Gilbert's El Indio ~ 2526 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405 ~ (TACO Guide)
Gilbert's El Indio is ruled by the same clan that brings similarly festive, family-style Mex-ellent eats to the Westside's La Cabana, Tia Juana, Casablanca, and Paco's Tacos, marking them as masters of margarita-dominated family-style places in this neck of West Los Angeles. Founded by Gilbert and his wife thirty-three years ago, three of their sons continue to run and work at the eatery. The walls are covered with photos of faithful regulars (including a dazzling photo of myself and a friend placed right smack in the front), Mexican and indigenous artifacts, Christmas lights, and team softball trophies. Whether pouring stiff drinks or running plates, the whole crew is very friendly and adept at remembering which name belongs to which exuberant face entering through the worn wooden door.
Having frequented Gilbert's an unreasonable amount of times in the past year, the evening arrived when I ended up swallowing more ice-cold margarita than my wallet could handle (the result of another disappointing boy), leaving me with no choice but to borrow 20 dollars from the owner himself to pay my debts, which I paid him back, instead of fleeing the country in shame. So make sure to bring cash, credit cards are not accepted, and like Lay's potato chips, you are talking crazy if you think you can stop at just one $15 pitcher of margarita, which go down so smoothly...