Review Blue Plate Taco - Santa Monica

The Ortega's

The best part was the food! The area is pretty nice, not far from the pier. Colorful restaurant with nice decorations. We order a shrimp taco plate and carnitas burrito, super delicious and decent price. I highly recommend this place.

Tejinder Singh Gill

The place is so perfect and near to Santa Monica pier which is making it more amazing. We order shrimp tacos and seasonal soup, which was delicious. Definitely recommend., mostly in evening its the best place. Do visit.

Mariah Boon

Booked this place almost a month ahead as we're visiting from Singapore. Excellent service from Julie and the rest of her team. Great ambience although we couldn't really see the sunset due to the fog outside. Food is reasonably priced. We had beef burrito and steak quesadilla. We also had beer and mango sorbet. Food tasted great and decent serving size. Thanks for the great experience. Highly recommended

Cliodhna Ryan

Great reasonably priced spot close to the boardwalk. The service was what drew me in - as a solo diner I was treated with the same respect as a group and given a great outdoor table. I know this something that should be a given but a lot of places in the US rush solo diners or expect them to sit at the bar. This wasn’t the case here. The food was good. The server highly recommended the corn tortillas as they are made in-house. I don’t love corn tortillas so was glad I just got 1 to try, but they were pretty good. Really good margarita too. The atmosphere was fun and bustling. Great playlist. Beautiful sunset view across the road.

Johanna Boss

The food was good and the service fine. They could have been a little more attentive but definitely better than expected for such a touristic area. Of course due to the location it is also a little pricey but the quality served was worth it! We had a ceasar salad and the nachos with veggies!

Joshua Alexander

The food and atmosphere was fantastic!! I really enjoyed my experience here. The waiter was cool however he quickly got flustered as I was asking about how he coded one of my drinks on the receipt and he quickly got a manager and that wasn't necessary. The manager came and quickly resolved the situation. I will definitely be back and encourage anyone to try this spot if you're ever in this area.

Nicola Jordaan

Cute restaurant with an amazing vibe. We got seated right away and the service was very fast. Ordered the Barbacoa and shrimp tacos and it was wonderful. The beef brisket was super soft and tender and the shrimps were cooked to perfection. Potions sizes were good. The margaritas are one for the books and definitely pack a punch. Would stay there and drink all the drinks if I could because they were delicious.

Lori Kusterer-Farley

Would give the food a 4.5! Authentic Mexican ! Beef Baria tacos were amazing!!! Pork Adobo tacos were so yummy ! Guacamole was fresh and delish ! Restaurant needs to have heaters. It was freezing at night. Service was super slow ! Location was right across street from Santa Monica pier. Must park in a parking garage.

julio gasson

Before watching Barbie, we stopped in for dinner at Blue Plate Taco. As we arrived we noticed a positive sign - every table was taken. Fortunately we had reservations and waited just a few moments before our table was ready for us. Passing the kitchen was an experience unto itself. Everyone in the kitchen was hustling and preparing various items. It was a tremendously high energy vibe that made the inside dining area feel warm and welcoming. Not to mention the smells coming from the various sizzling fajita plates dancing out of the kitchen. Although our server Kiyahn had been there only a few weeks, he had tremendous knowledge of the most delicious and popular dishes and was extremely patient handling our indecisiveness. After a few moments, we were ready to order and started with some refreshing Modelos on draft and the chips and guac and salsa flight. We chose the mojo de ajo, tropical, and guajillo, all of which were amazing in their own flavorful way. The mojo de ajo and tropical were my favorites. Before we knew it we finished all the chips and most of the guac and salsas. Keeping it on the lighter side, we decided to try the veggie tacos and the shrimp tacos. Both were filling and satisfying. The jicama, cucumber and red cabbage gave the shrimp tacos the perfect amount of texture. The crema and pesto drizzle added a wonderful savory element and enhanced the flavor of the seared shrimp. The veggie tacos were bursting with mushrooms, corn, kale, and various crumbly cheeses. The side of black beans and rice were just the right portion. By the end of our meals we were listing to one side. Between the service, ambiance, and overall staff’s dedication to a good night, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at Blue Plate Taco and look forward to visiting again, this time for their impressive tequila and mezcal menu.

chia berry

We got some yummy tacos. Carne asada, lobster, and chicken taco. Lobster was bomb, and so was the Carne asada, not the biggest fan of chicken in general, but others loved it. The house salsa and chips were amazing. Drinks were also good, specially the refreshing juices for 6$ each. Food was a bit pricey for tacos but the view is worth paying for. Our server was top notch, amazing service.

RiaRheaRiya

Delicious! We began with guacamole and chips. The guac was fantastic with just the right amount of chunkiness. We shared plates of seafood tacos -- grilled fish, shrimp and lobster -- and they were all so yummy. I'm not a big fan of lobster but these tacos were great. The accompanying rice and beans were also so good, filling and flavorful. We got a prime seat near a window with a great view as the sunset approached. Service was also incredibly friendly, from the hostess to our waitress, who gave us a trio of salsas gratis. I was afraid that being so close to the Pier and Promenade would make this place a tourist trap but it was anything but. A place to add to the repeat list.

Rinku Biswas

I went here two times before I could land a seat for myself. First time the place was shut by 9pm and second time it was full. Finally on the day I was to return back I managed a seat. I heard all good things about this place and totally didn't wanna miss it. I ordered a chicken taco and it was very fully and delicious. I went with a drink recommended by the bartender which was non alcoholic. The place is very buzzing. Highly recommend it.

PenaciousH

First and only visit there in March to meet a fee cousin to catch up. So great sitting al fresco hanging out and enjoying a plate full of delicious tho delicate soft tacos with different fillings. The food was tasty and the ambiance across from beach was great!

Alan Tindell

Had lobster tacos which might be the best tacos I've ever had. Guacamole was really good, too. Nice view, good service and very busy. Highly recommend.

Roni

The lobster tacos were amazing!!!!! The ceviche tostada...yum yum. The guacamole was delicious. The short rib tacos were a hit as well. Oh and the fish tacos...yum. My friend didn't enjoy the steak tacos as much but they loved the short rib and lobster tacos.

FoodiePhysician

Nice location off main street opposite pier, friendly staff and good service. Had the fish tacos and chicken enchiladas. Fish tacos lacked flavour and seasoning; just very dull. Could benefit from some citrous and coriander perhaps? The chicken enchiladas were borderline better; avocado dressing was pretty good but the enchiladas were soft and moist like old wet bread and the chicken lacked texture. Felt like chewing wet cardboard. Priced probably for location; around $70 for two, not worth it. 2 Yums

Jennifer Seah

Really cute decor, great ambiance but expect to queue up on busy nights. They also have a bar where you're welcome to have a drink and wait for a seat. We started off with guacamole, pico de gallo and tortilla chips. The combo of the three was a great starter. I ordered an lobster taco with lettuce cups, beans and rice. It was generous in lobster and felt like a good satisfying but lighter option. The pork tacos were good though not excellent. Although the food was enjoyable, I felt like it wasn't particularly authentic and probably a more westernized version of Mexican food.

Allison

The chips, salsa, and guacamole were the best part! I also tried the chicken, pork belly, and steak tacos. The pork belly and steak had unique flavors, but the chicken tacos was sort of plain. They were good tacos, but definitely not the best I've had. I thought everything was too expensive. Friendly service!

Anusha

Blue Plate Taco is so ideally located on Ocean Street on the main level of the Shore Hotel. As we walked up to the restaurant at first glance the restaurant appeared bare, and plain. The Oceanside location allows the restaurant to be what it is – a glorified version of a taco truck. But by glorified I don’t by any means mean to downplay the quality of the food but to highlight that the lack of accentuation in the venue allows the food to shine much like one would expect to receive when standing in line to order food from a taco truck.

David

Visited with wife and had a great experience. The chips, salsa, and guac were really good. I have the chicken tacos and they were outstanding. Its not really a soft taco not is it a hard taco. Its almost just lightly deep fried. Either way they were freakin' good. My wife had the salmon salad and said it was good. It was a large portion so she only ate half. All in all this place is great and I'd recommend you visit.

Anusha

Aabhas Mathur

Expected more, a lot more. After a sweltering LA heat, I thought BPT would do wonders in countering that albeit that didn't happen. Food- Below average Ambiance- Excellent (Santa Monica beach.)

Julie Carlyle

What causes a restaurant to be so popular that from opening to close there isn’t an available table to be seen? We had passed this restaurant at various times of the day and night during our stay in Santa Monica and we always found it was packed! So this was the question I had in my mind as we took a seat outside the Blue Plate Taco at Santa Monica.

Erik Lovaas

Airport quality food- generic chips, first try- gave me the wrong order- second try, grilled instead of Ensenada style fish, food runners were making out between orders- it was bad. Kids were starving or I would have walked.

Andrew Jones

Bland.. Very basic. no real flavor. The fish tacos taste like frozen fish sticks. The service was OK but it did not make up for the food. wouldn't recommend to anyone with a sense of taste.

Tasha

Loved it. Fresh...fresh...FRESH!!! Blended hibiscus-pear margarita was out of this world!!

Sandy

Shocking service. Once we were finally seated we had to ask for menu's, had to ask to order drinks, and then ask for cutlery and napkins once our food had arrived. Fish tacos were very disappointing.

Zebedee

Good lunch. Popped in here for a saturday lunch. went for the short-rib taco with rice and mexican slaw, it was delicious. the rice was really really good, i was going through it trying to figure out the recipe. the taco also very good, some nice micro herbs, tender beef, all very tasty. the slaw was average. the coffee, was given a cappuccino which wasn't a cappuccino, it was a latte at best. it looked terrible, however it did taste ok. (i'm a bit of a coffee nazi) the barman was flatout making cocktails so they must have been good, this was only just after noon. staff were all very nice. i would return if i am ever back in santa monica.

Bill0021

Needs Work. The best part of the meal was the water, as we were thirsty and they leave you a full bottle at the table, but do not expect a refill and get ready to beg for a second beer. Appetizer: chips with salsa and guacamole. The salsa was ok, the guacamole was good, most (90%+) of the tortilla chips were tiny broken pieces found at the bottom of the bag. Pork Tacos: Dried out not very tasty meat. The rice was undercooked, almost crunchy seasoned with lime. The beans were beans. Chicken Quesadilla: OK at best. We shared a counter table with a family from Switzerland and the wife was complaining about her dried out piece of Chicken. The hostess really moved us towards an inside counter instead of one of the empty patio tables without asking. Our waitress was not in her domain. The counter table we shared had extra glasses, utensils and clutter. Decor wise, it is my kind of place, and the water was good.

Sona Asatryan

Thursday night went for a dinner with a friend.We were seated right away. Very friendly service and fast. However I think it's really overpriced . But yet again show any restuarant on the Ocean st.that is not. Fish taco plate was alright ;nothing extraordinary but not bad. Loved the guacamole and salsa.

Steve

Hardly worth the wait. We waited almost an hour before being seated. After sitting at our table for 15 min a waitress appeared. The place was full to the brim. It would appear that they were grossly under staffed. It wasn't that our waitress was slow, she was just slammed. Serving food & making cocktail. When our food arrived it was so small in portion size. My shrimp tacos had 1 shrimp in each of the tacos. My wife fish tacos were so weird in taste , she sent it back. Don't waste your time!!! Poor management is gonna get the best of this place.

Bonjourdede

Great View, but go to the beach instead. What can I say except this was just so overpriced for just OK food. Everything from the $12 drinks, to the $10 side of bland beans, the tiny tasteless tacos. Don't go there! I like the blue plate people, I want them to succeed, this is just not how to do it!

Marketplace L.A.

Attempted to have dinner twice during opening weekend, and they couldn't accommodate either day, so the jury is still out. With that said, they should have planned better by having a soft opening. If food and service is as bad as opening weekend then pass. Manager didn't even comp for inconvenience.

The Forbidden Meal

Not only the place looks good and makes you feel at ease, the food was also outstanding. To be honest, it was our most delicious meal so far from the beginning of our trip in Los Angeles.

Ifedthemonster

Hailu Review: Blue Plate Tacos, eh. Just opened and working out… …kinks. Give it some time first.

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