35 Best Mexican Restaurants in Santa Monica

“We went to this place late night after a magic show. I had never heard of it before and it was right next door on 4th Street. They have a small A-frame sign out front which says best tacos in Santa Monica and they are not wrong! The feature a wide variety of tacos with homemade tortillas which were authentic and flavorful. It's a small location but can fit large parties play I strongly suggest going there if you want to satisfy your taco fix.“

“We had a fantastic meal. The drinks were fire. The food was delicious. The service was wonderful. And zero wait time. We walked right into the best meal of our whole trip to LA. This must be a hidden hem. There is no reason it wasn’t packed! Photo is the flight of margaritas!!!“

“I absolutely love this place! I've tried several birria places but all have been inconsistent when it comes to the taste and service. Although I have to travel around 30 minutes to get here, I can always count on consistency and the delish food! There birria tacos and quesatacos with consume are my favorites. Two thumbs up!“

“Great food and drinks 🍹 really good 👍🏾“

“Friendly atmosphere Delicious meals are tasty, appetizing, scrumptious, yummy, delightful, lovely, wonderful, pleasant, enjoyable, appealing, enchanting, charming and hihgly pleasant to the taste.“

“Best Mexican food on the Westside/ Bestside!“

“Its a nice and a clean place.. My favorite stuff its the Chipotle burrito..They have a burrito named chipotle.“

“No frills, delicious fish tacos. Been there twice - once dining in and once to-go. Had the fish and shrimp tacos both times and they’re so good! I don’t have photos bc I ate them so fast. Handmade tortillas and the salsas are also yum 👌🏽 the time that I ate in the gentleman at the counter was really hospitable and nice.“

“Good service and good food�����������“

“We came in with a party of 22 (it was a reservation so they had warning but still a lot). And we were treating like utter royalty. They were so kind, attentive, and excited to celebrate with us! Our drinks were always full, chips were constant, food recs were perfect, it was so great. Our server even learned and remembered our names. This is my go to restaurant for every little thing but the success of the massive party was just the complete cherry on top of this place.“

“Muy rica la comida y excelente servicio“

“I have been following tacos 1986 on Instagram (joy tostada) and have been wanting to try his tacos. we planned a family vacations to California to try their tacos and they did not disappoint. Tacos were DELICIOUS!! and the staff was very friendly. We even came in more than once to eat. Highly recommend it.“

“AMAZING food and drinks. Purely fresh and tastes fantastic. I can’t wait to come back. ♥️♥️♥️“

“This place is AMAZING!! From the service to how flavorful their salsas were. That spicy green salsa will burn your mouth just the way you like it. Hard to find places that make good salsas. Taco de asada was amazing in flavor and so was my coctel de camaron and pulpo. Muchas gracias por su servicio ?☺️“

“Me encantó el lugar, excelente comida y un trato muy cordial“

“Very traditional shrimp cocktail served with tostadas, lemon slices and packets of hot sauce. Reminiscent of Baja and other seaside Mexican towns. Delicious. Seldom see customers take advantage of the one short table attached to a wall. Mostly people order their food to go.“

“Delicioso!!!!! Muy recomendado“

“Let me just say...I’ve been living in Santa Monica for awhile now and Los amigos food truck La is BOMB 🔥 FINALLY good, authentic comida Mexicana. It’s been a rough journey trying to find decent Mexican food out here in Santa Monica but they definitely surpassed all these “Mexican” spots out here. 12/10 definitely recommend if y’all are out here 🥵🥵“

“My fiancée and I are fortunate enough to live a short walk away from Yagul and can’t get enough of it! Authentic and delicious Oaxacan food/drink (you literally cannot go wrong with anything on the menu) and the most wonderful and warm staff you’ll find in all of West LA. One of the true gems in our community.“

“The best authentic Mexican restaurant at the heart of Santa Monica. We met one of the owner and he explained the origin of the dish. All the food we tasted here were all so delicious full of flavour.“

“Food is Amazing and Staff treats you like family. Been goung here since 1996 . My Favorite is the Chicken Enchildas with Hreen Sauce.“

“Excellent and authentic! Highly recommend!!“

“Me encanta la comida y el servicio soy cliente desde hace 12 Años“

“The best authentic Mexican restaurant at the heart of Santa Monica. We met one of the owner and he explained the origin of the dish. All the food we tasted here were all so delicious full of flavour.“

“I was greeted immediately upon entering the restaurant. Service was friendly & professional. My meal came out promptly and was served at a good temperature! My salmon was a little too done for my taste, but I still enjoyed my meal! I got a to-go box for my leftover veggies. As I departed the restaurant, someone thanked me for my visit. I had a pleasant experience.“

“Had a great Mexican dish for dinner, which I enjoyed a lot, a number of Mexican designed cocktails as well. I would recommend this place for dinner and/or lunch.“

“Such an amazing staff and the owner is amazing himself. I moved from virginia to California and I absolutely would eat this over anything over there.“

“The crispy carne asada tacos were outstanding. The meat was seasoned and was extremely tender“

“muy buena atención al cliente limpio el lugar buen salón amigable el cajero 100 % garantizado“

“First time here. Enjoy our dinner, super yummy food and the great customer service from the bar manager . She was great at recommending and explaining our drink had an old fashioned with tequila, she even came back to ask how we liked it. We Never had an old fashioned with tequila and it was really good. The ambience of the place, didn’t have to wait to be seated. Highly recommend this place.“

“A delicious dinner in stunning scenery as the sun sets behind the Pacific Ocean. The service was good, too.“

“First time going to this tiny spot. It shares the location with a few other businesses in a very trendy outdoor location. The moment you walk inside the quad it smells amazing in there! They have a tent set up and almost a taco stand like feel. The service was very good and the food even better! I ordered the carne asada breakfast burrito and it tasted amazing!! Strongly recommend and will be back the next time I'm in the area!“

“Excellent afternoon here with a couple of friends. I had just finished a 2.5 hour morning hike so I was ravenous and ordered too much food but there were no regrets honestly. I thoroughly enjoyed everything we ordered. Their al pastor and chorizo & cheese tacos were excellent, and I loved the creamy seafood enchiladas. They honored my requests to make the margaritas a little drier for all of us, and they came out perfectly balanced. Definitely would return.“

“Best food And great Customer services.. That's one of my favorite Mexican place to eat.“

“In the neighborhood, and we’re looking for some good Mexican food and we found it! Small establishment run by people who obviously care. Food is fresh and seasoned beautifully and cooked with Obvious love. Staff was wonderful you ordered a selection of tacos and every single one was spectacular. Also ordered a burrito.(I was really hungry) Which was perfect easy to hold grill around the outside crunchy and so delicious! Cannot recommend highly enough!“