Marix Tex Mex Cafe — Restaurant in West Hollywood

Marix opened in 1984. I was a senior at the University of Southern California, president of my fraternity and much younger. And yes, I was there opening night in 1984. Marix would be my watering hole for the next 30+ years. I would visit the popular eatery during my 10 years working the week of the annual Academy Awards. When it closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic, part of me closed with it. So on this August 8, 2025 night, I stopped by after work. Marix suddenly surprised everyone by re-opening July 8. Sadly, the entire original staff of the restaurant from 2020 has been replaced by a cadre of young 20-something’s who are adorned with red polo shirts and black pants. It’s a homogenized look that seems out of place with the restaurant’s storied history in West Hollywood. And for some bizarre reason, the ownership has redecorated the interior with acrylic-looking yellow table tops that look like they were once final sales items at IKEA. Very odd. They replaced tables and chairs that were iconic — weathered wooden tables and matching chairs that once saw Jennifer Aniston enjoying a margarita back in the day. Sometimes change isn’t always the best, but we learn to adapt even when that change is incomprehensible. The Tex-Mex inspired menu is still strong as ever. Its famed fajitas are passing by me, steaming and sizzling as I remembered them. But on this August night, the restaurant was so busy and its staff seemed so overwhelmed, I was forced to stand near its bar, opting for its complimentary chips and salsa. The margaritas are just as I remembered— refreshing and packing a serious punch. I waited for over an hour for my order of a pitcher of margaritas. When it never materialized, I asked an extremely nice bar back to downsize my initial order to a single glass of a margarita. (Marix is still experiencing growing pains so one must force one’s self to be patient. That’s what decent patrons do.) My margarita came to me within one minute. Now, that’s service! (I tipped the bar back $5 for his help, and $10 to my server.) The patrons are the new face of Weho — young, white and ready to spend their trust fund money as they cut loose on this particular Friday night. The vibe is strong, loose and extremely positive. Marix doesn’t open until 5p, and that maximizes the rush to snag a table. They do not accept reservations. Marix Tex-Mex is a must destination for locals and visitors alike. Do yourself a favor and visit a West Hollywood landmark,...

I went to Marix last week. I had been there previously that week with a friend and ordered tacos but as lettuce wraps for diet reasons. When I went back the second time and placed the same order, the waiter came back to the table to inform me that although they would fullfill my order that night, if I ever came back to ask for the simple substitution of tortilla for lettuce, they would deny my request. I was a bit taken aback for a couple of reasons. First, it is merely a substitution of a tortilla for a piece of lettuce. I am not eating MORE food. Have I missed something and there's a shortage of lettuce on the market? I would be willing to pay a higher price if needed. Second, telling me in advance that I would be denied the next time seemed unnecessary and the tone was almost as though I had done something wrong by asking for a subsitution. I didn't appreciate the message or the tone so I said I would be happy to speak with someone about it. I was then informed that this was coming from the manager. I was also told that I could just order the taco meat on a plate. Imagine that visual of loose meat plopped in front of you. Hardly appetizing.

Prior to the pandemic, there was never an issue with ordering the lettuce cup tacos. Never. Marix closed when other restaurants stayed open for take out and delivery during the pandemic. This is a restaurant that has had a very loyal customer base in the community. We've been there for them but they haven't always been there for us. Five years later, they reopen and as a community we have stuck by them and are showing up. If you have a customer who has been coming for years and remained loyal even during your five year hiatus, just make the accomodation. It's such a small issue but can really leave a bad taste in someone's mouth. I am going to take a break from going back there for a few months until they can work out the growing pains and kinks from reopening.

My message to the management at Marix: go back to being what Marix used to be. Remove the tables from the bar area, be flexible with patrons if they want a substitution, be nice to the community... and season your meat. Sorry to say...

Went recently visited to try the reopened version. Same look. Food was fair. Margaritas were good. Nice servers but was served the wrong dish initially. The wait time for food was very long (over 25 minutes). The reason for the 2 star review and not 3 stars was the poor attitude of the manager on duty and his disrespect. We waited for a table of 4 and there were 3 of us while we waited for our friend to arrive. One in our party knew the manager but that did not seem to affect his behavior. The manager said to us that it is a policy that he could not sit 3 people at a 4 top, so he squeezed us into a corner table that fit 3 while we waited for our friend to arrive (which when he did, he was squeezed into the table.) OK fine...that's the "policy". We can respect that. However, the guests in front of us were 3 people, and we saw that they were sat at a 4 top. Then, we noticed the guests in line behind us were 3 people and they were sat at another 4 top! At that point, we wondered what was going on. The person in our party who knew the manager politely asked whether we could sit at a 4 top. The manager restated the policy and when he was told that he just sat 2 tables of 3 at two 4 tops, he just smiled with no response. It appeared that the manager's disrespect was intentional. If you are not going to abide by the policy and not treat all guests fairly, then eliminate the policy for all guests. At least show some respect for the guest by acknowledging him, and better yet try to rectify the situation. I have worked in restaurants and understand the importance of respecting guests. Apparently, this manager has much to learn about guest service...