to ask about a table for 2 (there were lots of 2-tops open)... and all she got was attitude. so we left. but a bunch of our friends were arriving later, so we returned after getting food nearby at the Kitchen.
On the bar side, things weren't much better. they got a table, but no one acknowledged them. One girl went to the bar to order margaritas, and the tender said to order thru the cocktail waitress.
crickets.
they'd already been waiting for over 10 minutes when we'd found them - and still, not one staff member greeted any of us. so we went to akbar instead (much friendlier place than malo).
malo. they lived up to (down to?) their name.
Malo, meaning bad, is a casual style restaurant, tables and chairs, dark lighting, and a large patio... and of course in true hipster Sila style, some rock music in the background. The whole place in and out booms and echos like a ghetto blaster in a racquetball court, voices that could carry an elephant to heaven.. yup it's like that.
We sat on the patio.. a lovely summer like night. I ordered this cucumber cocktail with tequila and chili.. It was really refreshing and easy on the palate. My date attempted to order a margarita with Patron Silver when our waitress informed us that Patron was in fact the bottom feeder of the tequila world and pretty much considered spit in a cup with a little phlegm mixed in, after all coca cola bought 'em out... So Patron in reality is now, caca infused agave feces corporate whore bag sell outs! On top of all that, Coca cola wasn't fair to the Mexicans either!!! I guess Coca cola keeps the man down and poisons the planet with it's corporatocracy ambivalence.
I will admit that I ad libbed a bit of that, but I just felt that I could more articulately explain her concept of Coca Cola being Lucifer in more detail, since I am no longer in that loud bustling restaurant environment, and trust me, anything I did say that she didn't, she was thinking!
So, after being enlightened to the harsh reality of the totalitarian Coca Cola Empire, you can imagine I was quite perplexed when I saw that they marinated their pork in the God forsaken, carbonated satanic juice of hell fire misery! Yes, that's right they sodomized their poor dead pig carcass with Satan's sweet tangy caffeinated urine. WTF?
Was Malo in fact a sell out supporting Satan's, a.k.a Coca Cola's, master plan of condemning Mexican tequila makers everywhere??? Could this be so?? I see lots of men in tights and side fringe, even vintage T's!!!! Why has thou hipsters forsaken me?????
So, of course, me being the docile kitten I am wasn't going to say a word, but cringe in fear as I ate my dinner that Coca cola was in disguise secretly watching me from a far and plotting it's take over of my... well I don't own a business and I don't make tequila, but I doubt that would stop evil Coke.. they'd probably buy out my Yelp reviews, knowing their sinister Hitler like plans, and turn them into Hello Kitty post cards... bastards!!!!.... However, my date questioned the server of this abomination...
The server did not even get the connotation, she did not get the correlation.. which was ironic since she was the one that educated us on the demon like orifice that is coca cola... I would have never known that Patron had been transformed into caca-crevice juice if it wasn't for her....
Anyhow, other than that scary experience, the food was actually really good! We had the 4 salsa "flight". The chips were average and the salsas were good. A smoky, creamy chipolte one with lots of spice, a rojo, pico de gallo and an avocado one that was a bit bizarre. I swear it had pork fat in it.
So, I had a Shrimp Oct@@aihskh#$%$^fo;i ehfklashn, yeah, that's right I have no idea what the title was and couldn't pronounce it either, but the second word did start with an O and it was shrimp... Whatever the hell it was... it could've been road kill in hamster broth.. that shit was good! Our drinks were good. Our server was nice... I'll be back... but next time I'm bringing that priest from the "Exorcist".. you know just in case Coca Cola tries anything funny.
UPDATE: After hours of research done in fear at a public terminal.... always looking over my shoulder in case Coca Cola was waiting with it's henchmen.... I have discovered that although some may truly believe Coca Cola is the anti-Christ, (and it may in fact be)... they do NOT IN FACT own Patron...
Dear Malo waitress (with blond hair and vast opinions):
I'm confused. Why are you disseminating all this misinformation in a world that is already confusing enough? I'm ready to turn all emo, dye my hair black, grow some side fringe, and lock myself in my closet while playing "Dust in the Wind" for a month. I just don't know what to believe in anymore..... *sigh, whimper, blame my parents, go to bed*
UPDATE:
Last two times we have been here we have got major attitude from the "hostess". I'm sorry honey but you are working at a restaurant on the east side not the door at Teddy's.
Tonight was the last straw. let me set the scene... its friday 7:30pm. patio - HALF EMPTY. inside - more than HALF EMPTY. We walk up to the "hostess" she is on the phone and manages to slightly acknowledge us.... we wait, we wait, wait. Literally 5 minutes later she finally gets off the phone. We ask for a table for two... she looks at the computer in front of her and a note pad.... silence... she's looking, looking...
....
"I'm sorry there are no tables available. We have reservations coming in 30-45 minutes for all these seats."
REALLY? ALL OF THOSE EMPTY SEATS??
She then tells us that we can sit at the bar and eat there. I'm sorry but what kind of f'n reject turns away two people who could easily finish their dinner in 45 minutes and leave. Even if the people who reserved tables had to wait 10 mins to get their table that's PRETTY NORMAL for a busy restaurant on a friday.
I was shocked. We walked right out and left. Sorry MALO, your food is good but I'm NEVER coming back when its not cheap taco night and the cost of the meal compensates for the incompetence of your front end staff.
Love love love the ground beef and pickle tacos!! Delish!
Can be a little noisy, so if you are going…
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Malo is a Must on Monday! Taco Mondays!
All that goodness and the price is right. $1.00-$1.50/per taco. There's also a great happy hour menu and drink specials.
What you need to know about Mondays is that they don't take reservations. It's just that busy.
The restaurant is LOUD and not ideal for a first date, but a second... go ahead.
We had the chewy chips and the habanero salsa to start. Go for it! It's not that spicy. It did get me sweating though.
So... just order up some tacos, at these prices it's not a risk that's difficult to take.
*Beef and pickle taco, potato taco... just to name a few.
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Echo Park
Category: Women's Clothing
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Griffith Park/Los Feliz
Category: Mexican
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Mexican
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