Atwater Village / Frogtown / Silver Lake
Get directions | 2490 Fletcher Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Hours | Sunday 12pm-5pm, Monday Closed, Tuesday 5pm-12am, Wednesday 5pm-12am, Thursday 5pm-12am, Friday 5pm-, Saturday 5pm-
Aside from $7 cups of coffee and your friend’s brief bone broth phase, few things are more synonymous with the Eastside than Salazar. The Sonoran-style Mexican spot opened in 2016, and overnight, became the area’s ultimate destination restaurant. And rightfully so – the food was excellent and interesting, the outdoor patio felt like you were on vacation in Austin, and you got to brag to your coworkers the next day that you ate dinner in a place called Frogtown.
But much like your friend’s bone broth addiction, Salazar’s reign as one of the Eastside’s great restaurants was ultimately short-lived. There are several reasons why (chef turnover, increased local competition), but the main issue at Salazar is simple – the once-remarkable food has become decidedly average. But that doesn’t mean you should write the place off completely.
Whether you’ve been going to Salazar for years or just hearing about it, know the space itself is still great. In our Salazar review from 2016 (we gave it an 8.9 rating, by the way), we remarked that the desert-like patio and indoor/outdoor bar concept felt objectively different and mentioned that every LA restaurant should use both as blueprints. We still feel that way. It doesn’t matter if you come here on a quiet Tuesday night or for a boozy Sunday brunch, Salazar’s patio remains one of the best in town. It’s not about being well-designed or looking pretty on Instagram (though it’s definitely both of those things), it’s about creating a sense of escapism – as if you’ve left LA for a few hours and didn’t pay airfare to get there. Salazar still does that better than anyone. It’s the food that no longer holds up its end of the bargain.
info@salazarla.com
https://instagram.com/salazarfrogtown
https://tidy.menu/salazar-restaurant/files?file=qrfile%2F20211031T001207219-fed36f88-ba03-4b2f-86bb-24d3fa63d686.pdf
