While the food wasn't the best, I can't say the same about the service. The service was great. The host we got was a very friendly young man. He was very attentive and answered all our questions. I wish the food had better taste. It seemed bland.
carla n.
Service is polite Ambiance is a little Atlantic City but it is across the street from the Santa Monica Pier and its BIG, famous sign. Food was disgusting: Guacamole was pudding-like. At first we thought it had an added oil. When asked, they said it was added lime juice . We all decided at last it was NOT fresh guacamole... NOT. It is NOT food prepared for locals who come back more Than once a month with their family and or friends because the food is so good. It's a one-hit visit by tourists. This was supposed to be a Rick Bayliss chef restaurant; may it was when it first opened as when I asked, the waiter stumbled through some excuse of a bs response to maybe he's on the board but they now have executive chefs. If your a local And like Mexican food, this is not your place. Didn't see one person walking their dog past the wall of windows. Sorry Red O, do t EVER count on my return
Alejandro A.
Tried this restaurant 3 months ago because it was new and by the beach and it looked good. The service is decent but i had to keep looking for the waiter to get drink refills. The place was cleanish, did like that they had the tequila display. Parking sucks, and this is Not good mexican food. The enchiladas at ivy at the shore are better but the rice and beans there suck, the only good thing i had here were the rice and beans. Again The food is not authentic Mexican, its "American authentic". Had the enchiladas and they are no where near authentic. The enchiladas were cold and the tortillas are just too thick to be served lukewarm/cold. They were breaking apart as i cut and picked them up and the protein portion is ridiculous, Almost nothing in them. My friend that joined me for lunch said he'd been there twice the first and last time, lol. I think thats a pretty accurate description of when we'll be back.
Jeanette A.
Great selection of tequila. Average prices and portion sizes. Nothing out of the ordinary considering they're right across from the pier. Carne asada nachos were yummy with a nice little kick to it. I think it was the cheese. Drinks were good and our server was always checking on us. Would go again. One star off because the music was a little loud and makes it hard to enjoy the scenery.
Travis B.
Excellent food and great service! Definitely recommended! Their burritos are absolutely delicious and everything was spot on!
Andrew Park
Loved $3 chips and salsa.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips & Salsa
David P.
This review has been a long time coming. I always wanted to eat here being a huge Rick Bayless fan. I finally had a reason to go, so I took my wife, daughter and mother in law for Easter brunch. Parking was easy, but pricey at 15$ right next to the restaurant. Very upscale area by Santa Monica pier. We checked in and were seated probably since I had a reservation. The waiter took a long time to take our drink and regular order. They brought out the chips and salsa quickly, and we got the guacamole. Super tasty for both! Although for 16$ the guac should of been refillable. They had no aguas frescas available as stated on the menu. Seemed like they were concerned with having every alcoholic drink on the planet there, as there were tons of hard liquor bottles. We had to order bottled Mexican drinks which were 5$ a pop. We finally got our order taken, and the food took a while to come out since they were busy. But they gladly refilled our chips. I ordered the steak fajitas, my daughter the chicken fajitas, my mother in law a taco enchilada combo and my wife the shrimp ceviche. Also we had one tortilla soup. The food okay for the most part, but I was disappointed to say the least. Our fajitas had virtually no salt or flavor to speak of other than the char from the grill. No marinade? Very surprising for Rick bayless. The fajita veges were barely cooked. Another disappointment. The salsas and tortillas were delicious that came with them, so that was a plus. The tortilla soup was under salted as well, and there were no salt shakers to speak of on the tables. It was okay, but way too many onions and no chicken. Probably the most sad part of the meal was my wife's ceviche was super hot! They at least could have warned on the menu with a symbol or something. She couldn't finish it and was nauseous afterward. All in all, would I come back? Maybe. But for the price, there are so many other awesome Mexican restaurants in LA that are way better for less money. I was thinking this was going to be an elevated Mexican cuisine experience but was somewhat disappointed. The service was decent from the staff except the waiter who almost never checked on us.
Constantine Ma
Excellent staff. Excellent food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ana R.
Excelente servicio! Ambiente agradable y el chef Hugo es el mejor! Sus recomendaciones y atenciones fueron las me
I went to the other day to read all in Santa Monica very nice atmosphere server was nice. Food is OK but expensive I think I got and one salad and the bill was like $120 long story short when I ask for the bill I was like hey guys I wanna pay with Apple Pay they said oh we are sorry our system is not updated and we only accept physical cards, so be aware ended up the manager who was so rude the money she left the bat test in my mouth
Karla Ureña
The restaurant is very nice, the staff was friendly and very helpful. It is the first time we visited this place, it caught our attention for calling itself a Mexican restaurant. The food is very good! They have a spectacular view of the area! They serve large and small groups very well. Plus it's also a bar which is a plus! The only detail was that they gave us a very uncomfortable table, well actually the place where the table was was uncomfortable. The place was not very busy so giving us another table was not a problem. On the other hand, if you like sweet drinks I can recommend the SANTA MÓNICA SUNSET margarita, it is delicious! In case you are looking for something super spicy I recommend the CLASSIC SHRIMP CEVICHE. It's a shrimp ceviche in lemon juice and very spicy serrano chili! They accompany it with very thin and fried slices of banana. They are delicious! If you visit this restaurant with your family, I recommend the CHICKEN TAQUITOS. They are chicken flautas with a red tortilla. They are delicious! We also ordered CARNE ASADA TACOS. The meat was in very large and thick pieces! The white rice tasted like it was days ago!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Karla Olvera
The service was terrible, the waitress ignored us the entire time and we had to look for her to order. Waitress randomly ordered a tortilla soup for us then lied to the other workers and said we "must have changed our minds". Waitress in general was very unprofessional, making rude comments about us just steps away instead of providing service. Would not recommend.3/24/24 4:43pm
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Tori Masters
Gustavo was our server and he was wonderful! He was enthusiastic, polite, and seemed genuinely excited to tell us about their menu and tequila. He was attentive and made our meal an absolute pleasure. Our food was delicious as well and we quite enjoyed the extensive tequila selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mr Pinero
Great taco meal, great chips, hot chunky salsa, great cocktails! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
While the food wasn't the best, I can't say the same about the service. The service was great. The host we got was a very friendly young man. He was very attentive and answered all our questions. I wish the food had better taste. It seemed bland.
Service is polite Ambiance is a little Atlantic City but it is across the street from the Santa Monica Pier and its BIG, famous sign. Food was disgusting: Guacamole was pudding-like. At first we thought it had an added oil. When asked, they said it was added lime juice . We all decided at last it was NOT fresh guacamole... NOT. It is NOT food prepared for locals who come back more Than once a month with their family and or friends because the food is so good. It's a one-hit visit by tourists. This was supposed to be a Rick Bayliss chef restaurant; may it was when it first opened as when I asked, the waiter stumbled through some excuse of a bs response to maybe he's on the board but they now have executive chefs. If your a local And like Mexican food, this is not your place. Didn't see one person walking their dog past the wall of windows. Sorry Red O, do t EVER count on my return
Tried this restaurant 3 months ago because it was new and by the beach and it looked good. The service is decent but i had to keep looking for the waiter to get drink refills. The place was cleanish, did like that they had the tequila display. Parking sucks, and this is Not good mexican food. The enchiladas at ivy at the shore are better but the rice and beans there suck, the only good thing i had here were the rice and beans. Again The food is not authentic Mexican, its "American authentic". Had the enchiladas and they are no where near authentic. The enchiladas were cold and the tortillas are just too thick to be served lukewarm/cold. They were breaking apart as i cut and picked them up and the protein portion is ridiculous, Almost nothing in them. My friend that joined me for lunch said he'd been there twice the first and last time, lol. I think thats a pretty accurate description of when we'll be back.
Great selection of tequila. Average prices and portion sizes. Nothing out of the ordinary considering they're right across from the pier. Carne asada nachos were yummy with a nice little kick to it. I think it was the cheese. Drinks were good and our server was always checking on us. Would go again. One star off because the music was a little loud and makes it hard to enjoy the scenery.
Excellent food and great service! Definitely recommended! Their burritos are absolutely delicious and everything was spot on!
Loved $3 chips and salsa.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips & Salsa
This review has been a long time coming. I always wanted to eat here being a huge Rick Bayless fan. I finally had a reason to go, so I took my wife, daughter and mother in law for Easter brunch. Parking was easy, but pricey at 15$ right next to the restaurant. Very upscale area by Santa Monica pier. We checked in and were seated probably since I had a reservation. The waiter took a long time to take our drink and regular order. They brought out the chips and salsa quickly, and we got the guacamole. Super tasty for both! Although for 16$ the guac should of been refillable. They had no aguas frescas available as stated on the menu. Seemed like they were concerned with having every alcoholic drink on the planet there, as there were tons of hard liquor bottles. We had to order bottled Mexican drinks which were 5$ a pop. We finally got our order taken, and the food took a while to come out since they were busy. But they gladly refilled our chips. I ordered the steak fajitas, my daughter the chicken fajitas, my mother in law a taco enchilada combo and my wife the shrimp ceviche. Also we had one tortilla soup. The food okay for the most part, but I was disappointed to say the least. Our fajitas had virtually no salt or flavor to speak of other than the char from the grill. No marinade? Very surprising for Rick bayless. The fajita veges were barely cooked. Another disappointment. The salsas and tortillas were delicious that came with them, so that was a plus. The tortilla soup was under salted as well, and there were no salt shakers to speak of on the tables. It was okay, but way too many onions and no chicken. Probably the most sad part of the meal was my wife's ceviche was super hot! They at least could have warned on the menu with a symbol or something. She couldn't finish it and was nauseous afterward. All in all, would I come back? Maybe. But for the price, there are so many other awesome Mexican restaurants in LA that are way better for less money. I was thinking this was going to be an elevated Mexican cuisine experience but was somewhat disappointed. The service was decent from the staff except the waiter who almost never checked on us.
Excellent staff. Excellent food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excelente servicio! Ambiente agradable y el chef Hugo es el mejor! Sus recomendaciones y atenciones fueron las me
This place was amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I went to the other day to read all in Santa Monica very nice atmosphere server was nice. Food is OK but expensive I think I got and one salad and the bill was like $120 long story short when I ask for the bill I was like hey guys I wanna pay with Apple Pay they said oh we are sorry our system is not updated and we only accept physical cards, so be aware ended up the manager who was so rude the money she left the bat test in my mouth
The restaurant is very nice, the staff was friendly and very helpful. It is the first time we visited this place, it caught our attention for calling itself a Mexican restaurant. The food is very good! They have a spectacular view of the area! They serve large and small groups very well. Plus it's also a bar which is a plus! The only detail was that they gave us a very uncomfortable table, well actually the place where the table was was uncomfortable. The place was not very busy so giving us another table was not a problem. On the other hand, if you like sweet drinks I can recommend the SANTA MÓNICA SUNSET margarita, it is delicious! In case you are looking for something super spicy I recommend the CLASSIC SHRIMP CEVICHE. It's a shrimp ceviche in lemon juice and very spicy serrano chili! They accompany it with very thin and fried slices of banana. They are delicious! If you visit this restaurant with your family, I recommend the CHICKEN TAQUITOS. They are chicken flautas with a red tortilla. They are delicious! We also ordered CARNE ASADA TACOS. The meat was in very large and thick pieces! The white rice tasted like it was days ago!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
The service was terrible, the waitress ignored us the entire time and we had to look for her to order. Waitress randomly ordered a tortilla soup for us then lied to the other workers and said we "must have changed our minds". Waitress in general was very unprofessional, making rude comments about us just steps away instead of providing service. Would not recommend.3/24/24 4:43pm
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Gustavo was our server and he was wonderful! He was enthusiastic, polite, and seemed genuinely excited to tell us about their menu and tequila. He was attentive and made our meal an absolute pleasure. Our food was delicious as well and we quite enjoyed the extensive tequila selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great taco meal, great chips, hot chunky salsa, great cocktails! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips & Salsa