Descanso - Los Angeles

Descanso - Los Angeles reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. A

   Ashley VIP

   Los Angeles7 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on May 6, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 5

   Me and 7 friends will not return after our Cinco de Mayo experience. We waited 15-20min past our reservation to be seated, no big deal as there was fun live music at the front. We walked to the very back of the restaurant for our table but didn’t want to miss the live music atmosphere at the front so we asked to move tables if there was one open. The hostess got us shifted in front of the band which was perfect. We then waited at least 45 minutes for our new server to come by. In that time, we flagged servers walking past us, the hostess, and the manager who all said they’d look for our server. When we flagged with the manager again when a server never came, he went back around the restaurant to look for her. At no point did any of the staff we talked to offer to take a drink order while we waited. I eventually walked to the bar to order drinks from the bartender who kindly came over to our table to write it all down. Drinks took quite awhile to come out after that but we finally had some service. Within 60-80 minutes of being seated, a server we had seen previously walking around finally came by to take food orders. Food came out in a reasonable time but orders were all mixed up and one of our guests had to wait another 10mins to get her food order right. We had to go to the bar 3 different times during dinner to order drinks and paid separately as our server wasn’t attentive in getting refills. We saw our server constantly pointing at us when talking to other staff and she wasn’t friendly at any point during service. We thought the manager who knew we were having terrible service issues and food mishaps would offer consolation but we were charged for everything and paid the tab in full. We also spoke to the manager in person afterwards. Although it wasn’t busy enough for the service to be so crappy, we understand service isn’t always 100% but we got no proactive apologies or even acknowledgement of their errors the several hours we were there.
   

   Is this helpful?

2. l

   liz

   Los Angeles6 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 17, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   First time here but I will definitely be back. Loved the happy hour options.
   

   Is this helpful?

3. J

   Jakgeem

   Los Angeles14 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on March 30, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 5

   We experienced some issues with our order, however the manager more than made it up to us.
   

   Is this helpful?

4. C

   Christina VIP

   Los Angeles36 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 30, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   One of our favorite neighborhood Mexican restaurants closed and we were excited to read of the recent opening of Descanso. The way they remodeled was really beautiful. They have the restaurant with a taco bar and a very large cocktail bar. Live music playing in the dining room as well. In addition, they have a room which is reserved for multi-course meals served tableside on a large plancha. It was very lively over there, looked like a great place for large groups. We started with the chips and guacamole. The guacamole was fresh with lots of lime and the chips were homemade and very crispy. We had the following which was all worth ordering again. Short rib empanadas came nice and fluffy. Loaded with meat and a drizzle of sour cream. Birria tacos which were made with short rib. They weren’t like other Birria where they are fried crispy, but very flavorful and a generous amount of meat. Fideo soup was delicious lots of noodles but amped up from the traditional tomato broth typical of this soup. Hangar steak was tender and came on a bed of assorted vegetables almost like a calabacitas. For dessert, we ordered tres leches which was made with coconut milk and not as sticky sweet as usual. Toasted fresh coconut on top, I’d go back just for that. The flan was good too. I’m not a huge flan fan, but my daughter enjoyed it. Something to keep in mind tacos are a la carte so if you are very hungry, order more than one and maybe sides. We didn’t try them, but just thought it was worth mentioning. I’ll definitely be back and I didn’t feel like the prices were too outrageous for what you got.
   

   Is this helpful?

5. M

   Mel

   Los Angeles23 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on March 24, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Food was horrible and not worth the price!! Service was awful and drinks were terrible. Overall disappointing
   

   Is this helpful?

6. E

   Ellie VIP

   Los Angeles2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 23, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   The high ceiling makes the place! Loved it! The service was amazing, shout out to server Andres! He was wonderful ! Anything with carnitas was delish! Their drinks presented well and taste even better! Thank you Descanso
   

   Is this helpful?

7. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   Los Angeles1 review

   3.0

   Dined on March 23, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 5

   Food was great but service was horrible . If they don’t get better, they won’t be open for long.
   

   Descanso - Los AngelesResponded on March 24, 2025

   Hello, i am really sorry you felt that way... that is disappointing as we truly strive to provide a great experience, especially with our service! We are a family owned business and in this for the long term. i will write you privately as i would like to learn more about your experience so we can address this. thank you.
   

   Is this helpful?

8. O

   Olga VIP

   New York City9 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on March 17, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   Our waitress was not paying attention to the order. We did not receive the appetizer that was ordered, just the entrees. When asked about the appetizer, the waitress was surprised it wasn’t brought out - so we just said that we don’t even want it anymore since we were already in the middle of the entrees. Same for coffee - the deserts were brought out, no coffee. She came to check on us when we were done and when asked about coffee - she just laughed and said “oh funny, I can’t believe you didn’t get it”. I cancelled the coffee as well.
   

   Descanso - Los AngelesResponded on March 24, 2025

   Olga, Truly sorry for your experience... we have 100% addressed this with the server and will ensure this does not happen again. This is NOT indicative of our service standard.
   

   Is this helpful?

9. O

   Omar VIP

   Los Angeles81 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 13, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This place is extraordinary on so many levels. Eat here.
   

   Is this helpful?

10. J

    Jerry

    Los Angeles4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 9, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Delighted that after years of vacancy, Descanso has taken over the ultra-spacious old Callendars location (near LACMA & Tar Pits), completely remodeled and tastefully renovated, and created a spectacular menu…  Mexican fare is delicious and nutritious, beautifully presented, and cheerfully served… Gracias!…
    

    Descanso - Los AngelesResponded on March 11, 2025

    Thank you Jerry!
    

    Is this helpful?