Lanea — Restaurant in Santa Monica

Trendy tequila and taco spot in Santa Monica. Came here on a Thursday night around 8pm to grab dinner with some friends. A coworker had recommended it for its cocktails and cool vibe so I was optimistic about the experience, but was a bit disappointed at the service and food.

You can take a seat anywhere and there’s table service. It was pretty busy when we went and a football game was projected on a screen in the back of the room. It’s pretty loud and they have some music bumping. It has a bright, airy aesthetic and some table games to play so it’s certainly a more social scene. However, we waited for twenty minutes before someone came to help us and during that time, we had asked two different people for help. I appreciate the fact person who ultimately helped us did apologize for the untimeliness of service, but multiple workers passed us by on their way to serve other tables (including the table right next to us) without a glance.

For the food, they were unfortunately out of the barbacoa so we couldn’t try that. I had the cesina and carne asada tacos ($4 each) and we also split loaded nachos for the table ($12). The tacos were good but small for the price, but you also have to remember that this is Santa Monica, not East LA. I preferred the nachos as those were a heftier portion size and come with guacamole, cheese, pico de gallo, and carne asada. There was quite a bit of cheese left at the end so good news if you like that dairy. The tortilla chips are gluten-free. They do ask for a card for the tab when you first order and there are restrooms in the back. Cocktails were around $12-13 and my friend really liked the margarita.

Overall it’s a trendy spot and open late so it’s a good night spot, but be aware it may take quite some time to get service and the tacos are...

Bizarre experience… At all, you can eat tacos tonight I was served one order and cut off.. When I queried the manager on the freshness of my draft beer, he acted as if he was insulted and promptly cut me off.. Hoping to get a song in on karaoke night, the DJ was 40 minutes late in starting and I didn’t have the time to sit around and wait… When I asked about why I was cut off after 50 minutes on all you can eat taco night she showed me that I had ordered the tacos at 9:04 and at 10:15 She insisted it had been 90 minutes.… So when I disputed the bill and asked it to be itemized, I suddenly encountered rudeness from a short, overweight bartender, who informed me that it wasn’t her fault, but the managers who had cut me off and left the restaurant. I won’t go further into our conversation about getting an itemized bill that reflected the lack of service and my confusion over the whole visit being inadequate, But it seems as if these people are anything but hospitable, especially to a new customer who lives in the neighborhood. When I stopped in on another night while out for a walk on the promenade, they informed me no pets were allowed after I had been there the previous week with a pet… The manager on duty not only turned me away, but barricaded the entryway so I couldn’t take a step inside with my small dog. For a place that’s trying to build clientele in downtown Santa Monica. I can’t imagine they’re going to get too far treating new customers like they treated me. I was stunned at...

After watching the sunset from Venice beach, my friends and I were looking for a place that was open late for dinner. We randomly stumbled upon Lanea on our way to the third street promenade. Not only were the food and drinks delicious (I recommend the picante coast highway margarita and the WATERMELON. SUGAR. HIGH. for drinks--the margarita flight was also very fun--and quesadilla for food), the bartenders were some of the nicest people I've met. The bar was packed and only two bartenders were there to take orders and make drinks. Both Alie and Chad were amazing. They took my order and quickly made the drinks (which were delicious) and then brought our food to a table outside, even though the bar area was packed. They were quick to take our order, quick to serve us, and quick to smile during the whole process. The two handled the stress phenomenally, and I could go on for pages about how great they are. As I said, Alie and Chad are the best bartenders I've ever met; they're great at making drinks and even greater at making me want to come back. The flight of margaritas made it a fun night, but the bartenders...