El Amigo — Restaurant in Lawndale

I’m sad. I’ve always loved El Amigo and we frequent them often. But we had just the WORST experience last night. Long story short: when they ask if you want a receipt? Say YES. We ordered a birria torta, a cheese quesadilla and 1 chicken and 1 cheese enchilada. My husband came home and realized they hadn’t included the cheese quesadilla. Then I realized they did 2 cheese enchilada (which were awful by the way- you’re supposed to bake those!). So we called. First, they weren’t going to give us the quesadilla we paid for without the receipt. Which we didn’t have because they only print and give if you ask. Second- they wouldn’t replace the wrong enchilada without seeing the order. So my husband goes back, they take the 2 enchiladas and tell him he has to pay for the quesadilla (which he already had). Then they give him a container which he assumed was the correct enchilada order. Again - when he got home we found it was one cheese enchilada only. To top it off, he said the guys there were openly hostile and in his face. So, we paid for a dinner of which we got about half of what we paid for, two trips there, no apology and hostile treatment. And yes - getting a receipt and checking before you leave is a good practice. But I thought we could trust el amigo. Turns out they are no...

I've driven by this place so many times. Finally stopped in after seeing reviews and photos. The food lives up to the hype. It was delicious! The chips were fresh and crunchy. The salsa was fresh as well.I had a combo with 2 al pastor tacos & a chicken enchilada. Al pastor flavorful and just the right amount of spicy. The enchilada was good but wasn't as good as the tacos. Don't get me wrong it was good but I liked the other items more. The rice & beans were tasty. The rice was cooked perfectly, not hard or overcooked and flavored just right not salty. The refried beans were tasty and didn't feel heavy. Can't wait to go back and try more items.

UPDATE - 2/4/2020 I have been here a few more times. One time I switched it up and tried the al pastor Super Burrito with beans rice guacamole & sour cream. It was good especially because of the guacamole but there is something about that taco enchilada combo that draws me back to it. Just know if you go here everything is good you just might find...

I really like this place. It is small and does a lot of carryout service. There is limited indoor and patio dining. Parking is limited but a wait for parking is short due to lots of carryout service.

I love Chili Verde and consider a good Chili Verde a mark of a good Mexican restaurant. Even in California the Chili Verde is often mostly or all tomatillos with little or no chili. The chili has to be there to get the correct flavor.

This place served me large portions for both a sit-down meal and as take-out. The size was the same for either meal presentation. The Chili Verde shredded pork is mostly in big chunks. The sauce is appropriately spicy, medium to a little above medium. Maybe the dish could use a little extra sauce, but I have always been satisfied. A large serving of refritos beans and a slightly smaller serving of rice accompany a small salad with guacamole topping. I get corn or flower tortillas as I...