The Early Word on El Camino in Bloomingdale

El Camino opened about three weeks ago, bringing a much-needed casual option to the Bloomingdale neighborhood. What do the neighbors think? Here's what the first bloggers, Yelpers and others have to say about the East L.A.-influenced spot.

Get the Guac: On Facebook, Guillermo raves, "The guacamole is amazing. The albondigas very good and the chorizo & potatoes is a must, order more than one. Great atmosphere.!" [FB]

The Cocktail Review: GW's paper takes a look at the drinks being offered at the restaurant. "The house made jalapeño-ginger beer tastes as intriguing as it sounds. The refreshingly sweet soda has a unique spicy aftertaste that keeps you thirsting for another sip... If you're in the mood for brandy, order the "Zoe", pictured below, which is a mix of apple brandy, vermouth, cinnamon syrup, bitters, and cachaça-cachaça being a popular distilled Brazilian alcohol made from sugarcane juice." [GWH]

The Killer Taco News: Eat Drink Lucky writes, "El Camino just opened this month and they are already killing it with their tacos...To be honest, we'd probably eat anything of theirs with their house guacamole on top." [EDL]

The Sandwich News: Young & Hungry features the torta in its 'Wiching Hour column, giving it an overall 4 out of 5 rating. "El Camino's proprietors designed the space to transport diners into the casa of an East L.A. granny living with her Chicano gangster grandson. The sandwich conveys that homey quality, but it could still use more of a bang. Just ask for a lime wedge on the side." [WCP]

The Shrimpy News: The place also gets a nod in Express's dish of the week column, which reviews the camarones tacos. "From the same team behind 1905 comes El Camino, a casual cantina in Bloomingdale where tacos rule the menu (and tequila cocktails rule the bar). Our favorite of the tacos is the camarones version, made with shrimp marinated in onions, garlic and leeks topped with shredded cabbage, cotija cheese, pico de gallo and a house-made chipotle crema, all on a naturally gluten-free corn tortilla." [Ex]

The Twitter Shoutout: User @CRodousakis says, "Damn - that was good...Cheers to @ElCaminoDC for a fantastic meal and great vibe! You make #BloomingdaleDC proud!"[Twitter]

The Menu Reccs: El Camino is earning 4 stars right now on Yelp with 15 reviews in. One is from Alex M. who says, "Bloomingdale really needed some tacos, and El Camino does not disappoint! The house margaritas are really tasty but the bartender Mick recommended I try the cocktail made with tequila and housemade jalepeno ginger beer, and it was really good. Food wise, my favorite things on the menu have been the chorizo tacos, pork shoulder, and the meatballs. Definitely heading back to keep trying more." [Yelp]

The Chipotle is Better News: Also on Yelp, Diane P. writes, "They lost me the second I walked in and didn't see carne asada tacos on the menu. The food is bland and the menu is a poor representation of true LA Mexican food. The guac is okay, but overpriced for the amount of avocados they give you and you have to mix it on your own. I was rooting for this spot, but have to say that Chiptole makes better tacos." [Yelp]

The Authentic News: On Yelp, Danielle P. says," El Camino, it's the real deal, not Texmex mall food. We ate here the second night they were open. The place was packed. We got tacos: carnitas, chicken and chorizo potato. Every one of them was delicious. The carnitas was amazing - juicy but not fatty, spicy but not mouth numbing, it had a terrific flavor." [Yelp]

The Bland News: On Yelp, Nalini M. says, "If I had to pick just a few words to describe El Camino , they would be: overpriced, bland, rude, good decor. Disappointed in this neighborhood joint." [Yelp]

UrbanDaddy Says: UrbanDaddy calls El Camino the place for  "a casual, no-pressure, catching-up kind of situation. With some friends who won't mind trying a beer cocktail with house-fermented pineapple. Or cucumber margaritas with salted basil oil drops. Been a while since your last one of those. The meal: Authentic, slow-cooked Mexican, like chicken tinga tacos, tortas and chilaquiles with chorizo, which you can get till midnight on weekends." [UD]