El Palomar

Went to dinner here for my birthday on Friday 11/17 (party of 4). We got there about 8pm, and were seated originally at a table that was gonna he too small for all the food we wanted. The manager overheard us talking about wanting a big booth, and several minutes later came over, told us “come with me, we have a bigger table for you”. He had staff clean it quickly (people were just leaving), and get us in there. Excellent time there! Great food, drinks, and an amazing server! Our server even took my phone to take a picture of the giant mural I liked. Thank you for helping make my birthday so wonderful!

My son, daughter and I had dinner at the El Palomar this evening. I had the Chicken Tortilla Soup which is absolutely delicious. The best I’ve had in the area and a larger portion size. My kids had the burrito meal and also loved it. Our waitress took our orderly quickly and was very kind. Our food also arrived soon after we ordered. We felt well taken care of by all the staff. We will be back soon and would highly recommend to all! Also, it’s such a beautiful building and atmosphere.

I remember when El Palomar was the happenin place, the bee’s knees, the destination for the best Mexican food in town. With that high vaulted ceiling it was a cross between a restaurant and a Spanish cathedral. There was buzz. The place rocked. But here comes the hard part… although first I’ll say, the Camarones lit me up like a Christmas tree! They were great! And there were plenty, as if the were having a damn dance party on my plate. That being said, The rice and beans were bland and the worst offense, the second bowl of chips had a few bigger chips and the rest of the basket were crumbs. I mean what am I supposed to do with these any way? Honestly it’s kind of insulting. The waitress knows what she’s giving you is substandard. I felt like I was being punished for going though the first bowl before the mid meal mopping up phase. Ok, I get it, maybe they were running out of the nice chips, but she could have said something, or even replaced the bowl when the good stuff came out. Did they think I wouldn’t notice? Over all, the place has fallen prey to the famous location curse, a phenomenon first documented in 1920 at Marsha Mam’s beautiful emporium and eatery. They too were the favored spot, the in place to be, but they got complacent. They counted on their fame, the desirability of the location, and the reputation of their humble, but extraordinary chef (no one had ever been an executive chef back then… they would have have laughed at the hubris). Well, it’s the same here. They have customer loyalty and history, and they have atmosphere up the wazoo, but what they don’t have is passion for the product anymore. They are just dialing it in, and it shows. I’d give them three stars, but the Camarones were really good, it’s like a diamond in a cheap ring, the rest of the meal detracts from the final effect.

All of the staff were very attentive to us. Their food was some of the best I've ever had. The chips, dinner plates (seafood tostada, seafood cocktail, vegetable tostada, vegetable chimichanga), and flan were super satisfying!

I have not had Mexican food this favorable in a while. Service was great everyone was friendly. Had the choice of eating on patio or inside. I had the Ribeye that was sat on top of a sauce. My friend had the enchiladas dinner which had a very delicate distinct flavor. Flour and corn tortillas were fresh much not forget the guacamole!!!