Casablanca — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Five Stars for Casablanca Mexican Restaurant

If you’re looking for amazing Mexican food and a restaurant that knows how to have fun at someone’s expense, Casablanca Mexican Restaurant is where you need to go! The food and service were top-notch—especially the calamari, which was perfectly crispy—but the highlight of our visit was seeing my brother Mitch pay off the most humiliating bet of his life.

Mitch had lost a bet, and the consequence? He had to show up dressed as a hairy pink fairy ballerina. And when I say “fairy ballerina,” I mean full-on ridiculous: he was wearing a fluffy pink tutu, a feather boa, ballet slippers, and bright white tights with frilly ruffles that peeked out every time he moved. As he bounced along, trying to sit down as gracefully as he could in this ridiculous get-up, the ruffles under his tutu were comically obvious, only adding to his humiliation. You could see the frilly details peeking out from under the tutu, making the whole thing look like a weird mashup of a child’s costume party gone wrong and an adult who completely lost control of his dignity. The sight was unbelievable—this grown man, bearded and looking utterly out of place, sitting all alone, dressed like a 5-year-old at her first dance recital.

But it didn’t end there. Mitch sat completely alone in the restaurant, waiting for our friend to arrive having to walk through the entire restaurant looking totally ridiculous, while every staff member who walked by couldn’t help but snicker and this made his cheeks blush even pinker than his tutu. They would glance at him, whisper to each other, and come back for a second look, trying not to burst out laughing right in front of him. It was impossible not to notice him—this grown man, bearded and burly, sitting there in a pink tutu with frilly tights, looking like he was caught in the world’s most embarrassing bet. It wasn’t just the staff either—everyone who walked by the window had to stop and do a double-take. Some people even took pictures. Mitch, sitting there with his ruffles peeking out, was turning redder by the second, and there was no escape. It was beyond humiliating, and there was no way to hide just how out-of-place he looked in that ballerina outfit.

He had to sit there in full view of everyone, waiting for our friend to arrive, completely exposed in the most ridiculous outfit imaginable that no man would ever want to be seen in LOL

Then the owner came out, and things went from bad to worse. The owner was loving the spectacle and decided to take things up a notch. He handed Mitch a lock to place on their famous lover’s wall, insisting he pose for pictures outside the restaurant for everyone to see. Picture this: Mitch, a grown man in a pink tutu, standing outside in broad daylight, posing like a ballerina for the whole world to see—cars honking, passersby pointing and laughing. It was beyond mortifying. He was forced to smile through the whole thing, but you could see the embarrassment in his eyes.

Everyone around was laughing—people on the street, diners inside, and even the staff. The owner made sure to pose with Mitch, encouraging him to strike his best ballerina poses while everyone snapped photos. It was like a live comedy show, and Mitch was the star, though he definitely didn’t want to be.

And to top it all off, after all that humiliation, the owner told us to make sure we come back. So there’s a good chance Mitch will be subjected to more public embarrassment in the future, and honestly, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

If you want delicious Mexican food, great service, and the opportunity to watch your friend squirm in the most humiliating way possible, Casablanca Mexican Restaurant is the place to be. Five stars for the food and service, and ten stars for how much they made Mitch squirm in his...

I drove by this place a few weeks ago and remembered to look it up to see if it was any good, and for my Birthday, my wife and I decided to try it out. We're glad we did! It was amazing! I'm a fan of themed restaurants that offer unique atmospheres. So while it doesn't look like much for the outside, I enjoyed the sign painted to the left of the door, "Now leaving Venice, Los Angles and entering Casablanca, Morocco"!

When you walk in, you'll find the restaurant filled with Casablanca memorabilia, including many glass cases filled with actually props from the movie. There are posters and props everywhere and even a life-size Bogart statue as well as a large mural on the wall that depicts a scene from the movie.

They have a woman who make HOME-MADE TORTILLAS right in front of you and they were HEAVENLY!!! Really, they were incredible. Also, they have this green salsa that you put on the tortillas that was outstanding! Some of the best I've ever had! Our meals were very good as well. I got a burrito, and my wife got this salmon dish that was piled with veggies and shrimp on top of the salmon. She enjoyed her Margarita (they also have someone going around with tequila shots, but we didn't partake).

They only negative is that they didn't have beer on tap, and the bathroom was tiny. No big deal though. They had a live nylon-guitar player, and while that is a plus to many, personally it was a bit loud to me, as I was there for a romantic dinner, and he was playing with drum tracks, which I'm never a fun of. It would have been much better without the tracks and if the volume was taken down 5-7%.

Prices very reasonable. Service was good. Food and atmosphere EXCELLENT!

Just a tip... we went here for Dinner, than to the Buggy Whip about 10 minutes away...

I love this place. The dining room is practically a museum to the movie, full of Casablanca memorabilia, with movie posters and murals of Rick’s Cafe on the walls—pure, awesome kitsch that commits to its theme, crosses the line of taste, and waves back to it in the rear view mirror. If you like the movie, Casablanca is worth the stop just for the atmosphere.

But even with Bogie and Bergman everywhere you look, the food is the real star. They’ll start you off with their tortillas, but just calling them tortillas doesn’t do them justice—they’re fluffy, airy, cakey deliciousness in the shape of a tortilla. You get to watch them be made on the griddle atop a small brick stove in the middle of the restaurant, with a sign overhead proudly proclaiming how many millions of tortillas have been made there over the years. Perfectly accompanied by a mild salsa verde, it’s easy to fill up on these since they’ll keep bringing them (and I have)..

To be honest, I’ve only ever had a few items on the menu, which were all good, because I almost invariably order the house specialty: calamari steaks. Pounded flat, breaded, and fried to a golden brown, they are smothered in a variety delicious creamy sauces to choose from: garlic and butter, wine and butter, butter and cognac, etc. I’m not a particularly big fan of seafood in general, but these are always amazing.

Beyond that, they have a great bar and serve fantastic margaritas. I live about an hour away (with good traffic), but the trip is always worth it. Parking can be a bit difficult at peak hours, but there’s usually a spot. In the close to 30 years since I first ate at Casablanca, it’s been consistently excellent. If I had to choose a last meal, it would...