Monte Alban in Los Angeles

This place has the fest mexican food in all of LA! If you are hungry, make sure you try the Molcajete Grill Plater brought to you on an piping hot lava stone thingy. There are several you can choose from but my favorite is the regular one. Its enough for two or one really hungry person like myself. Or the Carnes Monte Alban which is two types of Oaxacan meats. Very delicious. If you feel like you're a little more adventurous, try the mole made from spices and chocolate or the Clayuda which is like a pizza but Oaxacan style. Also the pozole is really good and the tacos de barbacoa, which are goat tacos. And of course for dessert, try the best homemade flan or the cactus icecream. Mmmmmmmm, guarantees you'll leave happy. This is my favorite restaurant!

Notice: We have only been there twice. The first time we went there service was excellent. Service was really good from top to bottom. We had a couple drinks, ate the vegan food suggested by the manager, and everything was excellent.The second time, and this might be a fluke, the service was not good. We ordered two drinks and two waters. It took 20 minutes to get our drinks, we never got the waters. We got our drinks at the same time and finished at the same time. One glass was full to the top with ice, the other not.Our second trip there was not good. Slow service and inconsistent drinks. I really like this place because of our first visit, we'll give this place one more try.Stuff happens, I don't know why we got such bad service the second time.

Stop #262 for @pizzas365: Monte Alban Restaurante has a very unique, Tlayuda (Oaxacan pizza). The toppings are all pretty decent (though I would skip the beef), and it's a reasonable price and size. 4.2 Stars.

Food as always was great but the service is really bad. They came to take your order really nice and helpful but they do not check on you (napkins, plate, refill water. Salsa and chips forget it. Check...) if you need to add another order or something just eat what you ask at the beginning because they are not interested in sell more and give a good serviceDisappointing use to be a great place!

Lovely service by the owner and staff members, nice authentic Mexican food, reasonable prices.

Great food, great service. Parking Is a bit limited but worth the hassel!

The food was beyond delicious. I'm vegetarian and they can definitely accommodate some items in the menu for vegetarians... the service was great and the beans in pasta were really good, even the cocktails were different and tasty. I would totally go back sometime soon.

Food was delicious! Waitress was nice and always around.

Great Oaxacan fare, and the nachos are differently colored to reflect the Mexican flag. Overall great place!

Really nice mexican restaurant!! Best mexican in the area

Really friendly, engaging staff and decent prices.

The food is so good.... great place to spend with family and friends. My kids love this place.

Love the chips and salsa the menu has things I've never tried before

Great Little Corner Place for Absolutely Terrific Food and Drinks with Good Service

The place is kind of small but makes up for it with the food. If you have ever been to Oaxaca and had a chance to eat there, this is the next best thing.

This place is an incredible find in a strip center that I drove by 1000 times. The food is all fresh and delicious. I just had them cater an event for 100 people and they were so great to work with on the menu and everything went perfectly and everyone commented on how amazing the food was. Go!

Good food.. Very tasty and healthy..Cheap food is not quality Quality food is not cheap 👍👍😄😄

Great spot for authentic Oaxacan Mexican food. Oaxaca is a city in Mexico known for its unique indigenous cultures including food, drinks, and music. There area around this restaurant has a good amount of other Oaxacan restaurants and stores.Try something with mole, a dark sauce with a distinct cinnamon-sweet taste almost like chocolate! Also ask to try one of their aguas frescas or fresh waters to decide which one you'll take.

The food and the service is Excellent! Don Memo is the best! I have been a fan of this place for over 20 years!

Visiting from Canada and can honestly say, we can't get Mexican food that has any semblance to this. The volcan bowl was amazing... Tomato based sauce with amazing cheese and a roasted pepper that brings just the right amount of kick. Ask the staff what they like to eat - they're super friendly and glad to help you decide.

I went here for lunch with my girlfriend and I was completely satisfied with my experience. I ordered the Camarones a la Diabla and it was amazing. Fresh taste, perfect spices, and very fulfilling. The shrimp was cooked and sautéed to perfection. Made me want to over eat because it was so delicious. The staff was friendly and very attentive. I will say, don’t expect fast service because their food is made to order. It took a little longer than expected but because of how great the taste was, it was definitely worth the wait. My only complaint is the freezing cold bathroom but that is no reason to give this place less than 5 stars.

Top five best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles.

Itz always a chaotic mess in there but the service is very good.

The experience was not the greatest. The service is a little disorganized and stail. Not very friendly and don't pay much attention to the customers needs. No names given...nada. Had to ask twice for coffee because they would not ask if needed or offered more. Asked for "extra" napkins and plates. Didn't really seem interested to help. And everything we asked to get more of, was "EXTRA" Some what pricey for the service and warm food. Yes! Food wasn't served hot. Anyway, place is ok for ethnic mexican food. Funny thing when asked how we liked it and gave honest opinion...they responded as if we said it was GREAT service. To funny.

The flavor of the food is great.

Came here for the specialty: mole. Ordered the dark Oaxacan black mole and the red spicy mole. Enjoyed both. The black mole was a great blend of spices although the amount of chocolate made it a bit too sweet. The red spicy mole was very mild and excellent. When we mixed the two moles it mellowed out the sweetness of the black mole and gave it a little kick. They only serve it on chicken breast but I wish I had the option of requesting dark meat instead, especially since the chicken was a bit dry. Lots of mezcal drinks to choose from and they let me sub in tequila. The dessert was underwhelming so I would say go elsewhere for that.

Was surprised by the mediocrity of the food. The margaritas were pretty awful, too

Hubby and I came here twice and had a different experience each time. The first time was amazing. The manager recommended a great vegan dish for us. Vegan as in no animal product whatsoever, which would seem obvious, but we've had issues. Not here. We had two beers, food, and great service. Loved it.The second time was a complete horror show. The manager was friendly and recognized us, but that was the only highlight. We ordered two drinks and waters to start. It took a good 20 minutes for the drinks to come, of which my husband's was mostly ice. The water never came. We finally got up and went to the register to pay after another ten minutes passed without attention.We'll likely give this another try and hope they were just having a bad day?

One of my favorite places to go to for Oaxacan food. Try the Volcan Oaxaqueño, horchata con nieve, and the tamales de mole.

I came to eat here with my Mexican “brown” family and they tried to sit us to the right of the restaurant where the curtains are closed and no one can see in, whereas to the left it was NOT FULL but had white people sitting in there. The left had the blinds up and it was nicely lit. So we obviously noticed that when we walked in and asked to be seated to the left of the restaurant. About 15-20 minutes after we sat down another Hispanic family walked in and guess where they’re seated? On the right. Btw I’m not saying the food wasn’t good because it was very good but I’m just writing this to make people aware of how Latinos can discriminate they’re own people. If you’re white I highly doubt you’ll get where I’m coming from or probably won’t ever notice this being done just like the white people in this restaurant but like I said this just to make people aware of what we go through everyday.

This is the real thing. If you're looking for authentic family style Oaxacan home cooking, this is it! We love this place.

Food is good...if you get what you order.Service is not there.

Great place for Mexican food.

Great authentic Oaxacan food, kind friendly staff. Very fair pricing.

This place is a gem. Terrific and authentic Oaxacan food that is absolutely worth the trip. Service can be a little slow but it's always worth the wait and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. Put it on your list, you won't be disappointed.

Good food, but I'm personally not a fan of mole.

This is such an amazing restaurant. I highly recommend it.The service is so amazing with the customer. And the food is so delicious if you have a chance to go you should definitely go and try the foods.

We visited this restaurant a few years ago while visiting Santa Monica. The staff was very friendly and helpful and the food was delicious! Definitely worth trying if you're in the mood for some great food!

Very attentive and polite staff. The specialty - chicken breast with a chocolate sauce - was very interesting but not quite to my taste. Nothing bad, though.

Don't recommended it.brought my plate 15 min before my son's and husband. The food mmm not all that .

Food is good and prices are reasonable. My complaint and low rating for this place stems from the fact that every single time I've come here the fact that I'm Hispanic makes the service super slow. If your Caucasian I have seen they get more expedient service.

Great food, lovely attentive service, energetic authentic feeling atmosphere. We loved it!

The food is great and staff very nice.

Service was exceptional. We had a large party and our food came out delicious and piping hot. Great environment. Friendly staff. I'll be back the next time I'm in Cali

Traditional Oaxacan cuisine including several types of mole. Great service.Make sure to get some "chapulines" while you're there.

Monte Alban Restaurant Is No Longer Here, its A New Restaurant Same Address GOOD MEXICAN RESTAURANT. NICE PLACE, FOR WHAT I ATE. FRIED FISH RICE AND BEAN'S $ 16.00, RED WINE MERLOT PLUS $8.00. NOT BAD. PLUS TIP. ABOUT $ 30.00😎

Food is ok, but definitely NOT worth the price. The portions are not that big to justify how expensive it is. I have been to other places where the food is good and at a reasonable price. The staff is nice, and friendly but disorganized. They don’t come around to check on you. Needless to say I won’t be returning.

The customer service is nothing close to what it was years ago and I'm sure many people feels the same way. To bad cause the place had a lot of potential

great Oaxaca food, cafe de olla is a must

Great customer service!... very friendly and love the oaxacan food!...