Gilbert's El Indio Restaurant

(310) 450-8057

2526 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405 34.0227 -118.4632

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Neighborhoods: Sunpark, West LA

GILBERTSELINDIO.COM

Price:

$

Last updated 6.20.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Cash

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Family-Friendly Dining, Breakfast, Late Night Dining, Group Dining, Brunch, Cheap Eats, Carry Out

Cuisine:

Mexican

What People Are Saying About Gilbert's El Indio Restaurant

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – This family-owned eatery--decorated to the ceiling with Mexican- and Native American-themed artifacts--is usually packed with the hungry faithful. A standard array of combination plates anchor the American-friendly menu, in addition to fun-house creations like the Extra Super Mule, a staggeringly large burrito bursting with meat, beans, lettuce and avocado, topped with tangy verde sauce. Hearty guisos Mexicanos (Mexican stews) include steak picado and spicy chili verde.

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
It gets crowded early, especially on weekends. Order a margarita and wait with homemade tortilla chips, salsa and spicy oregano- and garlic-marinated carrots.
Save Time:
Be sure to bring a full wallet--Gilbert's is cash-only.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. The service is always good, the Margarita's are average, the atmosphere is dive Mexican.
  2. Great food, fun atmosphere and cheap drinks!
drinks
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. The service is very friendly and are constantly refilling your chips, salsa, carrots and drinks without you ever having to ask.
  2. love those pickled carrots while you wait, the drinks are good, the chips fresh.
  3. In fairness, my wife told me the ice tea was quite nice.
  4. Full bar and great eats for cheap prices.
  5. Great food, fun atmosphere and cheap drinks!
  6. Their daily dinner specials are a good deal, and it is a good place to go if you want to get together with friends for some cheap eats and drinks.
food quality
89.70999717712402% positive
  1. This place is amazing for their beef and rich beans.
  2. love those pickled carrots while you wait, the drinks are good, the chips fresh.
  3. highly recommend the machaca plate, heuvos con chorizo, and the albondigas soup.
  4. The menu is typical Mexican and the food was mediocre at best.
  5. Food is EXCELLENT, I personally love the Mule burrito - its HUGE and full of everything wonderful!
  6. The food is truly bad -- greasy, flavorless, and surly waiters to boot.
  7. My girfriends and I hang out on Friday nights for yummy chips and salsa and generous margaritas.
  8. The chips and salsa are heavenly.
  9. It has the best Mexican food I have ever had.
  10. Loved all the service but the food was not good.
  11. My favorite meal is the cheese enchilida and carne asada taco combo.
  12. The food is always great and they have some great combo specials.
  13. But everything is delicious.
  14. Their burritos are huge and filled with fresh ingrediants.
  15. Authentic food.
  16. Great service, authentic, busy Fri. nights for a reason!
  17. think their food is excellent.
  18. also LOVE munching on the vinegar-infused carrots while you wait, free chips & salsa aren't bad either!
  19. The food is delicious- I highly recommend the cheese enchiladas.
  20. with only a thin smear of beans, 4 THIN SMALL slices of Avacado, one SMALL THIN slice of tomato, so little grated cheese - you could count the pieces, horrible lumps of dry pork - not shredded, and on top, a large pile of DRY shredded lettuce, a tiny dish
  21. Great food, fun atmosphere and cheap drinks!
  22. am a huge fan of mexican food & this is by far one of my favorite places!
  23. The service is very friendly and are constantly refilling your chips, salsa, carrots and drinks without you ever having to ask.
  24. Gilbert's rocks - - the food and friendly service can't be beat!
  25. Bottom line food was bad, margs were good and when 2 girls ask for the hottest salsa in the kitchen you better make sure its going to make them tear up.
  26. Gilbert's serves fresh tortilla chips, salsa, and spicy carrots marinated in oregano and garlic.
  27. No one beats Gilberts for great affordable Mexican food.
  28. Nothing fancy, not the best service, just the best food.
  29. Fresh chips and killer salsa await you on your table when you are seated and the food is delicious.
  30. the tacos and enchiladas are excellent.
  31. If you are searching for authentic, to-die-for Mexican food in a friendly environment, Gilbert's is the place.
  32. Everyone's food LOOKED good, and I ordered a tostada.
  33. If you like Mexican food made like your Abuelita used to make it then you have to try this place.
  34. Gilbert's is the best mexican restaurant in the area if you are looking for cheap, basic dishes.
menu variety
0.0% positive
  1. The menu is typical Mexican and the food was mediocre at best.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. Gilbert's is a great mexican neighborhood restaurant.
  2. Their daily dinner specials are a good deal, and it is a good place to go if you want to get together with friends for some cheap eats and drinks.
  3. Gilbert's is the best mexican restaurant in the area if you are looking for cheap, basic dishes.
service
86.66999816894531% positive
  1. If you are searching for authentic, to-die-for Mexican food in a friendly environment, Gilbert's is the place.
  2. Nothing fancy, not the best service, just the best food.
  3. lot of people think Taco Bell is great too.
  4. Fast service, very polite & helpful.
  5. The service is always good, the Margarita's are average, the atmosphere is dive Mexican.
  6. The food is truly bad -- greasy, flavorless, and surly waiters to boot.
  7. Wonderful staff - they take good care of you.
  8. The waiters are super friendly and attentive.
  9. Loved all the service but the food was not good.
  10. The service is very friendly and are constantly refilling your chips, salsa, carrots and drinks without you ever having to ask.
  11. am not baffled as the place has a great vibe and a very friendly staff, but one thing remains true.
  12. Great service, authentic, busy Fri. nights for a reason!
  13. good service - worst tostada ever
  14. was quickly frowned at for doing so, and told in a rather rude tone by the fat waiter that we don't accept credit cards, only cash.
  15. Gilbert's rocks - - the food and friendly service can't be beat!
value
87.5% positive
  1. Their daily dinner specials are a good deal, and it is a good place to go if you want to get together with friends for some cheap eats and drinks.
  2. Their burritos are huge and filled with fresh ingrediants.
  3. Full bar and great eats for cheap prices.
  4. Great food, fun atmosphere and cheap drinks!
  5. Gilbert's is the best mexican restaurant in the area if you are looking for cheap, basic dishes.
  6. am a huge fan of mexican food & this is by far one of my favorite places!
  7. No one beats Gilberts for great affordable Mexican food.
  8. My girfriends and I hang out on Friday nights for yummy chips and salsa and generous margaritas.
2 Star Rating: Below Average

03/19/10

good service - worst tostada ever

by Charlotte H at Citysearch

I didn't complain at 6.30 yesterday, because I don't like making a scene in a restaurant. Time to rethink that !!! Everyone's food LOOKED good, and I ordered a tostada. I like a flat one though the ones in a shell are GREAT elsewhere. WELL - THIS ONE LACKED INGREDIENTS !! with only a thin smear of beans, 4 THIN SMALL slices of Avacado, one SMALL THIN slice of tomato, so little grated cheese - you could count the pieces, horrible lumps of dry pork - not shredded, and on top, a large pile of DRY shredded lettuce, a tiny dish of thousand island on the side but no sign of any salsa. There is NO EXCUSE for this. I make a superb tostada myself at home. This was over $8.00 !!

I don't like being insulted this way and silly for not sending it back ( but to me dinner is supposed to be a treat for oneself, a relaxing pleasant event - not war ).

Management are you aware of this ???

  • Pros: fast friendly service with cozy atmosphere
  • Cons: worst tostada ever served
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/08/08

Cash only, no reservations

by seychells at Citysearch

We are locals, and visit Gilberts, at least 3 times a month. Their Chicken tostada is outstanding. The service is always good, the Margarita's are average, the atmosphere is dive Mexican. We love it!

  • Pros: Anything with chicken is awesome
  • Cons: usually have to wait
1 Star Rating: Poor

10/03/08

SEND YOUR ENAMIES HERE!

by Estragon at Citysearch

SEND YOUR ENEMIES HERE! Even if you are so privileged at to array superheroes amongst your most despised who have titanium taste buds and bowels of bauxite they will still have a horrendous experience. No amount of florid vulgarity that would make sailors blush from the hardened cod fishermen of the north sea to the pirates of the south China sea could express my revulsion. No I am grossly unfair, these are talented people! If they were merely bumbling fools they could not manage to consistently make everything obnoxious, they have skills!

PS

Send Sarah (scary) Palin here.

  • Pros: You can send your enemies here
  • Cons: You might have to take them
3 Star Rating: Average

05/05/08

I read the Reviews and I don't see it!

by rebeccasaenz at Citysearch

I read all the reviews on here and thought this place must be awesome. This was my 3rd time to Gilberts and the first two times were ok and enough to come back but this last time was absolutely bad. Loved all the service but the food was not good. We asked for more jalapenos and they said they were out. Now not that its a staple I have had plenty of Mexican food with out them but to be totally out and then offer a salsa that they claim is hot was dissappointing. I would have to say that after that dinning experience I will drive on to the next Mexican food restaurant to get my fix.

Bottom line food was bad, margs were good and when 2 girls ask for the hottest salsa in the kitchen you better make sure its going to make them tear up.

  • Pros: Margaritas
  • Cons: food, cash only
1 Star Rating: Poor

04/27/08

Surly service, limited and tired menu

by Laussie at Citysearch

I was looking forward to trying it. I wanted seafood, a fish taco, and they positioned themselves as Seafood specialists. It looked an interesting place from the outside.

What a disappointment. The thickset man who greeted us glared, and gestured offhandedly at a table. It was beside the jukebox. I asked that, if it was being played, could we move to another table. He snarled sarcastically, "It's not playing now." I looked at the menu. It was tired and limited. Only three seafood options - a piece of fish, a calamari steak, or shrimp.

So we ordered our drinks, they came quickly. The OTR margarita was nothing special. Not awful, but ordinary. The other waiter was also disinterested. No smiles or any interaction beyond a word or two at this stage.

I saw what should have been a tipoff. The lovely Mexican rug for decoration had been visibly stapled several times to the wall to hold it in place.

Now the food. It was boring and lacked authenticity. The guacamole was not as good as the packaged stuff from Trader Joe's. And the waiter put it on our table without a word. In fairness, my wife told me the ice tea was quite nice.

As we were preparing to pay, my wife had counted the meal price in front of her and we were discussing what tip the service (somewhere between indifferent and disdainful) deserved. The surly man who had first brought us to the table tried to grab it from in front of her before we added a tip. We should have let him. So we added a tip and left quickly - we just wanted to get out.

Never, ever again will we go there. You get much, much better service elsewhere - even at Denny's or Ihop! And the food on the limited menu at Gilberts was plain and tired. If you are a local who can walk to Gilbert's, not very discerning, and want a place where your kids can shriek to their heart's content, then this may just be the place for you.

  • Pros: Access, quick turnaround, great for noisy kids
  • Cons: Offhanded service, limited menu, uninspired food, cash only

The Details on Gilbert's El Indio Restaurant

Place Categories:

  • helpful fast service
  • favorite place
  • mediocre bottom line food
  • fresh tortilla chips
  • fresh killer salsa
  • fresh spicy carrots
  • great margaritas
  • outstanding chicken tostada
  • great cheap drinks
  • order machaca plate
  • order double chicken enchilades
  • great margs
  • delicious everything
  • very friendly staff
  • excellent cheese enchiladas
  • super friendly waiters
  • highly recommend heuvos con chorizo
  • gem gilbert s
  • great mexican neighborhood restaurant
  • not as good guacamole
  • rich beans
  • great fun atmosphere
  • excellent tacos
  • dry pork
  • best affordable mexican food
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