Casa Escobar

03/01/11

Relaxed Vibe and Always Delicious!

by thinmint5

I Love Casa Escobar. The feel of the place is almost like your favorite diner. Cozy and always welcoming. The mexican decor/fun lights are charming and the random metal chairs give a mom & pop feel to the place. It is so unassuming & the perfect place to go if you want good mexican food without a pretentious or rowdy crowd. Also, the man who comes and sings occasionally is great & so sweet! He's talented, and not too loud where I can't have a conversation.

Most importantly the food is really good (in a greasy comfort-food way) & smothered in cheese. Everything on the combination plates bakes and blends together, and I've never had a dish I didn't like. The waiters are friendly and professional, and the margaritas are very strong!!!! The margaritas MAKE this place.

09/09/10

Best Spinach Enchiladas Ever!

by MrsKemp

The margaritas are exceptional and the spinach enchiladas will make you hurt yourself. Traditional Mexican cooking at its best!

11/22/08

Casa Manana Hangover

by monkeyminimum

OK the review below must be for somewhere else, there is NO view... in fact there are no windows.. maybe he was in the Malibe Casa Escobar - perhaps he is druinkypoo - they probly make equally strong drinks at each of the Casa Escobars. Unless by view he means people getting schnockered?

Anyway, in Santa Monica, you'll find that the food is greasy but yummy, the drinks are strong, and the service is wonderful, especially if you're a regular - they'll call you by name. The margeritas are efficient, and tasty. Made with equal parts of lemon juince ,triple sec,and silver tequila - mixed in a big plastic water jug and shaken - PLEASE dont drink more than two or call a cab if you do. I am seriuos about this.

The BEST best thing hands-down w/ this Casa is it's look: big backed- dark red leatherette banquettes, mirrorred walls, fake stone arches - decor straight out of the 1960s. There's a huge mid centrury modern archway outside with a Mayan Mask sign, and if you go in during the day you'll be blinded by the darkness. Once your eyes adjust you will see Xmas lights that look like chilipeppers, a bunch of geezers drinking at the bar, two TVs, a piano bar, and a back room with a hundred pinatas. Weekends they have a piano tickler who does standards.. Nights can get very crowded with college kids mingling in the bar with the same geezers from the afternoon. You'll see a lot of families too, and large rowdy parties so it can get loud. But basically anyone could get into it, unless you're a snob. Its middle class all da way. 4 stars for it's 60s ambience: cozy, tacky & wonderfully out of date.

• Pros: love the decor
• Cons: prices just went up

11/12/07

For drinks fine; for food think again.

by whiskeytangofoxtrot

If it weren't for the location and drinks, I think this place would be out of business. Now with that said, here are the reasons why.

I eat out 3-4 times a week at a variety of restaurants. I have never had anything more than drinks here prior to this review. The service was abysmally slow and was not due to the place being busy. The waiter was completely uninterested, but that wasn't a problem for us at all. It was that he would take forever to come back and give us any attention for drinks, orders, water, etc. . On a positive note, the margaritas were nice and the view of the water was good too.

Now the food was barely passable, something like you might find in cans the ethnic section of a grocery store. I am being harsh, but it was not restaurant quality. I've eaten **far** better Mexican, Lula's for example, which is good, but light years ahead of Case Escobar. El Coyote is my favorite, this place is not even close. Refried beans from a can, came out cold and congealed, the taco consisted of mostly chopped lettuce and corn tortilla. The soft shells crumbled apart and I believe they were old, verging on stale. The 3 other dinners at the table weren't much better and were left mostly uneaten. We declined desert and additional drinks to get out ASAP.

I have read CS reviews and never liked or disliked a restaurant enough to sign up until now. I think that last sentence alone should tell you how dissatisfied I was. If you want a place on the water for margaritas, fine, but for anything more than chips and salsa, look elsewhere.

I did give them 2 stars (+1) for drinks and view.

• Pros: good drinks, lively bar, nice view
• Cons: BAD Food, Bad Service

09/22/07

Best Mexican food this side of the 405 freeway

by mexian_foodie

I've been coming to Casa Escobar Santa Monica for years, and I have never been disappointed! The margaritas are definately NOT for light-weights so consider yourselves warned. The food portions are generous and delicious. My favorite thing to order is the chile relleno - serrano chiles stuffed with cheese, covered in batter and fried to perfection. I've never experienced a more delicious chile relleno than the one served at Casa Escobar on Wilshire (not even in Mexico!!!); it's fluffy and cheesy and just plain heavenly! The ambiance is fun; if you come in during lunch your eyes will need to adjust to the darkness you experience immediately upon entering. But by the time you get seated at a booth you'll be ready to take in the decor that transports you to another time entirely. Every member of the staff is friendly. If you become a regular you'll feel just as special as this place is! Casa Escobar is a family restaurant with a REAL family feel and REALLY delicious food! If you're a local, consider yourself lucky. If you're not a local, consider becoming one as soon as possible.

• Pros: Margaritas rock, friendly staff, delicious food
• Cons: They're not open 24 hours :-(