A hip, happenin Mexican Restaurant: Loteria Grill in Hollywood

So one of my best friends from high school, Alice N is visiting from Singapore where she's been living and working for the past five years. She was craving some Mexican food and we didn't want El Cholo (though that place is good) so we decided to hit up this place called Loteria in Hollywood.

Just the three girls - Grace L, Alice N and I were best friends in high school. We've all since gone our own separate ways - career-wise...Grace L is a lawyer, Alice N is an interior designer and well, you know what I do. But we've all remained true friends - we can talk for hours about our dreams, our passions and our families...

Sorry, that was just a little background...now on to the food.

Ok - so here's where Loteria is located (Hollywood and Cherokee), right next to Geisha House:

and here's the outside of this restaurant..just judging from the door and patio you can tell that it's not your typical Mexican restaurant...

and as you walk in I started to really appreciate the modern look of this place...including the bar....

We meet and talk to the waiters....Diaz is so sweet and nice...he gives us a napkin with his email so we can send him this picture...

and this waiter looked like an actor (Lawrence Fishbourne or Keanu perhaps).

We order a bunch of small dishes...like the probaditas - sampler (12 small tacos served on hand-made tortillas for $14) - top picture...and the crispy taquitos appetizer $8...

and the queso fundido - which was basically a lot of melted cheese (no picture here cause it doesn't look too appetizing...unless you are a hard core cheese person you may not like this).

Oh yes, and we had some stiff drinks - their margaritas were strong but tasty!

All of us agreed that the food was pretty delicious - lighter than your traditional Mexican food.

Loteria has three locations, one being the stall at the LA Farmers Market on 3rd/Fairfax (Grove area).

Overall?
Had a nice time, eating pretty good, clean Mexican food in a modern setting. They did a good job of preserving some of the Mexican culture while still updating it for a younger generation. It's like they went somewhat authentic in a very cool, hip way. Prices were pretty reasonable, too - you can get a burrito for $8.50, a salad for $7.50 and a mole enchilada for $12. Not too shabby.

Who Should Go?
This Hollywood one was pretty chic, a good place to take some out-of-towners if they want Mexican food in a nice setting. Also cool if you want to experience Hollywood and walk around afterwards towards the Hollywood/Highland complex (avoid uWink, though...that place is wack).

Tips:
Parking here is no good. You can find metered parking around or you can valet at Geisha House next door and pay $6 (which isn't too bad). They don't mind if you park there for Loteria (I asked). No need to validate.

Loteria Grill (Yelp)
6627 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323.465.2500