Yoli’s Mexican Kitchen

Crispy chips and three flavors of salsa! Bright red Chile Colorado had a nice flavor and Chili Relleno came with guacamole and sour cream. Salad on plate was gentle filler. Nice place to pop in to after getting taxes done in Downey. And cinnamon chips for dessert. WOW.

Yes i am a fan! Living so close i finally decided to stop and give this place a try, atmosphere is pretty quiet i was there around 3:30pm on a weekday not a lot of people but there was a few customers a lot of to go orders any who we were greeted as soon as we walked in you can sit wherever you like i am not sure if its because it wasn’t busy but anyhow we sat the guy came brought chips and salsa which were pretty good then took our drinks order and then our food order i ordered sopes-​chicken sopes to be exact i must say they were delicious i really enjoyed the food after we were done the waitress guy brought us some complimentary bunuelos (fried pastry, often dusted with cinnamon sugar) really good aswell i highly recommend

My boyfriend picked up some take out from this restaurant yesterday. I got the taco and sope combo, which was delicious — not sure if they’re tortillas are homemade but they tasted as if they were. They also gave me a little side order of fideo w/​my combo which was a pleasant surprise. We’ll definitely go back again.

Chile rellano burrito… wet red. I will be back again. Nice staff. Good music and tv’s for entertainment.

Walk in sat down was offer something to drink and after 20 25 minutes asked a waitress as to whom my table belong to so I can order. Her response no idea let me find out. 12 minutes later the waiter comes back asks for our order. Got my potato tacos 3 of them rice beans and some mediocre salsa and a burrito unforgettable no refill drinks 28.75. Plus tip. Which that was PromptlyReminded to write down so they can charge it all in one shot… For that same amount Gloria’s 3 times better service and 4 times better food.

I finally was able to try this place, hmm, don’t know if I’ll be back.
There was only one server before 9am, but it took 10 – 12 minutes for her to even acknowledge us, so we thought we better get our order in cause it will be a while till she returns to our table. We were never asked if she could refill my coffee. Breakfast was okay, the cinnamon chips served with our check were really good

My family and I come here almost every Sunday, we love it here! The food is delicious and the service is as it should, attentive. The wait is long at times but I say it’s worth the wait. I just ordered my menudo ((the best)

The food is great and fresh! But the service at times is not good depends who you get as a waiter or waitress, not only that but when you walk in they are so busy that they don’t even acknowledge you or ask you if you need a table you have to speak up and ask them, if the service would improve this would be a great place to eat

I love their food! It’s always my go to place for some bomb breakfast or dinner when I get lazy to cook. My husband is picky with ceviche but this place he likes. My step dad and I always order taquitos. The waiters there are nice too. They take awhile sometimes because their busy, it’s a small restaurant, so it’s understandable, plus there taking the time to cook the food, instead of microwaving!

Well I chose this place because it is near my home and Unilocal had a high rating for it. I looked at the photos and I went with the divorced Huevos Rancheros that were pretty bland. The sauces that they put were not well seasoned and they were just okay. My wife ordered the chilaqueles and they were okay also nothing to right about because the chips were not crunchy and sauce wasn’t spicy or well-​seasoned. Also this place was kind of on the pricey side compared to the quality of meal we received and the size of location. I am expecting mom and pop prices with grandma still of cooking and I got Americanized prices and flavor.

I had the mole verde de nopales. The mole was not flavorable. It killed the nopal taste also. I wouldnt order again. Other items are great. I wouldnt bet on this one.

Good Mexican food, waitress attentive and friendly. Also accommodated me on not eating dairy. Complimentary chips and salsa!

very small place.
i ordered shrimp ceviche and 1Taco dorado
and my boyfriend ordered cheese enchiladas
taco was not that great and my bf said beans and rice could have been better.
as for the ceviche i will not be able to comment because i never received it. when i finally got a chance to stop the waitress because clearly she was to busy helping the 1 other customer that was in there. she had a very bad attitude and tried to argue with me by saying that i never ordered the ceviche. how about just brining it out ?!?
p.s the fruit in your water great touch, taste really good

I enjoyed the food and service this place has to offer. My office is close by and I was really hungry and decided to come in. It’s small in there but they serve you a lot of food. I order a wet chicken burrito with green sauce. I don’t know how I finished it but I did. I recommend this place as long as you are not in a rush since it’s a sit in place.
Victor eguizabal
Facepoint insurance

Yoli’s has delicious foods. Their tomatillo sauce is the best. The staff is very friendly and attentive. They are busy with carry-​out orders as well.

Lentil soup… chicken mole… Carnitas… Carne Asada tacos… everything on the menu is great… service was good … good size food portions… come in hungry leave full, but not food coma full. I recommend this place if you are craving some quality Mexican food, in Downey.

This small place packs a big punch !!
Going to say it’s authentic not because they have Mexican music playing but because the food is really good. Had ham and eggs with potato and refried beans. Good flavor and really nice people here.

Really nice, clean little place. Came here for lunch and got a wet burrito. The service is friendly and on point. The burrito was delicious! They serve you some pretty good lentil soup prior to bringing the main course. Definitely will return for lunch in the future. The lunch specials are inexpensive as well.

The wait staff must think that its patrons are on vacation in Mexico, because it took forever to get the food. One dish would arrive at our table and one would arrive at another table, with the final dish arriving when the first served was almost done eating.
I ordered ice water, not sure what the issue is with putting alot of ice in a cup, but there was only ice in the top quarter of the cup. I guess with our water shortage, it must be affecting ice production.
Stay away from the chorizo, its the worst I’ve ever tried. Someone has a heavy hand with the cinnamon. They should buy it already made or steal someone else’s recipe.
Chilaquiles are a safe choice to pair with your breakfast. The Chile used is not even hot, so your kids should enjoy the taste.
Also, try the Chile rellenos. Very flavorful.

A while back a couple of my friends suggested Yoli’s. They said it was the best Mexican food they’d had since moving to SoCal less than a year ago.
I remember when Yoli’s opened up. It’s only been a couple of years. I thought, «Geeze, that’s a small shack of a Mexican restaurant.» In fact, one day my husband and I were looking for a sit-​down place. Yoli’s was my choice. But unfortunately the minute we walked in, the joint was packed. There were no tables at all available, and didn’t look like they would be any time soon. I remember a male server hollering at us as we walked right back out, «Aw, come back some other time, please.»
I know my husband would not enjoy this place as much as I did for several reasons, but this is my review…
THE COMPETITION
My friends also mentioned that Yoli’s had then (back in July 2014) won 2^nd place for a competition, according to their server. I thought at that point I needed to get my fanny in there to try it.
I found a couple of references online. First, from the L.A. Times:
So, Yoli’s was at the 2014 Sabor de las Americas culinary competition. They even won a $ 1,000 check. You’re probably thinking, oh, that’s small refried beans. Did I mention that Yoli’s is only in it’s second year of being open?
I don’t know where the heck El Rocoto Restaurant is, but they won it for a second year in a row.
I also looked at the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project’s (SVREP) website for the menu archive to see what cuisines were judged:
ONTO THE GOOD STUFF:
Last night (10÷28÷14), I hauled my two baby girls into Yoli’s Mexican Kitchen’s tiny location. It’s easy to miss if you’re not familiar with the area because it’s stuck behind McDonald’s. Plus, right now Lakewood Blvd. is so FUBAR with construction…
For my 15-​month-​old, I ordered her the cheese quesadillas child’s plate ($ 5.95) which is served with rice and beans. It comes with a small fountain drink, but the lady asked if we wanted juice instead. «Actually, she needs milk. Have any?» Yes. Baby girl loved the entire order. She couldn’t eat all of it, of course, but she ate quite a bit for her size.
For me, I ordered the chile relleno y taco dorado (con papas) combinacione ($ 9.95) which is also served with rice and beans. The taco was fantastic. I wish my chile relleno would have been a little easier to cut into, but it was still good. It was probably hard to sever into with my fork (not a plastic one they provided) because I ate it from the styrofoam to-​go box.
My order also came with sopa del dia… This was perhaps the best part of my meal and totally unexpected. Thank you for making me a fan of sopa de albondigas again! I tried it last night, but couldn’t eat it all after my entrée, so I ate it for breakfast this morning, haha.
Our order also came with a small bag of chips and two small (2 oz.) containers of salsa. I’m not sure which one I liked better: roja o verde.
The sweet lady who rang me up helped me to our vehicle with the food since I had one baby in my arms and carried another in her carseat. I told her I was fine, yet, she insisted.
I didn’t realize it until I got home, but I think she either overcharged me for my plate, charged us extra for the milk (which if that’s the case I won’t ask for that again over the fountain drink or juice), or they hiked up their prices. My total was $ 18.42. Even with tax, that doesn’t add up correctly according to the menu they gave me. Hence, that’s the only reason for 4 stars because all of the food was hot, fresh, and flavorful.
My mom would have been happy that they had the Dallas Cowboys game on both of their TVs. Meh…
I really, really want to try their flautas de pollo, pozole (Sabado y Domingo sólo), y pollo en mole some time soon. Just for my brother, I will try the chile verde de puerco too.
Chef Aguallo & staff, if you’re reading this, ¡Muchas gracias!
Review #309