Cha Cha Cha

Nothing I spired me here. Cuban sandwich was so dissapointingly bad and bland. Past times I remember being much better. Not sure what happened. Maybe it was the sangria I had the previous time that made the food more appetizing

Didn’t get to try the food or the drinks because the host was a prick and the bartender was nowhere to be found :(
I hope the second visit goes better. 0 – 1

We ordered delivery through trycaviar. I tried their chicken and it was so good! Very tender and flavorful!

My friend and I decided to take a trip to San Francisco to watch the drag queens of comedy at the Castro. He’s been ranting and Raven about this restaurant for months and has recommended that I try every time I go out to San Francisco to visit and hang out for the weekend. I typically don’t have time or if made other plans but this time I had the opportunity to trade this amazing food and their iconic sangria.
We were a little bit short on time the show was going to start in about an hour and 45 minutes, we were told that the weight was 45 minutes but we had opportunity to go to the bar and put our names down on the waitlist to sit up at the bar and order food there. We walked up and it just so happened that there’s two spots ready and available for the two of us to sit and enjoy some fine dining.
I had the pleasure of trying their jerk chicken, plantains calamari, roasted potatoes all which were delicious and flavor, not overly spicy, and just a joy to eat. We also had opportunity to have plenty of glass full’s of sangria which will knock you on your butt if you drink too much. I warn you now don’t eat the naughty fruit inside unless you want to walk out of there stumbling.

We had a group of seven hungry people on a warm Saturday afternoon. We arrived a little after 4 and were told that they stop serving lunch at 4 and start serving dinner at 5. We were welcomed to sit at a booth and enjoy drinks while we waited.
Yes, the pitchers of sangria are all that! Refreshing and fabulous!
At 4:45 we were given menus. We ordered about ten dishes, which came to the table smoothly one at a time. All the food was good and we’d all be happy to return.
The décor was fun to examine. The small trees in the middle of the restaurant are a pleasant touch and seemed to really break up the sound so that the volume wasn’t too loud.

I was a little bummed that their tapas options were limited… there was no oxtail either! Their sangria is $ 7 per glass and was pretty good. The décor is random and uncoordinated, on purpose I guess. Our waitress was pretty good. The wait on a Saturday night was 30min long.

3.5 stars. This place has a cool Cuban vibe when you first walk in. There were no available tables when my boyfriend and I first entered, so we hung out in the adjacent room with the bar. We already had a few drinks prior to coming here (we just wanted a bit of food) so we waited about 5 – 10 minutes before being seated.
We ordered two of my favorite tapas, Cajun Shrimp and Fried New Potatoes. The shrimp was sautéed in a spicy cream sauce. At first it looked like there weren’t many, but they were just swimming deep in the sauce. The potatoes had chile pasilla aioli which was pretty good. At first I didn’t like either of the plates, but gradually I warmed up to them and enjoyed the cuisine.
Service was alright, though it was difficult to track down any waiter while they were frantically running around serving the many other tables in the restaurant. Eventually we paid and left satisfied. I would not go out of my way to come back here for the food, but they have quite an extensive menu, so if you’re in the mood for some Cuban tapas, check it out. This place is poppin’!!

They have an amazing happy hour here!!! $ 14 sangria pitchers and bomb tapas. Not to mention the charming/​trippy restaurant décor so befitting for Haight St.
Must Try Food:
jerk chicken
fried platanos
seafood paella
Cajun shrimp
The service is meh hit or miss… but that’s expected for such a busy & well known restaurant. If you go just go for the food/​cool venue do not expect a fine dining experience.

A great Saturday night dinner place!
After about 40 min, we got a table for 2. Surrounded by 2 trees, we kinda felt like Zach Galifianakis in between two ferns…
We started with a half pitcher of sangria, which wasn’t as cold as we would’ve liked it to be honestly. The sangria was good (not great) but has a kick to it!
As for food, we shared the shrimp in cajun sauce, the chicken paillard, the chicken wings and the new world fries. Everything was really delicious! The sauces in the cajun shrimp & chicken paillard are soo good. Dip some of the complimentary bread in them for an extra tasty treat. The wings were great and the fries were perfect!
Cha Cha Cha is a great for a fun and delicious dinner for couples and groups as well!

After having a successful 4 – 20 smoke a thon at hippie hill some friends and I arrive at this location with the munchies. We came right in time for the happy hour menu. I ordered the lechon asado which was flavorful and filling. The highlight of my plate was the beans and rice mmmm. Even with a packed house we were able to be seated in minutes.

Great place to go in groups!
For our table of four, we ordered
Fried calamari (my favorite #1): cooked well and great pieces of calamari
Plantain dish (#5): very sweet
Steak dish (#4): pretty good seasoning but was a little dry
Cajun shrimp (#3): great taste and sauce for dipping bread but there was only 7 shrimps? Lol it seemed kinda sparse
Seafood paella (#2): yum! Cooked well and very delicious
Chicken (didn’t try)
Plus a half pitcher of sangria.
We left full and happy plus it didn’t leave a huge dent in our wallets. Came out to a total of ~$ 100
Something kind of odd that happened with a bus boy when asking if we were done with our dishes by putting both hands on table and leaning in on us/​intense gaze/​serious face. And this was repeated twice. It wasn’t rude exactly but did make us feel uncomfortable at the table. Otherwise service was pleasant and nice.

I had dinner here with a couple of friends last week. We grabbed a drink at the bar while we were waiting for our table. There was a decent amount of space to either sit or stand. For dinner we shared a pitcher of sangria as well as fried plantanos, fried calamari, sautéed mushrooms and bbq chicken quesadillas. Most of the food was good except for the calamari. The sangria was delicious and more than enough for the three of us to share.

I did a review of this place on «Check Please Bay Area!» Every now and then I see reruns and it’s fun to relive it.
The place can get packed! The tapas are some of the freshest in the city and sangria goes down smooth and easy.
Never you mind the rough exterior, inside is warm, cozy and bustling.
Yeah, I enjoy this place and I hope the keep on keeping on!

Came here for lunch on weekend and got seated immediately for a party of three. We ordered a half pitcher of sangria to start. For food we got the seafood paella along with three tapas: fried new potatoes, quesadilla with bbq chicken, and the chicken curry empanada.
The seafood paella is a must. It’s seasoned well and the rice is cooked perfectly. It comes with generous amounts of seafood including mussels, fish, and shrimp along with chicken, sausage, and olives. The potatoes are nice and crisp and they’re served with a chili pasilla aioli. It’s not a super impressive dish but it’s pretty good if you’re just looking for something to help fill you up. The quesadilla was probably my favorite tapa, it’s got a generous amount of chicken and cheese and it’s served with guac, sour cream, and salsa. You can also get it with pork or a vegetarian version if you’re not feeling chicken. The chicken curry empanada was decent but it was disappointing that they only give you one decent sized empanada. Half the plate is composed of salad greens. Overall, a pretty solid joint; I would come back to order the paella again.

Cha cha cha makes me wanna do cha cha cha ;P
I liked this restaurant. Its different! Food was lovely too.
Ordered:
Sauté Mushrooms-​nicely flavoured, no one can eat just one: D
Sangria was one of its best!
Beans & Rice-​not bad
Chips & Guac, Potatoes – grab a bite, chit chat with friends, enjoy the music and ambience!
Overall nice Cuban Tapas Hangout :)

A lot about customer satisfaction is in managing expectations well.
IMHO, if you are particular about where customers sit, then have a host seat them. If you choose not to use a host, then have signs on tables that indicate they are reserved for parties of 4 or more. But you are setting yourself up for a disappointed customer if you let them sit anywhere they want, let them get comfortable and spend time perusing the menu … only to then tell them they have to get up and move to another table (esp when your restaurant at that moment is 90% empty.)
Then when they move to another table, ensure they don’t find this sitting at their feet. (Note: we were one of the first guests that day, so this is highly likely from the day before! Tip: if you drop food on the floor, don’t pick it up and eat it!)
Service — hmm, I do not believe there was any service between bringing our food and clearing our plates.
Food — they didn’t have the item I wanted to order. Again, we were one of the first customers, so it wasn’t because they ran out. Me thinks they need an «operations» manager to figure out seating, cleaning, and supply ordering. Otherwise, food — good enough. As we walked the neighborhood afterwards, we found ourselves saying many times, «Oh, we could’ve eaten there!» «Oh, we should’ve eaten there!» i.e. there are plenty of great restaurants out there!

Are you looking for great, atypical tapas in the Haight area? Then Cha Cha Cha has got you covered. Being vegetarians, we only tried the non-​meat options, which were tasty and satisfying. (Definitely try the plantains if you’re into those and/​or the quesadillas which are pretty yummy as well.) On top of that, Cha Cha Cha serves some of the best Sangria we’ve ever had!
The service is great as well. Even though the place was jam-​packed, we waited at the bar and were seated quite quickly. During dinner, one of the waiters made sure our glasses stayed full. Plus, this restaurant’s cutely decorated and has loads of busy ambiance that make it a pleasure to be there. Overall, Cha Cha Cha is a vibrant place for a lovely date or for a great night with your peeps; it’s perfect for eating, talking and romance.

We tested a few appetizers and an entrée and a desert and nothing game us any satisfaction.
It was boring, I have no clue why this place is trendy.
Actually I have a hint, the sangria is said to be really good, maybe most reviewers are too intoxicated to actually taste their food.

Food is delicious and location is great!
Street parking.
No reservations, just show up with your party.
Food can all be shared.
Split a pitcher of sangria but beware it is super strong.
Favorite item has to be the beans with the plantains.
Music is loud here but fun! Gets you in the salsa mood.

Oh wow! Stumbled onto this place by luck, and what good fortune that was! Everything is delicious here, and vibe is incredible. I love love LOVE the jerk chicken and seafood paella! Fried calamari was light and soft, and even the cubano sandwich was tasty! Only thing is waiters were too busy to take our order, but once the order was in the food came surprisingly quickly! From now on this is my place to take visitors to Haight-​Ashbury!

Every time I visit I always have to stop here and get the Seafood Paella and the sautéed mushroom. But most importantly a pitcher of sangria! One of my favorite places in San Fransisco.

My favorite SF restaurant.
Go have the chicken palliard, the spicy shrimp, the friend new potatoes a SM mussels and enjoy the atmosphere with some Sangria and you’re set for sure.

This has to be my favorite restaurant in San Fran! I absolutely love it and have been coming here for years! The menu is great and so it the service. It can get a little hectic sometimes trying to get a table and trying to get your order taken, but it’s so good that I don’t mind!
The décor in the place is super sweet and the sangria is too die for! All of the plates are great and so are the desserts! I ordered the Coconut Flan for the first time and I wish I ordered more! If you want a memorable experience near Haight & Ashbury st, go HERE!

One of the best places to go for some casual and delicious tapas on any night!
Perfect for a little post-​work pitcher of sangria to split among friends and go ahead and order 3 – 4 tapas for a nice group of 4 people.
Chicken Paillard — ⁵⁄₅ the chicken is tender and moist, but the best part is the sauce that the chicken is smothered in. Now take some of that free bread and soak it up in the sauce and praise the gods for sending you this dish
Mussels — ⁴⁄₅ fresh AF and it’s cooked in a great little broth
Fried Calamari — ⁴⁄₅ always a good choice anywhere you go; the ones here are crisp and the dipping sauce (lemon aioli) they provide is great (though, pro-​tip: dip it in the chicken Paillard sauce and win life)
Seafood Paella — ³⁄₅ maybe it was because we were too stuffed by the time this came out, but definitely wasn’t the star of the dishes we had. While good, it was a bit on the mushier side of paellas and decently seasoned
But the best part is definitely the fresh sangria – nice and strong with clumps of fresh fruit as well. Overall this is a great place that keeps me coming back

It’s pretty good Cuban food on the West Coast. The location is great and the ambiance is awfully cool, I couldn’t stop looking around. I liked the service too, friendly people.
First of all the plantains are awesome. If dining here, order a serving and don’t share. I love plantains and order if I see it on any menu. The muscles were a hit or miss. I wasn’t sure what was happening as some were chewy and others were fresh. I also ordered the Cuban sandwich, it was a Cuban sandwich. For me, it was good but not the best that I’ve had in Miami.
I did get to take bites off my friends plates and I wanted their food over mine. They weren’t willing to trade, some friends! I took bites of the Jerk Chicken and the Lechon. From the small bites my stingy friends offered me, both tasted great. I was jealous.
When I come back, I will definitely stick with the Plantains and jerk chicken. And yes I am definitely having sharing issues here.

Super delicious cuban spot that has aced the art of share plates. We came with a group of four for a late lunch and shared four items from the tapas menu. We came after having a late breakfast so were not super hungry. I’d recommend ordering another item or two if you are coming for a normal sized meal.
— Chicken Paillard ($ 10.5) — the cream sauce is incredible and goes really well with the crusty bread they automatically bring to the table.
— Fried Calamari ($ 10) — really good (a tad on the greasy side, but still super yummy), I liked dipping this in the left over Chicken Paillard sauce as with a touch of the house made hot sauce.
— Marinated Chicken Wings ($ 11) — perfectly crispy and just the right amount of sauce, these wings were great. They were less spicy than the menu made them seem.
— Fried Platanos ($ 8.5) — in my opinion these are a must order at any cuban place and Cha Cha Cha did a stellar job. The beans the were served with were also really good.
Overall this was a great spot with a fun vibe. I’d love to come again and try more menu items!

Came here for Happy Hour (4 — 7 pm) on a Tuesday with my co-​workers and there was no wait. Food was surprisingly delicious, order came out rather quick, portions were big, and rather inexpensive ($ 8 to $ 9 per HH item).
— Sangria (pitcher for $ 24) tasted like the 2 buck chucks, but with lots of fruit and minimal sugar
— Fried Potatoes –big diced chunks of deep fried potato with chile pasilla aioli, served piping hot & crunchy
— Fried Calamari with lemon aioli– can’t go wrong with breaded and fried squid
— Seafood Paella ($ 25) well seasoned, came with loads of seafood, definitely a dish meant to be shared
Unfortunately, Cha Cha Cha does not have an open bar and is limited to only serving sangria, beer, and wine.

Been wanting to try this place for years! I regret waiting so long but better late than never.
Started with half pitcher of sangria, refreshing! Cajun shrimp was delicious with a nice kick, make sure to soak up the sauce with their complimentary bread! Fried calamari in a light crispy batter was plentiful for tapa size. Cha3 Jerk chicken was baked just right, wish the habanero sauce had a little more kick but it was very tasty. Special was their snow crab cakes (2 huge ones) served over a nice warm bed of spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and cabbage salad with balsamic vinaigrette, delicious and great price ($ 12)!
Service was good but next time I would ask not for all the dishes to be served at the same time.
Will definitely make another visit or two to try other items on their menu.

Cha Cha Cha. Of course my inner fob would immediately lead me to think it’s a tea place. (Fun fact: cha means tea in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) But seeing that it’s a Caribbean/​Cuban tapas place, the name probably refers to the cha-​cha dance (it is a dance, right??? Hmm maybe I am quite fobby after all)
Their happy hour is everything you could ask for: tasty and filling food, strong sangria that comes in pitchers, and booths that are good for groups. I suggest just getting all the food on the happy hour menu because altogether it’s a good balance of carby and proteiny things.
(++) Calamari: My favorite, nice and peppery with a delicious sauce (not ranch! I think it’s house-​made, with just the right amount of creaminess and an addicting lemon zest).
(+) Potatoes: I like the paprika and spicy sauce, which add a kick and make this much better than your average potatoes. It’s roasted perfectly with a thin crispy coating and soft starchy interior. Mmm carbs. It gets even tastier towards the end of the happy hour meal when you begin to get the drunchies.
(+) Wings: It may be unfair that my standard for wings are the legendary Hot Sauce & Panko, but Cha Cha Cha’s wings are quite good and brings back my childhood memories of buffalo wings :3 The buffalo wing sauce is umami and on point. Although the wings themselves were a bit soggy and smaller than I would’ve liked, overall it was still quite tasty. (Also, the presentation on the cast iron skillet adds bonus points.)
(+/​-​) Chicken quesadilla: Not bad, but compared to everything else I think this stood out the least. It was rather greasy with the cheese, as are most quesadillas. I know I’ve been raving about the sauce for all the other dishes, but the salsa for the quesadilla looked watery. I would pass on the quesadilla and get another order of the calamari or wings instead.
(++) Sangria: Yay for strong sangria! Even after the ice melted, it did not taste diluted and you notice the fruit infused into the wine. I’ve been disappointed with the sangria at Fresca, Pacific Catch, and El Techo in my opinion, but here they make sangria the way you expect – strong good wine with fruity overtones, the classy and grown-​up version of those peculiar fruity drinks you had in undergrad because you thought wine was gross.
Ambiance is fun with the tropical theme, though I find the tablecloth designs a little dizzying (black with colorful squarish birds). We left very happy and satisfied after happy hour, and it came out to a cost-​effective $ 11 per person. You get so gleefully buzzed that you could almost cha-​cha-​cha dance out the door: D

Definitely more on the Spanish side than Cuban side of cuisine. We had the veggie paella, mussels, fried platanos. All decent in flavor, but not extraordinary.
We called at 7:30pm to make reservations, which they don’t take. They said it wasn’t busy just to come on in. We arrived at 8pm and it was an hour and ten minute wait for restaurant seating or you could go to the bar for quicker seating. We decided to go to the bar for quick seating and a Sangria. The Sangria is STRONG. We waited less than 15 minutes for seating.
The problem with this restaurant is that it is crowded and loud. If you’re looking for an intimate place or for even Cuban food for that matter, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a loud place to be with friend to drink and have so-​so Spanish food, this is it.
I probably wouldn’t return. I’d look for a true tapas place if I want Spanish food or I’d look for an authentic Cuban restaurant with fried Yucca, Ropa Vieja, garlic chicken and Cuban coffee. I think they need to update the description of their restaurant, as it’s deceiving.

Surprised by how well this restaurant is rated… my experience was somewhat disappointing…
Came here with a friend to try it out. The sangria is pretty good. We had a half pitcher of that.
For food, I ordered the spinach and ricotta empanada, which came with a small salad on the side. My friend got the rice and beans along with the cajun shrimp. We both thought that the food was really bland and not that great.
The service was okay when we got there but once we ordered the food, we were never really helped again until we were completely done with everything.
Again…not sure why this place is well-​rated…

I came here for a first date. A blind date, might I add. The strange man sitting across from me had the brilliant idea of ordering chicken wings. Messy, sticky, drenched-in-sauce…chicken wings! Now he might not have seen this as a faux pas, but the thought of dropping a wing on my cute little outfit — oh the horror! To this day, I still don’t know what he was thinking… and I remind my boyfriend of that every time we come here. If those wings weren’t so darn good, who knows what would have happened!
Cha Cha Cha is my favorite spot for tasty Cuban cuisine. The food is consistently delicious and the fruity sangrias come by the glass or the pitcher. The prices are affordable considering the generous portion sizes and the atmosphere is colorful, upbeat, and lively. It can be a little loud sometimes and some of the tables are close together, but you’ll have such a good time you won’t even notice!
My Go-​To Order:
1) Warm Spinach Salad w/​bacon, mushrooms, and dijon-​sherry wine dressing; the spinach is slightly but perfectly wilted by the hot bacon and tangy dressing.
2) Ceviche; chunky and fresh with a nice citrus kick.
3) Guava chipotle chicken wings; rich and satisfying sauce packed with flavor. The perfect balance of sweet and spicy.
4) Fried calamari w/​lemon-​garlic aioli; tender squid with a nice crispy breading.
5) Seafood paella w/​Spanish rice, mussels, chicken, andouille sausage, calamari, and scallops; the flavorful rice has an almost velvety texture and goes great with the all the seafood.
Dinner usually runs me about $ 35-​$ 40 a person and the portions are perfect for 2 – 3 people. I always leave happy and full. A fun spot for a date or a night out with friends!

Love it at Cha Cha Cha! Been here twice now, once at the mission location, and last night at this location. You can’t go wrong with either location since the food and vibe are similar. It is loud and crowded here. You may have to shout during your conversations. Wait time for two was about 25 minutes yesterday for a Saturday night.
MUST ORDERS:
–Sangria: get a mini pitcher instead of two glasses. The waiter told me two glasses=$ 14 and a little pitcher (4 glasses)=$ 17. Why not?
–Seafood paella ($ 25): so delicious and so worth it!
–Cajun shrimp: the sauce that comes with it is so good dipped with the complimentary bread
Service was good, and I would definitely come back!

I have been to this place a few times, but because of the high intake of the sangria, I really don’t remember how good the food was. I know, I know, TMI
Anyways, yesterday I went with a different mindset because I planned on enjoying and remebering the day, the food, the sangria and most importantly the time I got to spend with my best friends.
We started of with a picture of sangria, a water back and the fried calamari with lemon-​garlic aioli.
Then came the warm spinach salads, the seafood paella, the cubano classico and the cha3 jerk chicken.
Everyone was happy with their dishes, I know I was because I cleaned my plate, I did however bring some of my mushrooms home with me and I added them to my breakfast omelet.
Did I mention the fresh bread that comes with. oh yeaaah!
Add one more picture of sangria to that to finish the day off and we were all happy chompers.
Our waitress Ava (sp) was attentive as well as the rest of the staff.
Wait, wait, wait I forgot to tell yáll we waited less than 10 minutes to be seated (insert happy face)
Ok, ok I am rambling. I will finish up with saying/​typing
1.Great Service
2.Great Food
3. Strong Sangria
And most importantly great company. You know I will be back, If I remember going the next day that is up in the air.
3.5 Yumms Up!

Bön Resto sud américain,à faire en couple ou en famille !!! Et surtout avec de la sangria… humm

Muy buena la comida! Conociendo los lugares de Sf locales :) best sangria ever!!! The shrimp, platano macho and sauté mushroom are da best!

Dans une décoration haute en couleurs et chaleureuse, ce restaurant nous concocte des plats typiques où se mélangent avec douceur l’ail et la tomate. Les tapas sont au rdv ainsi que les sandwichs locaux.
Ce lieu ravis nos sens et nos papilles. Et le prix est raisonnable. Très bonne adresse dans un quartier sympa de San Francisco.

Wir kehrten hier auf Empfehlung unseres Busfahrers ein und wurden nicht enttäuscht. Bei der Bestellung stellte sich heraus, dass unsere Bedienung aus Deutschland stammte und heute Geburtstag hatte. Ihr Service war großartig und das Essen mal etwas anderes als der übliche USA-​Kram. Das Schokoladenmousse-​Dessert war einsame Spitze. Den Stern Abzug gibt es für das etwas gedrängte Sitzen, aber das ist wohl der Preis dafür, wenn man nur zu zweit hier ist. Die Tische für größere Gruppen lagen besser.
Definitiv eine Empfehlung. Die Lage passt auch gut, wenn man von Downtown aus über die Painted Ladies durch die Haight Street hierher gewandert ist und langsam Kohldampf schiebt.