New Mexican Restaurants near Santa Monica, CA

“So I'm a lil tipsy right now but wow. Quality Mexican food in a city saturated with it. The margaritas hit you pretty good and the flavor is amazing (the house margaritas beat A LOT of restaurants out there, and I'm a big margarita guy). Ordered myself the Tacos de Hongo, which were bomb of course, but also sampling my partner's Carnitas special as well as the upscale chips and salsa with guac was incredible. Marissa and Benjamin were very knowledgeable and friendly and are a great reminder as to why customer service matters. Loved the stories and laughs from both of ya! Thank you for the drinks, friendly atmosphere, and great celebration for Mother's Day with the cute roses. Cheers! ( and happy Mother's Day to you again Marissa! )“

“Walked by so many times and it's always busy. Finally checked it out Saturday for an early dinner. We made a reservation, since it seems they are always busy. Although there were some vacant tables for walk-ins when we arrived. So many 'fun' margaritas on the menu and I had the completely satisfying skinny-marg with zero guilt. My BF had a classic and liked it enough to have a second one. For food we went with:Classic Esquitos (Mexican corn cut off the cob, with spice, cheese and just loads of flavor). Rainbow Carrots were delish. There were roasted carrots, pureed carrots and diced marinated raw carrots. Absolutely ordering these next time. Fish Tacos. Best thing was each taco had a nice size piece of fish, not just fish scraps. It was a bit too salty but an extra squeeze of lime offset the salt. Carne Asada Plate. Salt at first bite was so overwhelming we had to ask if there was something wrong. The staff was more than helpful, offering to remake it with no added salt or take it off the bill and let us order something else. Ultimately we decided to let them remake it with no added salt, they did tell us the steak was pre-marinated. It tasted significantly better without extra seasoning. Service was 11/10 both servers went above and beyond to make sure we were pleased with our dinner. Next time I'm definitely getting one of their specialty margaritas and nachos!“

“This is my go-to restaurant when I'm in the mood for Huevos Rancheros as their's can't be beat. My husband tries different breakfast dishes and has always been happy with whatever he's ordered but I can't be bribed to NOT get Cora's Huevos Rancheros since this always satisfies my craving :) The service is always good, the wait staff makes me feel comfortable and at-home, and I have nothing to complain about.“

“This great lady makes some very delicious food! Everything just tastes right and makes you feel happy and satisfied. I tried all the dishes and everything is on another level. Highly recommend!!Vegetarian options: All dishes are kosher and the owner has all required certifications.“

“What a great place, we flew in from Mexico & we felt like we didn't get enough Mexican food. So we came here & this place did not disappoint. We got chilaquiles, machaca and eggs, and huevos divorciados, and two cafe de hollas ? I got the huevos divorciados & would have liked them a bit spicier, but that's just me. The machaca and eggs might have been a little dry according to my husband, but delicious. The portions are pretty big, we took some chilaquiles home. The place is super welcoming & I loved all of their attention to detail. Great place to enjoy a wonderful breakfast.Vegetarian options: Lacto-ovo vegetarian friendlyWheelchair accessibility: First floor, wide space to maneuver between tables & chairs can be arranged for wheelchairs“

“Quick and friendly service. Limited seating inside, which might make it difficult to find seating if they're busy. I judge Mexican restaurants by their tortillas and bean and rice. The chicken dorados taco combo hit the spot. This is my go to Mexican place in Marina Del Rey.“

“Wow. The Percheron Burrito. It's so good and bad all in one - a bacon wrapped Sonoran style burrito. This thing shouldn't even be legal! From a flavor and foodie experience standpoint, this is a must try. Inside your bacon wrapped burrito is either chicken (my choice), carne Asada, or Al pastor along with queso blanco, tomatoes, sliced avacado, and finished with chipotle mayo. Pure deliciousness, but obviously nothing healthy about it besides the protein. This could become THE iconic LA burrito. A must try.“

“We went to Melody for their pop-up and tried all three tacos they had for $3 each on Taco Tuesday. Great price for such high quality ingredients! Would definitely eat again!Potato Taco: 5/5This was the surprise winner! Such good flavors!Fish Taco: 4.5/5A solid and flavorful fish taco! My tiny critique is that I wish there was a bit more fish.Barbacoa: 2.5/5Meat was cooked well but it was not as flavorful compared to the other two - would not get again and instead would replace my third taco with the fish or potato!“