El Mexico Moderno

As we walked in, I told my friend, "this is the kind of place you would take a girl if you wanted her to think she was going to get raped."  He agreed.

We played a couple of games of pool with a guy who didn't speak any english while we sipped on Modelos that came with limes and little packets of salt and watched a lonely couple grind on each other on the dance floor to terrible music.

I don't think I'd go back on my own, but I wouldn't say no if someone insisted... I am kind of curious about what's behind those roll-up garage doors along the long wall...

Oh man, what a dive.
I loved it. Upon entering I had this overwhelming urge to let out a big ol' grito Mexicano!

This place reminds me of hanging out in someone's garage or basement in my youth - Nortenos playing on the boombox (in this case the juke box) and drinking Coronas.

That's exactly what I did here. It was 2 am on a Monday night, while walking down Ashland to catch a bus I pass El Mexico Moderno. I stopped immediately at the flashing sign and told my friend that we HAD to go inside. Why not? They're open 'til 4 am everyday!

Upon entering they frisked my date - awesome. I personally found it quite amusing, luckily so did he. A woman in a white pant suit followed us to our seats at the falling apart formica bar. We order Coronas and just take the place in. It's dark, dingy with weird galvanized steel walls on half of the interior, bars on the windows and gates at the front door. There was only a handful of people there and it was just seedy enough.

About half way through our beers we see we have a little cockroach friend just hanging out on the bar. Under other circumstances I'd be utterly and completely grossed out, but I thought the bug just added to the charm.

This is a complete, dirty hole in the wall. It rocks and I'm SO going back.