Here is my roundup of fun Cinco de Mayo venues in Los Angeles celebrating with Mexican-inspired dishes and drinks –

Cinco de Mayo in Century City
The InterContinental Los Angeles has some festive food and drink specials going on in its newly renovated lobby lounge all day and night on May 5. Enjoy three Mexican street tacos for $12 with $5 Corona or Modelo beer. They also will serve chips and salsa and their signature Sidepony Margarita. 2151 Avenue of Stars (310)284-6500.

Border Grill Celebrates Cinco de Mayo

The Downtown LA location will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a whole pig roast. The all-you-can-eat Whole Hog fiesta is $30 per person with a complimentary margarita, in addition to live music and a churro station. Enjoy  Whole Roasted Pork; Al Pastor Tacos;
Cauliflower Tacos Al Pastor; Pork Chicarones; Fried Brussel Sprouts; Elote Locos Grilled Corn & Topping Bar; Churro Station and the Satellite bar highlighting Signature Margaritas & Bottled Beer. In the Bar & Dining Room they will serve $5 Mexican Draft all day; $6 Angel City LA Lager; and $6 Border Margaritas. Border Grill Santa Monica is offering food specials (grilled corn esquites with bacon mayo, chef’s secret street taco) spiked with a signature Cinco cocktail menu. www.bordergrill.com

Give Back on Cinco de Mayo
Upper West is having a fun fiesta on May 5 with surprise piñata raffles every half hour. Enjoy food, drinks and fun for a great cause. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Upper West and 30% of the night’s proceeds will go to Healing Arts Reaching Kids (HARK) of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. 3321 Pico Blvd. (310)586-1111.

 

Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Available throughout May, the kitchen will make a 7 layer Cinco de Mayo burger. They take a beef patty, and top it with refried black beans, fried tortilla strips, guacamole, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, shredded red leaf lettuce, and sour cream all on an egg bun. 12746 W Jefferson Blvd #1120 (310)410-2337 and 850 S. Sepulveda Blvd. (310)414-2337.

MiniBar in Hollywood
Sip $6 “Chavito 2” margaritas all night long on Cinco de Mayo. They are made with Reposado tequila, lemon juice, lime juice and orange juice. The rim is coated with cinnamon sugar. 6145 Franklin Ave. (323)798-4939.

Skip The Siesta & Join The Fiesta
Come enjoy Cinco de Mayo specials at RASCAL with Sandy Clark’s Oaxacan Flower cocktail. It’s made with Alipus mescal, Bols triple sec, Bertina elderflower, fresh grapefruit juice and an orange twist. Or celebrate with a Rascal margarita crafted with Zapopan tequila, Bols triple sec, and fresh lemon and lime juice for $10. Rascal opens today for Cinco de Mayo from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. 801 S. La Brea Ave. (323)933-3229.

Cinco de Mayo Celebration
Spare Tire Kitchen & Tavern offers $2 Coronitas all day today. Just like the streets of Mexico, Executive Chef Isaias Pena is preparing all-you-can-eat street tacos for only $15. Travis Ferguson and his bar team will make the perfect Cinco de Mayo sipper for festive party-goers made with Espolon Reposada tequila, St. Germain, sweet vermouth and lemon juice. Another winning cocktail is the Sage Against The Machine, mixed with Espolon reposado tequila, St. Germain, lime juice, cucumber and fragrant sage. Spare Tire Kitchen & Tavern opens on Cinco de Mayo from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. 5370 Wilshire Blvd. (323)525-2618.

Cinco de Mayo at HACHE LA:
Get loco at Silver Lake’s favorite new age burger joint, makes a Habanero burger featuring a spicy four-chili mix of red bell pepper, habanero, jalapeño and Anaheim peppers with garlic mayo and queso fresco. Start with an order of homemade guacamole and chips and finish with the habanero thin mint frozen custard to make this epic experience complete. Haché LA opens on Cinco de Mayo from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. 3319 W. Sunset Blvd. (323)928-2963.

Casa Vega Celebrates Cinco de Mayo
The 60-year old landmark restaurant Casa Vega is a ’50s throwback offering late hours, and margarita-fueled happy hours. The “Tacos & Tequila” is on May 5 with The Boss Margarita and a .60 cent taco. There will be a photo booth with props, courtesy of Cuervo 1800 Reposado Tequila and Maestro Dobel. Also celebrate with a specialty cocktail or shot by Maestro Dobel. 13301 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks (818)788-4868.

James Beard Award Winning Chef Celebrates Cinco de Mayo

Suzanne Goin is on a high after winning the prestigious James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef 2016 award! Go to Tavern LA today for Happy Hour prices all night long in the Blue Room. Sip Market Margaritas, or Mexican beers while munching on Street Tacos and Nachos. http://www.tavernla.com

Cinco de Mayo New Orleans’ Style
Go big at Little Easy in Downtown Los Angeles, where Cinco de Mayo gets the royal New Orleans’ treatment. Grab a table and bring your appetite to enjoy chicken or beef Cajun tacos. The Little Easy’s nachos can be enhanced with chicken, short rib, shrimp, or crawfish. Sip a 1664 Michelada or 50% off tequila shots. Little Easy will be open Cinco de Mayo, from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. On Saturday and Sunday they open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.. 216 W. 5th St.(213)628-3113.

WP24 by Wolfgang Puck Tacos

Celebrate Cinco de May with tacos, house-made salsas, beer and cocktails atop The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles. It’s a kick-off to the restaurant’s popular summertime exclusive rooftop patio program that is typically reserved for hotel guests and residents. The views are incredible for enjoying specialty Santa Barbara spot prawns with chipotle and cilantro tacos; roasted pork shoulder with pineapple and guajillo chili tacos; and housemade chorizo tacos for $3. The menu also features Mexican-inspired horchata ice cream with warm house-made churros. Specialty cocktails include Starry Night with RumChata, spiced rum, and vanilla bean; as well as Cadillac margaritas made with Chinaco Blanco, Grand Marnier, lemon and lime. Reserve a table for May 5 through Labor Day. 900 W. Olympic Blvd. (213)743-8824.

Public School on Tap Cinco de Mayo Nachos

Usually only served during Recess (aka Happy Hour), these nachos will also be offered for drink prices ($10) only until close of business.They consist of a creamy poblano sauce, adobe chicken, jalapeños, pickled onions, gueso fresco and chopped cilantro, and tortilla chips fried & crisped in-house. A perfect meal to celebrate on this festive holiday. https://www.psontap.com/

Plan Check Kitchen + Bar (Sawtelle, Fairfax, Downtown)
o Cheeseburger Machismo ($13) – beef patty, habanero cheese, bacon, spicy mayo, jalapeno escabeche, and battered fried onions ← special item
o Tacos Hamburguesa ($8) – two ground beef tacos, habanero salsa, cheese, guacamole, and cilantro ← happy hour item
o Pimento Grilled Cheese & Bacon ($8) – green chiles, and pickles ← happy hour item
o Oaxacan Sour ($8) – mescal, egg white, lime, cointreau, and sugar ← special item
o Tropical Daisy ($6) – jalapeno-infused tequila and the choice of blood orange or mango ← happy hour item. www.plancheck.com

BOA Steakhouse (West Hollywood, Santa Monica)
o At BOA Steakhouse, Chef Melendez serves the Grilled Chicken Torta ($14)

The most authentic part of the sandwich is that it’s served on a bolillo roll. Chef Melendez adds a pickled vegetable escabeche, and black bean chips, instead of a spread of black or refried beans. The panela cheese is also charred for added smoky flavor. The dish pairs nicely with a Sunset Heat cocktail made with Patron Silver tequila, serrano pepper, pomegranate, lime, islay elixir. Or try the Oaxaca Smoke made with El Silencio Mezcal, Grand Marnier, orange, lime) cocktail. http://www.innovativedining.com/restaurants/boa.