Massilia, Santa Monica CA

Their complete list of wines by the glass is 1/2 price during happy hour. We came twice and enjoyed both times. Our table ordered a burger and fries, a pizza, and the BLTA with a side salad. We would recommend all of these dishes.

One of the best meals I’ve had recently … very attentive and efficient service, a high ceilinged dark but elegant interior… and the food is what one would say … extremely fresh, made to perfection… they knew their Tagine flavors. The calamari was of the freshest kind and fried to that perfect point. Crisp on the outside, not loaded with batter and indescribably soft inside… served with an aioli you’ll want to wipe off with your fingers:) … and the steak frites were what I would order on an extremely hungry day … that blue cheese sauce and those thinly done frites … quite an experience.

A good wine list and super attentive and fun service … what’s not to like about this place?

Great food! 8 hr lamb was great! So were the other dishes, great decor, comfortable sofas, great jazz music, some art on the walls but not too busy. I talked to the waiter who told me that the place was only 4 years old. Congrats for not allowing Covid take you out of business. Given that Santa Monica downtown can be a bit rough for the eyes of sensitive individuals, this place holds a strong European vibe in here with music and its own atmosphere. This place deserves a solid rating.

First of all the place is very pretty, secondly the staff, especially Johnathan, were extremely accommodating and polite, and finally, the food was delicious. You really can’t ask for more.
Highly recommended.

Only popped in for a drink which was very good but the food looked and smelled great. Did a good happy hour. Nicely decorated. Lovely staff. Doesnt have a beach view but if looking for a stop while waiting for metro or from shopping, nice option.

This review is for the Happy Hour! Tapas, small shared bites for food under $10. There is a set cocktail menu for Happy Hour. Prices are 50% off, however if you ask to switch it up, like change a Gin to Vodka, then the price goes back to regular price.

Mindy, our bartender was fabulous and informative!

I will definitely return again! Nice ambience!

I had dinner here on May 27th 2023. This was the only place with an open table as every other restaurant was fully booked for the night. The place is decently furnished and the initial feel is welcoming. But the same can’t be said about the service or food. After being sat, we were greeted by a server and had our order taken. It was a calamari starter and spaghetti bolognese and Steak Frites as the main. After boasting the speed of which the starter would be out, we proceeded to wait half an hour for our calamari which to the chefs credit was at least very tasty. Unfortunately, it would be another hour until we received our mains. What caught my attention, however, was that two groups came in after us and the same server who initially sat us down took care of those tables. It would take about 20 minutes for one of the groups to get their orders and the second group, which had come in about 45 minutes into our hour wait also received their order around the same time as us. What was disappointing was also the lack of attentiveness from the staff compared to how the other groups were treated. At no point did they need to grab their servers attention since they were hovering over both tables while we couldn’t even get a simple “your order will be out soon” for that hour. To add insult to injury, the steak was comparable to a flank steak you can buy at your local market coupled by a handful of fried potato shavings masquerading as fries and the spaghetti had the same taste and texture as the pre packaged dry pasta covered in Ragu pasta sauce. And as the night couldn’t get worse, while We were trying to enjoy the “fries”, another server came along trying to take the plate we were eating off of. After the table was cleared the initial server returned asking if we wanted desert but at that point I asked for the bill. It was then that for the first time that night the server asked how the meal and experience was. To be polite I just requested the check again as to leave as soon as possible. The experience and guest service was not worth the charge and I hope the management there takes steps necessary to improve upon the service.

Went there for a Happy hour. Small plates, dessert are very good. Ambience and stuff are amazing! Our waiter Jean Michel had a fun sense of humor and was attentive.

The food is alright but they've configured their billing devices to default to a 25% tip! Can you please pay your employees instead of leaving that to your customers?

EDIT- to the owner, thanks for your reply. I am aware that I can change the tip selection, but I'm also aware that point of sale software allows you to choose the default. By setting the default to 25% you are setting an expectation- while I can lower to the industry standard of 15-20%, that makes me feel that I'd be screwing over your service staff who have no control over the system.

Speaking of staff, please don't use yours as human shields against fair criticism. If you value them as much as you claim to, why not raise their wages and stop accepting tips entirely? Put your money where your mouth is and I'd be glad to come back.

Terrible food, and mediocre service. This was by far the worst meal I had in the area during my stay.
Pizza was severely undercooked, and the lamb shank was gamey.

Quality and taste was fantastic. Super well cooked chicken and calamari preparations. Ask for Jean Michelle as your server if you want a fantastic experience at this spot.