Mony’s Mexican Food

Affordable but so so good. Run here. Delicious. Fresh Mexican food quick. Outdoor seating. Chips and salsa one of the best. Only downfall… no guac or tamales.

The BEST chips and salsa in town! The tacos are outstanding as well. I do wish they had more vegetarian options on their menu as my significant other doesn’t eat meat. Big variety at the salsa bar though. If you go you MUST try the peanut and pistachio salsas. Yum!

We came here after coming here a few years back. It was great seeing the restaurant more popular than ever!
The tacos here were so cheap and amazing. Everything about the food is so fresh and simple. The thing that really makes it even more amazing is the salsa bar. They have a wide variety of salsas, but my favorite is the avocado salsa. It has such a nice creaminess with a nice heat kick at the end.
Because it is such a small restaurant and is quite popular, seating is quite sparse. I recommend to take the food to go if seating is sparse and enjoy your food near the beach!

The good: I’ve ate here 2 or 3 times and was never disappointed. It’s a great place to go if your walking the funk zone and looking to grab some tacos or a burrito. I’m usually really excited to try all of there different tasty salsa’s and they have a bunch of different flavors to choose from.
The bad: I really wish they were open later than 4pm or I would have gone way more than 2 or 3 times.

Were in town from LA and we’re used to great Mexican food and this place is on point… chicken nachos were fantastic and the tacos too (chicken mole and al pastor crispy tacos) and the salsa bar was way beyond my expectations… I want gallons of all of them, and yes we tried them all… bomb! Also friendly staff and outside seating… we will be back before we go home!
Prices are great too!

Right off the hwy.
Easy stop on our way to LA.
Try ALL the salsas. :-)

I have heard so much about this place, so finally made it there today! I had a burrito al pastor. the pastor was really good! I think I would try it in a taco next time so I could really enjoy al the flavor! Chips were fresh and so many salsas to choose from! Get there early as at noon the line goes out the door!

My all time favorite Mexican restaurant in SB and beyond. They have the most DELICIOUS food and friendly staff paired with a small but clean space to eat right in the heart of the Funk Zone.
I highly recommend their Torta, which has fried cheese on it, it is AMAZING!
They also have a diverse and delicious homemade salsa section and their tortilla chips are the freshest around!
Parking can sometimes be super lame during the lunch hour so I recommend calling in your order and skipping the line. There is a parking lot behind the sex shop next door so if you don’t mind walking through, there is usually always parking available.

Mony’s is a popular hot spot in the Funk Zone. I have gotten food from here a couple of times and have not been disappointed. They are generally very busy because the food is so good and the prices are great. The portions sizes are huge and this family owned business takes great pride in preparing all the foods that come out of the kitchen.
The restaurant is small but there is some indoor and outdoor seating areas, nothing fancy but comfortable enough to enjoy the delicious food. On this visit to Mony’s we picked up an order of the loaded Carne Asada Nachos. This nachos were more than enough for the three of us. The meat was tender, the chips were fresh and crunchy and the beans and other toppings were an explosion of flavor and tastiness in your mouth.
The food was so good the following morning we ordered the Carne Asada Burrito to take with us on the «Jump on the Bus» ride to Santa Barbara Vintners Festival Grand Wine Tasting in Buellton, CA.
This burrito was awesome! It was the kind of burrito that takes two hands hold and a wide open bite to make a dent in it. Need I saw more, it was fantastic!

Came here based on the reviews of my Unilocal friends — they didn’t fail us! Small establishment, and a rather limited menu, but don’t be deterred, this place is worth the stop. A basket of chips is provided after you order, and a salsa bar w/​an array of salsas is available to enjoy while you wait for table delivery. The salsas were superb! They even offer a ghost pepper version, which I steered clear of. .. I had an asada burrito w/​the works: flour tortilla was light and fresh, and the onions and cilantro were so good. Only drawback for me was the asada, which appeared to be ground up, rather than chopped in small pieces. Still, excellent flavors all around! Throw in a comfortable outdoor seating area, and we have a place that is worthy of regular visits.
Cheers!
RL

Mony’s =
!!! Tacos were on point, salsa options were plentiful and delicious (the avocado salsa is the best). The only issue was there wasn’t a lot of seating but that can be attributed to the number of people that were eating here. Still, one of the employees (sorry i didn’t get his name) was kind enough to move a table from the inside seating area to outside so my wife and I could enjoy the nice Santa Barbara weather.
Definitely recommend this place if you’re remotely close to the wharf!

I can’t give anything less than a 5 because of how delicious their food and salsas were. WOW. I’ve lived in San Diego the past 3 years and I must say, the flavor here, especially the Beef Burrito, beats anything I had during my time in SD. Sorry San Diego! 5-​star rating on 250+ plus reviews pulled us here and surely did not disappoint.
We ordered the Chicken Nachos and Beef Burrito. Burrito came with a side of fresh chips, which was a pleasant surprise, even when we ordered to go! Looks like they give you chips with any order. Perfect for snacking on while you wait for your food to be delivered to your table. A nice touch was the fact that the burrito was placed back on the griddle and browned after being fully rolled. This detail is an important step to a great burrito in my opinion and I’m glad the cooks here don’t skip it. The nacho plate was a good size! Mole sauce on top made them irresistible. Pinto beans instead of black beans had me surprised at first, but went well and completed the plate. YUM! Plenty of drink options as well. I’m not a soda drinker but I love that they had vintage glass Coke bottles in their cooler.
The self-​serve salsa bar is unlimited, so stock up on as many flavors as you can. Yes, be that person who takes a cup of EVERY salsa! You won’t regret it. Salsa, salsa and more salsa! Peanut salsa, pistachio, avocado (my fav), roasted tomato, habanero (HOT!), mango, and your typical green and red. Lovely.
Besides the long wait to order and long anticipating time waiting for your food, this place is stupendously good. Limited seating inside, maybe room for 5, but a good array of tables outside on the sidewalk. They fill fast though, so be quick when one opens up.
Can’t wait to come back and try the vast array of street tacos! See you soon, Mony!

Just passing by Santa Barbara and was craving tacos. I was excited to see a 5-​star restaurant so decided on Mony’s.
Parking: This was my first time in Santa Barbara and didn’t know how crowded and impacted the streets were. It took 5 – 10 minutes to drive around and look for street parking.
Food: I ordered carne asada, adobada, and al pastor taco. There was a good variety of salsas in the salsa bar, so I tried a little of everything. The carne asada tacos were a little dry so I drenched them in salsa. The adobada (spicy pork) tacos were pretty spicy and overpowering. Overall, they were ok, but not very memorable.

Great Mexican food joint in Santa Barbara! Place is pretty small inside, but has outside seating at the sidewalk.
Great salsa/​hot sauce bar! The Peanut Butter and Avocado salsa were our favorites.
We ordered the chicken mole enchiladas and the barbacoa combo plate, both were delicious! Good sized portions too!
Didn’t get to try their street tacos, they looked amazing!
Located close to State Street, a must check out when visiting SB.

I tried a Carnitas burrito with eight different flavors of sauces on it! So nice! I’ve lived SB for nearly three years but now i found the best Mexican restaurant

Damn Javier… back at it again with the white fans.
(+)
Their road to redemption started with the music. Back in 2014 I stated, «it’d give it more of an authentic feel to the place if the music playing wasn’t Top 40 music. I mean it’s a Mexican restaurant not a teen center.» My ears rang to the sound of cumbia. (+.125)
I see that the chips were another problem. «Very very very very salty.» Well isn’t it miraculous what one less pinch of salt can do. (+.125)
As for the barbacoa, they anted up on this with the torta that I had. The juices and the concentration of flavor in the meat was doubled from my last visit. Was it still missing an edge? Yes but only noticeable to the non Hernan Cortes. The torta was good, the toasty bread fresh ingredients but relax there’s still room for improvement. (+1)
I tried the buches again and I appreciated them a little more as there are not a lot of places where these can be had. And thankfully they don’t shame them here. Not overly fat but with just enough to give them their meaning. An underrated item. (+.25)
+1.75
(-)
Carnitas: After Tacos El Rey closed, I realized this place would be one of the few to offer carnitas. They came out dryer than the Sahara. (-.5)
Help Us Help You
Some people like cilantro and onions, others like one or the other and then there are the few that like neither, asking instead of just doing would be great.
Salsas: These are still the same ol’ salsas from a year and a half ago. Their mango, peanut and avocado salsas are good but missing more spiciness, or spiciness overall. The red and the green are just not flavorful enough in any way. It’s a watery taste with a quick stinger at the end. Let’s work something out, message me and I’ll talk to my mom about selling you her recipe, with the occasional royalty fee. (-.5)
–1
By The Numbers
A slight upgrade from my first visit but not enough to understand all the hoopla. I do enjoy their buches (consistently) and I enjoyed their torta, so I can agree and say that there good things on the menu but not that the whole menu is good.

SO happy I finally got to try this place! After seeing such high ratings from so many fellow Unilocal friends, I had been waiting to try this place out for so long. It was just hard since they close before 5 :(
The location is primely (?) located in the Funk Zone so it’s the place to go for drunchies either before or after heading to Fig Mountain (which is nearby ;)). I LOVE their salsas, definitely some of the best I’ve had! Pistachio, Green salsa, and mango salsas were my favorite.
After you order, they give you a number so you gotta listen up to see when your food is ready. The place is small and can probably seat 5 people inside, but there are some outdoor tables as well as steps you can sit on. Very casual restaurant, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting delicious Mexican food!
I paid around $ 8 for a barbacoa quesadilla and it came with pinto beans, Mexican rice, lettuce, and pico de gallo. I actually preferred the carnitas quesadilla more so than the barbacoa, but I chose that meat because it seemed to be the more popular option. (I’d probably choose barbacoa tacos next time!) And oh yeah, they definitely DO NOT skimp on cheese! Holy cheese so much!
The line can go out the door but it does go fast. Well worth waiting for and id definitely come back! Service is super friendly and the free chips they give you are fresh and delish! Great thing to snack on with all the different salsas to experiment with while you’re waiting.
They do have horchata which I totally would’ve tried had I not had plans to drink beer right after lol. They also offer Coke in glass bottles and a variety of fruity sodas for beverages.
Yay for Mony’s!

This is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. I bit frustrating though because they aren’t open very often. We’ve driven from la twice and said, «we’ll eat there!» And it’s been closed the last two times.
Besides that it’s incredible. We’ve tried the other taco places in Santa Barbara. Not as good.

Small place with amazing taste. Seating is limited but this adds to the experience.
Service was fast and staff was personal.
Monica or «Mony» was gracious enough to take a picture with me and my sister. The food, was not only «delicioso», but the presentation on the China plates was eye pleasing. Chips were nice and hot, but trying to decide what salsa to scoop up was torturous. Avocado salsa, mango salsa, pistachio salsa, poblano salsa, peanut salsa, and the regular salsa… but who wants to be boring. I drove through SB on my way to visit my brother in SLO.
I flew in from San Antonio Texas and on SW airlines received free WiFi and saw a show called «Taco Trip». This is where I first drooled over the tacos de Al Pastor
Marinated with a hint of ground up Mexican chocolate. Mony’s didn’t let me down. With sadness, I head back to Texas but I vow to return.

Authentic Mexican hole-​in-​the-​wall with flavorful and fresh food and an impressive salsa bar! Ordered three tacos (chicken, carnitas and fish). I feel like chicken is usually good or bad but there’s not much to rave about beyond that. Yet the chicken taco here was amazing, it was super tender and seasoned perfectly. Carnitas was really delicious and flavorful as well. It’s on the crispier and chewier side. Pass on the fish. The fish is in skimpy little pieces and grilled poorly. It lacked freshness and was too fishy.
BF had the al pastor burrito which was ginormous and excellently made. The tortilla was grilled, providing a firm and crispy base and the cheese was evenly distributed, which is of major importance when crafting a perfect burrito. The al pastor had a unique flavor, tasted like cinnamon or nutmeg? Really good.
Although complimentary self-​serve salsa is common at Mexican joints, Mony’s takes it to another level with unique options like peanut salsa and pistachio in addition to all the customary mild and spicy salsas. Huge fan of the pistachio salsa, the nuts provide a subtle creaminess to the salsa and it was good on everything. Chips were crispy and greasy and great. Although small, Mony’s does offer plentiful outside seating. Definitely stop by here to get your Mexican food fix! Great place to stop before spending the day in the area drinking wine :) It’s right next to several wineries.

Seriously awesome Mexican food with big portions and amazing meats and salsas.
They have a fresh salsa bar with a selection of unique salsas, including a peanut salsa and pistachio salsa. I personally enjoyed the very spicy habanero salsa the most.
I got an al pastor burrito and a lengua taco. The lengua was very tender and juicy without being mushy or slimy as it can sometimes be at other places. It had the distinct flavor of lengua without being gamey at all. Really good.
The burrito was enormous, and very well crafted. The tortilla was grilled to perfection, and the cheese was evenly distributed across the entire tortilla so it melded with all the other ingredients. The al pastor was also excellent, it was very savory and sweet, with a unique cinnamon or nutmeg flavor.
All in all, very high quality food. A perfect place to satisfy a Mexican food craving.

Good food and really nice people. The shrimp burrito with some avocado salsa on the top was great !
Really affordable price for the food quality. Simple place but tasty !

Mony’s left me unimpressed the first time I came here having tried the tacos al pastor, asada, and chicken. Maybe it was a bad day but the meat was very dry. Even with toppings it still didn’t work.
After my latest visit I can honestly say they are one of the best Mexican spots to check out here in the 805! They were also featured on the Cooking Channels «Taco Trip» with chef Aaron Sanchez. Some of my fellow Unilocalers were lucky to be filmed and made a cameo on the show too! Pretty awesome :)
I finally had a chance to try the chicken mole combo. For $ 10.75 you get a generous portion! It comes with beans, rice, warm corn tortillas, and lots of chicken covered in their delicious mole. Totally reminds me of how my great-​grandma use to make hers. I can’t wait to try the mole enchiladas!
The barbacoa is a must try! Whether it’s in a taco, torta, or just get the barbacoa plate. Trust me you won’t be disappointed. By far the best meat I’ve had! They’ve nailed it here with how they marinate it and the seasoning is perfect. The meat is super tender and juicy. Yessss get this!
They have a great salsa bar with some unique choices. My faves are the creamy avocado, peanut, and salsa verde. They also have a pistachio salsa but I love the peanut one!
Be sure to put this on your list of restaurants to check out if you’re ever in the Funk Zone or just planning a day visit here. It will be worth your time.

Possibly my favorite taqueria in SB. Perfectly seasoned meats, excellent tortillas, fantastic and uncommon salsas like pistachio, and cheap to boot. Plus, they give you chips, which is rare. Mony’s, you da best.
Try the al pastor and pollo en mole tacos, and the pistachio and avocado salsas.

I said yea (yea), yea (yea), yea, yea, yea, yea…
The pantheon of Santa Barbara taquerias is fascinating. There seem to each be niches for the top 4 places: Los Agaves, La Super Rica, Lilly’s, and Mony’s. Since each has its niche, it’s hard to even rank them versus each other; each has things that make it special and different from the others. Thus its more of a favorites game. Mony’s isn’t my favorite, but it’s a close #2. Located by the highway on a low key street, it’s basically a hole in the wall like Lilly’s with some indoor seating and a few tables outside. Oh yea, and a salsa bar a la Los Agaves. These salsas tend to be less traditional and more unique – such as both peanut and pistachio salsas – but the basic red and green salsas are there too. Some are better than others, but I recall the majority worth trying (and there were a good 10 options). Trying them all will help put the typically great tortilla chips to good use.
The menu here is similar to Lilly’s in that you pick from a selection of meats/​veggies – including more adventurous stuff like cabeza and buche – and then you pick how you want it prepared (although there were specials as well). I kept it simple and got a chicken burrito which was great. Included inside is rice, beans, onions, cilantro, and cheese. Everything was freshly prepared and the tortilla in particular was great. Sitting outside eating this was a great way to wake up and recover from the day before, even if I had woken up on the late side. This was only my first visit, but next time I’m in town I’ll probably be limiting myself to Los Agaves and…
MONY MONY, MONY MONY, MONY MONY…

Their salsa bar is next-level.pistachio salsa, peanut salsa. so bomb!
I got a mole burrito, it was the size of my forearm. someone eating at another table came and took a picture of it. She asked, «is that like some type of super burrito or is that a regular burrito?!» Just the standard torpedo my friend!
The bowl of chips they give out are worth a trip to SB on their own. so fresh and hot and tasty.
Service was excellent, food was even better. Only downside is I won’t be able to enjoy another burrito in Boston.

Add this place to your bucket list. You’ll need to eat here before you die, I kid you not.
I’m Canadian and Mexican food isn’t as prevalent at home as it is in America. My husband and I visited Santa Barbara on a cruise itinerary to Los Angeles and one of the things I did before the trip was research local restaurants. Mony’s kept coming up in my searches and I knew I had to eat there.
Mony’s is very small and only has a couple tables in the restaurant. There are additional tables on the sidewalk which is where we sat. The prices were cheap and you get huge portions. There’s even a salsa bar for your complimentary nacho chips. I had so much fun trying every salsa. I felt like a kid in a candy store.
I ordered carnita tacos and my husband ordered a quesadilla. Oh my gosh, everything was so freaking good. It tasted exactly like the food in Mexico. I devoured my tacos, they were so tasty. The meat was flavorful and the taco was topped with fresh vegetables. The quesadilla was a monster and we could not finish it. We packed it up and due to cruise ship rules, we couldn’t bring our leftovers on the ship so we gave the quesadilla to a homeless man on State Street.
If you have only a few precious hours in Santa Barbara, I highly recommend you stop by Mony’s. You will not be disappointed.

Ah yum. Finally a place that knows how to use vegetables in food. Marc Anthony playing as I walked in, beautiful presentation for just a single taco ($ 1.80), 5 creative salsas (Habañero, Mango, Pistachio (!!), Red and Chiles en Vinagre) and very quick service.
Will be returning to try the various options, this place is warm, inexpensive and lovely in the odd food scene of Downtown Santa Barbara.

#1 in my heart and stomach. At Mony’s, I’m family.
Already my favorite Barbacoa and Tripas (moist and slightly crispy but not fried to hell) tacos, I was in. It too long ago, when I walked in and Mony told me to try the Tortas. I laughed to myself thinking «of course I’ll eat whatever you tell me». «What kind?» I asked. «The Barbacoa» was Monica’s reply. Since I do what I’m told, I told her son, Carlos, who was working the register «Your mom told me I had to eat the Barbacoa Tortas today». We laughed.
Wow! Best Tortas in town.
The bread is quality to begin with. Not falling apart and cheap. The cold avocado floats atop the moist and hot barbacoa. Good thing for the paper wrapping. It catches the escaping juices allowing the lightly toasted bread to soak it up. You don’t want to waste anything here.
Monys prides themselves on great customer service and quality food served up at a fair price. If I did not believe in this family’s ability to constantly deliver, I would not be a regular. If you need a second opinion on their greatness, ask Chef Aarón Sánchez of Taco Trip on The Cooking Channel.
I think I’ll head there now.

Stopped here for lunch based upon the other reviews here on Unilocal.We ordered nachos, which had homemade chips and LOTS of good toppings.
I ordered 4 taco: asada, fish, barbacoa, and carnitas. The fish was my favorite. If I lived here (from Huntington Beach) we would be regulars.

**EXCELLENT MEXICAN FOOD IN SANTA BARBARA**
After eating lackluster Mexican food in Palm Springs,
it was a relief to finally eat here.
All about their 6 salsas, including a spicy habanero and a peanut salsa, goes well with their street tacos, tortas, mole chicken and barbacoa beef dishes.
PARKING
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There’s a side lot or street.
Can get packed on weekends, so be patient.
AMBIANCE
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Cute and clean.
Specials on the chalkboard wall.
Order at the counter and they’ll call your number and bring your items to you.
Casual, unpretentious, and friendly.
2 small tables inside.
4 – 5 tables outside.
FOOD
=====
SALSA AND CHIPS
Enjoy their salsa bar.
Love that pistachio flavored salsa the best!
Super fresh and delicious.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH MOLE SAUCE
Simple and delicious.
Chicken meat was tender and the mole sauce flavorful.
Beans were my favorite! Fresh and different.
That rice was fluffy and fragrant.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
BEVERAGE
=========
HORCHATA
Refreshing, not too sweet.
Great on a hot day.
RATING: ⁴⁄₅
SERVICE
=======
Friendly and spot-​on.
Food came out piping hot in 10 minutes.
They refilled our water pitcher.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
OVERALL
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Weekend lines and the wait can be intimidating.
But worth it, trust me.
Our now to-​go spot for Mexican food in Santa Barbara.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Get. In. My. Belly. This place is soooo good. I’ve had a number of dishes and you can’t go wrong, but the tacos are amazing. At under $ 2 each per taco you can have a feast. Their complimentary chips and taco bar are also great!

Let me just tell you-​Mexican food is my absolute favorite thing to eat. Having said that, I am definitely a tough critic.
If need be, I will eat it elsewhere, however my first choice is always Mony’s. My goto (that I rarely am able to stray from is their Barbacoa Plate. Of course I have them customize it, which they are happy to do. I’ll admit I am picky when I have the luxury to be. I always sub the beans for extra onions and cilantro. Being the angels that they are, they always put some shredded lettuce on the plate since they know I love it :) It comes with tortillas which I say no thank you to, since all I need with my plate is their addictive chips. Did I say ALL I need? No, I definitely need their salsas too. Can’t live without them! I love the avocado salsa, the red chipotle salsa, and the deliciously creamy habanero salsa for nice little spicy buzz. Seriously the best avocado salsa (which I’ve never cared for) that I’ve ever had.
The family who owns it (headed by Jose and namesake Monica) also works there and they are some of the sweetest and most genuine people I have had the honor of meeting.
Three cheers for Mony’s!!!

How in the world have I not reviewed Monys Mexican Food, yet? This is one of our top go-​to Mexican food restaurants. An establishment Hubby and I can always agree upon. Great food, great service, great prices — no contest!
Monys is family owned and operated and I have to agree with Mark F. (who wrote an excellent review on Monys btw), that when I dine here, I feel like family. Excellent customer service and the food is delicious.
Sometimes I like to keep it simple, and when I do, I order tacos. There is an impressive selection of meat and vegetables to choose from. My must haves are: Adobada, Pastor, Carne Asada, Carnitas, and Veggie (easily the best veggie taco I have had in Santa Barbara). Hubby also loves the Barbacoa.
When consuming the tacos, you must dress them with a douse of one of Monys incredibly tasty salsas. I recommend the Pistachio! A little heat and lots of flavor!
Monys is located in the heart of the Funk Zone and is the perfect spot to grab your food to go and take it with you to Fig Mountain Brewery or one of the local wine tasting rooms. But be careful, you’ll be the envy of all those in sniffing distance of you! There are also some tables in inside the small restaurant or outside along the sidewalk.
Unlike many eateries in Santa Barbara, Monys is very affordable so it is great for families, students or anyone interested in keeping more money in their pocket than someone else’s while not compromising on quality or taste.
Of its genre, Monys is as good as it gets in this town! I love supporting this family and this local business. Go check them out!