as good as this place may be, it saddens me that it is likely pulling people away from the family-owned tex-mex restaurant (senor burrito) across the street that has been a fixture there on east first avenue for decades. it's a shame. this city often has no heart.
Laura Shunk's review prompted many more comments, including this assessment from Dan5280:
and this from JoeyB:I think this review is spot on. The food, especially the tacos are dry and underwhelming, but there is a few bright spot: for me it is the Pozole, filled with a tasty broth, hominy and well-seasoned pork bits (although down the road at El Tejado it's even better with shredded pork shoulder). Their food all comes with a superfluous and unappetizing drizzle of creme as well, which makes sense when you realize that this restaurant is all about the flare (image) and not about the sizzle (flavor).
That's fine for now, however. It really is a good place to grab a drink and chips, since until Argyll opens in this neighborhood there are very limited choices outside of the dive bars. Hornet is very decent but a bit tired (or I'm tired of going there), and Delite/Deluxe doesn't open until 4, and even then it's hard to get a seat.
At Diablo they offer a cheap can of Tecate (although Modelo would be better) and often have good and very hard to find tequilas on special (Maestro Dobel, Oro Azul to name a couple). The chips and salsa is very good, and sometimes that's all I need.
But if it's the meal I'm going after, that's not the place. El Taco de Mexico has killer tacos and burritos, and if I want something a bit fancier in that category, well, Southwest is running a $9 special to Albuquerque, and from there it's only an hour to Pasqual's.
Haters hate all you want; I love this place and think it's a terrific value, especially the house specials like the Puerco Pibil which is a ridiculous amount (2 meals worth) of fantastic pork for like 15 bucks. Service is spot on, friendly and conversational (especially about their mescal selections) even when busy and I love the vibe. We're there constantly. Keep it up guys.
Read them all -- and post your own -- here, after the El Diablo review.
