Vamos. Vamos.
Mexican restaurant · Ocean Park ·
Nachos, tacos, mezcal cocktails, and green chile cheeseburgers
Nachos, tacos, mezcal cocktails, and green chile cheeseburgers
"If your sandy little ears perk up at the mention of nachos and spicy pineapple margaritas, hit this fun spot on Main Street in Santa Monica. While Vamos Vamos has solid tacos and burritos, you’re here to sip tequila drinks and consume various platters of cheese-covered chips topped with things like pork chile verde made with roasted hatch chiles. And since they have a casual sidewalk patio, no one will care if you arrive in squeaky flip-flops." - brant cox, sylvio martins, garrett snyder, cathy park
"With five different kinds of nachos on the menu, you shouldn't have trouble finding something you're in the mood for at this fun spot on Main Street in Santa Monica. Every version is massive, a little messy, and layered with multiple kinds of melted cheese. Our top pick is the chile verde nachos, topped with a mound of hatch green chile-coated pulled pork that tastes like it's been stewing for hours. It's exactly what you want to snack on in between sips of your mezcal margarita." - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren, garrett snyder, arden shore
"Vamos Vamos is a casual nacho and margarita bar in Santa Monica from the people behind Hippo and Everson Royce Bar. There's a strong New Mexico theme to the menu, which is apparently the state where the owners first met (we just assumed they got really into Breaking Bad). The cocktails are great and most of the food is fine, but if there’s one essential thing to hone in on during your post-beach hang, it’s their green chili cheeseburger. It’s essentially the fantastic Everson Royce burger (one of our favorites in LA) given the Santa Fe treatment, with chopped hatch chiles and monterey jack swapped out for cheddar and pickles. We’re not sure it upsets the original, but we’re definitely into the combination of oozing cheese and spicy roasted chiles." - brant cox, garrett snyder, nikko duren
"Vamos Vamos straddles the line between beachside hang and see-and-be-seen restaurant. The menu here reads like something you’d find at a college town cantina. But getting a table inside this narrow sliver of a dining room—located smack dab in the middle of Santa Monica's Main Street—could take hours on a Friday night. We’re not exactly sure why there’s so much buzz around this neighborhood spot from the team behind Everson Royce Bar and Triple Beam Pizza, or how long it’ll last. But we do know one thing: Vamos Vamos is a fun place for people who care about having a good time more than they do eating a ground-breaking meal. photo credit: Vamos Vamos At its core, Vamos Vamos is a nacho and margarita bar. They offer five different platters of cheese-covered tortilla chips, and the best ones come topped with New Mexican specialties like hatch chile verde with shredded pork and tender carne adovada. Ironically though, our favorite dish on the menu isn’t a nacho at all—it’s the green chile cheeseburger. This fantastic riff on the nearly perfect Everson Royce burger swaps out cheddar and pickles for monterey jack and chopped hatch chiles. Flexitarians might appreciate the meat-free pizzas, tostadas, and salads here, but we found them all underwhelming. Margaritas take up the biggest chunk of the menu and they happen to be tremendous, with flavors ranging from spicy pineapple and smoky watermelon to tart hibiscus and juicy passionfruit. Ordering one is a non-negotiable element of any visit. The bar food and cocktails at Vamos Vamos are perfectly solid, but there’s nothing here anyone needs to drive across town for. Despite the wait times, we wholeheartedly recommend it for a fun date night or a margarita-dominated meal with your newly single friend who considers exclusively hanging out on the Westside a personality trait. To snag an indoor table, your best bet is to book a reservation ahead of time—but during the week, you can usually score a spot on their huge sidewalk patio in less than thirty minutes. Even if you do wait a while to get in, know that there’s a great burger (and a pumped up crowd) waiting for you as the best kind of consolation prize. Food Rundown Margaritas With nearly nine or so different variations to choose from, you might feel a tad bit overwhelmed by the margarita section of the menu. Fortunately, you can’t go wrong. They’re all expertly made cocktails that live in that harmonious space between sweet, sour, and potent. Our favorite is the watermelon one made with mezcal, which has made every other margarita we’ve tasted before or after seem disappointing in comparison. Fish Tacos Crispy fried cod, cabbage slaw, and avocado puree—there's not too much happening with these simple fish tacos. That said, you'll probably enjoy snacking on them at an outdoor table as you sip on your third margarita. It’s just science. photo credit: Vamos Vamos Green Chili Cheeseburger The burger at Everson Royce Bar has been on our list of the best burgers in town for years, and since Vamos Vamos shares the same owners, it's no surprise that the very similar one here is also a beefy masterpiece. We love how the smoky hatch green chili, creamy aioli, and melted jack cheese smoosh together on the soft egg brioche bun. It's got a bit of heat and a touch of sweetness, but doesn’t overdo it. photo credit: Anise Mariko Chile Verde Nachos Without a doubt, these are the best nachos at Vamos Vamos. They come topped with a pile of hatch green chile-coated pulled pork that tastes like it’s been stewing for hours. There’s also some hefty refried beans, melted cheese, and tomatillo salsa layered on top for added heat." - Nikko Duren
"A surprise opening last night unveiled a lively new spot at 2917 Main Street in Santa Monica called Vamos Vamos, a self-funded project from Randy and April Clement that blends breezy California touches with New Mexican green-chile underpinnings. The couple—best known as owner-operators of Silverlake Wine (and also behind Hippo, Triple Beam, E.R.B., and others)—have partnered with chef Ivan Barros (previously of Alimento and the Scarpetta world) to offer a menu that moves between nachos, tacos, and tostadas to wood-fired pizzas, salads, seasonal sides, and nods like a green chile cheeseburger and carne adovada; there are many vegetarian and some vegan plates plus several gluten-free dishes. Emely Cubias (E.R.B., Hippo) is on as partner and director of operations, and the drinks program includes more than half-a-dozen margarita styles alongside cocktails, wine, and beer; the team also plans eventual early service featuring Handlebar Coffee, morning palomas, sopaipillas, and breakfast burritos. For now, Vamos Vamos is open 4–9 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, with extended hours to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday." - Farley Elliott
