EL GUAPO

I have been going to El Guapo for years and have always had a great time. I was there last Friday, it had been a few months since my last visit. El Guapo continues to be THE sports bar/fun place to go out. They used to only have one or 2 beer pong tables now they have 3 or 4, allowing anyone who wants to play. There are even more TV's in there, you can watch any game you want. They continue to make that place a really fun place to go. Thanks! more

I was at El Guapo on Sunday and had a great time! The patio is a nice place to lounge with a margarita (I had peach - so good!!) and they have umbrellas, so you can enjoy the weather and not get sunburned. It has a great location on Melrose - the crowd and shoppers passing by make for interesting people watching! What was really nice was that the waitstaff didn't care that my friends and I were just hanging out - a lot of places try to rush you out the door after you pay your bill, but my waitress was super friendly, occassionally checking in to see if we needed another round but not being pushy with the drinks. She even gave us free shots! Later in the afternoon it got pretty busy there, but our waitress made sure to check on us still, and let us know that the food was 50% off after 5...getting tacos and burritos for $5 was awesome! I would definitely come back - what a great way to spend my Sunday! Pros: half price food, patio, margaritas Cons: music a little too loud - but great songs! more

This past week/end a few of my guy friends were in town and after looking up a few places we decided on El Guapo. I figured a sports bar on melrose, pretty perfect. I'm glad we went. This place is unique. The guys were happy because there were flat screen TVs EVERYWHERE And I'm not sure what some of the other people reviewing this place are talking about because when we asked to change the channel they were very accomodating. In addition to the TVs, you can play beer bong. so fun! the outdoor patio area is also a really nice touch, with heaters if it gets cold, and another great thing about the place is that there are TWO bars. Adding to El Guapo's appeal are the free shots! Our server was like "Here ya go guys! shots on the house. " Tell me of another bar that does that in LA. The other thing I liked about the place is that it's not "too mexican". I guess maybe that's why some reviewers don't like it, but personally I think it's the perfect balance. There's a huge menu selection with a plethora of options from mexican to burgers to wraps and salads etc. It's great. I dunno, I never really write these things but I thought El Guapo was worth taking the time to recommend to others. Check it out. more

I went to EL Guapo for the first time last week with four of my good friends. It was actually recommended to me by a co-worker. We wanted to go and watch the basketball game, talk, eat, and get hammered. We had a blast. I ate the fish tacos which were recommended to us by our hot waitress and they were awesome. I never thought tacos could be healthy but these were. TRY THEM! Anyways, our server was great she was making sure we were having a great time and constantly checking on us to see if we needed anything else while still serving all of her tables. We even bought her a shot of Patron cause she was so cool. My friends and i had a blast and we were very chill. Our waitress even came back with a round of shots for us. I thought that was very nice, I don't know many places here in La that can do that. Anyway s, I recommend it to anyone who likes to a good time, enjoys margaritas, and good mexican cooking. Yum:) Pros: Great service, lots of options in menu more

I haven't had such horrible service in a while. I never write these types of reviews but I do use Citysearch all the time so I felt like I HAD to write a review to warn future patrons. We went to El Guapo after a day of shopping on Melrose. I really liked the atmosphere (outdoor seating, relaxed feel) but the service really ruined it. The waitress came up to our table after about five minutes (no big deal though) and said "We are short staffed so you may have to wait awhile" really rudely (kind of un-professional but again not a huge deal), then she went back and shouted "I HAVE ANOTHER F**KING TABLE!!!!" So we decided to just order at the bar after about ten more minutes of waiting since it was obvious our waitress was a little stressed, the whole dining experience started to get a little irritating at this point. We order at the bar, move to the bar, the bartender was more intent on eating her lunch that waiting on others. The busboy was the only employee with any customer service, he brought the food out, asked if we needed anything else and even asked me (for the first time all day) if I needed a refill on my soda. It was one of the worst dining experiences ever. We went yesterday on June 2, 2007 so maybe if management is reading this, you might want to hire more staff based on their customer service skills and less on their cup size. Even better, promote bus boys to waitstaff, and then the problem is solved. Oh, and the food was horrible. It was greasy as hell. I will NEVER go here again. Pros: Outdoor seating, half price happy hour Cons: Everything else esp service and food more

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT and Totally REMODELED! el guapo which i guess now is a rock n roll cantina rocks. great layout and good food and best of all the patio serves booze too! all hi def tvs, the place looks like hard rock vegas. i had the best steak quesadilla i've ever had and my girlfriend had a grilled chicken wrap that was very tastys as well. i'll be back, especially to watch sports. Pros: smoking patio, melrose deck, beer pong Cons: sometimes too crowded more

great time great service very friendly bartenders, great food at cheap prices. a beer pong game is always waiting. all weekend theres a party goin on and lots of friendly down to earth customers always lookin for more people to join the fun. more

Maybe this isn't the "BEST" sports bar ever. Maybe it isn't the "BEST" cantina ever. But what it definitely has is a style all its own. This is much more than can be said for many places in Hollywood. It is true that you might walk in to very busy waitresses, and an even busier bartender, but what they lack in efficiency they make up for in friendliness and genorosity. Many a free Fun Shot have come my way whenever the service was not timely or to my liking- I can't say many bars do that in Hollywood. For those coming to El Guapo expecting 5 Star accomodations for their every whim, they should be going somewhere else. This is a Cantina/Sports Bar with all that entails. It has the laid-back feel of a cantina in Mazatlan with the number of TV's to satisfy any sports fan willing to have a moments patience while the staff hunts through the hundreds of games on at any time- which can be truly daunting even for any channel surfing guru. Better still, this place has some damn good food. I recommend the Shrimp Fajitas or the Tacos (an especially good deal for $1 on Tuesdays). There are often 1/2 deals as well that are always worth it. The basics: chicken strips, buffalo wings, burgers & fries, etc. are all above average, but I tend to stay with the Mexican flavor. All in all, it has well above average food. The overall vibe is always fun and I have always gotten my money's worth from the Bartenders. I have never felt that they were lost behind the bar, only overworked a little. This may be why some might think the service is poor. But in reality, a night of drinking at El Guapo is always fun, and I have never left feeling like I spent my rent money to get a bite to eat and a few drinks- as can be the case with other Hollywood night spots. Oh, yeah, did I mention that all the female employees are Smokin' Hot? Well, there's that to. Not to shabby for a place that you can hang out in the sun all day, and get your drink on. Pros: Fun Shots, bartenders, patio Cons: Slow service, crowds more

Wow. Thats dedication. I gotta try this place. Ive heard its great ,thats strange you had such a bad experience and it sounds like you were there alot too. What kept you going back? When did you get fired and for what? Pros: sports, beer Cons: too busy sometimes more

Lets get serious. El Guapo gets a horrible review and then suddenly gets ten amazing reviews the same day...more than they have had in 2 years. Hmmm...sounds like an inside job. Lets face the facts, El Guapo is a poor excuse for a sports bar...very few games on (usually tvs on espn news), mediocre food, dreadful service and average (at best) looking waitresses, management that doesn't care (or is usually drunk themselves). It does have a great patio and good location, but if you are looking for good food or a good sports bar, look elsewhere. If you just want cheap food and drinks and don't mind waiting 30 minutes to get a beer, then El Guapo is the place for you. Pros: cheap food and drinks Cons: the worst service in LA - not much of a sports bar - bad food more

El Guapo is a great place to kick back and watch all the big games. I can go with girlfriends after work to watch our alma mater play basketball or football, not have to worry about creepy guys hitting on us and just have a great time. the waitresses are mostly fun and enjoyable, especially if you're a returning good tipper! great margs and some pretty good food too! the only place we go to watch games! Pros: always fun and laid-back; quite a deal! Cons: make sure you're not expecting the four seasons and you'll be fine more

I recently stumbled upon el guapo while shopping on Melrose and i was really impressed by it. They have a really cool out door patio that you can smoke on and still watch the game. The cute blonde bartender made one of the best margaritas i'd had in a while suffice it to say it's become my new hang out. Pros: Great drinks and atmosphere more

Everything you would expect or want in a SPORTSBAR...cheap drinks ( I read diffrent below, where in Tiajuana do you live?) good looking waitstaff and a whole lot of TVs. The service and food is better at my other spot Katana but the bill is 5 times the price and I cant watch 9 diffrent games at once or wear shorts. Not to say the food is bad cuz its not, they have premium SPORTSBAR food. All the mexican you can think of and arguably the best burgers in town and sandwiches and I think wraps too. If your in the market for a great sportsbar in LA give this one a try I think its the best...if you want great food, service and decor open your wallet and try Katana or one of the 5,000 other great high end restaurants within 5 square miles. Pros: good food, hot girls, lots of TVs Cons: too packed for big games more

I've been to El Guapo Cantina on Melrose many times, including this weekend, the day where they were short staffed...to the negative person who wrote a review about that day: yes they were short staffed by THREE servers, NOT TWO...the waitresses were honest enough to communicate that fact to everyone who stayed knowing that...Our waitress on that day was Denise. She has been working there a while on & off & the other two servers were apparently new girls...I personally think they all did a great job under the circumstances and from what my friends & I witnessed, there were THREE servers, and A HOSTESS on the floor & they were ALL running their butts off!!! We noticed Denise had between 15-20 tables at once...we even joked with her asking her if she was serving tables across the street too! Denise was amazing! She smiled and joked with her tables and handled the pressure with grace! Life happens & it's how you handle the situation! The servers there did very well under pressure and always do! All I have to say for my friends and I, it's always a fun experience and that's why we keep coming back!!!! We love El Guapo's vibe for what it is: FUN, CASUAL, NON-PRETENTIOUS...COOL PEOPLE...If you're looking for fine dining, french/silver service, this is not the place for you....if you're looking for a fast food restaurant, this is not the place for you...ahhh, but...If you're looking for a place to unwind in a casual setting where you can sit back, relax, and stay a while, where the waitresses are really friendly & really enjoy talking to you, while providing good service...and where else does your server buy you a round of fun shots...this is the place!!! My favorite item on the menu: the Steak Fajitas...my favorite waitress: That Rockstar Denise who comes and goes when she's not touring... Baby Bunny Pros: Ambience, Valet parking, Good Service more

for those of us looking for drinks, eats, cool people and an overall GREAT time out, el guapo is the place to be. aside from the fact i'm now obsessed with the 'steak nachos', i really fell in love w/ the atmosphere of the whole place. good looking guys, hot bartenders, awesome servers, and everyone down to the dancing bussboy, are all having the time of their lives! my girlfriends and i are tired of the club scene and guapo is the perfect substitute with A LOT of the pros, none of the cons. the beer pong and beirut tables always keep us feelin nice. and you can smoke on the patio, so u never have to interrupt the party... c u there Pros: the crowd and the booze Cons: long bathroom line more

This is a fun, unique dining experience. It's a sports bar that serves Mexican cuisine! What else does anyone need? There's a huge patio area, and two bars. The patio area is nice because you don't have to leave your table to go have a smoke! How many places in LA can you do that at!? The whole place was packed today! I was a little worried that we wouldn't get a table, but we did, and we had a great time! I especially enjoyed the complimentary chips and salsa when we sat down, and our server was cool and on top of things, despite how busy she was. There was a KU gathering there watching the game, and the energy was exciting! Everyone was chanting "KAAAYYYYY UUUUUUUUU" and cheering like we were right there at the game! I ordered the Breakfast Burrito and two tacos. Everything was good, and they even made the burrito with black beans instead of pinto for me. The prices are very reasonable -- especially for a happenin place on Melrose! I was surprised that my Patron margarita was only $9... in Hollywood!!! I expected to pay at least $10-$12 per drink, but when the bill came, I was pleasantly surprised. Our server, Denise, even gave us a free round of "fun shots" during the game. I will definitely go back and take advantage of this best kept Hollywood secret! Pros: Nice patio area Cons: Tacos could have been spicier, but they weren't at all bad. more

finally someone does a indoor outdoor bar somwhere besides gay town!...not that I know theres some in gaytown. The food is good and so was the service. They have alot of tvs, i mean ALOT. More than Dublins had and bigger. Its kind of the new Dublins only better cuz its outdoors and theres no "hip hop" element (gun shots, etc) I liked it. Try it. Pros: TVs, Girls, Boys, Mexican food Cons: Eagles sucked more

The food is excellent and the service is great but the best part is the girls that work there are increadably hot! They have a hundred or so big TVs and every game thats on anywhere in the world playing at once. I used to go to Big Wangs but wont be doing that again. Theres a huge patio that is opened into the main bar so its like one big open air place where you cant tell where the outside begins and the inside ends. Its my new spot. I dont know why I hadnt heard of it before, it was a good crowd and David Spade was in there with his crew so it must be somewhat hip. They were in some vip type room with a big screen and a bunch of smaller Tvs...and 5 rediculasly hot girls. I think its a Philly bar too by all the Eagles stuff everywhere. Pros: Outdoors, many Tvs, hot staff, cheap drinks, celebs, near other good bars, parking. Cons: Melrose freak show on the way in. more

This bar/restaurant has a great tmosphere, and an even better patio! If you're into sports at all, you have to check it out. The food is good, mostly Mexican, with some salads, and sandwiches. The staff is friendly, and the drinks are strong! Girls - if you're not into sports, but looking for a place to pick up guys...definately check this place out! Pros: Valet Parking, Cheap Drinks more

El Guapo is the place to go when the weather is great. Since you and a group of friends can gather together in their amazing patio and watch your favorite basketball team or any sports kick some butt. While sipping on a Monster Magarita and conversing with many other die hard sport fans.The food is great and the fajitas are the best in the Hollywood area. However, the servers definatly make you want to come back since there are beautiful, friendly and fast service. Highly recommended is the breakfast burrito for you breakfast lovers!!! The atmosphere, the food and great service El Guapo is the place to be at and be seen. Pros: fast service Cons: hot servers more