El Cholo-L.A. s First Mexican Restaurant

It’s hard to believe there was a time when you couldn’t get a taco in Los Angeles. Well, that time was any time before 1923, because 1923 is when El Cholo opened its heavy wooden doors, and a huge slice of Los Angeles culture was born.

Alejandro and Rosa Borquez originally named their restaurant The Sonora Cafe, but in 1925 a customer left behind a drawing of an adorable Mexican caricature he named El Cholo. Alejandro and Rosa re—named the restaurant El Cholo, and that funny little Mexican drawing remains on the front of their menus to this day.

Sidebar: El Cholo was a term that Spanish settlers in California gave to their fieldhands. mmmm, interesting.

El Cholo is credited with creating many Cal-Mex institutions, including the combination plate, and nachos!!!

The restaurant is a star magnet, and you can find snaps of Jack Nicholson, Elizabeth Taylor, George Hamilton, and The Beach Boys to name a few.

El Cholo remains an old school favourite, with a vintage neon sign to make you swoon.

You can order nachos to their original recipe (mmmm, maybe nachos got a little cheesier since then), and you can also order a “taste of history” plate, featuring original menu items, enchilada, taco, tamale, and relleno.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m suddenly hungry.

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Southern California No.183 -last visited July 2023