La Popular — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Today, May 15th, I visited this establishment for the first time alongside my partner, as we are both ardent admirers of Mexican cuisine. Eager to explore a new culinary experience, we decided to give this restaurant a try. Unfortunately, it proved to be a profound disappointment. Upon our arrival, we were greeted cordially by the host, who promptly escorted us to a table—a positive start, though it marked the last of our pleasant impressions. The table assigned to us featured a broken decorative candle, which not only detracted from the aesthetic appeal but also posed a potential safety hazard. A jagged object at the center of the dining surface is both unsightly and dangerous, whether touched unintentionally or while attempting to admire the décor. Setting aside the flawed decoration, the condition of the cutlery and dishes was even more concerning. Each piece bore unmistakable traces of fingerprints and residual grease, giving the impression they had not been properly washed but merely presumed clean and reused. This is both unpleasant and unhygienic. Despite these early setbacks, we opted to sample the cuisine. Yet the menu itself was underwhelming. I had anticipated a culinary offering comparable to establishments renowned for elevated Mexican fare—such as Frida’s, El Torito, or Casa Torres—but this restaurant fell far short of that standard. Disheartened by the menu selections, we chose at least to try a starter, believing guacamole with chips would be a safe and satisfying choice. While the addition of chicharrones somewhat salvaged the dish, the guacamole itself was poorly prepared—unmixed, with large slices of avocado left intact—and the chips were far too thin and brittle to provide a satisfying texture. To compound matters, it was surprising to find that a purportedly Mexican restaurant—with its name and dishes presented in Spanish—did not feature any Spanish-language music, an oversight that further diluted the authenticity of the dining experience. In conclusion, I would not classify this venue as a Mexican restaurant in the truest sense. Rather, it feels like a conceptually ambiguous establishment. As a customer, I would recommend that the management clearly define their culinary identity. If the restaurant aims to present itself as Mexican, it should embrace and uphold that identity wholeheartedly. Alternatively, if the intention is to lean toward American cuisine, that is equally respectable—but it should not be misrepresented under the guise of Mexican culture, as doing so results in a disjointed and disappointing experience. Moreover, maintaining the cleanliness of utensils and ensuring that table décor is in good condition are basic standards that should be consistently upheld. On a final note, I will acknowledge that the waitstaff were courteous and conducted themselves with professionalism. To prospective patrons: I encourage you to visit and form your own opinion. Despite my criticisms, I readily admit to having discerning tastes—particularly when it comes to...

I do not take lightly giving a one-star review. If you look through my previous reviews, I have been fairly liberal giving five-star reviews.

Today was my 5th visit to this location and for the 5th time in a row the service was absolutely deplorable.

I have only been back the previous times to give the service a second, third, and then what I thought was my fourth and final try out of fairness was due to the location having opened in the last year.

The one and only reason that I made the mistake of going back for a 5th time was due to my boss being in town and he wanted to try this location due to La Popular being a favorite of his in his home city. I did not say anything about my previous experience with this location because he was adamant about trying this particular location.

I have spoken with both the GM and AGM at different points and shared my feedback as an opportunity to offer my perspective as a former, long time F&B manager that wanted to see the newest addition to the Vineyards at Porter Ranch succeed.

Waited and extended amount of time to be greeted. Order taking was extended and disjointed between waiting for our drinks and then our appetizer to be delivered. It was to be split between three people and when it was delivered it was in a rush and before we could enjoy, we had to wait for our server to eventually return with our drinks and then ask for extra plates to be able to split between us. By the time the plates showed up the appetizer was cold. When our entrees were delivered, I discovered that my utensils were filthy with food still stuck to the knife. At the beginning when the water carafe was delivered with the three glasses my glass was also filthy, I let that go because I was having a bottle of Topo Chico, and I just did not want to complain in front of my boss. When my boss noticed that I was not eating it was only then that I mentioned that my utensils were dirty which made for an awkward experience for the three us because my boss and the other person at lunch with us were not sure if they should wait for new utensils or go ahead and start to eat. I asked them not to wait and when the server finally returned to ask how the entrees were that was when I asked for clean utensils. The server said that they would take care of replacing the dirty utensils but did not think to remove the dirty utensils that wound up sitting on the table during the entire meal...gross. I sat there for at least another ten minutes waiting for clean utensils to be delivered and when they finally arrived my food was cold. At no time did a manager stop by to apologize, and when the check was finally delivered there was no discount.

I have said it before, and I will say it again. The service team at this location is Woefully undertrained on so...

I've been waiting for this place to open ever since they started the renovations. I was extremely disappointed. Let me start by saying it would be a great place to have a nice cocktail, but that's it until they can hire a new chef. |FOOD| All of the food was extremely salty. Like very* salty. Starting with the chips and the extremely small salsa that was not good at all. The guacamole was fresh & delicious, but also too salty. The cocktail I had was their version of a michalada and it was very good. My friend got the fish that was good, but it came with a house salad that was also covered** in salt. I've never had such a salty salad in my life, how do you mess up a simple house salad? I had the steak fajitas that were 35 bucks and didn't include rice and beans which is standard every Mexican restaurant I have been too. So paid extra for those sides and they came cold and the rice was stuck together. The steak itself was extremely fatty, I've included pictures. I saw someone else mention their steak tacos were chewy, also because how much fat. The veggies were covered in oil. For my dish alone with the added sides to be almost 50, they need to provide better quality food that is prepared properly. So to sum the food up, the drinks were very good the guacamole (with less salt) and the fish as well. Everything else was terrible. |SERVICE| Our server was very friendly, but she was not attentive enough. We never received share plates until I physically got up to retrieve them even after ordering the additional appetizers. Maybe it was a kitchen mistake, but she specifically asked flour corn or mix and I said please only flour and it came mixed and cold and when I brought it to her attention it took a significant amount of time to get new ones that given came hot and fresh, my fajitas got cold in the process of waiting. The atmosphere is very nice inside, I love what they did with the place. But when it's cold and windy the host need to keep the front doors closed. I had to ask several times before just putting my heavy jacket back on while eating which we all know isn't comfortable. Manager walked all over, but never once came to ask us how we were doing or how the experience was. New mgmt and new chef would make this lovely location boom. I hope to take this review down in the future as I'm aware they just opened, but I live local and will give them another chance in...