Border Grill - Santa Monica, Santa Monica

I would like to recommend Border Grill to everyone. I tried the sauteed shrimp and it was very delicious!

Yucatan Pork is achiote pork slow roasted in banana leaves, caramelized onion, orange, cinnamon served with sautéed plantains, rice, black beans, guacamole, and handmade corn tortillas. OMG, this is absolutely fabulous! Banana leaves are a great way to roast meats (ask anyone from Hawaii). The leaves subtly flavor the meat as it cooks. The onion, orange, and cinnamon were a beautiful combination with the succulent pork. The guacamole was creamy and tasted so fresh. The plantains were caramelized with a slightly sweet taste, reminded me of bananas foster. The tortillas had a rich roasted corn flavor, great for making your own tacos with the pork. Thumbs up, way up! The Chile Relleno Burger is ground Black Angus brisket topped with a roasted poblano stuffed with manchego, panela, cotija cheeses inside a brioche bun with chipotle aioli, tomato, shredded romaine and served with cumin fries. This is a match made in heaven! I love chile rellenos and topped on a juicy, flavorful burger - what else could a gal (or guy) ask for! There are so many flavors going on, that your taste buds start to dance – a little spicy from the poblano, a little smoky from the chipotle aioli, creamy from the blend of cheeses, and meaty burger to bring it together like a symphony. The cumin fries were great, especially with a dip into the chile sauce that they bring out with the chips. The helping of fries could be a little bigger as it left me wanting more. They are addictive! Thumbs up, way up!

While in Santa Monica for a week of R&R we visited Boarder Grill twice. The margaritas were some of the best I have ever had. The guacamole is heaven, the service was personal and charming. On both visits we enjoyed mahi mahi ceviche, it was well balanced in flavor and tasty. Green corn tamales were very good. Tortilla soup was wonderful. Plantain empanadas were super yummy. We look forward to the new location downtown in the old Ciudad (we were never very impressed with the chow there). Overall a good spot for casual dining, thanks to the hot tamales.

HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN THERE WITH O.K RESULTS......BUT MADE RESERVATIONS FOR VALENTINE EVENING ....THE BEST I CAN SAY WAS THE FOOD WAS FAIR TO POOR....PRICE HIGH,,SERVICE GOOD.....PROBABLY WILL NEVER GO BACK UNLESS I GET AN URGE FOR FAIR TO POOR....

Very good food, all five dishes were raves. The guacamole is fabulous. The wait staff wasn't particularly friendly but the service otherwise was good. A little noisy at first but it died down. The prices have gone up, seems like the entrees average just above $20 now, but most of the appetizers are as big as most other restaurants' entrees.

The service here is one of the worst seriously..they suck but the food is excellent.

This place is great!! A1~ the setting is supurb, food is off the charts & the drinks are amazing. This is a great place for business lunches, dinner you name it. Very relaxed setting but still professional. BTW the owner also has a restuarant in Downtown Los Angeles. This is a 5 star place!!!

Great wild alaskan salmon dish - can't find wild salmon on the menus anywhere else. Liked the colorful atmosphere, friendly cute staff. Good drinks and a great meeting spot.