Colima Restaurant

It is closed! Nooooooo. I loved this place.

I came here for the first time the other day. It was empty when we walked in but got busier as we left. I always drove past it and didnt have high expectations for this place. Yes it’s local and family owned but sometimes I question their cleanliness and how good the food really is. I ordered the Pollo frita (fried chicken) which came with rice, bean and 2 types of salad. We also ordered both the corn and flour tortillas. I really liked their flour tortillas, rice and beans. The chicken, however, was very dry and didnt have much flavor. One piece was also a chicken leg? Thats what it looked like which Im sorry to be close minded but grossed me out. Word on the street is that they will only be open for a month or two because the owner sold it to some developers. It wont be a loss for me personally as I wouldnt come back here anyway but its sad to see less and less local places and see how fast Chinatown is gentrifying.

Terrible service and food! The owner was talking about getting a fumigator to fumigate the restaurant! Super greasy food. I do not recommend this place… Stay away

O like to give half a star but Unilocal only has 1 through 5 I was craving for some burrito wrong choice walking here employee at the front desk who took my order has an extreme attitude problem not only with me but other customers too then my burrito arrives first it looked OK very poor quality beef I will assure you the beef is not well marinated after the second bite I don’t know what the hell I felt underneath my teeth I took it out sure enough it was a bone I’ve placed the picture on Unilocal by the way this place is not clean at all it looks like somebody garage

Great little hole in the wall in downtown LA family owned and operated will definitely visit again

It saddens me to have to write a 2-​star review for this place because the staff was so sweet and nice but I have to keep it 100! The food was okay at best.
The carne asada didn’t really have good flavor and I have a feeling it’s been sitting in the fridge for a while because I had bubble guts later in the day after eating it! I guess the restaurant being dead at lunchtime during Cinco de Mayo when all the Mexican restaurants in the area were busy should’ve given it away.
Guacamole was also bland but they did have fresh, warm tortilla chips. They also don’t serve liquor. Beer and wine only, but they make a really good margarita from an agave wine. It really does taste like a margarita… a cheap one.
Oh and avoid using the bathroom at all cost! You’ve been warned!!!

Went to the establishment on Mother’s Day because it was the only place that wasn’t crowded up the ying yang. Nice mom and pop atmosphere, and the food was pretty decent as well. The staff was super helpful and friendly. The chips were a little overcookedI recommend the pozole!

First time coming here. I ordered Juevos Ranchero it was hot, and it was so good. I recommend getting it. The only reason why I don’t give it 5 stars was because it was very warm in the place and we had to wait for 10 mins just to place our drink orders. Other wise, it was very good.

My familia been coming here for years and gotta say we always order the same items cause they always hit the mark — POZOLE, sopitos (mini sopes) & tacos dorados — should have you at hello. Boo yah!!!

I live in Orange County, but on the occasions where I am in downtown LA, I like trying small, ethnic places. Last time, unfortunately it was a Monday and they were closed, so today, being a Saturday, that was my mission. Wow. I was not disappointed! I was the only customer in the place (11:30 am), but that didn’t bother me. My service was outstanding, attentive and very friendly. The abuela made some recommendations and I chose the chile relleno and a couple of beef enchiladas. Both were PERFECT; lots of meat in the enchiladas, perfectly melted gooey cheese in the relleno, nice beans, rice (it looks like it was a day old, but still tasted delicious). Chips were nice, not outstanding, but very good, as was the green salsa. Red one was just ok; kinda wattery. I wanted to order a beef burrito to go to take back on the train with me and have for dinner. I’m sorry I didn’t.
I will be back. In fact, might even make a special trip just to eat with the abuelas.

The only thing worse than coming here the first time was our decision to come back. Our first warning sign should likely have been the complete lack of customers, and yet we still made the regrettable decision to have dinner. The enchiladas were a terrible combination of overly sweet sauce and nearly raw tortillas. My dad’s beef burrito had scrambled eggs in it (might be something you want to include in the menu description?) and the meat looked remarkably like something you might accidentally run over with your car. If you do decide to ignore my review and risk acquiring ecoli in your pursuit of substandard mexican food, make sure you pee before you go. The restroom is out of order.

Somewhere between 2 and 3 stars.
First off, they have a card reader now at the cash register. I brought cash, but I noticed it when I paid.
I liked that it has a legit diner vibe. Not like the new «diners» that look all modern and not-​dinery.
The service was adequate. It definitely isn’t «good», but I was fine with it for what it is.
It’s cheap. Two of us ate for $ 15 before tip. It’s not fast food, but it’s definitely not expensive by any standard.
The food portions were pretty decent. The food quality was adequate. It’s probably what I appreciated the least about the place, but it’s charm won me over. I had huevos rancheros. It was OK. As someone else noted, the tortillas are not house-​made (who cares for this price).
When I want a cheap place to eat in downtown at any time, I will probably come here.

I recently came here for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. The restaurant was almost completely empty. Bad omen.
The hostess/​waitress/​cashier was a heavy set blond woman who was not overly friendly. She was eating as she was working, and between gulps, managed to take my order. I ordered the chicken enchildas with green sauce. To drink, an horchata.
The chicken in the enchiladas was on the dry side and included a long thin bone. The rice had that been-​sitting-​around-​all-​day quality to it. Some of the grains of rice were dehydrated and crunchy. The horchata tasted as if it was made from a cheap mix you can buy at the grocery store.
The hostess/​waitress/​cashier was too busy socializing with the staff (they seem to be related/​family) to check on me, re-​fill my drink, or even bring me my bill. I had to go to the counter to pay the bill. $ 12 for the experience… yup, once is enough.

This place is labeled authentic because it’s been here forever, I’m sure.
As for the food, I was not too impressed.
The green salsa was tastier than the red. Red salsa has a strong after taste to it. I would have preferred it with more of a thicker texture to it.
I ordered the machaca burrito and it was just that… one machaca burrito (decent tasting) no frills! Not even a garnish of pico or cilantro or something… jeez!
Prices are a little high for the lack of quality and presentation in the food, but appropriate for the location… Chinatown and Olvera Street

Chips are terrible, but the burrito is one of the best in town. Cash only.

Twas a lovely evening at Colima. The red «salsa» served with chips was really watery, but heavily spiced with what I think was lots of cumin. Anyway it was different and good.
I ordered a shrimp dish that was probably the best tasting authentic mexican food I’ve had in LA. Even the rice was good, and I don’t like rice. It was a big portion too. I had to get a box for the leftovers. The whole time I was thinking «where the fuck can I order a shrimp dish and have leftovers?». I was pretty impressed.
IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT I HAVE TO BRING UP THE INCIDENT, wherein my GF had to pull into a McDonald’s so I could relieve myself of a terrible case of you know what.
And after that you’d think, wow still 4 stars? Fuck yeah 4 stars. That shrimp sauce was worth being stuck in traffic curled up in fetal position as our car crawled to the nearest fast food bathroom. That shit, (the shrimp) was fucking delicious!

I also preferred the green salsa but I was disappointed that the chips that came with the guacamole were different from the complimentary ones. I recommend the ceviche and machaca. I wanted more spice and we ordered too much food. Soups come with beans and rice on the side. The red salsa wasn’t spicy (it seemed sweeter and made me think of fruit gel).
The staff is patient with messy babies.

This quaint li’l shop sits on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez + Broadway on the border of Chinatown and is managed by two friendly abuela-​like ladies at the front. The sign in front of the restaurant reads, «Authentic Mexican Food.» Sure, let’s give it a try because there aren’t enough of those claims in Santa Ana [/​eye roll].
Chips & Salsa: You get complimentary chips and dips just like at most Mexican restaurants. The green salsa is to die for; it packs plenty of spices and flavors in every bit. It slaps you around a bit, knocks you down, and makes you come back begging for more. The red was all right; a tad spicier than the green but lacks the «WOW» factor.
Burrito de Res: In a nutshell, it’s like they scooped beef stew into a giant flour tortilla, rolled it up, and topped it off with some more beef stew. It was amazing. The tender beef tasted like with has been simmering in the flavorful stew for hours, yet they managed to prevent the vegetables from getting all soggy. They didn’t try to muddle the flavors with American add-​ins such as lettuce, cheese, sour cream, or rice; that’s authenticity at its best in my books. The burrito made me a VERY happy camper. Gosh, I can go for another one of those right now [/​drool].

This is one of the top 5 best Mexican food joints in a city filled with Mexican food joints. They’ve been around a long time and the sisters who own and run it know how to get it done.
Warning to those of you who don’t like greasy Mexican food; if you don’t like it, stick to Acapulco-​style food. This is food your abuela makes.

Here’s another restaurant I’ve driven by a million times and never thought once about stopping. It’s on the corner of Cesar Chavez and Broadway just south of the entrance to Chinatown. At times it looks like the business has been abandoned or long gone, but no. they’re there.
The long and short of it is, the food was good and the service is fast. We came here on a Sunday and there were only three other parties eating there. I’m sure during the week the place can get busy with the downtown business crowd.
Prices are good too. You won’t get a band of mariachis serenading you during brunch, but for a quick meal, it’s not bad.
Que Viva!