Dig Lounge

In my opinion, the hottest new restaurant on Hollywood Blvd isn’t Beso or Katsuya, it’s the new Loteria Grill. Its first location, located at the Farmer’s Market, has quickly become a much loved Mexican food joint and favorite of many foodies. Its new location on Hollywood Blvd is enormous compared to the Market location. The main kitchen is open to the dining room, and the line cooks and chefs can be seen working diligently to get out a variety of 12 different kinds of tacos, burritos, sopas, enchiladas, soups, salads and an array of breakfast items.

I could imagine it getting very loud in the dining room with its concrete floors and tall ceilings. This was a slow Sunday afternoon, with a half full restaurant, so the atmosphere was bright and pleasant, but not too loud. There is also a decent sized patio, with good Hollywood Blvd people watching. Bonus for this location, along one side of the restaurant is a full bar! Finally, good Mexican food and margaritas, and not one or the other. For a city like LA, you would think that wouldn’t be hard to find. But sadly, it has been for me.

Our server, Roberto, was enthusiastic about the Jalapeño Margarita ($12), a mix of tequila, triple sec, orange juice, jalapeño juice, floated with Grand Marnier, with a chili powder and salt dipped rim. Sold! This is a truly refreshing and wonderfully unique drink. The spicy jalapeño, salty rim and sweet tequila drink is surprisingly refreshing. We sampled the house margarita ($9) which was very limey, almost too much. I also tried the mango margarita ($11), which was very good, but after the jalapeño margarita, almost too sweet.

For the main course I order the Probaditas plate ($14), a great sampling of all 12 of their tacos. Served on hand pressed, homemade, mini corn tortillas, it’s a great way to sample all of their veggie, chicken, beef and pork tacos. My favorites of the bunch are the Conchita Pobil (pork slowly roasted in a banana leaf with citrus pickled red onions and chili habanero) and the Pollo en Pipian Rojo (chicken in a spicy pumpkin-seed and peanut sauce).

Angela ordered the Carnitas Burrito ($9) with mint rice, topped with some of that chili habanero sauce and avocados. Muy spicy, but muy good! This burrito was filled with delicious fried pork, mint rice and black beans. The mint rice was something that Roberto suggested over the plain white rice, and it was a great suggestion.

The service was spot on. Roberto was attentive, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about all the food. I’m delighted to have a new eating destination on Hollywood Blvd. In an area of over hyped restaurants, this is a gem. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of energy this place has on a busy weekend night. With it’s extensive hours (breakfast, lunch and dinner), high quality cocktails, satisfying food with fresh ingredients, friendly service, and bright atmosphere, it’s sure to be a hit for some time to come.

Check out this video I found of Chef and Owner Jimmy Shaw sharing his recipe for Ensalada de Jicama Enchilada.

Loteria Grill
6627 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 465-2500
OpenTable Reservations