Sarah, her parents Jim & Diane, her brother Adam, his wife Heather, and I had dinner last night at this casual Mexican small plates joint, and despite some hiccups, we had a good time.

Since we were a large’ish party, I’d made a reservation, but it didn’t look to have been necessary, as the place was only about half-full. We were seated at their only large table, in a covered outside area with heat lamps, which were nice, but at the edge of the patio, which was less nice, since half of the table didn’t get any heat.

We perused their extensive menu of margaritas and tequilas (they had probably 100 or more tequilas available!). Sarah, Adam & I decided on an “El Natural” margarita ($13, Partida anejo tequila, Partida aguave nectar, lime juice), Jim had the house marg ($8), and Diane had a Mojito ($8). We also ordered chips with guacamole ($7) and burned habanero and cream salsa ($4).

After a few minutes our waitress returned and asked if we’d like any drinks or starters. Hmm, no, nothing beyond the ones we just ordered from her a few minutes prior! Our drinks arrived and were curtly plopped in front of us, but tasted delicious. The El Natural margarita, served up and w/salt in a cocktail glass, was smooth and well-balanced.

Some of the chips were nice and crispy, but some were floppy and sad. The guac was good, but not remarkable, however, the burned habanero salsa was excellent, and very spicy. It proved too much for most folks at the table, so Heather & I wound up eating most of it, while others demolished the guacamole.

The menu consists of small plates, with no sides, so we got an assortment of dishes and Sarah & I shared ours. Heather & Sarah had lobster tacos ($12 for 2), Sarah & I split sides of roasted potatoes ($5) and mexican corn on the cob ($3 for 2 ears), Diane had the pork carnitas ($10), Adam had flautas ($12), and I had to try their unusual-sounding ground beef and pickle tacos ($5.50 for 2) and eggplant and potato tacos (also $5.50 for 2).

Our plates arrived all at once, pretty good timing, since we’d ordered so many of them! Sarah’s lobster tacos were tasty, and had enough lobster meat to actually taste like lobster, and my ground beef and pickle tacos were actually very good, if a little strange. They basically tasted exactly like you’d think they’d taste. The mexican corn was well-cooked and yummy, drizzled in butter and seasoned with salt and chili powder. I didn’t get to try it, but Diane said her carnitas were delicious, and everyone else enjoyed their dishes as well.

The eggplant and potato tacos were less successful, however, being mushy and bland, even with a liberal application of the provided (very mild) tomato salsa. Likewise the roasted chipotle potatoes, which were dry and under-seasoned.

Service was also a low point. Although water was refilled, and our dishes were delivered quickly and efficiently (not by our server), our main server was surly, un-courteous, forgetful, and bumped me fairly hard on several occasions without comment. Our second order of guacamole went un-fulfilled as well.

We were a little shocked by the final bill – $45/each including tip – quite a lot for somewhere with butcher paper on the tables, and food served in plastic baskets, although the cocktails of course accounted for a large portion of the bill.

All told, Sarah & I agreed that this place, although it had some pretty tasty items, wasn’t a very good value – I’d go elsewhere in the area before returning. I found it funny, though, that on this day, we had lunch at Good and dinner at Bad (which is what “malo” means in Spanish).

My rating: Good

Malo (website)
4326 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA (map)
(Silver Lake district)