Blue Plate Taco — Restaurant in Santa Monica

Wanted to eat somewhere at Santa Monica on Cinco de Mayo day and we remembered passing by this place so many times and it always looks full. Made reservation online since we don't know how crazy it might get. Glad we did and we came earlier than the reservation time anyway.

Our waiter Eric was wonderfully knowledgeable! Since it was our first time, he recommended us the taquitos deliciosos and red snapper taco. Since we came before 6pm, they still had happy hour going so we added the chips and guac and the half farmers market nachos (the 2 appetizers that we wanted to order anyway but felt it would have been too much if we had ordered both.) The taquitos were muy delicioso for sure! Definitely my favorite dish out of all that we ordered. The chips and guac were ok, guac tasted amazingly fresh. Wish the chips were more full shaped instead of crumbs though (bottom are a lot more crumbs than top.) The farmers market nachos was surpringly good too! I'm used to eating nachos with beef or chorizo, not with grilled veggies, and it was delicious! They didn't just grill it but also seasoned it well. The red snapper taco was not bad, although nothing really stood out for us. Again, the taquitos were the best dish. The drink that we had was called painkiller, it's only for the Cinco de Mayo. It has mostly coconut flavor (I think there was pineapple too?) which was refreshing.

All in all, great experience! Got to sit outside which is exactly where we wanted. Although a bit chilly, they have enough heater to cover the patio. Eric was a wonderful waiter! He didn't rushed us even though we were done with our food and we were just there talking, enjoying the drink, which we appreciate a lot! As the night goes by, more people were waiting for a table so we decided to give up ours and let others have great time at Blue Plate Taco. They also played great music, love their choices!

Definitely recommend this for those who don't wanna break the bank but still have good food...

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...

We had party of 5 on Saturday evening. Made reservation within hour of arrival. Got seated promptly AND that’s where the rudeness started.... the person who seated us right away told us with have only 90 minutes for the dinner before we have to leave to high volume that evening. After which she simply walked away leaving us with 😯 Waiter was very nice and did everything he supposed to do. We ordered a total of $250 food and drinks, which was pretty decent for party of 5 and the prices they offer. To make it up we decided to order more drinks ($49 pitcher of margaritas) so we can enjoy my visit in town for a little bit longer and celebrate the friendship. So, it wasn’t like we were simply just “camping” there. Also, when we made the reservation in person, we noticed other groups of people being seated there already, and still sitting there while we were leaving 🙄

The worst part happened at the end.... another stuff member came and simply told us that we overstayed our 90 minutes already and walked away. So we chugged the margarita and left.

This was the rudest experience I ever had. Best part, I used to work in restaurant as a waiter, and this type of behavior would never be accepted by any stuff member. I’m from South Bend, IN and we get thousands of people visiting every year for NOTRE DAME home games, and even with that volume we never asked our patrons to limit their dining experience to certain period of time.

I guess, Santa Monica and California must feel better about themselves than the rest of the nation... we won’t be back to this establishment, and I would suggest you avoid it as well. Food was good, but the experience of people running this place was like a finding hair in your dish, when your appetite quickly...