Tapas Restaurants near Santa Monica, CA

“I had a wonderful solo drinks and tapas last week. The experience was wonderful, the vibe in the restaurant is whimsical, the drinks were fantastic, ..they had an excellent gin choice. The staff was amazing and attentive. The food was delicious and filling. I had the bikini con Carino, Patatas Bravas, Anchoa and one more thing, i cant remember. All of it was MORE than enough for a full dinner. I cant wait to go back again with friends.“

“Great food and service. This place never disappoints.“

“Fantastic meal! As good or better than the old days.“

“What a fantastic dining experience! We were so well taken care of, and the food was amazeballs! Definitely top of my list as my new favorite seafood restaurant. Elijah, the bartender was awesome and Katie went out of the way to make sure we had a lovely time. What an evening… I highly recommend this place.“

“This is a very popular place as it gets crowded even before normal dinner time. The semi-indoor/outdoor seating area is clean and relaxing.“

“The food is phenomenal!! Everything is amazing“

“Outstanding service from the time we stepped in the door. Tess our server was very knowledgeable and we loved her wine pairing suggestions.
The food is also outstanding! All three of in our party lived our dishes, especially all the varieties of tin fish. I had the best Dover Sole ever! Highly recommend!“

“Great drinks, delicious food, the most ADDICTIVE CHIPS and guacamole- I promise you won't be able to stop at one order so walk your 25k steps before you make reservations! Our server was so pleasant and engaging and the entire staff that day 3/21 @6pm was awesome includingthe valet as we left! I forgot to get names, hence why I gave the date we were here:) I had the best quesadilla and my husband ordered a chicken and a carne Asada taco...DELICIOUS!“

“Awesome fun place with music good food, and fun. ❤️“

“I cannot say enough of the five star service Ernesto provided. We were waiting for the shuttle to take us to the airport. It was 10 mins late, then 15 mins late. I asked the gentleman at the front desk to inquire but he was not helpful at all. Just said he will be there. I expressed my concern that we had an international flight to catch. I was so frustrated by this front desk man's customer service I told my husband we should call an Uber. Meanwhile we already paid for the hotel shuttle. Ernesto overheard my frustration. Called the bus to find out it wouldn't be coming there was an issue. He refunded us for our shuttle we paid for and also paid for our Uber. It was Four Seasons customer service, over and beyond exceeded our expectations! You should be so lucky to have a person like Ernesto. The other gentleman needs to go back to learning customer service skills and hospitality! Go Ernesto!“

“Great food as usual and every time we come we have an excellent service. Love coming here!!!!“

“We went on a Wednesday night and every table was full, which should tell you something. Very good service from the host. We did the 4-course pre fixe menu. First course was an outstanding beet salad - one of my faves ever - and a rice noodle dish that was just slightly under-seasoned. Second course was possibly the star, the street corn. The steak was also an absolute star, done perfectly at medium rare. The vodka lumache was, like the rice pasta dish, a bit under-seasoned. Oreo beignets were great, and the chocolate budino was very good, very rich. We'll definitely be back.“

“We loved the authentic noodles and warm hospitality. Our lovely server also recommended me to drink the Tenth degree ginjo instead of regular sake, which I liked a lot.“

“Great food and service (Amanda did a great job), I love their double r 20 oz cowboy’s rib eye and I like the ambiance it is very cozy.“

“We enjoyed everything about our meal from start to finish.“

“We had a fantastic birthday dinner here. Kind of pricey, but that's expected with elevated Indian food. We ordered the bacon & date Kulcha as well as the spinach & Mozzarella to start. Bacon and date was by far the better or the two. Then we shared the scallops (a hit!) and sweet potato Chaat (delish). Out of our 3 mains we enjoyed the chicken Korma best then the short ribs and aloo Gobi were tied. Interestingly they used broccoli instead of cauliflower for the Gobi and the potatoes had amazing flavor. Our only complaint was the noise level got to be extremely loud and it wasn't even a full house. Be prepared. We would definitely go again though.“

“I love this place! The food is fantastic! And I’m a regular for a reason 😉“

“心の居酒屋です🏮 モツなべなど　博多メニュー充実“

“Everything that I oder was tested good. And nice servers.“

“Overall a nice stay: friendly staff, nice updated facilities, free ♿️ valet👌-3 to 4 blocks from beach. Very expensive at $500 per night, used the 2 $10 free tickets at bar for 2 drinks and still owed $8.36. This was the host hotel and stayed 2 nights Fri/Sat July 22-23, 2022, with hamburger & soup in room, total $1100. T.“

“Came in after passing by many times and I am so glad I did. The food was simply phenomenal, the service was so good - attentive, friendly, knowledgeable about the extensive menu and specials. Even the ambiance was such a fun balance of coastal Italian, California kitsch and nostalgia. Highly recommend and can't wait to come back.“

“This restaurant is seriously slept on. There should be a line out the door (not that I wanna wait to eat all the delicious food). They're serving up elevated comfort food with a carefully curated sake list. We often imbibe a bit too much of said carefully curated sake list, so I don't have photos for every item we've had. We love both the sushi and izakaya items

Yellowtail carpaccio: fresh melt-in-your-mouth fish, lightly dressed with olive oil so that the true flavors shine through. There are salt and spice on the side of you want a little more zing (though the jalapenos provide enough zing for most palates).

Ankimo sashimi: so smooth and silky, perfectly dressed to highlight the flavors without overpowering it.

Summer roll: balanced combination of delicate blue crab, piquant spicy tuna and creamy avocado wrapped in radish (perfect for those trying to stay away from carbs).

Kurobata corn dogs: arrived at our table, still piping hot. Just perfectly fried. Batter light and crispy and the meat juicy and succulent.

Lobster hush puppies: their timing on their fried items is amazing. These, too, arrived at our table fresh out of the fryer. The batter is well-seasoned, light (but not too airy and unsubstantial) with enough density and chew to create the best texture, and the sweetness of corn and langoustine sprinkled throughout.

Grilled black cod: buttery fish with a hint of miso, served with mushrooms on top.

Miso eggplant: I don't know what magical incantations and techniques are used on this dish, but people who actively don't like eggplant love this dish. It's caramelized deliciousness. Straight-up witchcraft I tell you.

Pork gyoza: juicy pork encased in thin wrappers, left long enough on the pan to create a crispy layer on the bottom (Maillard reaction, boys and girls), with thinly sliced scallions on top for freshness and zest.

Bacon mochi: blistered (but, magically, not burnt) and bubbly mochi wrapped in crispy, salty, fatty bacon. You bite into the mochi and it has the most ridiculous stretch, like mozzarella! The mochi provides the perfect blank canvas for the bacon.

Fish tacos: light, crispy batter on the flaky fish with fresh veggies on top. I daresay I felt healthy eating these tacos.

Sauteed scallops with ponzu: scallops cooked (not overcooked, not undercooked) to a perfect texture that retains the natural sweetness of scallops, which contrasts beautifully with the savory-tangy-umami elixir created by ponzu and butter. The sauce is so delicious that we always order a side of rice to get every last drop.“

“Great food and wines! Excellent atmosphere. Very busy yet excellent service. We sat at the bar and ordered various tapas. The food came out very nicely paced. We did not feel rushed, and despite how busy it was, we did not wait long for the dishes to come out. Our favorite was the jamón board, followed by the steak. Can’t wait to be back and try the rest of the menu!“

“Menu looked great. Walked in and was skeptical. The brisket eggrolls were the best appetizer anyone in our group has ever had. Mezcal drink was excellent. Poke nachos - top….nach :) And the bartender ran the entire bar & restaurant solo. Impressive stuff!“

“The drinks are good and friendly people. Great vibes!“

“this place has great drinks, good food and an awesome vibe! I just love how it's hidden too. So clean and the staff is so nice. I will definitely be back!“

“Let's TACO bout this hidden gem taco spot with tacos so good TU MADRE would love them too!

As someone who's tried a wide spectrum of taco spots from street stands to Michelin, I was pleasantly surprised (and honestly a little salty it took me this long) to discover @tacostumadre right in my own neighborhood. This festive, casual spot specializes in modern Mexican fusion, with innovative culinary takes on Mexican cuisine starting from their iconic fried chicken taco. With over a dozen different protein and plant-based options that you can order as a taco, burrito or bowl, there's definitely something for everyone on their menu.

I stopped by the Westwood location, but there's also locations in Brentwood, Santa Monica, Weho, Larchmont and Los Feliz. It was really easy to find street parking around that area on the weekend at lunchtime, but they also have a $5 valet lot next to the restaurant. Service was SO nice, and I really appreciated how they took the time to quickly yet meticulously prepare every dish + gave me free chips and salsa with my order.

Featured here:
Grilled shrimp taco
Crispy shrimp bowl
Crispy fish taco
Chipotle tomatillo chicken taco
Brisket taco“

“It’s in the Hampton Inn just south of LAX. As of March 2026 they are open from 4 PM to 11 PM daily. There’s a happy hour from 4 PM to 6 PM which gets you $2 or $3 off food and drinks. It’s on the pricey side, but this is in an airport hotel, and restaurants in airport hotels are normally not cheap.“

“While the ramen is quite good, try their other non-ramen offerings. Katsu curry rice is very good here (katsu pork was prepared perfectly and curry flavorful) as well as their gyudon (beef over rice). Service as fast, friendly and attentive and the dining area was very clean. Value for the meal is excellent especially for West LA! Cannot recommend enough!“

“Great wine different flights to sample. You can even buy bottles“

“The salmon is probably the best in LA, I have been to many sushi restaurants but I keep coming back here because no where else has this good salmon, even high end hand rolls ones. The chicken skewers are amazing as well. And lastly, my favorite dish, eel, is 1000/10. I will eat at this place for the rest of my life.“

“Dan is a good quality place with great service. I really enjoy the 3 cup chicken which gives me a healthy option as I am currently striving to eat healthier. My daughter loves the popcorn chicken & my significant other loves the beef & broccoli. Issac (our server) was very attentive & even gave my daughter a free boba drink (best boba in playa by the way). Give it a try!“

“Beautiful view, great service and nice selection of drinks“

“I haven't been able to try this restaurant since it reopened and I had just the time to do so today. All the dim sum was great, just no BBQ pork buns 😂. The dumplings were thin skinned and tender and tasted similar to what I had in China and the waiters were friendly!“

“Tasty chicken wrap. Limited beer selection, but nice quiet location in the terminal to enjoy it. Excellent service.“