La Sandia Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar in Santa Monica

La Sandia Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar is a wonderful family friendly restaurant located at Santa Monica Place that serves up authentic Mexican cuisine with style. Chef Richard Sandoval is known as the Father of Modern Mexican Cuisine and at La Sandia, you will taste why. La Sandia is also known for it's remarkable tequila menu. You will find over 200 fine tequilas and spirits that are perfect for pairing with your Mexican specialties. I recently took my family out for a fantastic lunch at La Sandia and the first thing that caught my eye is how open and spacious the layout is. No matter where in the restaurant your table is located, you will feel like you are dining Al Fresco! It's gorgeous! The décor, the seating, the colors, the lighting, just about everything from floor to ceiling is perfect.

 

The bar is the best spot in town to sit down and partake in some festive libations. The bartenders are awesome. Kinda like a "good cop/bad cop" team! One is very serious and focused on the task at hand, while the other brings the comedic relief to any situation! Best seat in the house!

 

 

We started off with the tableside guacamole to accompany our warm tortilla chips and vibrant salsa. Of course, I had to order the Watermelon Agua Fresca since we were dining at La Sandia!

 

 

My kids were so excited to try a new menu. They love food and exploring new places to taste some of their favorite dishes. My two youngest kids ordered the Chicken Fingers and Cheese Quesadillas from the children's menu, but my oldest cannot dine at a Mexican restaurant without ordering a sizzling skillet of steak fajitas. He's very serious about his steak! All the meals were served with refried black beans which were just delicious and the most flavorful Mexican rice they've ever had. They were all happy with what they had selected.

 

 

Dad and I decided to share a few plates so we could sample a little bit of each dish. I was really looking forward to ordering from their new Latin Light Menu. Every dish on this menu is under 500 calories! Awesomeness!!! We started off with the Harris Ranch Hanger Steak Fajitas which are rubbed with a chimichurri for seasoning instead of the marinade used for the regular fajitas. The lighter fajitas are served with lettuce wraps, onions & peppers, pinto beans, pico de gallo salad, guacamole and crema. The presentation is mouth watering!

 

 

We also ordered the Cheese Enchiladas which are served with Mexican rice and refried black beans. The enchiladas were filled with Oaxaca, Chihuahua and Monterey cheese then topped with tomatillo sauce and crema fresca which made them so savory.

 

 

We couldn't leave without trying La Sandia's tacos! My husband ordered the Grilled Steak soft tacos served in corn tortillas with Mexican rice and refried black beans. The hanger steak is topped with cilantro, onion and salsa roja. I love a great taco and these tacos were great!

 

 

The kid's meals include a scoop of ice cream so once my kids had cleaned their plates, they ordered their ice cream. We had a scoop of each flavor La Sandia offers which are, chocolate, vanilla and pineapple coconut.

 

 

Everything about La Sandia was just wonderful, including the staff. Our server, Jim, entertained my kids by letting them order their lunches themselves even when their orders turned into a Broadway musical! He just laughed and pretended to write down what they wanted. I loved that! Jim made sure we had everything we needed and kept all of our glasses full. I don't remember ever asking for a refill...it was already there! Thanks Jim!

 

 

I also had the pleasure of meeting the Assistant General Manager, Kris, and he was such a gentleman. My kids thought he was a "secret agent" because of the ear piece headset thingy he was rocking which made them feel like they were dining at a "cool spy spot" as my oldest referred to it. We are looking forward to visiting La Sandia more often and definitely planning a date night very soon. I want to sit at the bar and enjoy some of their many spirits!

 

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I was invited to sample new menu items in order to facilitate my review. These are just my two cents!