Socalo

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1. LA

   LAURAH

   Los Angeles

   50 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   50 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   We made a reservation and were there early but the table was ready AND had our name printed on the table-----nice touch! Excellent service by the waiter and other staff. Great food and strong drinks. We will be back!

   Report
2. m

   marchfool

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on March 19, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Terrific food. Wonderful service. Delightful ambiance. My favorite place to eat and bring friends in Santa Monica. The food is fresh, organic, sustainable and the flavors can't be beat. Love the special cocktails and great Mexican and local beer selection too...

   Report
3. G

   Grannyk

   Los Angeles

   69 reviews

   5.0

   69 reviews

   Dined on March 19, 2023

   overall5food5service4ambience2

   The food was amazing as always. The service was somewhat hands off this time around. They would have had another drink order and subsequently a larger tip if they had been paying more attention. We ate inside. The noise was horrific. Fortunately one particularly loud party left just as I was about to ask to move outside. It was still too loud for conversation and I don’t like having to raise my voice to be heard. If noise bothers you eat outside. I know I will be from now on.

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4. LA

   LAJim

   Los Angeles

   17 reviews

   4.0

   17 reviews

   Dined on March 19, 2023

   overall4food5service4ambience4

   Outstanding cuisine continues the quality of the offerings from Border Grill.

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5. SG

   SaraG

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on March 18, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Such an amazing experience! Donald and our server Renata treated us like family! Thank you so much for making my husband’s birthday and St. Patrick’s day an awesome one! Definitely coming back!!

   Report
6. WA

   WinerAndDiner

   Los Angeles

   8 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   8 reviews

   Dined on March 18, 2023

   overall3food4service2ambience3

   The food is very good, but the overall dining experience was lacking. We asked for our order to be coursed out. Didn't happen. Ordered a drink during the meal. Time passes, remind the server of the drink order. Eventually the drink appears after we have finished and are boxing up our leftovers. No thanks. The server was very apologetic, but is not what I'm looking for on a night out.

   Report
7. JT

   JoanneT

   Los Angeles

   4 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on March 18, 2023

   overall5food5service4ambience4

   We dine here frequently as the food is always delicious. It is a pleasant, airy space where one can have a conversation and the dishes are fairly priced. On several occasions the manager has added a special touch to our evening by artistically hand writing a place card and even wrote my last name in japanese characters! Highly recommend.

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8. MZ

   MamaZ

   New York Area

   54 reviews

   5.0

   54 reviews

   Dined on March 15, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   We loved everything about Socalo! The warm welcome, the personal touches at our table, the service and food were all magnificent! We can’t wait to go back again!

   Report
9. CS

   CarS

   San Diego

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on March 12, 2023

   overall3food2service4ambience4

   The food was pretty lack-luster. Not very much flavor in most dishes that we ordered. Ambiance and service were good but probably would not come back.

   Report
10. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    11 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on March 12, 2023

    overall2food3service4ambience4

    Food was very good, a bit overpriced though (3 taco meal should be called taquito) both myself and my girl had the runs something fierce afterwards even though we both got wildly different things

    Report
11. JS

    JeffreyS

    Los Angeles

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on March 8, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience4

    We were First Timers for Taco Tuesday. The skinny margarita had just the right balance. And the clanging of glasses and shakin' of bartenders brought excitement. Your appetizers were brought to the table within minutes of being ordered. Nice move . Excellent Guacamole. The beef Tostadita with cheese was killer. Just the right blend of beef and cheese. And we ordered 5 different tacos. The best was Lobster and the Veggie. Great blend of sauce and spices. And host Don Swartz made us feel welcome with a custom napkin scripted with my name. We'll be back!

    Report
12. DN

    DavidN

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on March 5, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Great food and service. The staff were fantastic!

    Report
13. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Salt Lake City

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 4, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Ordered Jackfruit and fish tacos with two other starters. Everything turned out to be great. Portion size for taco is perfect. Would definitely go again.

    Report
14. MR

    MichelleR

    Los Angeles

    7 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on February 26, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4

    We had the gauc, sweet corn tamales, a bowl with jackfruit and the chicken enchiladas. We shared and each dish was delicious! The food tasted very fresh. Our server was new (Blake?) but did an outstanding job taking care of us. High quality food and service....Cannot wait to go back.

    Report
15. m

    malikc

    New York Area

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on February 25, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    The food and the ambiance was amazing as usual.

    Report
16. W

    Willie66

    Los Angeles

    16 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    16 reviews

    Dined on February 23, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience3

    Love their house margaritas! Went for happy hour and they have a good menu. Miss the tomatillo salsa that Border Grill had, and found my lamb tacos to be greasy.

    Report
17. LT

    LT111

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 19, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Great place for a celebration. Food was excellent and tasted fresh, and the service was very good. They knew we were celebrating and our name was artfully drawn on a paper that was on the table. They brought me a candle in my desserts and sang. It was a terrific experience and I will definitely go back.

    Report
18. n

    nancyg

    Los Angeles

    101 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    101 reviews

    Dined on February 18, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience3

    Always reliable and innovative cuisine. So glad I tried the sturgeon. Super service.

    Report
19. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2023

    overall5food4service3ambience4

    Valentine’s Day

    Report
20. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4

    It was a very pleasant place to be! Super cool and sweet ambience!

    Report
21. BS

    BonnieS

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4

    Amazing food! Especially loved the jackfruit tinga taco!

    Report
22. K

    Kate

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 5, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    We had an amazing time! Great friendly service and love the food and drinks.

    Report
23. LS

    LewS

    Los Angeles

    7 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on February 5, 2023

    overall4food5service3ambience4

    We have been to Socalo a number of times and the timing of food delivery has been off lately. Appetizers have taken awhile to arrive and then a long lag between appetizer snd entree. Or…an appetizer arrives after an entree. Occasionally something that is going to be shared arrives without serving utensils or share plates. The food the sits and gets cold as the plates and utensils are rounded up.

    Report
24. DB

    DavidB

    Cincinnati

    9 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on February 4, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Excellent service and excellent menu. Enjoyed all the items we ordered.

    Report
25. K

    Kate

    Los Angeles

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 29, 2023

    overall5food4service3ambience3

    Awesome food! We love it!!!! Our waitress forgot our appetizer and it came out after our food.

    Report
26. TD

    TolucaDave

    Los Angeles

    6 reviews

    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on January 21, 2023

    overall3food3service2ambience4

    This place has slipped a bit. Enchiladas were cold, servers were inattentive, had to ask three times for chips and salsa. Crispy Baja Shrimp was tasty though. And free parking is always nice.

    Report
27. JB

    JennyB

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 20, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Cal Mex modern spin with many healthy options. Most of us had tacos and they were delicious. The appetizers were yummy, we had brussle sprouts and cauliflower. The desert was also really good.

    Report
28. TN

    TracyNix

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 18, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    We have never had a bad experience at SoCalo! Fresh ingredients make for amazing dishes, wait staff is so attentive, and the Pork Belly Al Pastor tacos are the best we’ve ever had!

    Report
29. WH

    WendyH

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    We had an amazing time in the midst of the rainy Saturday night in Santa Monica at your lovely restaurant. We will absolutely be back and recommend it to friends. Regarding food and service on a scale of 1 to 5 I’d give it a 10.

    Report
30. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 14, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Delicious food and our server Emma was wonderful!

    Report
31. V

    Vineyardguy

    San Francisco

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on January 4, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Go for Taco Tuesday!

    Report
32. SH

    StevanH

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 1, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    The food in Santa Monica if you want tasty, balance and delicious looking. Tables are spaced correctly with inside and outside. My wife loves the special cocktails list because they are all very creative .

    Report
33. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    8 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on January 1, 2023

    overall3food4service3ambience4

    I got a lecture about line jumping from the manager when I asked if my daughter’s ceviche could please be brought early because she was expected somewhere else. A half hour later my daughter left with no dinner. Our waitress was great, though.

    Report
34. BS

    BryanS

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 31, 2022

    overall2food2service2ambience2

    I had high expectations for the Border Grill teams latest restaurant after enjoying their restaurants since the 80's. Off the bat the Cocktails were great. Our green corn tamales were flavorless and too small. They fell apart on the plate when opened. They are all corn kernels and barely any masa or Cheese. My friend had a 3 taco plate but the Lamb Birria was greasy and gamey he reported. I had the Roasted Cauliflower which was great but the Roasted Brussels Sprouts were not cooked through and un-inspiring. We ordered the Tres Leches cake and it was also disappointing. The other issue was they rushed out our plates while we were drinking the cocktails. They seemed to want to close up the kitchen that evening.

    Report
35. BD

    BoardDinner

    New York Area

    34 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    34 reviews

    Dined on December 29, 2022

    overall5food5service3ambience4

    We love Socalo, the food, the vibe, the knowledgable staff. My only complaint from this experience was the speed of service. We waited a long time to order, however, our server was kind, knowledgable and great, it would have nice if the time that passed between being seated, ordering drinks, then asking for 5 minutes more to decide on food was actually 5 minutes and didn't require us to flag our server down 15 minutes later.

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36. FF

    FoodieFamily

    Los Angeles

    10 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on December 29, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    SOCALO is such a reliable star performer--fantastic every time, always something innovative and wonderful, always wish we could return sooner.

    Report
37. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Dallas

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 24, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    OMG! The food was so good. Full disclosure, my friend and I were in the mood for Mexican and actually went to another restaurant but were turned away from that empty place bc we didn't have reservations. A quick search and found Socalo. I'm so happy we did. The food is GOOD!!! Had the pescado tacos, chicken dorado tacos and spicy shrimp. Oh and the guacamole!!!!!! Go!!

    Report
38. S

    Suzanna

    Los Angeles

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on December 17, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    I always love coming here with friends, family, date night, and groups. They are so personable and welcoming, and of course the food is delicious!

    Report
39. SC

    SaraC

    London

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 15, 2022

    overall4food5service4ambience3

    Lovely but a little chilly! Great food and good value. We weren’t very early so not too many people there but I’m sure it would be busy later on.

    Report
40. K

    Kristin

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 14, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    One of the best dinner experiences we've had in Santa Monica! All the food was fantastic. Having Chef Susan come to the table, talk about the dishes and restaurant, and personally sign our guests' cookbooks was delightful! We will definitely be coming back again soon!

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