Lares - Santa Ana

The food was excellent. They had speedy service. It was crowded but the staff worked well together to make everything run smoothly

We came here on a Friday night and really enjoyed ourselves. They had live music with two guitar players singing traditional Mexican favorites. The food is really excellent. My wife was raving about the chile relleno. She said it was slow cooked so that the cheese was completely melted inside and the outside was not overly breaded. I had the carnitas con chile verde and it was delicious as well. They have a full bar upstairs, as well as downstairs, and plenty of large tables to accommodate families. Lares is a great place to enjoy Mexican comfort food in a friendly, neighborhood atmosphere.

My husband, his cousin and I came to the restaurant on our final free night in Santa Monica. The food is phenomenal and very authentic. The sopa de fideo was fantastic, and the arroz con pollo reminds of home cooked from my mom. Finally, the Chile Colorado and the enchiladas de ranchero were delicious. You can't go wrong coming here for your Mexican food cravings.

I had the Enchiladas rojos with cheese which were absolutely delicious with refried beans and rice. My wife had a chicken burrito which was equally good and filling. We both enjoyed a margarita and had a nice lunch experience. Be prepared for LA beach prices if you’re not from California.

I meet my sister and her husband there once a month. 1st time was terrible, waiter spent most of his time with one Cutomer. I said I would try it one more time. Called to make sure they could hold onion spice in the chicken for my wife. The waiter was very good. Margaritas were about a 7.5 . Tried a Cadillac margarita and it was a 8.5. Getting better... My wife said her tostada was about a 6.5 compared to El Coyote's in LA. My burrito was only average at best. How hard is it to make a good burrito. Now I just order a chicken taco and a Cadillac margarita have a late lunch...