Lares Restaurant — Restaurant in Santa Monica

A local favorite for Mexican American fare. This westside restaurant is tucked in on Pico Boulevard looking like a tavern from the front facade. Large windows adorn the front with an interesting upstairs view.

Open for lunch thru dinner with nice late evening hours for the weekend crowd, this can also be a new drinking hole for some really decent Margarita fixes. Order a Cadillac and sometimes you may find whoever made your drink may have had quite a heavy hand.

I just love how the house salsa placed with chips at every table is not made for just the gringos. The kick is how salsa should be, and the rustic thick chips really made scooping quite nice.

As for their entrees, everything is traditional Mexican American. The Enchiladas are made well with seasoned stewed chicken and covered with your sauce of choosing served with rice and beans. Everything is seasoned on the lighter side, but I appreciate not getting a salt bomb like some other places.

Other usual items of Tacos, Burritos, Asada Plates, and even Ceviche will be the usual standards you may know. Everything is finished well, served on hot thick plates, and hearty.

If your visit is for a nice evening, do give the upstairs dining room a try. They have done a good job. There is even a 2nd bar area on the second level. Some evenings are packed and there is a reason because they have a good neighborhood following.

Parking is street/meter with a small parking lot in the back alley with...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lares is our absolute favorite spot whenever we stay in Santa Monica, and it never fails to impress! As a pet sitter who loves to explore the best Mexican cuisine in Los Angeles, I can confidently say that Lares is at the top of my list.

To start, the chips and salsa are incredible—fresh, flavorful, and the perfect way to kick off our meal. And their margaritas are a highlight! We always order the skinny Cadillac Margarita with Grand Marnier on the side and a tajín rim, and it’s simply delicious.

When it comes to food, we can’t get enough of the quesadillas. I go for the carnitas on flour tortillas, served with rice and beans, while my partner enjoys the grilled veggie quesadilla on corn tortillas, topped with guacamole and sour cream. Both options are mouthwatering!

We love visiting from Wednesday to Saturday and sitting upstairs at the bar. The bartenders up there are fantastic—so warm and welcoming, and they genuinely look forward to seeing us again. Their exceptional service is a big part of why we keep coming back.

To top it all off, the live mariachi band adds a wonderful ambiance to the restaurant, making each visit feel like a festive celebration.

If you’re looking for authentic, delicious Mexican food in Santa Monica, Lares is the place to be....

Full disclosure: This review is not for the food, service, ambiance or anything related to the physical restaurant.

On a Saturday night, we were looking for a restaurant to celebrate our son's graduation from UCLA. As it was already after 9 PM we were looking for a lace that was open late. We found Lares on Yelp and the hours stated that it was open to 11 PM.

Already driving to the restaurant, we gave the restaurant a call to confirm they were open and to ask about wait times.

We were told that the restaurant was empty and they were considering closing. I confirmed that their hours are to 11 PM and they said yes, but he needs to ask his manager if they would be able to serve us. I needed a definite, yes or no; I don't want to drive there just to be told that they are closed. The response I got was a somewhat aggressive "If you are here in the next 10 min we will serve you, after that, No"

The call was at 9:36 PM. A full hour and 20 before they are supposed to close.

After hanging up, we decided we didn't want to give them our business and went to Sol Agave instead were we were welcomed and had a great experience. (I will post a review of Sol Agave...