Gloria's Cafe — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Unprofessional ownership. I normally let bad experiences pass but this one is by far the worst. Side Note before I begin my rant: I payed to have them cater my small wedding a year ago because I enjoy helping smaller businesses grow. Not the best food or price but good. Unfortunately this time around the attitude towards my mother and father in law was uncalled for. Three days before the incident my family and I along with my father and mother in law had lunch at Gloria's. The waiter who helped us was professional and courteous in every manner. When it came time to pay the bill we noticed our waiter was leaving for the day. My mother in law handed him his tip as he was leaving. A second waiter came in and finished the other waiter's shift by picking up our plates. We did not leave a second tip as our original waiter had already been tipped. On Tuesday (3 days later) my mother in law wanted to have a birthday dinner at Gloria's with my father in law. When she sat down, the owner approached her and asked her if she had left a tip on Saturday because one of the waiters did not see any tip on the table. My mother in law stated that she had given the waiter that helped us the tip on his way out. The owner then stated that next time she should leave the tip on the table as she likes to disperse the tips evenly amongst her employees. My mother in law was very upset and felt so disrespected on her birthday that she didn't get to enjoy her special day. What someone does or doesn't do with their hard earned money is that person's decision. It's great that she thinks about everyone but in the eyes of customers, we only see those who are on the front line working hard trying earn what they can. This will be the last time we...

Would you give this place a 5-star if you knew that the food that is sold there wasn't made there. Or should I say at least the tamales and pupusas are not made by Gloria. In fact they are bought from a Mexican lady who makes both pupusas and her Salvadorian and Mexican tamales. So, yes you've been fooled when they say it's been made here because it has not. How I know this is because I previously worked there for 8 months my name is Dennis and I quit on Cinco de Mayo. Why I quit was because even though I would sometimes hold the floor down by myself whatever tips i earned from tables I had on the side with all the booths including tips from phone orders or bar tops i had we're going to her and not me even though I did all the work. On your next visit to Gloria's at the end of your meal look at your receipts going to say Gloria under the server name. And to my knowledge as an owner whether you did some of the work or all the work you're not supposed to take your employees tips. Oh let's not forget about your starter the chips and salsa so delicious aren't they... although your first basket of chips and salsa maybe fresh think again when you ask for a refill because your refill is going to be somebody else's leftovers... and one more thing the Glorias specialty dishes are made with the same sauce. I don't know how long or how she's been able to get away with this for so many years without anybody speaking up. Oh before i forget for those who are lactose and tolerant the guacamole is made with a little milk. I'm very upset I quit because of the way this place is ran not only was my tips taken but the things that Gloria will keep up. And she had the audacity to deny my unemployment when I have a...

Probably not gong back

The food was alright:

Shredded beef tacos were good, but the beef felt strangely mushy, like it was beef and been or beef and grease.

Chips ok. Salsa, although had some nice chunks was just ok. Had a unique spice I can't pin but it grew old quickly.

My guests salad was weak, another $2 for a side of plantains (3 small pieces) but his plate was pretty good.

Atmosphere was kinda nice. It was old, cheap and divey, but still kinda cute and cozy.

Service was interesting. When someone talked to us, they were friendly minus the kitchen guy who brought out the food. However, it was weird and subpar. The salad was served without the thought dressing. The Carne Adobada plate was served without tortillas, not forgotten, just not served. A cook gave us more chips, but no salsa. I was served dinner without silverware. Each order came piece by piece, one at a time, several minutes apart.

Summary, food was decent, prices were ok, but it was not an enjoyable experience because of the weird service and vibe. I am curious if this was just an off night, but nothing was really enjoyable enough for me to go back, despite the shortcomings.

I didn't know this was on a tv show until I saw the reviews. This place has better reviews than it deserves I think because of the show. Dives in SoCal are often overrated as people will lavish undeserved praise on it because they mistake low quality and laziness for quaintness...