Dustin H.
Yelp
I've been looking for a new place to dine before or after seeing a movie at Hollywood 27, and this place is less than 10 minutes no highways necessary. Even better, it's a really solid Mexican restaurant that stands out from the pack. It's clean, modern and a bit upscale. Servers/service are/is excellent, there's plenty of free parking out front, and on a Friday night there was zero wait time?! Maybe I shouldn't review this one, maybe I should keep it to myself lol.
The menu has a good mix of standard expectations and unique twists, but it's concise enough to not be overwhelming. There's plenty to choose from without getting lost in the weeds and I'm betting they can prepare each perfectly (give me 10-20 perfect dishes over 50-60 middling options any day). Prices are more than reasonable (we ate for less than $30--water to drink, though).
The complimentary chips and salsa are better than most I've had anywhere locally in a long time--the chips are light, crispy, perfect amount of salt, and plentiful (we actually asked for a box to take the leftovers home and they were just as good the next day). The salsa is a verde medium spice salsa that is fresh and flavorful. I ordered a small guacamole ($5) and it was great--chunky and fresh. More than enough for 2, so the large probably feeds 4. There's a "chunky" variety that must be incredibly chunky.
I had the carnitas plate, my wife had the Mas Amigas Bandido Rice w/ grilled chicken and cheese sauce (you can customize that dish with a variety of meat and sauce options). The meat on both plates was cooked to perfection, the vegetables fresh, the rice and beans on point.
I'll likely be back and am leaving room for a full "5" as I don't feel that I've had quite enough to know if Mas Amigas is "perfect" yet or not, but I'm thinking it has a chance given the right "wow" dish. I'll try to snap a menu photo as well as the Yelp menu as of Dec 2024 is incomplete (missing the carnitas, for example).