Tu Madre- Santa Monica - Santa Monica, California

CARMEN G.

My review is solely on the food as I received it. I ordered food for my boss and I. We got 3 tacos each. Shrimp, Korean BBQ & chicken. I received them cold. Which I guess given. If you know tacos, tacos are best eaten on the spot (in the moment). 6 tacos we got 2 salsas, 1 red & 1 green. As you can see in the picture, I found a piece of blue rubber band in my salsa verde (green). I'm not trying to sound extra.. but i mean, that's definitely not supposed to be in there. Not sure if I'll give this place a go again. BUT if I do, it will have to be in person.

Diane E.

Delicious and well priced happy hour foods and drinks. Love the brisket tacos and eggplant chorizo tacos! Also the street corn in crème was fantastic! Can’t wait to go back!

Khadijah S.

Lucio was very attentive and had great suggestions 😍. Love the long and extended happy hours with great options. Had the street tacos and the brisket and El past store were very flavorful🙌

Abby T.

Vibey place with a cute pink interior. Service was fine but could have been faster to notice when we were ready to order/pay. One man was walking around near the end of the evening (manager? owner?) and was extremely personable - he gave excellent service!

Our drinks were delightful and came beautifully decorated with herbs and flowers. The tajin rim on my “deeply rooted issues” was delightful and really brought the drink together.

All tacos were great. Some, like the bahn mi, were difficult to eat due to the amount of toppings. But that’s a problem I like to have 🙂 Our standouts were the fried tacos - they came out incredibly crisp. They are pretty pricy, but the street tacos are a great deal if you want one.

I thought the red velvet churros were lacking given the price-point and otherwise quality of this restaurant. Texture was great, but I didn’t really get a red velvet flavor. I also think the topping would have been nicer had it been whipped a bit more.

I saw multiple things on the menu I’d like to try next time.

Aaron D.

I wasn't sure I'd like this restaurant. But they have numerous options for my wife who is a plant based eater. I was wrong.
Absolutely loved it! The waitress was awesome. The drinks were tasty. The food was delicious! Only thing I didn't like was ........... Nothing, everything was delicious. I had a fried chicken taco and a few brisket tacos, delish. Next time I will get more of the fried chicken tacos!
My wife got the jack fruit carnitas and a bahn mi taco, and she was very satisfied.
The margarita flight was tasty and the presentation fun and the Tito's margarita was satisfying. We will be back for sho😎

Deepnain K.

4.5/5
Tu Madre Steals the Show!

Tu Madre exceeded expectations with its vibrant atmosphere, inventive menu, and exceptional service. Dishes burst with flavor, even though the portion sizes were small. Creative cocktails and vegan options impressed. Minor quibbles aside, Tu Madre is a must-visit for foodies.

Katie B.

We’ve been meaning to go here for a while and recently had some friends in town and finally tried it out. The restaurant is nicely decorated and has a fun vibe. We got the Margarita flight, which was delivered to our table with a sparkler! They have a wide selection of tacos, including some great vegetarian options. Had a good time and our waitress made us feel welcome. We’ll be back!
We went during off hours, so it may be harder to get in during peak time.

Jason M.

Not bad, not great. The food was okay, it definitely it authentic or what you would expect for Mexican. The carnitas and pastor tacos were really good, as well as the chips and salsa. The street corn and taquitos had a weird mayonnaise or something on them, which wasn’t that great. The biggest issue here was the service. We weren’t greeted, and it took forever for anyone to actually come take our order. They were sure quick to come make us pay though….