Another Century City favorite on the Savor Hour list is Pink Taco. Named after a popular dish on the menu, (the Pink Taco…Yucatan-style “panuchos” with achiote grilled chicken, black beans, habanero, pickled onions, avocado and cotija cheese), this handsomely-decorated, vivacious Mexican canteen with a massive bar offers seating outside overlooking Santa Monica Boulevard on a beautifully-designed “see-and be-seen” patio, or indoors in the lounge at the bar or one of numerous cozy booths or tables. At Happy Hour, be prepared for a nightclub feel with heart-pumping music and pink-tinted colored lights above many of the indoor booths. This place is fun, exciting and if the atmosphere doesn’t get your heart beating a little faster than when you came in, the food and cocktails certainly will.

You can’t miss this restaurant. Pink Taco is perched high above street level overlooking Santa Monica Boulevard.  Pink walls, pink neon signage, pink lighting, even pink cocktails are available!  But don’t let the color fool you. Inside, the stylish persona of this establishment only continues and is carried throughout from beginning to end from the way the hostesses greet you, to the way you’re treated by the servers, to the amazing Mexican dishes and cool refreshing beverages available. A fantastic Mexican restaurant and bar with a rock-n-roll edge, Pink Taco will suit your every craving from the perfect margarita to the best originally-created Mexican delights you’ve ever had.

Pink Taco’s Happy Hour offers the best of their favorites, both quenching and appetizing. Noted as one of L.A.’s best Happy Hours, the menu will show you why that came to be.  In the bar and patio Monday through Sunday from 3-7PM, you can indulge in half-priced drinks and $6 appetizers.  That’s FOUR HOURS of happiness at half price!  Adult beverages include all well drinks, all wines by the glass, all imported and domestic beers, Sangria Blanca, Sangria Rosa, Pink Taco’s Signature House Margarita, the Pink Taco Margarita, Tequila Maria, Michelada, Original Mojitos, Raspberry Mojitos, and the Peach, Mango and Strawberry Margaritas. 

But we haven’t touched on any appetizers yet, have we?  Well, you’ll enjoy this lineup because it’s filled with delicious temptations to suit any mood.  For just six dollars, you can choose Nachos with Cheese, Chicken or Steak, the Homemade Guacamole, the Signature Queso Dip, Tamarino Glazed Chicken Skewers, Quesadillas with Cheese, Chicken or Steak, the Sweet Corn Tamales, Short Rib Taquitos, Chicken Flautas or Tortilla Soup.

We have experienced a few items from Pink Taco’s Happy Hour and regular menus.  The Signature House Margarita, made with Sauza Blanco Tequilla, fresh-pressed lime, orange Curacao and agave nectar is just $5 at Happy Hour and is sure to satisfy your curiosity and quench your thirst.  My husband enjoyed that as well as the Mango Margarita.  I tried their Signature Cocktail, the Pink Taco Margarita…

Has there ever been a time when you’ve had a cocktail that you just loved so much you didn’t want to try anything else on the menu?  Well, that’s what happened to me after enjoying one of these flavorsome pink libations!  What’s funny is that there are over thirty cocktails on Pink Taco’s beverage menu, and I couldn’t tear myself away from this delicious brew! In fact, this cocktail is so popular, Pink Taco published the recipe on their blog! (I’ll have to make some time between researching restaurants, writing and posting our blogs to make this one myself)!  This one is certainly a winner in my book. Here’s the recipe for those of you who might be interested in trying your hand at this pink perfection… 

PINK TACO MARGARITA RECIPE

2 oz Tequila Blanco

3/4 oz Cointreau

3/4 oz Gran Mariner

1 oz Agave Nectar

2 oz Sweet and Sour Mix

2 Lime Wedges (Squeezed)

1/2 oz Hibiscus Tea or Syrup (there’s that Hibiscus syrup again!)

Servers don’t hesitate to pile on fresh hearty chips with a spicy salsa to accompany the crunchy delights that are presented on wax paper inside of a galvanized metal pail at your table.  Be careful with these tasty crisps, because it’s not hard to fill up on these before ordering your appetizers or something off the main menu to feast on!

Pink Taco’s Chips and Salsa

Pink Taco Margarita, Mango Margarita and a Shot of Tequila with Lime and Salt

The Sweet Corn Tamale off the Happy Hour food menu is colorful and filling with its crunchy grilled corn kernels, fresh ground masa, roasted poblano chiles, queso fresco, pico de gallo and cooling drizzle of sour cream on top enhances your awareness of fine Mexican cuisine.

Sweet Corn Tamale

The Steak Quesadilla was another favorite of ours of the Happy Hour food selections. Encased in a  delicate tortilla, this three-cheese blend concoction of juicy chunks of lean steak accompanied by heaping mounds of chilled sour cream, creamy guacamole and salsa.

Steak Quesadilla

An Inside Look at the Tender Plentiful Steak Inside the Steak Quesadillas

We try, as best we can, to order items that stick to the Happy Hour menu, or if the venue we’re reviewing doesn’t have a Happy Hour, we at least stay with items that don’t exceede our “under-fifty-dollars-or-less-including-tax” rule.  So we’re going to notate two separate visits to Pink Taco in our “TOTAL BILL” section at the bottom of this blog showing two options you can chose (if you’d like to follow our menu selections).  On one visit, we ordered drinks and shared an item off the main menu, while on the other visit, we ordered cocktails and Happy Hour food items.  Not a huge deal, we just wanted to show both because the food is really scrumptious!

Slow-Roasted Beef Brisket Enchiladas

You MUST try the Slow Roasted Brisket Enchiladas (above and below)! They come two to an order and are more than enough to feed two people.  I had to have my husband finish the rest of the one I was eating because I just didn’t have any more room!  Splitting this dish as an appetizer in the bar was a great idea.  The visual presentation was beautiful, as well as the tender melt-in-your-mouth slow-roasted pulled beef brisket hidden inside the tender tasty casings.  The Mexican cheeses give the perfectly-cooked-to-perfection beef a nice flavor and hold everything together.  The Salsa Colorado enhances it with a nice finish.  The dish is served with sides of Mexican red rice and refried beans on a separate plate that is so huge, you’ll be wishing there was an additional body in your party to help you polish everything off! The rice is tender and full of flavor, while the refried beans are a delightful and filling extension. 

Mexican Rice and Refried Beans

Below, you can see the inside of the Slow Roasted Brisket Enchilada.  So savory, so delicious, and so appetizing, this will be a certain re-order the next time we visit!

Slow-Roasted Beef Brisket Enchilada

Oh, and we almost forgot!  Don’t miss Taco Tuesdays at Pink Taco!  During happy hour from 3-7PM, if you buy a pitcher of their fantastic select Margaritas, you’ll get a pitcher FREE! (That just might require you to bring along a few of your friends to polish both pitchers off successfully)!

• DECOR / ESTABLISHMENT: The trendy and hip vibe with a rock ‘n’ roll edge feel brings life and excitement to this venue.  Pinks, bold accent colors and an eclectic collection of decor exist in abundance making the entire establishment a great conversation piece.  Lots of space, a great outdoor patio and a terrific feel.

• FOOD / DRINK: Delectable Mexican cuisine, tasty chilled cocktails and an array of fun-filled selections on the menu.

• LOCATION: 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90067 (at the Westfield Century City Mall).

• HOURS:  Pink Taco is available to serve you Sunday through Thursday from 11:30AM – 11PM, then on Friday & Saturdays from 11:30AM – Midnight. Happy Hour is available daily from 3PM – 7PM, then again every evening from 10PM  to closing.

• SERVICE / STAFF: There are always smiling hostesses to greet us upon arrival, friendly and knowledgeable bartenders mixing cocktails and kind servers ready to take your order as soon as you take a seat.  Each time we’ve visited Pink Taco, we’ve been fortunate enough to have Andrian serve us.  Always a smile on her face and a great attitude, we’re always appreciative of her immaculate customer service and attentiveness!

• PRICE / VALUE: We feel for the price of the food and coktails charged that we are getting a fair value.  The food is always prepared fresh, and the cocktails are always hand-made and served up chilled to perfection.

• CORKAGE FEE: $20 per bottle

• CONTACT INFO: Phone: (310) 789-1000, Website: www.pinktaco.com

• PARKING: Pink Taco will be more than happy to validate your parking ticket.  We recommend parking in the “Blue” section of the parking garage beneath the mall and taking the escalator in that section up two floors.  When you get off the escalator, turn to your left and take the outdoor escalator up one more level, and you will be delivered right in front of Pink Taco (it’s next door to The Container Store). With three hours validation available, you’ll have ample time to enjoy yourself at Happy Hour or any hour!

• TOTAL BILL: $44.15 (including tax) for a Steak Quesadilla, a Sweet Corn Tamale, three Pink Taco Margaritas, one frozen Mi Casa Strawberry margarita and one shot of Tequila (that’s one visit).  On another visit, our total bill was $43.50 (including tax) for a main menu order of the Slow Roasted brisket Enchilladas, two Pink Taco Margaritas, a Mi Casa Mango Margarita on the rocks and one shot of Tequila. You won’t hear us complaining!

* Menu and prices subject to change without notice.