Socalo is a beachy, California canteen and Mexican pub from award-winning chef/owners Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, located within Santa Monica’s Gateway Hotel.
Socalo serves conscientiously-sourced, seasonal SoCal Mexican fare with quick counter service at brunch and lunch while dinner shifts to full-service dining alongside signature cocktails, small-batch spirits, Mexican wines and craft beers on tap.
Socalo uses organic rice, beans, and corn tortillas; seasonal, local ingredients; antibiotic/hormone-free meats and poultry; and sustainable seafood.
Locally-sourced, often organic Mexican fare, a raw seafood bar & craft cocktails amid beachy vibes. Based on 250 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.5 stars. Price $$
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ Curbside pickup ✔️ No-contact delivery
Address:
1920 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: (310) 451-1655
Website: http://www.socalo.com/
Social Profile: 
Hours
| Friday | 11:30 AM–9 PM |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM–9 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday
(Labor Day)
|
Closed |
| Tuesday | 11:30 AM–8:30 PM |
| Wednesday | 11:30 AM–8:30 PM |
| Thursday | 11:30 AM–8:30 PM |
Menu
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Menu Photos
Photo Gallery
Order and Reservations
Reservations: socalo.com
Reviews
eriko p
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.
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sierra plowden
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!
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Paris
Food quality is beyond good! Very nice atmosphere! Highly recommend it.
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Mary
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.
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Nicolette Garcia
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.
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Teresa Halfacre
I needed my dinner garlic free and the chef was able to accommodate. Much appreciated! The mushroom fajitas were very good. I’d skip the Paloma, weak and too much ice. Everyone else liked their tacos and carnitas.
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Allison Joy
The food was delicious. Tons of gluten free, vegan, keto, and vegetarian options. You can park at the hotel for free for 90 minutes which was plenty of time. A added bonus was the Taco Tuesday prices
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K S
My lunch today: Jack fruit tacos, tempura chile relleno and guacamole with chips. Yummy! But the HIT of the meal was the dried chilies macha sauce! DELICIOUSLY DONE!.
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Burton Kendall
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.
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John Gravener
I really wanted to like this restaurant. The menu looked enticing. We ordered chips and guac; you can’t really go wrong with that, and that was fine. My friend and I ordered the Market Vegetable Caldo, and when served, it looked absolutely inviting. The sad part was that it had absolutely no flavor at all. The veggies were all bright and vibrant, but it was as if the flavor had been sucked out of them. The broth, a bright red, stated like a dull beige (if a color could translate to taste). There was no hint of heat, spice, anything, despite what the color suggested. A little bit of salt would have even helped. On the other end of the spectrum for appetizers was the Corn Esquite. The corn’s true flavor was allowed to come through; there had been no fussing with the ingredients. Perfect. Likewise, the fingerling potatoes were nice, especially with the impossible chorizo. Overall, a pleasant surprise. My friend ordered the Vampiro Steak and Shrimp tacos. He thought the seasoning was bland and the steak was pretty dry. I ordered the carne asada tacos, and while the seasoning was adequate, the carne was way too dry; that skirt steak was long dead.. It was like I was eating kibbles with fresca. The house margaritas were nice and light, and that helped wash the food down quickly, and I say quickly because there was not much to savor. The bright side to all of this was the wait staff. Our server was very nice, and the bus person (not sure if that was her job description, but we saw her far more than the woman who took our order) was so very sweet and attentive to our needs. They were the sole bright spot to our experience.
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