SOCALO

Absolutely delicious food with fast pleasant service. No rush at all to enjoy the food - I recommend the Barbacoa tacos!

This review is for their Happy Hour! ( Wednesday - Saturday) They have Happy Hour Monday-Saturday. The hours differ on Saturday ( 3-5pm). Parking is validated for 90 minutes. Enter the subterranean garage just south of Santa Monica Blvd.

We both loved the El Picante margarita for the hot spice kick! I also ordered the Chinola margarita which has passionfruit, mint and lime. The Chinola is smooth and sweet.

I chose the Poblano Quesadilla and added chicken for $4 more.II forgot to take a photo, sorry. It was perfect for my meal. I really liked all the flavors.
My friend ordered the Nopal Tostada, beautifully presented and tasty. She also ordered a Birria (lamb), and she enjoyed it.

We shared the Baked Nachos!!! This was really a wonderful textured tasty dish! Because it was baked, the tortillas were crispy! I loved it!

I recommend their Happy Hour Menu for food and drink!

I returned to check out their all day and night Taco Tuesday! The Taco Tuesday menu is fantastic! There are seafood, beef, pork, chicken and veggies options! The Taco Tuesday menu has more options than the Happy Hour menu ( Wednesday- Saturday) , and it 's all day and night ( during restaurant hours) so I would choose coming here for Taco Tuesday!

Our dining experience was awesome. We attended The Other Art Show at Barkers Hanger in Santa Monica. After the show we were hungry. So we started looking for a place near by to grab a bite. We called a could of places and being a Friday night. We were failing. Then we called Socalo. The young lady was very nice and said if we were flexible. She has a table for us. We said yes. And off to Socalo we went. Pretty much from arrival to departure. We had wonderful customer service experience and delicious food. The tortillas and sauces are house made.
The staff was nice and attentive.

We can't wait to return...

We ordered the jackfruit taco bowl, the crispy portobello sandwich and the jackfruit tinga burrito. The best one was the crispy portobello sandwich but everything was very tasty. Its in the mid city next to a hotel. There is parking space and its 90 minute free if you eat there.

I cannot express enough how AMAZING the staff here are and how well they look after me and my family when we come by. Donald and his team have a real genuine sense of great service and warm hospitality. Nile has a fantastic setup here. They add special touches to every meal and have the highest quality mexican food in LA. I have such deep appreciation for them. Amazing drinks! Thankyou Socalo for being the best restaurant in the neighborhood!

Super delicious. I was there a bit early in the day so it was relatively slow but the staff and the food were awesome.

We had such a great lunch today. Love the staff, and of course the exceptional food that is signature to the Two Sues. Thanks!

We ordered 25 individual lunch items and worked with Donald to coordinate it. This was, hands-down the smoothest and easiest group order I've ever placed. All the meals were individually labeled with the recipient's name and order (since we all know people will order and then forget what they ordered). I would absolutely recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for great food and service.

Brunch with friends
Pros: Very nice venue, and food tasted delicious. The portions are very reasonable, filling but not too big that goes to waste. The toast with avocado and smoked salmon was splendid - recommended! There are many tables outside, in the shade and we'll isolated from the alley. You can park for free for 90 minutes in the hotel nearby.
Cons: It took a while to serve the food

I've been eating at Socalo since they first opened. The food is consistently excellent, and the staff has always been exceptional. Donald, (the manager,) runs the restaurant in a friendly, very efficient fashion, and Mary Sue and Susan are lucky to have him on board.

Food quality is beyond good! Very nice atmosphere! Highly recommend it.

Delicious food at fair prices- A little piece of posh Mexico City in Santa Monica. The serving sizes much smaller than the typical USA mexican locale but with such perfectly curated flavor/texture pairings it doesn't take much to feel satisfied. Didn't try any items from the large plates section so perhaps look there if your appetite requires or simply plan to select a couple dishes from the other menu sections. Can confirm that the lamb barbacoa tacos melted in the mouth. For any vegans out there, the jackfruit tinga tacos are a yummy vegan alternative and arrive at your table ready to eat, pre- topped with pickled onions and crispy jalapeno. ,>*) service was a bit slow but again, this complemented the chill vibe. Well be back for sure.

Such a hidden gem in my opinion! They have a great happy hour and hidden patio. The drinks and food were both 10/10! We had great service as well. I will definitely be coming back here!

OMG! These Gobernador (shrimp and poblano pepper) tacos are ridiculously good. I would have taken a picture but I was too busy inhaling them. Come for happy hour — free parking!

Great experience. The food had flavor and looked amazing too. Great place for an intimate meal: date spot

We stumbled across this amazing restaurant. The food was delicious, affordable, friendly staff, and the place was very clean. You can definitely add this restaurant to your list, as one of your favorite spots to eat. We will definitely go back.

Outstanding Vampiro tacos. We liked all the tacos we tried but it was no contest. Great guac and salsa app. And for dessert get the Churros with the sauce on the side. Great experience!

Extremely friendly and I love the food! They even wrote my name on the bag- it made my day.

Among the best 2-3 tacos we’ve had in LA - of dozens we’ve tried.

I put hot sauce / salsa on most foods I eat, and these didn’t need it - flavorful steak (skirt?) and perfectly cooked shrimp, and the corn tortilla was 👌🏻

This place did not disappoint. It’s really hard to find good Mexican food in LA, and I’m so surprised we found a gem in Santa Monica. The chips came out HOT which is a sign of an authentic Mexican kitchen. All the flavors were palatable and scrumptious. The chicken tortilla soup was tasty, the roasted cauliflower was one of my favorite dishes and the chicken enchiladas were sooooo savory. Definitely one of the few restaurants to add to my rotation. Please come and try!!! The vibe was friendly and the service was top notch.