SOCALO,

1920 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90404

"Delicious Mexican fusion with a modern twist. As a Mexican with a discerning palate, I was impressed by El Zocalo's menu and flavorful dishes. They offer a unique blend of traditional Mexican cuisine with a touch of American influence, creating a truly enjoyable dining experience. While the restaurant doesn't strictly adhere to authentic flavors, the food is delicious and satisfying. The addition of soft mariachi music in the background would further enhance the ambiance and transport diners to Mexico. I also appreciated the restaurant's parking validation, as parking in the area can be challenging. Overall, El Zocalo is a great choice for those seeking a modern take on Mexican cuisine with a vibrant atmosphere."

"A great experience and great food. We ordered the Queso spinach dip with chips. The chips are endless and we were only served in small portions so they were hot at all times! We also ordered two tacos each, the Cana asada and the al pastor tacos. The meat was not chewy! It was a bit dry at time (Al pastor) and the ingredients did not really come together that well, but still great. Everyone was very friendly but we did have to ask for a refill on chips and water often. I would definitely recommend getting the chips with some sort of dip!"

"5 first bites out of 10 were almost all fat, tortilla was like trying to cut paper or cardboard, my hand began to hurt from pressing so hard to cut it so I gave up and got a steak knife. Well, you're thinking: you could pick it up and just bite it right? Yes, tried that, super greasy all over my hand, guess that's why they put the paper under everything, either to absorb some of the grease(?) or to make it easier for them to clean,(?) not just to make it slide around as you struggle to cut through stale tortilla. The WHOLE POINT of eating out is to have THE RESTAURANT do the heavy lifting, not to inconvenience the customer to make it easier on those working! I hate the attitude of this place: it's better for them to charge you first, sucker you into giving a bigger tip than you would after you experience the poor food and service. Seats and table were dirty. Straws for drinks are NOT PROTECTED from CONTAMINATION by a paper wrapper, and TOUCHED BY EVERYONE who tries to get one from the glass full of straws they set out FOR YOU TO HELP YOURSELF TO. GROSS! And if they think THAT'S ok, what OTHER HIDEOUSLY DISGUSTING things are they doing in the kitchen!? Silverware seemed clean, but spotty, like they're using the cheapest soap they can... The whole experience had way too many red flags... They charge you for the meal first and ask for a tip, you order by queuing up at the bar, so kind of a fast food experience. Learned my lesson, I'm never tipping before I get the food and service again, they've obviously found they get better tips BEFORE people experience the food and service.... Poor service, had to go get the steak knife myself, asked what kind of tortilla it was, regular, not some weird gluten free or something as I suspected for this area and the atmosphere they're trying to project, so they're just serving up stale, average food in what looks like an upscale setting, but not worth what they're charging for it. $10 specials seemed like a good deal until we saw what we got for it, two TINY fried tacos that were incredibly average that had barely any meat/ingredients for my wife, and a "burrito" 1/4 the size of any burrito I've had before. Ah well, I'm trying to lose weight anyway, this way I won't have to wrangle leftovers, so I tried to be positive about it... But... My birria beef was barely shredded, causing me to have to practically do surgery to separate the huge gobs of fat from the beef, and struggling again to carve off a piece of beef from the huge chunk. And they CHARGE $5 for a small plate of stale hard tortilla chips and salsa, so we ended up paying $50 for this meal when we would have enjoyed fast food more than this nonsense. I was literally SAWING through my tough burrito like WOOD to carve off a huge chunk. I left one bite behind I was so disgusted and fed up with the whole experience, and to signal them something was wrong, but they already had my money, so I doubt they care. Unless you're working nearby and willing to pay the premium for average food and location, you'll have a better experience somewhere else. Comically bad. SO BAD that I have to think a lot of, if not the majority, of the good reviews are fake... Especially supposedly foodies raving about this place? No way. Maybe if they just THINK they're foodies but have bad taste? I just don't believe it, and we all know there are fake review service businesses... I mean, if your TWO specials BOTH suck..."

"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..."