EK Valley — Restaurant in Culver City

A wonderfully quaint small restaurant run by a Husband, wife, and cousin. The food was spectacularly seasoned and came sizzling hot within just 10 minutes from ordering. The only part of this meal that took the longest was us deciding what to order from the menu.

Edit: I unfortunately had to remove a star from my review due to the most recent experience we had here. Upon ordering our meal 15 minutes ahead, and walking around before sitting down, we proceeded to wait another 20 minutes beyond when we were told our food would be ready.

This was understandable that it took a little longer as every table was full. What wasn't understandable or acceptable was the speed of service. We didn't get our water essentially until our meal came out, at the same time as our chips and salsa.

We asked for chips as soon as we sat down, and as mentioned above, it didn't come. Instead every other table was serviced at least twice with whatever was asked for as though we were entirely forgotten. We watched drinks brought out to tables before we even received water, and usually water is the one thing you can expect to get right away when sitting down.

The most disappointing part of the experience, has been the price hike of the menu. Our first experience we essentially were able to order two meals with just over a $20 bill - wonderful! This most recent time, our bill of the exact same items came out to $57. The price is going up, and service quality frankly feels like it...

I almost gave this place 5 stars. I had a meal here after work in the area. It was chilly out so I asked to eat at the one table inside. My meal came quickly. Including a tip I spent 60 on a dine-in meal and a takeout meal.

I chose a meats combo called Oaxaca's Delicacy. It had pork, beef and chorizo. The pork was so delicious with OK beef and quite tasty grilled chorizo. Black beans (unusual!), rice and a small salad were side dishes. 3 small tortillas also came with the meal. I ordered homemade horchata with not much ice. It was plenty of food and drink.

I was so entranced by the 3 different moles on the menu that I ordered the Amarillo (yellow) mole to eat the following night at home. That meal didn't do so well which is why it's not 5 stars for the restaurant.

I hope to return and try the black (standard) and Rojo (red)...

*update Back again and sampled their Chicken Chile Rellenos- 🔥🔥🔥 EK, never disappoints. Tender chicken filling, complex but balanced and delicious sauce, beautiful presentation and breaded to perfection. Will be back!

*Update

Revisited EK to sample the mole, I ordered the red mole and it was 🔥rich, authentic; reminded me of the mole I experienced in Oaxaca - served with rice, squash and a warm a smile. Will continue to explore their menu. Their salsa is also very good

Grabbed a quick bite at this eatery, comfortable outdoor seating with plenty of shade, there was a nice breeze on the day I visited - very pleasant. I ordered 2 tacos, shrimp and fish - I wasn’t a huge fan of the fish taco but the shrimp more than made up for it, realz good. I’ll be back to explore their mole....