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Once again, it's time to celebrate the Mexican army's 1862 victory over the much larger French forces in the Battle of Puebla in one of the best ways we Americans know how: massive amounts of eating and drinking. This Cinco De Mayo, we've rounded up some of the best celebrations around town where you'll find tasty bites, frosty beverages and, in some cases, live mariachi bands. Here are our favorite events happening this Thursday.
EL CHAVO
This Los Feliz favorite recently underwent a revamp and reemerged with a new look and menu. And now Top Chef contestant Phillip Franklin Lee of Scratch|Bar & Kitchen and The Gadarene Swine and chef Alex Carrasco from Mexico City will be joining Octavio Olivas from Ceviche Project and Brandyn Tepper from Cocktail Academy just in time for an epic Cinco de Mayo party. You can check our the new lineup when the bash kicks off at 4 p.m. with Mexican street food, live music, luchador wrestling and delicious cocktails like a frozen Paloma and the Canelo y Piña with El Silencio Mezcal. Reservations are recommended.
El Chavo is located at at 4441 W Sunset Blvd. in Los Feliz, (323) 664-0871
LAS PERLAS
Downtown's haven for all-drinks-agave will be hosting their annual Cinco bash starting at 5 p.m. They'll be pouring Palomas with Jarritos and Sino Tequila, $6 margaritas and serving up housemade tacos until 8 p.m. There will also be live music from all-female mariachi band La Victoria.
Las Perlas is located at 107 East Sixth St., Downtown, (213) 988-8355
FIGat7th
From 3 to 9 p.m., this downtown courtyard will turn out a massive fiesta with booze, piñata-making classes and music. Loteria Grill will be pouring margaritas and micheladas, while City Tavern will be serving Mexican-style beers as DJs play throughout the day. Adult art school Makers Mess will also be hosting classes on making piñatas, which you can later smash to celebrate the day. And if you're in the area from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., you can catch an early show with the all-female mariachi band La Victoria.
FIGat7th is located at 735 S Figueroa St, Downtown
BIG BAR
One of our favorite bars in town will be hosting a special Cinco de Mayo celebration with The Return of the Largest Margarita in Los Feliz (and possibly Los Angeles). This time around the massive concoction will feature El Silencio Mezcal, fresh lime juice and agave. Bar manager Cari Hah will also be launching Big Bar's House Sangrita, a blend of fresh juices and spices similar to what you might find at fruit carts around town and inspired by the classic version. Every pour of El Silencio Mezcal will come with a glass of the House Sangrita. They'll also have an Altos Reposado happy hour with specialty cocktails from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and a Morrissey vs Mexrrisey mixtape in the evening. Festivities kick off at noon.
Big Bar is located at 1927 Hillhurst Ave. in Los Feliz, (323) 644-0100
BORDER GRILL
The patio of the downtown location of Border Grill is going "Whole Hog" for Cinco De Mayo with a whole roasted pig and a $30 all-you-can-eat feast that includes a complimentary margarita. The offerings include al pastor tacos, cauliflower tacos al pastor, elote locos grilled corn with a toppings bar and a churro station. You can also opt to order each item for $5 if you prefer. There will also be a satellite bar with signature margaritas and beer. Inside they'll also have $5 Mexican draft beers all day, as well as $6 Angel City lager and Border margaritas.
The Santa Monica location will have specialty cocktails like the Ginger Not Maryann Margarita with ginger-infused reposado, tamarind and fresh lime, as well as $6 sangrias and $4 Coronas all day at the bar.
Border Grill is located at 445 S Figueroa St, Downtown, (213) 486-5171; and 1445 4th St, Santa Monica, (310) 451-1655
MERCADO, MARADENTRO AND YXTA
This celebrated lineup of upscale Mexican eateries will be offering specials on food and drinks beginning at 4 p.m. on the 5th. Think deals on margaritas, tequila shots and Modelo, along with delicious bites like guacamole, tacos, and tamales. Reservations are recommended, especially for large groups. Mercado has locations in Hollywood, Santa Monica and Beverly Grove; Maradentro has locations in Studio City and Brentwood, and Yxta is located Downtown.
More info and addresses can be found here.
CASA VEGA
60-year old iconic restaurant Casa Vega will celebrate the big day with a Throwback Thursday special where you can nab a 60-cent taco when you purchase a Boss margarita. They'll also have a specialty cocktail and shots featuring Maestro Dobel, as well a photo booth with props, so you can capture all of your Cinco celebrations for posterity.
Casa Vega is located at 13301 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, (818) 788-4868
HORSE THIEF BBQ
This year, Cinco de Mayo conveniently falls on the first Thursday of the month when Horse Thief offers their Boardgames and Barbecue night. Hit their spacious patio for games paired with brisket or pulled pork tacos for $3, Dos Equis on draft for $5 and Micheladas for $7. Boardgames and Barbecue features a life size Jenga and Twister, which is bound to get interesting after a few drinks, as well as board game classics like Monopoly and Scrabble, and newbies like Cards Against Humanity.
Horse Thief BBQ is located at 324 S Hill St, Downtown, (213) 625-0341.
WP24 BY WOLFGANG PUCK ROOFTOP PATIO
One of our favorite rooftop bars—which is typically reserved for hotel guests and residents except for special occasions—will be hosting a sky-high Cinco bash overlooking downtown. The party will feature $3 gourmet tacos, including Santa Barbara spot prawns with chipotle and cilantro, roasted pork shoulder with pineapple and guajillo chili, house-made chorizo and more, served with house salsas. There will also be Mexican-inspired desserts like horchata ice cream coupe and warm house-made churros. There will also be a selection of beers available and specialty cocktails like the Starry Night with RumChata, spiced rum, and vanilla bean; as well as margarita offerings, including the Cadillac with Chinaco Blanco, Grand Marnier, lemon and lime.
WP24 by Wolfgang Puck is located at 900 W Olympic Blvd., Downtown, (213) 743-8824
SAUSAL
Head down to El Segundo’s Nuevo Rancho hotspot this Cinco de Mayo for fun specials like margarita snow cones ($8) and Mexican hot dogs wrapped in bacon and topped with spicy mayo, guacamole and fancy pico ($8) from Chef Anne Conness. If you're in the mood to catch a flight, you can also order up Calle 23 tequila flights for $15.
Sausal is located at 219 Main St, El Segundo, (310) 322-2721
GRACIAS MADRE
This plant-based Mexican joint will offer fun new cocktails, food and a roaming mariachi band for Cinco De Mayo. Beverage Director Jason Eisner will unveil his new artisanal "blended" margaritas and sangrita, which you can enjoy with complimentary cotton candy or a platter of chimichangas ($13) with smoked tomato sauce, red pepper, potatoes, tempeh chorizo, black beans, guacamole and cashew chipotle aioli from chef Chandra Gilbert. The mariachi band will serenade you on the patio from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Gracias Madre is located at 8905 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood
