Border Grill Santa Monica

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1445 4th St
Santa Monica, CA 90401

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(310) 451-1655
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Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Border Grill Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA
Reviews
( 24 )
( 15 )
( 6 )
( 5 )
( 10 )

Best

Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger define modern Mexican cuisine as light and healthful with large doses...

Worst

After wandering around the promenade for a bit for something new, we found the Border Grille a block away. The Carnitas Nortenas were good, with the full complement of sides- gua...

WON'T GO AGAIN 6/30/2007

My husband and I had high hopes for BG...just walking in it looked like a fun place. However, our experience turned out to be pretty negative in all areas. We had to wait forever to be seated, and to get a drink in the bar. Granted, we didn't make a reservation, but we got a little irritated when we saw people who walked in after us without reservations seated before we were. Our waiter was pretty bored with us and kind of gave us the impression that we were imposing. The food was so-so, but definitely not worth what we paid. Needless to say, we won't be returning! Pros: fun decor Cons: food, service, cost, etc. more
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Great Weekend Brunch 6/20/2007

Just tried Border Grill?s Brunch for the first time last weekend. The place was pretty crowded, but the food was so good we didn?t mind. I had the delicious Banana Pancakes, they come with this amazing coconut syrup, wow! My friend had the Border Grill Benedict and we were equally impresses. If you are looking for a place to eat and meet up with friends on the weekend Border Grill is a great spot. I just recommend you make a reservation. more
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Great quality lunch spot 6/19/2007

Cool place to pop in for a quick lunch. Dropped in about 12:30. The place was half empty, still had an energetic vibe. I had carne asada tacos and a side of flour tortillas - all for about $15. Really good, fresh food. Tortillas were awesome (I always get them instead of chips) - someone on here pointed out how stingy this place is with tortillas. There are only 2 per order, which works great as a side - but if you want to incorporate as part of your meal, or share with the whole table, probably not quite enough. Seated immediately, food came quickly. Will definitely go again. Pros: Fresh, quality food; good atmosphere Cons: A little on the expensive side for lunch more
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Mostly Mediocre 6/16/2007

I was pretty disappointed. The tamales were undercooked, the fish wasn't very fresh and the margarita was far too syrupy without enough lime - I couldn't even finish it and it was only about 8 ounces for $12. The salsas were very watery and missing something. One of them tasted like shrimp cocktail sauce - not great for dipping the chips they were served with. The steak was very good but we weren't asked how we liked it and it came rare. I could have paid $30 for this meal and not have felt any desire to go back; certainly not for the $90 it actually cost for two people to dine. This restaurant would be better off scrapping the Mexican theme and sticking to food they know how to make, and I like Americanized Mexican food too. more
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Fantastic food but the service was lacking 6/11/2007

The food here is creative upscale Mexican and it did not disappoint. The cocktails are equally creative and interesting and tasted great. The restaurant is a bit loud but that wasn't as much of a detractor as our service was when my girlfriend and I had dinner here about 10 days ago. Our waiter was very attentive at first and offered us suggestions regarding the drinks. However, once our food was brought to us by a runner, the waiter vanished, never to appear again. It was only after I hailed a busboy 30 minutes after we finished our meal that the waiter finally came over and without apologizing, asked if we needed anything else. This is one of those experiences where luckily the food was good because the service was lacking. Pros: Food, Drinks Cons: Service more
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Satisfy The Whole Crowd 5/11/2007

I work with a handful of vegetarians, so it's so hard to grab a bite with co-workers and satisfy the crowd. That's why Border Grill is a lifesaver, the food is delish and there's enough to please the vegetarians and keep the carnivores happy. Everyone loves the Plantain Empanadas,...YUM-EE. Plus the whole vibe of the restaurant is just plain fun and the wait staff is great, you feel like you're getting a real break from work, not just going from a stuffy office to a stuffy restaurant. It's great for Happy Hour too, the margaritas are unbelievable. more
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Awesome margaritas, even better food 5/4/2007

The best margaritas!!! So delicious. This place has a great vibe that is matched by friendly and prompt service. I was excited by the variety that I had to choose from as a vegetarian. The food was excellent-especially the Border Guacamole. Highly recommend going with a group of friends-very fun spot. more
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Great Service...really great drinks 5/3/2007

I love this place. We went for my birthday and the whole staff was so sweet and made it such a special day. The manager brought us out their three ceviches-so good. Our waiter was so sweet and seemed to know everything about tequila. I enjoyed the margaritas...maybe too much. I had the melon and cucmber flavored margarita. So tasty. I will definetly be back. Pros: Great Drinks & Bass Ceviche Cons: Super Crowded more
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Love the margaritas! 5/3/2007

Recently had a girls night out with a group of friends and started at Border Grill...we started off with a couple of the shaker margaritas (perfect start to the evening) and an appetizer sampler with the tasty green corn tamales which are little morsels of goodness! Then moved on to chile rellenos (best I've had outside of Mexico), cochinita pibil, the fish dish in the broth with rice...it was all YUMMY! The place was fun, lively, perfect for our girls night out! more
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How sad - it was so good 4/16/2007

I've been here a number of times - the first time I went I fell in love - food was amazing, drinks and wine were good, and the dessert was good. Every time since it has gotten worse in terms of food quality, preparation, and even bathroom cleanliness. The service has always been horrendous (yesterday I had mediocre service, which I considered a treat for this establishment) - and I'm not a hard person to please! Yesterday sealed the deal for me - I doubt I will be returning. Not only did it take our server a half hour to come over to get drink orders, by the time my food arrived I had more or less filled up on chips (provided by the food runner as the server was usually nowhere to be found). I typically order the Gaucho Steak (which, at $30, is pricey but very yummy). My steak arrived well done (ordered med-rare) with nasty soggy chilaquiles (usually stellar) and I had to send it back (which is a rarity for me). It arrived the second time (cooked medium) at the end of my dining partner's meal, so I had a couple bites and got the rest to go. The server said she was going to have it taken off by the manager, but of course it was on the bill. At this point I just wanted to go, so I considered it my $30 Border Grill lesson. This was a very sad lesson for me, as this restaurant had such potential. But seriously, who really wants to put up with all of their inefficiencies just for the 50/50 chance of great food? Pros: Great food (if they can get it right), drinks, good location Cons: HORRIBLE SERVICE, inconsistency, gross bathrooms more
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Overpriced, Fancy Looking, So-So Tasting Food, Bad Service 3/23/2007

I've had better food at little holes in the wall. The carnitas were dry and I've never seen a place to be so stingy with tortillas. Also no beans and rice?!?, this is suposed to be mexican no? I know it's gourmet but it's not supposd to be a shadow of itself. Service was slow and I don't like the fact that they wanted ""my entire party to be seated before ordering"". My husband was 5 minutes away and I wanted to start ordering appetizers, (not to mention my sugar was low)I was about to bite the hostesses head off for refusing to seat me so I can get food! Also what was up with the little kiddie party in the back? This is an adult restaurant, not Taco Bell. Half of this food was to weired for the kids to eat, no to mention that the sinks were too tall for them to wash their hands! I also had to ask the waiter 5 times for chips! Won't be coming back again. more
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Nice eclectic flavors, but not that great of an experiance for a first timer 3/18/2007

Some friends and I went there last night for dinner. Luckily we had made reservations for 8 pm otherwise the wait would've been an hour and a half. At that time, the place was packed and really loud. I liked the communal table in the front, nice idea. I was a little miffed that they didn't have any Coronas, it was a souped up mexican restaurant granted, but whaddya know they had Heinekens. Interesting. Had to wait for about 20 minutes for our table to be ready and when we were seated, waitress and runner were able to bring our drinks and chips/salsa rather quickly and take our orders. Then we waited for about 45 minutes for our meals to actually arrive. WTF?! During that time the waitress kept piling us for drinks, maybe to get us to buy more drinks until the meal came or because the kitchen was backed up and keep our minds off of not having any food, I don't know but was very noticeable after 30 mins. The food was good, I had the hanger steak and friends had pork porterhouse, sauteed shrimp and a lamb dish. Nice and different flavors. But very expensive! Each dish was in the upper 20 dollar range. Not what you'd expect from a mexican restaurant and definitely not for the food we got even though it tasted good. Ok ok it's a ""gourmet"" mexican restaurant, I get it. Also, during our wait I noticed the lack of racial diversity. Mainly white which made me slightly racially claustrophobic. I think we were the only minorities in there. Hmmm, maybe that's why not too many other ethnicites, cuz we couldn't afford the food! Hahahaha. But I digress, and would like to summarize by saying that it was a mixed bag on my first trip. Good food, but getting the food was not so good Pros: Tasty dishes... Cons: Overpriced dishes, very loud, salsa tooo mild more
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Fun place with great food! 3/12/2007

Border Grill has a great vibe - it is always bustling and crowded, and the decor is beautiful and interesting. The menu has great selections, and it's a good place to get stuff you wouldn't order at more typical restaurants. For brunch, I had the banana pancakes with coconut syrup and ginger tea - tasty and pretty exciting! However, it is DEFINITELY overpriced - I would definitely consider going for Happy Hour. Pros: ambience, food Cons: price more
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Service or Food? Take your pick... 2/16/2007

The decoration's neat, the murals were nice and colorful. The service was excellent. We made reservations online for 5, but for some reasons the system recorded it for 2, nevertheless the hostess was kind enough to accomodate all 5 of us without any waiting.The food servers were fast, efficient and very attentive. The down side to this place is that the food wasn't delectable. All 5 of us ordred different dishes and none of them were tasty. The plates were all overpriced, no free parking or validation provided. It gets very crowded and loud. If you're looking for something romantic, this is NOT the place for you. For appetizers, drinks and to hang out with friends then this place wouldn't be too bad. Pros: Service, Ambiance and Drinks Cons: Awful food and too pricey more
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The sad decline of a landmark... 1/4/2007

We've been huge fans of the Border Grill for years, but have found the preparation of the food a little indifferent of late. Our most recent trip was a new low. Drinks were ordered and never delivered. Dishes arrived at the table cold, or dried out, or both. Somebody threw mashed potatoes on my plate in lieu of a missing side dish, with no explanation. I'm afraid the Border Girls have taken the money and run. (Or more likely, they're spending their time at Ciudad downtown, where the food is still terrific.) Pros: The margaritas still rock Cons: You'll need to drink lots of them so you won't notice your order is all screwed up more
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Expensive Mexican food?! It's worth it. 12/12/2006

The first thing people say when I tell them about Border Grill is, "what? how can it cost that much?!" It's... more
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Expensive Mexican food?! It's worth it. 12/12/2006

M Provided by Partner
The first thing people say when I tell them about Border Grill is, "what? how can it cost that much?!" It's true, Border Grill is no cheap eatery... more
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Crowded for a reason 11/11/2006

Very consistent, modern Mexican dishes. They bring out tasty tortilla chips with three different salsa (my fav is the green one). I recommend the steak, the sampler that's listed as an appetizer but makes a great entree, and a really cool option for vegetarians: a portobello mushroom entree (I think called a Mullita) that's excellently flavored. But the best thing on the menu is the mojitos! The desserts look good but I'm usually too full after filling up on chips and then my entree to actually order dessert. I'm only giving the restaurant an average rating because: it's way overpriced (I only go when Whole Foods gives out $20 off coupons, which makes the price OK), it's always crowded and usually hard to get a table (it's also noisy if you mind that sort of thing), and I usually feel pressure from the waiters to order more drinks and more food. more
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Great Food.....Good drinks but overpriced 10/30/2006

The food here is excellent....definitely not your typical Mexican food, a little fancier. The margaritas are very tasty and unique but also too pricey for what you get. Go for the food, not the drinks. more
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Worst Service!!! 9/24/2006

This restaurant was not up to par. Eventhough reservations were made, my party still had to wait an hour and a half to be seated. We were seriously contemplating on going elsewhere but decided to stay instead. Pros: There are no Pros. Cons: All was Horrible!!!! more
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Menu for Border Grill Santa Monica


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Editorial

  • In Short
    Set on Fourth Street's busy stretch, this splashy Santa Monica mainstay has been serving up mid-priced Cal-Mexican cuisine since 1985. Keith Haring-esque murals bounce off the...

  • 12/13/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:30am - 5pm Saturday - Sunday: 11:30am - 4pm Brunch: Saturday - Sunday: 11:30am - 3pm Dinner: Monday - Thursday: 5pm - 10pm Friday: 5pm - 11pm Saturday: 4pm - 11pm Sunday: 4pm - 10pm
  • Payments: American Express, Visa, Discover, Master Card
  • Neighborhoods: Downtown, West LA
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