Lalla Grill Promenade opens third location in Marina.

Dinner-and-a-movie was just made easier thanks to restaurateur Alex Moncada, now that Lalla Grill Promenade is open in the Dunes shopping center in Marina near the Cinemark movie theater.

The new restaurant by Moncada Group is the third iteration of Lalla Grill, joining others located on Cannery Row and in Del Monte Center in Monterey. A grand opening for Lalla Grill Promenade happened on Thursday, May 6 after a soft opening the weekend prior.

General Manager Rigo Garcia is excited to welcome the establishment to Marina.

“Having this come to Marina is special,” Garcia says, adding that as development expands and more stores open, Marina is becoming a quick getaway for locals and visitors alike with great food, great drinks and great service right off Highway 1.

And locals agree: Sandra and Alan Shaffer are Marina residents sitting at the bar in the evening of the grand opening. “We have visited Lalla locations for years,” Sandra says. “But we can now walk here.”

The new location shares about 70 percent of other Lalla Grill restaurants according to Garcia, but with a several signature additions. Some dishes exclusive to the Marina location are the spicy fusilli alla vodka, bolognese, spicy Korean wings and a wagyu smash burger—all of which also tailor prices toward a medium-income crowd. Another signature dish at the location is beef burgundy for $32, foregoing the fancy "boeuf bourguignon" title in favor of accessibility.

But the star might be the central bar of the restaurant, featuring cocktails like a poblano margarita and the Oaxacan Sunset, a refreshing mezcal-based sweet and spicy cocktail utilizing tropical fruit, citrus and chili heat with Tajin on the rim.

Garcia got to see this new restaurant come to life as it was literally being built. “I came in when there was only a bar shell,” he explains. “We have an all-star staff.”

The team he hired comes with decades of combined experience in fine dining from places including Carmel, Pebble Beach and Carmel Valley Ranch. Paired with those are servers and bartenders with years of institutional knowledge of the Lalla brand. 

Lalla Grill Promenade is currently open at 4pm Wednesday through Sunday for dinner service only, but plans to expand to seven days per week and eventually offer brunch.