El Carmen

Address: 8138 W Third St (Crescent Heights Blvd), Beverly, Los Angeles, California, 90048, United States
Tel: +1 323 852 1552
Website: view El Carmen’s website
Door: Make reservation
Style: Restaurant bar
Food: Set menu
Established: 1996

Review

Established in 1996, this fabulously unpretentious Mexican cantina pays homage to tequila and is themed after Mexican wrestling.

The bar runs down the right-hand side of the long rectangular room with fans turning in the high curved ceiling overhead. The walls, ceiling and floor are covered in Mexican tiles while a bull's head stands guard over the door. Brightly coloured Mexican wrestlers' Lucha masks line the ceiling and portraits of masked wrestlers by Tito la Btea adorn the walls.

El Carmen is proudly a tequila and taco bar with over 400 different tequilas and mezcals lining the crowded bar shelves. Most are $10 or less a shot but the range includes many rare tequilas with some are as much as $850 a shot. The more reasonable $75 "El Super Fancy" flight buys you four shots including Don Julio 1942. Margaritas are well made and there's a good range of Mexican brews.

The authentic Mexican food naturally includes enchiladas, quesadillas and such like but the tacos served here are legendary.