Casablanca

"Casablanca in Venice is a bit of a head-scratcher — in a good way. Located across from a Whole Foods-Chevron complex and kitty-corner to La Cabaña, the restaurant is decorated like the 1942 movie set in Morocco. Expect a roving tequila cart churning tableside margaritas, dexterous older women flipping tortillas on the dining room’s centerpiece comal, and a menu that focuses on grilled seafood dishes, with one section dedicated fully to mammoth grilled calamari steaks." - Rebecca Roland

"Casablanca in Venice has been around for about 40 years, and the menu hasn’t changed much since then, which is a good thing. The signature dish is the calamari steak, but sometimes we deviate and go for either a grande burrito or a skillet of fajitas. And aside from the solid food, Casablanca is always a dependable good time, with live music, tortillas being made in the main dining room, and, a margarita cart that will roll right up to your table." - brant cox, garrett snyder, arden shore

"This Lincoln Boulevard restaurant has kept its doors open for more than 40 years — no easy feat for a dynamic food scene like that of Venice. It might be the house-made tortillas and 250-plus tequila options that keep fans coming back, in addition to the restaurant’s signature calamari steak, squid pounded into a steak and served lightly fried. Don’t sleep on the green salsa made with avocado, cilantro, and chunks of queso fresco, which Casablanca serves with supple fresh flour or corn tortillas." - Matthew Kang, Nicole Adlman

"The menu at this old-school Mexican restaurant in Venice hasn’t changed much since the place opened 40 years ago, and we consider that one of its best qualities. The signature dish is the calamari steak, but sometimes we deviate and order either a grande burrito or fajitas. And, aside from the solid food, Casablanca is dependably raucous. Expect live music, a tortilla production zone in the main dining room, and a margarita cart that will roll right up to your table. " - sylvio martins, jess basser sanders, brant cox, arden shore

"When the craving for a big margarita and bottomless chips and salsa hits, Venice has a few options that deliver just that. But if we had to choose between Casablanca and other institutions like La Cabaña, we’d go with the former every time (the food is better). The menu at Casablanca has barely changed during 40 years of business. The signature dish is the surprisingly solid calamari steak, but the grande burrito with birria or the build-your-own fish taco situation are the main highlights. Food aside, Casablanca is a dependable good time. There's a tortilla-making station in the middle of the dining room and if you stick around long enough, someone will probably wheel the tequila cart up to your table. " - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren