LOQUI — Restaurant in Culver City

I went on a Sunday night post-Valentine's Dinner with my gf... thought the overall 4.5 rating was promising, but was disappointed.

Pros: Food tasted good overall. I liked the mushrooms and pickled onions on my Mushroom Plate.

Strange: When I called, just got a recording... did not hear an option to talk to a real person. Also, the cashier took my paper receipt. I thought I'd get a copy later... I should have asked for a copy.

Cons: Parking: very little street parking. I did not know if I could park in the Margot lot. The phone msg. said parking was available on the corner of Washington and Landmark... so I assumed that meant the paid parking lot. Ambiance: not much. Small room inside that faced the grill, 5 or 6 tables for 2. Outside might have been nicer but it was cool outside and there was one heater. I would have preferred Mexican Music, but I think they were trying to give an upscale vibe (to justify the prices?). The bright side: I didn't feel like hanging out much so I only had to pay $2 for parking!). Prices: Overpriced in my opinion. My gf thought we would have gotten a better deal at Chipotles. They have nice take-out bags and a slight designer look, but meh. Hanging chiles on the wall did not impress me. Menu: small. Not much variety for vegetarians - just mushrooms for the Primos and Plates (and no fish for lovers of tacos de pescado). Size of meal: enough for my gf, but spare for me.... $13.50 for that little plate? Each plate came with two tiny containers of salsa. Service: I felt stupid for tipping. 1) they had run out of the beers we ordered... no Modelos or Victorias... ended up ordering lagers chelada style (I think that was a mistake... not worth $6:50 each... we could add chile and a slice of lime for less), 2) This is FAST casual: we got our meals (in a few minutes) before getting the beers! There was basically no service - they just put the trays on our table like going to Carls Jr.s. Food Quality: We thought the food was OK (hence 3 stars), but my gf is from Mexico and is a good cook - she liked the taste of the chicken but thought it was a little under-cooked.

Overall: We chalked this up to the adventure of trying a new place. I think this is pretty expensive real estate and they wanted to project an upscale image, so they have higher prices. Maybe their common customers are used to paying this much. I wanted something nice for my gf (I should have read more reviews); this was not it. At the beginning, I saw that all the customers were gringos (like me!) and thought that was a bad sign. I could be wrong... would like to get feedback from Mexican customers! We don't...

Loqui is an L.A. taqueria that is primarily known for the flour tortillas engineered by co-owner and chef Cameron Wallace, a former baker at San Francisco's beloved Tartine Bakery. Loqui started out as a weekend "pop-up" in Tartine before it was split off in 2016, with Wallace heading south to Los Angeles to start up this fast-casual taco shop in Culver City's "The Platform" mall. Wallace's partner and GM of Loqui is Ari Ampudia, an industry vet from Mexico City who brings the requisite Mexican dining street cred to the operation.

There is much to enjoy about Loqui's thick tortillas, made with sourdough, griddled to a flaky sturdiness that can be undone with the slightest tug from your teeth. The tacos made with these tortillas are all similar -- clinging to them is a layer of melted white cheese that mingles with the accompanying savory frijoles de olla, diced onions, chopped cilantro, hearty guacamole, and a salsa that seems to be different in each taco depending on the main ingredient.

For my flour tortilla taco, I ordered the "Beef Taco." The filling was essentially beef "barbacoa," ("a la Chipotle," i.e., not the pit-roasted kind) which was over-braised, giving the stewed meat a dry sensation when it is chewed. It was also cinnamon-spiced more aggressively than I prefer, resulting in a taco I had very mixed feelings about even if I loved the tortilla.

Much more interesting was the corn tortilla taco that I ordered, the "Mushroom Taco." This one was FUEGO, with enough heat in the marinated mushrooms and salsa to almost hurt me. The mushrooms are of the funky and wild variety, and they become more and more irresistibly tasty as you eat them. Much better than the beef, in my opinion. The ideal order for me would have been the Mushroom Taco on a Flour Tortilla....

I dont know how this place has so many good reviews! It is beyond me! Yesterday I went there with my boss (who is like the nicest person on the planet), we put in an order that came up to 80$. After paying we realized that we should have payed with our company card, so we requested a refund, and asked if we could pay with the company card. Simple, right? Well, guess again! 1st, the so called “manager” comes over and it takes him 5 minutes to refund the order. That is ok I guess (While giving attitude every single minute of it). After successfully completing the “arduous” task of refunding the order, he took on the “seemingly impossible” task of recreating the order. Brace yourselves. First, he created an order, that totaled to 20$,(obviously the same order, at least for this genius) after reminding him, he created another order to 50$, and then when we asked to get it fixed, he said “it is fine, it is fine, the food is on me, you are being so “f*ing annoying”. My boss being a nice person, and him being not so smart, we brushed it off. Low and behold, we go back to the office. The order is wrong (obviously only $50 worth of food), and we had to not eat, so our investors could actually have a meal. Even after what happened yesterday, and me rewriting about it here, I still can’t believe this has happened in a customer facing business, let alone a...