LA Golondrina Mexican Cafe

Big and spacious, a bit of a tourist trap. They changed their menu recently, the food is still good but provides less choice. Get the coconut margarita. Walking distance to Union station.

Great service and good food!

Great place for a first date atmosphere good the live band inside on Sat is nice.Would recommend this place to anyone.

Avoid this Restaurant if you want a good margarita. The margaritas there are horrible. They have no taste, the frozen lime one was mainly ice. The salsa is runny... the chips are hard. And the PRICE IS RIDICULOUS! SO EXPENSIVE!

Good Food, drinks, music and ambience.. what else someone to spend a good evening. Being vegetarian, whenever we try Mexican food we never get satisfaction of having the bite!! But it’s not the case here.. we enjoyed every bite we ordered.highly recommended. Service was good too.

The worst Mexican restaurant I’ve ever been to. My mom and I went there yesterday after day of the dead celebration. It looked nice. But that’s it. Food was not only over priced but it was not good. Both my mom and I got sick. And we ordered different things. Never again. The only good thing about this place is the location. I don’t understand how people eat there let alone pay those prices for low quality food.

Quick, cheap, and delicious! I stopped at Casa La Golondrina Mexican Cafe before I went to get a meal somewhere else and treated their chicken taco like an appetizer.

One of the Best Mexican restaurants in Downtown LA. Award winning margaritas with authentic Mexican cuisine. Must try their beef taquitos!

Food was flavorful and there wasn't a long wait for it. Plates average at about $14 of course that varies based on what you order (ie: shrimp, carne asada, etc.) Staff was friendly. Chips & salsa provided upon seating. Indoor and outdoor seating is available. I recommend taking the Dash bus, or getting a ride. No close parking and it's all paid or metered street parking. Free museums within walking distance and open marketplace with shops and snacks. I ordered the chicken tostadas. 😋

The staff is awesome! The food was delicious ! Got 3 tacos, shrimp al mojo, Pollo de mole, and carnitas with beans. I wasn't expecting them to be so filling I couldn't eat them all. I gave it 4 stars because we got sat outside on a hot day and there was hardly a breeze. Other than that have to go back. My micheladas were awesome as well😍

Everything was good. I love this restaurant. It was my first time and love it.

Location is the best part of this Mexican cantina. Prices are expensive for a Mexican restaurant. Portions are big, with great flavors. Over $10 for a Margarita and around $15 a plate but you will end taking food home. The area is great for shopping Mexican items. Guacamole is delicious, but our order had big chunks of avocado which I would normally prefer smashed.

Tried to use their bathroom even though I wasn't currently dining at their restaurant. The manager was very snobby and said I couldn't use it, even after I mentioned I'd been here several times with my family. I even pointed out to one of the waiters standing by that he even should recognize me because of how often we eat here. Very rude to treat their customers this way. The only reason I even would dine here was because of my family, but now I'll try to make it so that we don't dine here again. We can find better customer service from management than this, and better food. The reason there's an extra star is because the food is tasty (though a little overpriced), and the waiting staff is very friendly. The waiter might have let me use the bathroom if the snobby manager (who represents the team the most) hadn't been so adamantly rude.

Truly disappointing. Prices are $$$ A burrtito, that's it, starts at $13.95. Chimi style add $2.00. Rita's - a Standard on the rocks Margarita? $12.95. Sad...Truly sad. Hostess was slow and unmotivated. Great location rip off on the price. Say there are 2 of you, 2 Rita's and 2 meh burritos (tortilla stuffed, no rice or beans on the side), before tax? $53.80? Wowsa that is gouge to the customer.

After going to an event next door, my group of three decided to check out Casa La Golondrina Mexican Cafe. We walked in on Wednesday, March 29th around 9pm. It was pretty empty, so we sat at the counter.

Prejudice. Told us there were no seats for a group of 6 inside, then sat a WHITE group of 7 inside who walked in next to us. told us the heater outside should be enough even though one of us was a newborn baby and the elderly. I see you assume white= money. would not recommend and will never come back.

Visiting on a hot Friday afternoon in October. Sitting on the shaded outdoor patio was quite pleasant. Service was good and the drinks we ordered were cold. I got the coconut margarita. Probably one of the best drinks I've ever enjoyed. They also do a cucumber margarita that we were able to get a sample of. It was really refreshing and would also be a good choice. I ordered the Cochinita Pibil, something you don't often see on the menu in Mexican restaurants. It was delicious! The soupy broth the pork sits in is crazy good. I would probably be happy with a big bowl of just that. Their carnitas were also quite good. I'd order that as an alternative.

Carne asada was very good. Service was pretty quick, maybe because it wasn't that busy

This is more for ambience than for their food. I've been coming here for over 50 years. Today was strictly for nostalgia. I ordered the machaca and also the chorizo and eggs breakfast. Both made you wonder "where's the beef"?! I guess with the increased rent, labor coats, taxes and cost of doing business in LA, they had to cut back somewhere. Which I suppose is why the place was so empty on a Sunday morning. But it did leave room to go out and get a couple of cookies and a snack on the way out. But i am spoiled with great places to eat in san Diego which has the best Mexican food on the planet. Word to the wise, stop in for a house margarita and maybe chips or nachos then head over to Cielito Lindo for some rolled tacos rice and beans cause you only get on at this place.

Great little restaurant in the middle of Olivera Street! We stopped in for a nice family lunch after going to the California Science Center. The food was good and the margaritas were tasty. There was a mariachi band that walked around and serenaded us while eating.

Better Mexican to be had in the city. This place is for the tourists. Ordered the tacos and I would have had a better dinner from a favorite truck. They do make a solid michelada though.

Better Mexican to be had in the city. This place is for the tourists. Ordered the tacos and it was so delicious. The staff are also nice and so accommodating

Let us in right before they closed it was good service and great food

Established in 1924 as the first Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, this family-owned cafe and cantina serves an array of timeless, authentic Mexican dishes ranging from tacos to margaritas. The crispy tortilla chips and medium salsa verde are delicious, as well as the juicy chicken enchiladas with mild salsa verde, which are complemented by refried beans and zesty Spanish rice. The staff are helpful and the building itself is strikingly historical; it even has a fireplace! I highly recommend La Golondrina the next time you visit Olvera Street.

So yummy .. So pack but so worth the wait

Had two tacos, one carnitas and one shrimp. Both were very tasty. I enjoyed the tomatillo salsa too.

Really nice place and the food was good and flavorful.. I gave it 4 stars because the prices are on the high side.. However you are paying also for being at olvera st in downtown.. I would consider going back there if i am in the area but would not make a special trip for it.

Good food great service. Didnt have to wait too long for table. Great lavender orange mint margaritas. Go figure

I really liked this place, the huaraches are awesome, much bigger than you would expect and had a lot of flavor to it as well. The place definitely doesn't disappoint. The horchata was also pretty darn awesome as well. Overall definitely worth coming to and worth making the trip out to Highland Park for.

This place is located in "Olvera Street". The food was good. The service was definitely not what I expected. It was to "comercial", not good. I ate, I left.

Food was very good. Restaurant interior was nice. The waiter explained/ suggested us the right sides. Will visit again.

Good food. Great margaritas! Cool Olivera Street vibe! Very good service.

Delicious food and great prices! I custom ordered a chicken quesadilla (I'm a picky eater) and it was so delicious and HUGE and the prices are hard to beat.

Great mexican food at affordable prices. Great atmosphere.

Service & flavor was lacking. Over priced: 3 tacos and 1 side is $17. Carne asada tasted boiled in the bag - no pan/char flavor and in a soupy sauce. Chips served were mostly bottom of the bag crumbles and were still saltless. No sppon was given though the refried beans were served in a small bowl - had to use chips. Salsa had to be requested several times - still slow service. Drinks were not refilled. Table were at a severe angle. Dirty dishes piled up on small table - no effort to take any away.

Just giving 4 stars due to a very busy day on Olvera St, but they were short staffed. Opened tables, but not enough servers to seat people during the lunch hour. Also their restrooms were not open to customers when we arrived. Food was HOT and fresh. Caddy margarita was delicious.

Horrible food, service and atmosphere. Overpriced. Big mistake.

It's boogie Mexican food. It's bomb though! I would recommend this place for a date night or a celebration. If you just want Mexican go get some street tacos or like somewhere cheap!

I regularly come by buying some food here. I enjoyed the rapid service and well prepared food. 5 stars.

When I go to downtown LA this is my number one stop!!! I love the food, service and history!

Took them a while to seat an 8 party. Okay, fine. But what made me and my family leave is a strand of hair in the salsa. Along with not even being SERVED. The waiters were passing by and seating other people. Me and my family left because we were ignored and not served before other people that got there after us.

Great restaurant food, but can be pricey.

Calling this restaurant customer services representative was a great idea. I got my reservations on time when I badly needed it. The quality of service they provided was amazing! I will never forget to tell all of my relatives and colleagues on how impressive this restaurant's performance when it comes to delicious foods.

I love the ambiance. Dish was delicious. Staff is very friendly. Restaurant has alot of history.

The best cheese enchiladas I have ever eaten. 2 Enchiladas with rice and beans $15.99 was very reasonably priced. The margaritas were also excellent. My friend had the steak fajitas which were amazing. These were $26.99 and was so much food this dish could easily be shared by two people. Very friendly staff, lovely restaurant with a fireplace and the service was excellent. Will come back many more times!

Good Mexican food in a great atmosphere. Good for families, historic neighborhood. Margaritas were weak though.

Nice restaurant to bring the entire family! Old fashioned fireplace perfectly burning with a Christmas tree glowing with colorful lights. La Golondrina restaurant is located in the center of La Placita Olvera or Olvera Street in English in DTLA. Today I’m having 2 soft tacos. Carnitas and shrimp taco with a Modelo beer michelada on the side. The waiter was very knowledgeable with the authentic meals on the menu and friendly, which is always a big plus! Enjoy!!!

Great food and the best rice and beans I've ever had. Drinks are pricey, but still a great spot to visit.

Delicious Mexican Restaurant on Olvera Street with authentic Mexican food at very reasonable prices we shared an Appetizer Plate and it was plenty of food for the two of us. Gustavo was our server and he did a fabulous job. The restaurant is usually very busy ( at least on weekends), so expect a wait at peak times. The ambience is lively, with wait staff wearing traditional Mexican colorful clothes- all adding to the fun. Mariachi players are frequently there, and are happy to play some delightful tunes for a tip. There are both outside and inside tables, and it's common to see people waiting 45 minutes for a table. The staff are all effecient- there are just A LOT of customers waiting. The food is always delicious and definitely worth a visit!

Fantastic local authentic Los Angeles place. Love their three taco deals. The best and cheapest in town. And they are very good. There's an very amazing and extremely sharp staff who wore black glass frame and can calculate your birthday falling on which day next year. He got mine and my friend's right for sure. He's also very social and gifted human being with good sense of what others need. He handed me a paper bag without my asking while I was filling 3 boxes of salsa at their salsa bar. Love this place too much.