El Compadre

What El Compadre does

El Compadre is a family-owned and operated full-service Mexican restaurant group operating three locations across Los Angeles: the original Hollywood site on Sunset Blvd (established 1975), Echo Park (since 2004), and Downtown Los Angeles across from the Staples Center and Convention Center (since 2014). The restaurants serve traditional Mexican cuisine prepared from family recipes and centered on select cuts of meat, choice seafood, and seasonal vegetables, with a full bar program anchored by the signature Flaming Margarita (a homemade sweet & sour and aged Gold Tequila preparation available in numerous flavors).

The business model is dine-in focused, with revenue generated primarily from in-restaurant food and beverage service supported by daily live music from a trio performing traditional Mexican classics. Ancillary channels include online reservations via OpenTable (Hollywood and Echo Park) and online ordering for pickup/delivery via ChowNow. Discovery is driven by a physical footprint on premium corridors (Sunset Blvd, Convention Center), Yelp, Foursquare, Instagram, and a Twitter handle for the DTLA store.

The company has 288 reported employees across the three locations and remains privately held with no disclosed funding, parent entity, M&A activity, or institutional ownership. There is no proprietary technology stack, AI capability, or differentiated digital product — the competitive position rests on nearly fifty years of brand equity, distinctive hacienda-style interior decor, the Flaming Margarita signature item, and prime LA real estate rather than on technology or scale advantages.

Name

El Compadre

Legal name

El Compadre

Website

https://elcompadrerestaurant.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

El Compadre is a family-owned Mexican restaurant chain operating three full-service locations in Los Angeles (Hollywood, Echo Park, and Downtown LA), serving traditional family-recipe Mexican cuisine, a signature Flaming Margarita bar program, and nightly live music to walk-in diners, celebrities, families, and couples since 1975.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mexican Restaurant Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)

Keywords

• Mexican restaurant dining
• Traditional Mexican cuisine
• Cocktail bar service
• Live music restaurant
• Family-style dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria, Virginia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Food Service: Revenue from serving Mexican cuisine including family recipes, traditional dishes, grilled meats, seafood, and combination plates.
2. Full Bar and Cocktails: Revenue from full bar service including cocktails, imported and domestic beers, house wines, and specialty margaritas including the famous Flaming Margarita.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

El Compadre operates three full-service Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles (Hollywood, Echo Park, and Downtown LA) serving family-recipe traditional Mexican cuisine including antojitos, combination plates, grilled meats, seafood, and house specialties, alongside a dedicated full bar featuring mixed cocktails, beers, and the signature Flaming Margarita. The restaurants feature an old-world hacienda ambiance with Mexican heritage artwork and live nightly music from a trio performing Mexican classics. Online ordering via ChowNow and reservations via OpenTable extend the service beyond the physical dining rooms.

Product overview

El Compadre is a family-owned Mexican restaurant chain offering full-service dining experiences across three Los Angeles locations. The restaurant's product portfolio centers on its core dining service featuring traditional Mexican cuisine prepared from family recipes, complemented by a signature full bar program highlighted by the famous Flaming Margarita. Additional services include online ordering through ChowNow and reservation management via OpenTable. The restaurant chain operates three locations (Hollywood since 1975, Echo Park since 2004, and Downtown LA since 2014), offering dine-in experiences with live nightly Mexican music entertainment in an old world hacienda-inspired atmosphere.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• El Compadre Hollywood — Dine-In Restaurant Original full-service Mexican restaurant on Sunset Blvd serving traditional Mexican cuisine, full bar, live nightly music, and the signature Flaming Margarita to dine-in customers, walk-ins, and reservations.
• El Compadre Echo Park — Dine-In Restaurant Echo Park full-service Mexican restaurant offering the same traditional Mexican menu, full bar with Flaming Margarita, and live music to local community members and visitors.
• El Compadre Downtown LA — Dine-In Restaurant Downtown Los Angeles full-service Mexican restaurant serving traditional Mexican cuisine, full bar service, and live music to downtown workers, residents, and Staples Center and Convention Center event attendees.
• Flaming Margarita The restaurant's signature and world-famous flaming margarita, made with homemade sweet & sour and aged Gold Tequila, available in numerous flavors including Skinny, Cadillac, Blue Margarita, Purple Cadillac, Jalapeno, Peach, Coconut, Banana, and Strawberry. Sold to dine-in and bar customers across all locations.
• Online Ordering Service Digital food ordering service allowing customers to place orders online for pickup from any of the three El Compadre locations, delivered through the ChowNow ordering platform.
• Restaurant Reservation Service Reservation booking service managed through OpenTable for the Hollywood and Echo Park locations, enabling customers to secure tables in advance.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Casa Vega: Family-owned traditional Mexican restaurant in the San Fernando Valley, operating since 1956. Closest direct peer to El Compadre: same family-owned ethos, similar traditional Mexican menu, comparable LA heritage positioning and casual-upscale sit-down format.
• El Farolito: Long-standing LA Mexican restaurant known for traditional burritos and sit-down Mexican fare. Direct peer based on multi-location LA presence, traditional Mexican menu, and family-style casual dining format.
• Nacho Daddy: Casual Mexican restaurant chain with multiple LA locations and Las Vegas presence, specializing in elevated nachos and a vibrant bar/late-night scene. Direct peer based on multi-location Mexican casual dining with strong bar program and signature drink offerings.
• Border Grill: Upscale modern Mexican restaurant in Downtown LA and Santa Monica, founded by chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. Direct peer on full-service Mexican dining with full bar program and signature cocktails in the LA market.
• Pink Taco: Mexican restaurant brand operating in multiple US markets with upscale casual format and signature cocktails. Direct peer based on multi-unit Mexican dining concept, full bar program, and experiential positioning.
• El Cholo: Historic Los Angeles Mexican restaurant chain founded in 1927, with multiple LA locations serving traditional Mexican cuisine. Direct peer based on heritage brand positioning, multi-location LA presence, traditional Mexican menu, and long operating history.

Emerging players

• Tocaya Organica: Modern fast-casual Mexican concept with multiple LA locations emphasizing organic, health-forward Mexican bowls and tacos. Emerging player capturing younger demographics in the same LA market that El Compadre's traditional format appeals to less effectively.

Regional players

• Masa of Echo Park: Neighborhood Mexican restaurant in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles. Local competitor with overlapping customer base in the Echo Park dining scene where El Compadre also operates.

Broad incumbents

• Chipotle Mexican Grill: National fast-casual Mexican chain with thousands of locations and a digitally driven ordering platform. Represents the broader fast-casual/limited-service Mexican category competing for the same Mexican food dollar as El Compadre but at lower price points with faster service.
• Chevy's Fresh Mex: Established casual-dining Mexican chain with broad US footprint. Broader incumbent offering full-service Mexican in a sit-down format with a full bar — comparable offering to El Compadre but at a national scale and more standardized format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ELCOMPADRE_DTLA
• Instagraminstagram.com/elcompadrerestaurant
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/el-compadre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about El Compadre