Xécora Gastronomía Urbana — Restaurant in El Monte

Let me tell you something. Just come here. A review won't give you the entire experience of just how AMAZING the food is. Mexican seafood is normally not something I crave so when I tried this place, I didn't expect much. Now it's one of my absolute favorite places to go. My sister doesn't even like shrimp but somehow this restaurant was able to convert her.

I recommend the ceviche dishes because they are ABSOLUTELY to die for. The best ceviche I have ever had. My mouth waters just thinking about it and I wish I had more!

Spiciness Rating: Moderate-High If you don't have a tolerance for spicy food, I'd stay away from anything that has "house spices". I LOVE spicy food and there dishes made me order multiple glasses of water. So be prepared if you want that extra kick, but it's definitely worth it! The spiciness of the food doesn't take away from the flavor!

Health Rating: Moderate-High Most hole in the wall Mexican seafood restaurants don't have the freshest fish nor do they have many healthy options. Rest easy knowing that their seafood is fresh and you can definitely taste the quality. I recommend the octopus dishes! They also have vegan options as well so go nuts!

Atmosphere: High Quality Stepping into the restaurant, you're greeted his with history, culture, and art at a blend of traditional and modern taste. Dining in is a must just to experience all of the beautiful Mexican art work, as well as reading the origin story of the restaurant. I could sit there forever and take in the scenery.

Service: Low-Moderate Normally when it comes to my dinning experience, service is 50% of my interest. How often do they come check on your table, do they refill drinks, are they friendly, etc. And when it comes to service, this is the only downside to this restaurant. Whole the servers are friendly, don't expect them to be attendant. I'd expect this if a place was busy, but I have been here three separate times with varying levels or business and it's still a hassle to get their attention. There were only six tables seated and many servers but it still took multiple times to get a cup of water. Normally that's fine for me but not when my tongue is burning- While I would normally bump a star down for service, I can't do that! My heart and stomach loves the food too much to do this!

All in all, definitely try it! I BEG you to try and see...

I went with my coworkers for an office lunch. We chose Xecora because we have always liked everything about this place. We had a party of about 14 ppl, about half order cocktails one had a horrible taste so we asked the waiter to take it back, to say she wasn’t happy it’s an understatement, maybe we just lacked the palate for the drink but it was just bad.. the other drinks were ok, not as tasty as other occasions. Then first dish comes out, it’s a baked ofrenda Del Mar, cheese on top was melted but inside the dish was cold, we send it back to re heat. Rest of the dishes come out, we had a couple of dishes that included beans, everything on those plates was warm but every single dish had cold beans at this point no one wanted to complain anymore. Birria was super salty on the tacos and so was the asada plate, meat was tender and delicious but super salty. With a bill of +$750 I believe more attention should be placed on the dishes that are being served. I really hope this issues get addresse; otherwise, there will be a lot more customers...

Food is good! Service is horrible! We have been there several times because the food is good and I figured the service was just bad because they were busy at 1st. But every time we have gone back and it wasn't as busy service still was horrible. The 2 girls waiting on everyone stand in the back talking to each other and they never check on the tables. If they do, they don't come back with whatever you've asked them for. We have shown up several times and they tell us they are closed when their website says they are open for 2 more hours. This last time I mentioned to them that their website says their open. Instead of being understanding and explaining they may have changed their closing time politely, the young man said with an attitude, "OH well, we are closing." As he stood there talking to the 2 girls who don't check on their customers. Horrible service and horrible attitude. My family and I will not be returning to this restaurant. There is many other places that are just as good and appreciate...