Mexicali Cocina Cantina — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Wish I could leave a better review but am so dissapointed with my past few experiences. First time dining was pretty good. I can say that the food wasnt mind blowing but not as bad as some hole in the wall taco place. The upside is that they are supposedly open late but my past 3 experiences have all been soul crushing. Why is the kitchen constantly closing over at random times??? If you advertise you are open until 2, why I can't I get food before 1???? That's over an hour. No one wants to come here for an hour just to have drinks at the mediocre bar. Last time I showed up to meet friends after work who were eating just to have the server tell me their kitchen JUST closed. It was an hour before their closing time. That's disappointing, but he still brought chips. When I asked for salsa for my chips he said he couldn't BECAUSE THE KITCHEN WAS CLOSED. What?? Where did the magical chips come from then and why can't you just take a spoon and scoop some salsa for me? One of the most inattentive and confused servers I had ever seen. Despite my patience I just enjoyed a drink on an empty stomach and crushed down some chips. We were his only table, and the order was only 2 drinks, which he completely ruined and got backwards, so I had to go reorder my drinks with the bartender.

If you're thinking of ordering postmates late at night, do it quickly! Because TWICE, I started putting in orders just to press send and have a notification tell me that they are closed. When I called, they told me their kitchen was open for pick up, meaning one of their employees turned off their tablet and is so over their job that they're trying to get out as soon as possible and dont care that they are in the food service industry and dont want to actually make the owner more money. Sorry for being brash, but it's true, and I'm hangry.

After the past 3 times of failing to get food over an hour before closing, I'm tired of trying to throw my money at this place.

With better people in here this place could actually be one of the best Mexican restaraunts on...

I came here originally over 5 years ago and last night was my first time back and I have to say that saying this place is a shell of it's former self is the highest praise I can give. Upon sitting down and opening my menu is was covered in dried salsa. I couldn't make out the names of certain items on the menu because my napkin couldn't remove the dried up salsa stains. Instantly had my doubts and should have left but no, Im a sucks for pain so I stayed. Hoping it would somehow improve... The hits just kept on coming. Proceeded with the nachos, pretty basic concept in my opinion. I mean it's chips, it's toppings, and it's cooking the chicken properly. SMH! The plate comes out and it's hotter than my keys sitting on a medal table all day directly in the sun. It was so hot the cheese was burnt to the plate and thus looked like no cheese was on it. I peeled off the layers of burnt chips to revealed a round boiled chicken clumped in the isolated corner of my dish. No grill marks whatsoever...makes you think , it's gotta be boiled with how soggy it felt as well as being moderately warm while the plate itself was on untouchable. $30.00 in total for an experience that has caused my stomach to abandon me this beautiful Sunday. God I'm so hungry, but I am plagued with images of last night. All in all I would not recommend and not go back. I feel that season three of Gordon Ramsey's show of restaurant disaster could season premiere with this gem. It's very sad because money aside this place used to be a great spot. However, times...

Mexicali is my family's favorite Mexican place on either coast. We've been going there since 1995, when Harry Anderson brought us there shortly after it opened

Later, when I became a single mother and supporting the children on my own, I wanted us to have some feeling of a night out in the restaurant and they had a Monday Mexicali Price and the kids and I went every single Monday without fail.

Soon it became the place to meet all our friends, celebrate anything and anyone visiting Los Angeles. Even when we were out of town friends would send us pictures of them from Mexicali and when we were out of town and people from other places, revisiting and asking us where to go, we sent them there and they would send us pictures of them.

.Not only Are the food and drinks, exceptional, the warm ambiance and exceptional customer service makes you feel as if you're not in a restaurant, but a guest.

The nachos are absolutely the best I've ever had anywhere west coast or in between! Cadillac margaritas are our family favorite.

Everything is deliciously fresh and the wait staff, often aspiring creatives, are, so friendly and check in so many times.

I've been living in New York City the last few years and every week or so my children meet up at Mexicali and FaceTime me or send me a picture of them meeting up with their friends there! It's a very special restaurant with a lot of heart and delicious food and drink, and we are always thrilled to see Bernadette there. She says she always knows I am there because of the way I order ...