Border Grill

05/05/09

Happy Hour from Hell

by eastbayfunk

I love alcohol. I love happy hours. Shoot, I sound like Asher Roth. Let's start this one over.

Who doesn't love happy hour? Exactly. So on Friday, me and some friends got off of work early on the Westside in Los Angeles and wanted to find a good happy hour to get the weekend started off on the right foot. You would think that the only reason most of us don't make happy hour is because we have jobs but in reality, at least in Santa Monica, CA, happy hour is not so easy to find at 3:30. Most of the happy hours we knew of started at 5 and we just didn't want to wait. (Sushi Roku is a good one of those 5 o clock happy hours.) So we drove around and made some calls and ended up at Border Grill in Santa Monica. We thought, "This is perfect: margaritas and tacos." Well, we were wrong. In retrospect, we should have just paid full price somewhere (or stabbed each other in the legs with pencils and just gone home).

I wasn't even sure it was open until I pushed in the door and saw that it was actually pretty crowded. The place seemed dirty, almost unhygienic. I don't get how place like this can legally stay open. For starters, the lights weren't even on. The place was pitch black and dead silent. The people already there looked like they were frozen in time in that exact location and dust had been building up on them and the restaurant for about twenty years. A bar is a bar though, so we sat down at some empty bar stools and ordered drinks. $5 a drink. Happy hour. Whoopdie doo. The drinks were fine and all but not that cheap and definitely not cheap enough to warrant the ambiance in that dump. Then we made the mistake of trying some tacos. These were no $1 tacos. These were $3 each on the happy hour menu. Honestly, they looked like they had been delivered from the cafeteria in my old UCLA dorm circa 2002 and had sat around in Border Grill's dirty kitchen since then waiting for my arrival. These were so bad they were inedible.

We asked for the check and went to El Cholo on Wilshire in Santa Monica. They didn't have a happy hour. That place is actually weird too but that's neither here nor there. At least it was clean and outside of the twilight zone. Avoid Border Grill in Santa Monica at all costs and if you are thinking to yourself right now, "I like that place," take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and recognize that your taste stinks and no one gives a darn what you think. Happy Hour from Hell.

wwwblankfromhellcom

• Pros: Drinks
• Cons: Food, Decor, Ambience, Lighting

11/30/08

Tasty but not inexpensive

by differentplaces

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- guacamole, serranos, house-made tortillas, and other stuff. I would not say they were better than carnitas I've had other places, but they were $5-$6 more expensive than other places I've been too. I'd also agree with other reviewers that the drinks were quite pricey. The margaritas and mojitos were around $12. The atmosphere was nice - the interesting paintings on the walls and bright colors. On the service issue, it was a bit strange. We were told there would be a half hour wait because we hadn't made reservations - yet half the tables appeared empty. Perhaps there weren't enough waiters. In any case, we were seated immediately at the family/communal table when we said that was alright. There were already ten people sitting around the table. That made it interesting - in a good way. Our waiter took our order quick enough, but then there were periods when we didn't see him for a bit too long. He did suggest the perfect entree for my wife. And the speed with which the food was delivered after being ordered was impressive. I'd say we were served in about five minutes. It was the follow up for other items that had us looking for our waiter. A decent experience overall. The below average rating is based on value.

• Pros: ambience
• Cons: value

09/26/08

Eclectic menu with amazing flavor combinations

by moneymoney

Just went to this restaurant for the first time even though I have walked past it countless times. What a gem! My party tried 3 different appetizers and 1 entree dish and everything was both unique and delicious. The shrimp ceviche was sauced differently than I've ever had it with more of a tomato base but it was delicious. Enjoyed the endive and pear salad...the blue cheese added a great touch. The entree was a slow-cooked pork dish (don't remember the name) that was super-flavorful. The highlight of the evening was their Moroccan Eggplant appetizer, which was one of the specials. SOO delicious, very highly recommended. It came with a curry cream sauce that had so many distinct flavors that all compliment each other and the eggplant wonderfully. The waiters were amazing and basically standing around waiting to serve us. The Maitre d' came over to make sure all was well with the meal and even chatted with us for a few minutes. Great experience! I was thrilled to see that in touristy Santa Monica, a restaurant still knew how to treat its customers.

• Pros: Morrocan Eggplant
• Cons: Set up and ambience isn't terribly cozy.

09/02/08

The favoritism and partiality was ridiculous! Overpriced & uneventful. Not worth it!

by restaurantshatecutomers

Deplorable for an upscale restaurant. The male (age 40s) waiter was insincerely fake as he approached our table. When he realized that we were not ordering drinks (only food) his entire demeanor changed. He was no longer nice. Didn't check in or refill anything. We had to ask other staff for help. He then dotted on a part of ten towards the back. His favoritism and partiality was ridiculous! It had completely changed my feeling about eating out in LA. I usu just pick up food to go. Dining out is no longrer fun but a chore. Waiters are sadistic towards me and enjoy seeing me hurt. What is wromg with these people!!! Anyways, the food was overpriced. The portions smaller than before. A disappointment. A costly disappointment. We had a party of 6. We were celebrating abirthday. After the large bill, the mean waiter still charged us half-price for the dessert when he told me he wouldn't. A sleezy experience. Waiters are so fickle & too faced. Yuck!

• Pros: Cons outweigh the Pros
• Cons: The waiter became insincere & neglectful. He ignored us. Very high priced bill!

07/24/08

Cool Upscale Mexican

by kiercemartin

This is definitely one of the cooler Mexican places in Santa Monica. The food is great (Try the empanadas), but the bar scene is also pretty lively. They have a great selection of beers on tap and have everything else you would expect from a Mexican place. We went here for Cinco de Mayo and had a great time, but it seems like the crowd kind of depends on the night. Definitely worth checking out.

05/19/08

The Border Girls seem not to care

by ethan1

Having periodically eaten here for many years, I finally have to say farewell. Never liking any of the entrees, I always enjoyed the starters and salads -- these, too, have become what one would expect from a mid-level nationwide chain of Mexican restaurant factories. For the past few visits, it's become apparent that the two celebrity chef owners have left the building. Even those $20 coupons from Whole Foods won't bring me back. High points -- pleasant, attentive service, and decor still works.

• Pros: Good service
• Cons: Food

04/20/08

one to miss, won't be going back

by pengwing

Service: our waiter was friendly and even took one of our bad-tasting dishes off our bill without us having to ask. also, they were good about keeping our drinks filled up.

Chips: they were yummy. however, the salsa was sub-par. the person who said it tastes like shrimp cocktail had it right.

Poblano Quesadilla: the first bite tasted ok, but then we realized it was super greasy and salty. it was also really thin. as soon as it wasn't really hot anymore, it tasted worse. Inside of quesadilla: imagine 1/2 centimeter thick sea-sponge, covered in brown grease, with the occational string of mucky green.

Vegetable plate: Creamed corn was about 5 steps below chevy's cream corn. Blackbeans were actually gross (bland, lard-like, and like plain whole wheat flower mixed in). Zuchini were unrecognizable, not to mention sour, slimey, and coated in wet salt. Did not even touch the mushrooms or the onions, considering they resembled (and smelled like) old worms. As for the "potatos" or what not, tasted exacly like old greasy fries douced in vicscous cheese and old, stringy, unidentifiable veggies. Everything else on the plate: could not identify (neither by taste, look, or smell). This plate was returned, and kindly removed from our bill.

Chicken dish with some cassarole (glop) underneath it: The chicken itself was OK I guess, but not better than my Foreman grill can make. It was sitting on a pile of brown/green glop that I couldn't recognize. Looked something like wet sand with a tinge of (again) mucky green. Tasted like sand as well, combined with animal grease, rotted and pungent chile peppers(???), mold??? Who knows what was in it, but it tasted like half-digested camel feed (see Man v. Wild).

Certainly passed on dessert after this disaster. We nonetheless felt bad for the waiter (who was quite nice), and left a tip. it is now about 5 hrs since our meal, and i can still taste it. NEVER COMING BACK.

• Pros: better than starvation?
• Cons: see description of rating.

11/19/07

Great Food, Great Service, Great Ambiance

by yatoh

I love this place. The food is yummy. The waiters are great. The only thing is this place can get really busy, so make sure you make reservations before going. However, if you didn't make reservations, you can always try to eat in the bar area. There is also a gargantuan communal table in the bar area, where you can grab a seat (if it's available) and order anything on the menu without a wait! Woohoo!

• Pros: Food, Service, Ambiance
• Cons: Busy - make reservations or eat at the bar

10/14/07

Great everything.

by justla

This place is great. The margaritas are awesome, the food is top notch and the service is super friendly. I had a great time and would go back in a heart beat.

The only thing I didn't like was the shrimp ceviche had too much mint. Other than that we had the chicken panuchos, the cochinito and the skirt steak. All flavorful and tender.

Love it.

• Pros: Great service-Tasty food-Great margaritas
• Cons: Expensive margaritas- Not sooo cheap.

09/23/07

Great Happy Hour & Very Creative Flavorful Food & Drinks

by jraposa

The Border Grill has been a favorite of mine for years. The food, drinks & service is still top notch. Happy hour is also the best in Los Angeles.

This is a great place to take out of town guests, get a quick bite & drink for hapy hour or have a really delicious lunch or dinner.

• Pros: Food, Drinks, Service & Happy Hour
• Cons: None