Went here for my dad's birthday on a weekday night. Service was friendly and fast, atmosphere colorful and inviting. Food was super tasty but very heavy! A good idea to dine here family style. I recommend the arroz con pollo, seafood paella, and lechon asado!
It was really fun. The Cajun shrimp was yumy; Ceviche a bit less sour and like it as such, the fish they made it with is very good, fresh and rich; the jerk chicken not so impressed, over tendered but in-line with what I've experienced with Cuban food. Also ordered a Blue Moon, excellent beer that got extra kick than the normal dole bottled beers. Especially impressed was the portions, other than the shrimp there are more food than entrees, it is supposed to be tapas! Which makes it so awesome. And I guess a mix of South American food also is way better than authentic Cuban food, which is probably only well cooked pork/minced beef/beans/etc. Only thing to complain is that it feels like a run-down warehouse, maybe that is what Cuba supposed to feel like, but I was expecting at least one Cha, you see, there are even 3 Chas. Guys, just some lovely music will help. Service was great.
(4)
Luke S.
Yo this place isn't usually very busy when I see it but to me this is a hot spot I dig it . The happy hour is soo excellent. half off sangria is like whoa, and its excellent sangria too. I was hella sucking the juices out of them fruits. $3 beers too!! Definitely feeling the tapas, THe chicken wings were hella good soo thick and juicy and very saucy. mmm finger licking baby. THe service here is really great too and the waitresses here sure know about style. I like places with unique people. I dig it and really wanted to get to know them ha.
(5)
Katrina A.
I've come here a few times on different occasions, but I'm always a little disappointed when I leave, since I end up paying way too much for mediocre Cuban food. I've tried the bistek encebollado and the pork chimichangas -- neither were as flavorful as Cuban food should be, and the service took an inordinate amount of time (the restaurant wasn't super busy). I do love love love their yucca frita, but that's just about all I'd go back there for.
(3)
Julia C.
A couple pitchers of the sangria and you'll be clutching on to the steering wheel for dear life. I speak from experience, no matter how much carbs you intend on intaking do your self a favor and come here with a DD. The two of you can sloth it up as the gluttony wears down. Fritas, ceviche, shrimp, calamari... get it all. I'm sad to say I didn't have the pleasure of indulging into the potato balls as we noticed them on the menu on the way out. Supposedly they're talking Porto's status so you could imagine my resentment as this is the closest that NorCal will get.
(4)
Alexander J.
You know what kinda rhymes with Seafood Paella? Diarrhea. Was it Anthony Bourdain who said, "Don't order seafood on Mondays?" Yeah, don't do that at Cha Cha. I spat out one of the mussels that tasted weird, but must have eaten another bad one. Yikes. Too bad, the BBQ Pork quesadilla wasn't bad: stuffed with a lot of pork, a little too salty, but not bad. And the Paella actually tasted OK... and my water glass was never less than 3/4 empty.
(2)
Jen A.
Following the trend of good reviews, here's another one for ya. I've been to 3 "Cha cha cha's" in the bay area, and seems to be all the same. I've enjoyed each one and giving my review to San Mateo location because it's closer to work vs SF locations. The tapas are delicious, I am a huge fan of Cuban food and really enjoyed all the dishes I've tried and I've had basically all of them. I have never been disappointed even when its a busy time or a slow time. The servers are helpful and the atmosphere is calming even when there's a ton of people. The good food makes the big difference to making this establishment superb. I've had the ceviche (could be better but still tasty), calamari frito (eh mediocre still good though), quesadilla de pollo (bbq and all the sides put it all together its yum), chicken curry empanada(it was ok), hongos al jerez (my favorite I love mushrooms!), black mussels (really good too), alitas de pollo (great tapas to pass around big party), croquetas de cangrejo, papas fritas (good for big parties and who can't love aioli with potatoes mmmm) and papa rellenas (which is usually on the specials chalk board they have). If you know Cuban food then you know Portos in socal I always miss Portos and this is my one fix in the bay area that will hit the spot when I'm missing my Cuban fix. I've always gone in groups of 3+ at most I've gone with 8. It was never an issue to find seating you'll have to wait for a bigger party but its worth the wait. Sangria is good nothing out of this world but definitely nice paired with tapas and good friends :) . I am definitely a regular and will continue because of its food and atmosphere. Clean, good service, great food, can't complain.
(5)
Lotus E.
I love this spot! The only thing I don't like about this place is their seating setup, idk I wasn't feeling it. But who cares the food is definitely on point!
(5)
Debb D.
The Tapas were all delicious we had a party of 12 so we ordered pretty much every tapas on the menu and shared with our whole party. The sangria was good too.. They were really busy hence service was a little slow.
(4)
Lisa K.
Unfortunately the lechon was a textbook example of my Puerto Rican mother -in-law's warning : you can't have too much garlic, but you can have too much salt. The meat was too bland so everything had too much salt added to it. We also found that the ropa vieja was much better the next day, once the flavors had melded a bit more. I found the sangria to be pretty much too sweet to drink. But, the atmosphere and music was pretty nice, and we liked some of the appetizers.
(3)
Juan I.
One word: SANGRIA!!! Omg best sangria around! During happy hour, a pitcher is only $12! Such a great deal. Their food was pretty tasty as well. I also was very satisfied with the customer service. They worked hard to set up a table of 20 for my friends and I, when they already had a party of 40 to serve. Food and drinks were served very quick. Only down fall was they are stingy with bread, and it won't be served unless asked. However, we will be back for the sangria!
(4)
Regina C.
This review is strictly for their happy hour. So amongst the wide selection of yummy tapas, etc etc... THE BEST PART --- Half off sangria pitchers. I dig it.
(3)
Kim N.
3.5 stars because the food was amazing but the apparent lack in customer service made our dinner a bit unpleasant. It was a Saturday night and the waiter said it would be about a 30 minute wait -- no problem. That's what happens when you come promptly at dinner time on a Saturday night. As we're standing out in the cold, others were packing themselves in the little waiting area closest to the window. There's no 'real' division between the patrons eating, attempting to enjoy their meal and the wide-eyed patrons waiting for a table. The set up of the restaurant is a bit weird when it's gets really crowded. 30 minutes pass, and we expect a table in the back because that's what the waiter said. But because of the apparent lack in communication between two waiters, they give our table to another group and place us right in front of the other hungry customers waiting to eat. I'd really prefer not to be stared down at by customers as I eat and there was no way to avoid that. The food made up for all of that and may be the only reason why I go back. My table ordered: Calamari: great garlic aoili but it's honestly like any other fried calamari. Pollo Al Jerk: fall off the bone chicken thighs, great flavor but I wish there was just a bit more sauce. Still a great dish. Paella: Since we shared all of our dishes among 4, the paella was a bit small for us. Mixture of seafood was a great combination, can't go wrong with this one. Alitas De Pollo: The gauva-chipotle description intrigued us to order this dish, but it was not that memorable. I'd prefer the habenero mango chicken wings from Buffalo Wild Wings any day. Ropa Vieja: Great flavor and texture. I'm not a complete fan of plantains but we managed to finish the plate clean!
This place reminds me of cha cha cha in the mission. I am not sure if it has the same owner. A good place to have a party or have dinner with a group of friends. They have good sangria. Lots of yummy tapas like the mussels, calamari, big croquettes....Cheap too compared to other tapas bars.
(4)
Leslie C.
3.5 I got the lechon asado and friend got the arroz con pollo. The pork in my lechon was sooo tender.. it was absolutely delish. The rice was good, even though it was served with black beans (I'm not a fan of beans). However, I didn't really like the plantains. They were really sugary and I know plantains are normally extremely sugary anyway, but I think they drizzled some sort of honey-sugar concoction over it because it was exxxxtra sweet. My friend's dish wasn't too bad, either. The rice was good, but the chicken was just OK. I definitely liked my pork more. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here, but I am interested in trying the ropa vieja.. just the meat portion of it, though.
(3)
Conlan R.
Great food and sangria! Can't beat the prices either.
(4)
Jeralyn M.
Attentive staff, bomb food, and buzzerific sangria! Tried the white sangria today. Same potency as the red and lighter in taste. Had two tapas and thought it wasn't going to be enough for a party of two, pero it was just right. Never disappointed with the Cajun shrimp and calamari :)
(5)
Theresa B.
The food was excellent and the white sangria was tasty. Parking was a little tricky.
(5)
Chantal P.
Actually, better than what I was expecting but not better than the Cha Cha Cha in SF. The happy hour Sangria and food is well worth a visit after a long stressful day at work. Get the spicy shrimp, wings, and yucca fries.
(3)
Alexandra F.
This Cha Cha Cha is smaller than either two in SF, but the food was just as wonderful.
(4)
Farhana D.
Cha Cha Cha's is a fun place for delish tapas and yummy sangrias! This place was actually very good, but the seafood in the seafood paella lacked freshness. The paella flavors were good, but if seafood isn't fresh it really taints the dish. On the other hand, the tapas here are amazing! The garlic shrimp, Cajun shrimp, calamari, papas fritas and ofcourse the sangrias are to die for! It's a fun spot to meet up with friends and have a fun dinner!
(4)
Shelby C.
Cha Cha Cha never fails! The sangria and tapa plates alwaaaaays hit the spot, not to mention they compliment each other so well. Both so rich and flavorful in their elements. I would really give this place a 4.5/5 but I think the tapa plates are a little overpriced for how much you get. But then again they are pretty delicious. Also, complimentary bread! And props to their restaurant location selection- always in good, central locations (i.e. downtown San Mateo, Haight in SF), where you can walk off your buzz and full stomach.
(4)
Ivette R.
Such a cute little place! Came here for a friends bday and we ordered the camarones al ajillo..... It was good but I wouldn't order it again and my friend thought it was too salty. We also order half a pitcher of sangria... Really good! We were both pretty happy by the time we finished it ;). I took off one star because of the shrimp. Another one because as I was walking to the table to sit I slipped and almost fell. The waitress saw but didn't bother to clean the wet floor. Oh another plus is that there's a guy with a guitar that comes in and sings. Very nice guy and good singer.
(3)
Anita L.
Have been wanting to try this place for a while. I loved the ambience here - it was super warm and homey, reminded me a little of New Orleans. The sangria here is delish and is a must have. For food, we got their cajun shrimp and papas fritas. The latter was a lot bigger than I expected (which is a good thing!) and the shrimp had a nice kick to it (for me, the spicier the better.) Loved the food and even better, the service was amazing. The staff was super friendly and accommodating. This place seems pretty popular - came here on a Friday evening, and waited around 20 minutes for a table. Beware - downtown San Mateo is super congested around this time on the weekends, so plan on coming earlier because finding parking is definitely all about luck.
(4)
Kamila A.
Excellent food and service! The sangria is one of the best I've ever had! We ordered calamari, platanos con frijoles, camarones al ajillo, paella and salmon. I'm definitely going back to try the rest of the menu. Service is excellent, ambiance is great!
(5)
Rene B.
Of course less than 24 hours after writing this review.... Sangria - Not that good, watery, no flavor...maybe corked or super, super cheap wine or watered down. Is that possible being the wine should be cheap? Either someone inexperienced is making the batch or they are cutting back on some ingredients. It was like sangria with a hole in it. New server - Attitude, so not friendly. She's in her 20's, brown hair. Her face may crack if she smiles. Pork quesadilla (not what it is called on the menu) - Burnt shell, served like a taco instead of wrapped like a burrito in a soft flour roll which means everything falls out when cutting into it. Meat still attached to slimy fat and not tender like before. I am always grossed out with fatl so I could hardly eat. It use to shred with a fork, no fat! Yucca - still good, asked for extra sauce which was not a problem but it will never be enough. Like I said before you need the sauce. They give you a ton of yucca but not enough of the herbed sauce to accompany the dish. It needs it. Otherwise it tastes like fries with no nuttin'! I honestly think they should add olive oil and drizzle it all over and then give the little dab on the side. Ceviche - Delicious. A lot of fish. Very little broken chips. Not on happy hour menu. Could have been an off day. Will return to see what's the dealio.
(3)
Franki M.
The food was exquisite. Had a Paella filled with delicious seafood. Clams, calamari, shrimp, salmon and scallops filled the paella with flavor. The "relleno de papas" also delicious. This were crunchy on the outside, as a puertorican this was weird for me. Still it was full of flavor.
(5)
Jack I.
I believe this Cha Cha Cha Cuba is done by the same people of the two Cha Cha Chas in SF but I can not say for sure. Although we were initially happy to have a Cha Cha Cha outside of SF after visiting several times I do not believe we will go back. The last time I went the service wasn't bad, it was non-existent. After the first few plates nothing was coming out of the restaurant. Every time I look over to the kitchen I just see the chef and waiter chatting it up. This went on for close to an hour, no food was coming out for anyone. It was bizarre. The waiter finally came to us and said "all set?". I looked at him and said "we haven't even received our food yet." We left $20 on the table and walked out. I noticed that when they first opened up there was some buzz and interest but now the place seems to always be empty or no where near as full as the locations in SF. It's not for lack of customers either cause next door the restaurant has a line out the door. I guess having a Cha Cha Cha in San Mateo was just too good to be true. Gave ti 2 stars cause the first few times was as expected, but it has since been down hill.
Customer service sucks! The waitresses are a little rude, don't smile, and didn't like us asking for bread. They sucked! And because of that it doesn't make me want to go back. The food is really good. I've gone to the one in the city and it's bomb! So we went to the one closer to home. Their filetilla de pollo is the best thing I've ever had! I can eat that all day! Their ceviche I loved as well! It was perfect. Soft, lemony, and comes with chips. Their ropa vieja was delicious. Very flavorful. And of course their Sangria is very good! I definitely recommend the one in the city on Haight. It's worth the trip there. Like I said in the beginning, the waitresses suck! Customer service is NO BUENO!
(3)
eric t.
SANGRIA!!!!! Growing up near San Francisco I know Cha cha chas very well. When they finally opened one down the peninsula I was pretty excited. Sure enough its the same great flavorful food and same yummy sangria. Occasionally some specials are on the menu that you can't get at the San Francisco locations. I have been there a few times now. Service is always great. Ask for Mario if you go. He is always smiling. Great place for a romantic dinner for 2 and just as great for those large parties as well. Order the Cajun Shrimp when you go. The sauce is very addicting. And order extra bread. Something about that sauce and their bread. They are meant to go together.
(5)
Wendy X.
I always leave here slurring my sentences and walking in crooked lines. So what?! Im proud! I'm asian, and I'm a lightweight! I always get the red sangria and the white sangria, which is probably a bad idea, but OH WELL! And I'm always with my partner in crime, ADRIENNE DOMINO HEAD. The red sangria is my favorite, it has a must stronger wine flavor, I think it has a bit of an odd aftertaste, but that is if you are really picky. The white sangria has a much more subtle wine flavor, not strong enough for me, but domino head loves it. the mussels are bomb, the guava chili chicken, and the shrimp cajun!! Ask for extra sauce in the shrimp cajun so you can get extra bread to dip it in. hint hint; nursing trick, eat fatty foods while drinking and not carbs. Carbs are first to digest, making you more drunk at a faster rate. Eat a slab of butter, that'll help! The service is nice, not too great on speed though. The price isn't the cheapest either, but I just come here for the sangria and the tapas! The owner is very nice though, so try to talk to him when he's around. He makes sure your experience at cha cha cha is worth it. Sometimes, after I walk out, I want to walk in front of the Tpumps line, wave like the princess diaries taught me, and say thank you thank you, the princess has arrived. It's nice knowing that you are one of the first employed, and you were there back when the quality was way better. Had to move on though!! So maybe I won't be seeing too much of cha cha cha anymore.
(4)
John W.
After working around San Mateo, me and my coworkers would often walk by this place. However, on this particular Sunday afternoon, we decided to check this place out. It was a nice change from the countless times that we've had asian food around town. We all shared the ceviche, quesadilla de pollo BBQ, and the platano fritos. Our drink of choice for that day was a pitcher of sangria. We noticed there was white sangria upon request, but we went classical with the drink. The ceviche was alright. I was expecting to have more shrimp pieces as opposed to having fish pieces in the ceviche. Other than that, that was my only discrepancy with the ceviche. The quesadilla was great. I usually don't order chicken quesadillas, but this one was pretty tasty. The chicken was moist and flavorful. The addition of having the salsa and guacamole on the side is good too. My favorite was the platano fritos. The sweet bananas paired with savory beans and the sour cream were a good pairing in my honest opinion. Lastly, the sangria pitcher that we ordered was fantastic. There really is not much to say about this. It was good and I highly recommend ordering it, maybe not a pitcher like we did, but a glass or two. In all, it was a good meal with good ambience and good people.
(4)
Rhea M.
NOPE!!! I normally go to the ChaChaCha in the Mission, so I decided, well... I can give this location a try, shouldn't be too different? NO NO NO.... :( 1. Small, and not very clean 2. Bread was stale, and she only gave us a few pieces, and I had to keep asking for more... 3. Portion for my Cajun Shrimp was much smaller 4. Terrible service 5. Sangria is not good (which I have heard from other friends in the past but didn't want to believe it...) and last but not least, what do I hate?! 6. Hair in my FAVORITE CAJUN SHRIMP... Not coming back because I was so disappointed...
(1)
Brian B.
Enjoyed the food at Cha Cha Cha Cuba. Not sure about the name...many of the dishes were Spanish, Argentine, etc...but maybe that's what Cubans eat? Definitely different from the Cuban food I've had in the past... Anyway, the place is awesome for groups because you can order a lot of little tapas and share them with the table. We got a little of everything and passed it all around to try ALL the things. My favourites were probably the Chicken Al Jerk and [especially[ the Papas Fritas. Highly recommended.
(4)
Nancy W.
When i was still working in the area sometimes last year my co workers and i ordered take out, I got the Paella de Mariscos and the portion was so big!! i'm sure anyone who is reading this review is like DAMN its $16 of course the portion is big. butt anywho! It amazing!! I had enough for lunch the next day. This is a must try cuban food
(5)
Tony P.
We really feel sad writing this review. We are a huge huge fan of cha cha cha , but in San Francisco. The other day we were in san mateo and saw the sign and we were ecstatic. The first thing that came to mind was the yummy shrimp with jerk sauce. So we went around the corner and parked the car and walked really fast to make sure they've seats. We know how crowded cha cha cha in san Francisco is. We had to wait in line sometimes and when you get a seat, you felt like you passed some great test :-). So we get in around 5pm or so. Surprise 1. No body inside. I mean 0. We were the first. I couldn't believe. So I thought something should be out of order here. So we sat, ordered the food, the shrimp with the jerk sauce. Then we realized why there weren't that many people . The sauce was sub par. Not tangy or even close as the sfo cha cha cha. We ordered the piaia. Omg the worst piaia ever. Soggy, water dripping, mostly not well cooked rice. Somewhat of a bland taste. The worst ever. Even the famous sangria was not as good. Maybe the owners are not the same, or some family fight or twist and siblings separated and opened this up. That's the last time we're there. I mean we hold cha cha cha to a much higher standard than most other similar level restaurants. They're just ruining the name of cha cha cha in sfo. So be warned, if you ever been to sfo cha cha chat and think it's the same here, you'll be highly disappointed.
(2)
Alex L.
I went here for HH...1/2 off sangria and $5 tapas. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the food. The wings were crisp and saucy, the tostones were favorful and the black bean dipping sauce was truly addictive. The curry chicken empanada was meh. I'm not sure if this was more of a traditional empanada crust, but I've always had flaky, buttery empanada crust. Who knows.... I'm asian, I don't know these things. Last, but not least, the mussels were so good. SO SO GOOD. Sangria...also SO SO GOOD.
(4)
Chantal T.
3.5 stars. There is a parking lot close by and less traffic compared to the SF location which is really nice. It still gets crowded so I would make reservations. Tapas are always good for groups so we usually come with a lot of folks. The food has been pretty good every time I've been here. I don't eat shrimp often, but the sauce that it's in is bomb. Sangria is yummy and not too sweet. Only issues that I've had both times I've been here is that some of their dinnerware comes out dirty and they're not attentive at filling up our water glasses or making sure we don't need more sangria.
(3)
MJ P.
I love this place! Each time I've came here it has always met my expectations. Came here for Mother's Day after waiting miserably at Pacific Catch. Should have made this my first choice! Anyway, I got the Aroz Con Pollo (first time having it), it was delicious! I usually get the Ropa Veja but I wanted to try something different. We got the calamari and chicken wings for appetizers. The sauce on the wings is really good. The Sangria was great! Overall service is great. Staff is very friendly and even though this place is small, the wait isn't bad. Cheers!
(5)
Shana O.
Over a week since I first tried them, I am still dreaming of the Cajun Shrimp. Seriously. The sauce is AMAZING! The sangria, Jerk Chicken, and Platano Frito are also wonderful, but it's the Cajun Shrimp that I'll be going back for. The prices are a bit hefty, but the portions are large, & the quality is good. The service was fine, though a bit brusque.
(5)
Brandon N.
Awe-frickin-some Cuban food. Had the Lechon and while it looked dry at first sight, it was super moist. The side of beans and rice [not a fan of plantains] match perfectly with the salty cubes of pork. 2nd course was the Jerk Chicken. Usually, I am not a fan of thighs as I am a breast guy. Ooo right! But this was a party in my mouth. The spices of the Caribbean brought me back to Jamaica. The thighs were smothered in a slightly thick Jerk gravy - not a dry rub like it is in it's native country - but still flavorfully done. I was kinda shocked to see this item on the menu but SO glad i tried it. Let's talk about Sangria. This place KNOWS how to do sangria. Happy hour is the best time for a first try, but you will be ordering it by the pitcher in no time. Fresh fruit and red wine.... what is not to love??
(5)
Jossie L.
Went there on a Sunday afternoon and there was only one other party eating so our order was taken pretty fast. We ordered mango and guava juices (those that come in a can). Guava was good, mango not so much. Then we had camarones al ajillo and rellenos de papa, both were kind of spicy, which I wasn't expecting. And in my opinion too small for the price, and the quality and flavor wasn't the best either, it wasn't even hot. It gave me the impression that everything here was pre made and reheated. For dessert we had a coconut flan, which was basically vanilla flan with lots of toasted coconut on top (not good at all). No authentic flavors here. I don't like to write bad reviews, but this business needs to wake up or walk away. Sorry, but I don't think I'm coming back here. I'd rather eat at Los Cubanos in downtown San Jose.
(2)
Irma R.
I've been to the SF location plenty of times. I think they are different owners, however the menu is very similar. I'm giving the food here 4 stars all the way! The food really didn't disappoint. However! The service here was HORRIBLE! The waiter couldn't take a drink and food order at the same time. He seems preoccupied to take our order in the beginning. There were maybe 6 people (customers) in the restaurant at the time too, so it wasn't like it was packed busy. He brings us our drinks, we finally get to order. We get our food, and he never returned. Had to flag him down a few times to reorder drinks, get more bread. Then again, he never returned. He checked on the table next to us a few times and when i wanted to pay they flagged him down for us. I honestly didn't even want to tip him, but we did generously. My very last complaint is the bathroom. I walked in, pee ALL over the seat and floor, it was disgusting! I would come back for a happy hour or a girls get together however I will remember that the service is terrible and not to use the bathroom here.
(3)
Anthony M.
Delicious Spinach salad. I usually have it with salmon instead of chicken. Crab Croquetas are yummy but a little spicy. The ceviche is world class. -2 stars for the scatterbrained waitress with the blue hair. I have been here three times, all three times she has been our server, and all three times something from the order is missing. Tonight, no salmon with my salmon salad.
(3)
Malyssa C.
Must haves: Pitcher of red sangria, cajun shrimp, and fried new potatoes. Dip the bread in the cajun shrimp sauce, and you're set. You can thank me later. I've been to the location on Haight in SF, and I've gotta say, I like the San Mateo location better. The one in SF is smaller and seems to be much busier. The one in San Mateo has a bigger and open layout, and is also less busy. At least based on the times that I've went. Great place to kick it for tapas and draankss. So glad there's a location much closer to me! Just be careful because their sangria is a creeper!
(4)
Rj M.
Whenever I head down to San Mateo, I always make it a point with family and friends we head out here for some sangria and Cajun shrimp sauce. It's really good! I like that this place is not as crowded as the location in the Mission. But the food here is just as good! Definitely a must try!
(5)
Christine T.
We went in around 6:30 and the place was kind of empty. Apparently we had just missed happy hour, which APPARENTLY included half off sangria? Uh, yes please. The white sangria was quite tasty, by the way. Service was slow, felt like we were being ignored at first. We tried to ask the waiter for recommendations/serving size, and he just wasn't very helpful. At least the food was good - the chicken quesadilla was alright, but the seafood paella was on point. Random: they charge you a $10 cake fee... a fee for bringing in your own cake, and cutting in your cake yourself. Slightly absurd.
(3)
Andy C.
Not really sure what the hype is about. The ceviche was unremarkable and the prices were a bit steep. I'm used to Bodeguita del Medio in Palo Alto with a far superior ambience and food, so count me unimpressed. I'll give another shot at a review when I try their happy hour menu.
(2)
Lisa C.
3.5 STARS! But I rounded up because the food is just delicious. I'm surprised this place makes a profit while just opening at night only. I came here 2 times. First time was after happy hour, second time, happy hour of course!!!!!!! The menu can be slightly deceiving since Happy Hour is from 5-6pm and HALF OFF TAPAS! We thought it was ALL OF IT. Here comes to the foolish part, there are these "asterisk" on the tapas menu which personally I thought it meant "spicy" WHEN ACTUALLY it applies towards the Tapas that are $5 (or half off). So not all tapas are $5. My friends and I started ordering everything: -Chicken Curry Empanada (comes with a side of salad)* -Calamari -Crab sticks -Pollo al Jerk (chicken in this brown spicy sauce over white rice DELICIOUS)* -Hongos (mushrooms)* and of course Sangria (pitcher) which was half off from $24. The sangria is legit Sangria. It's not water down or anything. We constantly had to keep ordering cups of ice for our sangria because it was getting warm. We actually couldn't finish it for a group of 3 (while 2 of us were driving). So bring a DD! Overall, it was $58 for the bill, which was a little MUCH, but it was gooooooood. I learned my lesson this time! P.S. --Did anyone recognized the asterisks?! ;)
(4)
Marlene T.
Happy Hour GALORE! I love this place for a great happy hour. The menu is $5 for selected appetizers and the sangria is half off during happy hour which I believe is from 5-6pm. I only wish it would go till 7pm. It would make it so much more enjoyable. The chicken wings here have a great sauce around it. The fried potatoes are delicious, but make sure you order it with the cajun shrimp because that sauce is GREAT to spread on any other piece of anything you eat. DO IT.
(4)
Ken T.
I'm not a huge fan of tapas, but my experience here was a good one. My first impression was that the decor is fun and colorful. I ordered the jerk chicken, fried plantains, and cheese quesadillas. All 3 dishes were very tasty and the portions were adequate for 2 people. The service was also excellent!
(4)
Krystal A.
best shrimp ever.
(5)
Elizabeth O.
Love this place. Start with the pitcher of Sangria. Love the tapas. Arroz con Frijoles, chicken curry empanada, Yucatan fritas. Mm mm mmmmm.
(5)
J D.
Went back a couple of times and it seems the food has gone downhill. We thought it may just be an off night so we gave it another chance and meh, not good! Sangrias are still great though! Don't know if the Sangria is enough to warrant another visit as the last two visits were very disappointing, from 4 stars to 1 star.
(1)
Anne T.
I cannot believe Cha Cha Cha is now in my backyard! Well, not literally.. But it's soo close that I feel like it is! Love the music, love the service.. Food was great! Always start with a glass (or a pitcher) of sangria! Like others have said, do not eat the fruit, it's pretty potent! But if you don't think it is, try it out for yourself like my friend, Jen K., did! We ordered: BBQ Chicken Quesadilla - Came out as a fat taco.. we were able to cut this into three and were filled. Tostones - These are green banana chips with black bean sauce. YUM! So simple, yet so good. Calamari - Can't go wrong with these! Camarones Picante - These shrimp were in this amazing sauce that I kept dipping the calamari and bread into this sauce. Between 3 girls and sangria, this was a great lunch. It wasn't too packed for a Friday. Definitely our weekly hang out spot!
(5)
Cynthia C.
I love tapas and it's cool that this place is close to work. They only have happy hour M-Thurs tho, which is weird since isn't happy hour mostly fridays? The ceviche and calamari are my favorites. yum! jerk chicken was kinda dry tho. ick. sangrias are yummers but you need people who will drink to help since it's in a pitcher.
(3)
JN W.
Great meal for the value. We went during happy hour (5 to 6 M through Thurs) shared spinach and ricotta empanada and a quesadilla de puerca. Both excellent. Empanada had perfect crust. Sangria was also excellent- not too sweet or dry
(5)
John N.
I can go here and get the shrimp dish and bread and I'm set. I'm a happy man!
(4)
Frankie S.
Skirt steak was amazing! Shrimp with cream sauce also great. Highly recommend putting the cream sauce on the rice and beans. This is definitely one of the better Cuban plans I've had - No idea how Yelp only has this place at 3.5 stars!
(5)
Jane G.
This place is OK. I have dietary restrictions (soy allergy) and they didn't accommodate well- the only oil they had was soybean oil. I had the spinach salad. Not bad. Just ok. Service was just ok.
(2)
Sancho S.
Usually a great place to eat but taday their customer service dropped the ball. Ordered a half pitcher of sangria which had a fly in it. Item was not removed from the check and only received a mediocre apology along with a flan. I expected a lot more from this place since I am a fan and a farly normal client. Will have to be a lot longer between visits if I decide to come back.
(2)
Andrea C.
on the pricey side but OMG the shrimp is soooo good!!! bread and shrimp is the way to go for sure. that stuff is spicy but addicting!! actually. everything we ate was delicious! i think we also ordered the jerk chicken and paella. so so good. its too bad its so damn expensive though. =(
(4)
Maria R.
Cuban food at its best. I had heard many good things about this restaurant and wanted to form my own opinion. It was excellent and would recommend to all my family and friends.
(5)
Bee M.
Every time I have come here, the food and service have both been excellent, even though we used Restaurant.com coupons. With the coupon, the food is a great deal, and the staff accepts them generously. The staff has also graciously made our special requests happen. The first time, we got the jerk chicken (~$10 - it's a "tapa" but is big enough to be an entree, it comes with rice) and the ropa vieja (~$15 - it comes with rice and plantains). The ropa vieja was outstanding and the jerk chicken was great but I found it too spicy. The second time (last week), we got the ropa vieja again (it really was fantastic!) but we asked to substitute out the rice and plantains for black beans and spinach salad to be more healthy. The staff graciously did so, and may I add, the spinach salad is fantastic! I will get it the third time we come here. We also got the Cajun Shrimp, which was creamy and spicy but the portion was quite small for the price (5-7 large shrimp). The sauce was great to dip our bread in though! The staff is really great about giving you as much bread as you want. This is one of our favorite restaurants. We also enjoyed the live singer last Friday night. He sang a Spanish lullaby to a baby in the restaurant!
(5)
Danny C.
The food was great, but gave me severe food poisoning. I know this because my Dad and I ate there the night before and both started feeling sick at the exact same time (we had eaten nothing else in common, and we ruled out stomach flu). We were both in bed all day and it took us a couple days to fully recover. It's a shame that I won't be able to come back here... at least not for a very long time. Maybe I'll get over the shell shock of this food poisoning eventually. I'm not sure how the actual sanitary conditions are in the kitchen. But other customers be warned, although the food was great it wasn't worth this price :\
(2)
Stephen C.
Fun and generally tasty tapas! But like all things tapas, expensive for what you get. I recommend the Cajun Shrimp (though I would have called it Cuban Shrimp to stay in character). The sauce is creamy, spicy and we found that we ended up dipping every other dish we ordered into it anyway. The sangria will get you drunk and taste like adult grape juice while doing it. Marvel at the incredible never ending line outside for the tapioca bar next door. They must be a front for some kind of drug cartel that caters only to high schoolers who are willing to wait a really long time for pudding.
(4)
Laura W.
Called the restaurant directly 5 days ago to make a reservation for 12/22. Upon arrival with family from out of town, we found out the restaurant was closed for the holidays. No one ever called us to tell us. I will not go back based on the bad management of this restaurant.
(1)
Esther S.
Came here for the first time tonight and absolutely loved it! We ordered the calamari frito, tostones, paella de mariscos, plus the red sangria. Everything, especially the paella, was delish! Service was pretty good too. Will definitely be coming back here in the near future!
(4)
Mark H.
I read all these excellent reviews about this place so I came to check it out. I'm no Cuban food snob, so I went into it knowing that it would be a fun and different experience. I knew from the reviews that the Sangria was where the party would start. While waiting in their lounge area, I ordered a pitcher of Sangria. The reviews were right, it was very good. So good that I ended up drinking 3/4 of the pitcher myself. I ordered an appetizer of "Camerones al"- something (hey, I was drunk). It was excellent. Not so much the taste of the prawns as the sauce it came in. I was literally licking the plate. For an entree, I ordered "Chicken al Cubano". It came smothered in spices, gravy and veggies on top of rice pilaf. The chicken was juicy and very tender. The seasoning was perfect, not too much salt but a lot of good spice. I felt like I was back in Puerto Rico, since I've never been to Cuba, I'll assume they are close in decor and style. The decor is fun and intimate. They had Cuban music playing in the background and vibrant colors throughout the restaurant. Everyone was having a good time and the service was prompt. The Sangria was so good that I couldn't remember where I was, what I had done or why I had an all-day headache the day afterwards. I swear I'm not an alkie...it's just THAT good! I will definitely be going back and next time I'll share my pitcher of Sangria :-)
(4)
Freideleen L.
Wanted to try something different so went to get some Cuban. Despite, having many extremely negative reviews, I still wanted to give this place a chance. Bad idea. It was extremely dead when I arrived with on one group of people. I should've walked out to a more bustling venue but I didn't. Shame on me. Location/Parking Located on the popular B Street, it should be a destination spot to grub. Being downtown San Mateo, expect to pay for parking in the garage or street if before 6 pm (free after that). Good luck trying to find parking during peak dinner time though. Service Staff sucks, they are not friendly and super lazy. Several tables were not bused for the 20 minutes it took to get my food and was never offered water or checked on. Food Arroz con Pollo - bland, tasteless, dry and small portions (to go) Lechon Asado - burnt, dry and missing the flavor in everything, small portions (to go) Prices Dinner is about $15+ and totally not worth it. OVERALL Never again and truly a disappointment. Maybe it was my bad for even thinking it would slightly compare to Cha Cha Cha in SF. I agree with fellow Yelper, Logan C. when he stated "I don't understand why management isn't trying to improve things." We know why, they don't care and because of that, their business will unfortunately suffer for their lack of proactiveness. It's a shame because they have a great location.
(1)
Amy L.
I think i'm still a little tipsy from the sangria here. At least you know they don't skimp on the alcohol content. The decor is fun and colorful. A phone booth as you enter the restaurant and actual balcony fixtures extends from the walls. I can only describe the food here as mediocre at best and I don't quite understand the raving reviews that are given. I was frankly, quite disappointed. Everything that came out was just warm and not piping hot. The cajun shrimp which is sauteed in a cajun curry cream sauce had no kick and not much flavor. The sauteed mushrooms were decent and the sauce was good for dipping our bread in. The calamari batter is light and crispy but the calamari itself was a bit chewy and not soft. The lechon asado (roast pork) served with black bean rice and plantains was bland. The pork tasted like boiled pork. The only thing that I really liked was the plantains. It wasn't mushy and crispy on the outside. I had a good time here with my companion but i'd much rather cha cha cha my way to Esperpento in the mission. Bigger menu, much tastier and less expensive tapas.
(2)
Johannes L.
The ceviche is fantastic! It's spicy and packs a great punch. The sangria is a wonderful start to a long night and painful morning. The chicken quesadilla is delicious. Absolutely fantastic. The calamari isn't anything special. But a chewy addition to general tapas.
(4)
Cat G.
We came here last night for my boyfriend's birthday dinner. A party of 9 total... The place itself is on the smaller size, more intimate than other big chain restaurants. But I liked it better. It had an authentic feel to it. Definitely the two Tapas to try here would me the CAJUN SHRIMP and the FILETILLO DE POLLO (chicken wings)- wow. SO DELISH. Both about a level 4/5 on a scale of 1-10. My boyfriend and I both had the BISTEK ENCEBOLLADO - it was SO amazing, however, the fried plantains that came on the plate as a side we're pretty awful. Super dried and had no flavor whatsoever. I wish they had some sort of dipping sauce in it. One of the other couples at the table with us had the quesadillas that they practically had finished before the waiters were able to set down the last guests plate at our table. Also someone ordered the ARROZ CON POLLO, which she had nothing left on the plate so I'm assuming it was delish. The service was good. Although sometimes we were out of water for too long and with some of the food being spicy, that was a pain. For all 9 of us, the bill was about $200 - which isn't bad... however no one drank so it was all food... about $22/each not including tip - and we all shared the two plates of Tapas.
(4)
Jamie C.
Dude, if you want a good buzz and phenomenal food, come here.
(4)
Carol K.
Sangria was too sweet!! I wouldn't order it again but I normally don't drink anything with too much sugar. Tapas are really good. Great for sharing!
(4)
Joyce E.
I had a really good experience at Cha Cha Cha Cuba on Haight, so I decided to bring my mom and sisters to the San Mateo location. The hostess/waiter at around 6pm on 07/24/2012 was so unfriendly! No warm Cuban greeting? Whatevs! It wasn't crowded and there was plenty of parking. We ordered the Fried New Potatoes, Calamari, and 2 orders of Cajun Shrimp. Fried New Potatoes - My sisters and mom didn't really care for this dish, however, my sister loved the sauce that accompanied the potatoes. Calamari - This was probably one of the best calamari dishes I've had! The calamari was so juicy, tender, and perfectly crispy. I loved the sauce that accompanied it! Cajun Shrimp - What a disappointment! The Cha Cha Cha Cuba on Haight gives plenty of shrimp compared to this location! Seriously, there were about 7 shrimp in a plate. Overall, I would eat here again despite the lack of service and the lack of shrimp. I'd rather go to the Haight location, though!
(3)
Tom K.
Went here yesterday on a whim. Regretful choice. I ordered a Cubano sandwich which lacked any flavor it just tasted like boring warm meat. It tasted microwaved to be honest. My wife orders potato balls they were mediocre. After finishing our meal we were both very disappointed in choosing to eat here. Service was good. Food was poor. Not going to return.
(2)
Raymund S.
We come here once in a while to celebrate birthdays or events. It can get really crowded, so reservations are a must. Service does get really slow once it gets packed and noisy, so make sure when you order you get enough. Now for the food......these are my favorites: 1. Cajun Shrmip: the cream sauce is like crack! you will keep asking for more bread and wipe that plate clean. Definitely my favorite here. 2. Alitas de Pollo: guava-chipotle rubbed chicken wings. This is also amazing. Perfect balance of spice and it has a nice cripsy texture without being fried. Delicious. 3. Platano Frito: Plantains served with black beans and sour cream. This side dish of goodness is jsut delicious. The sour cream and beans act as a nice creamy sauce to the fried plantains. Addicting! 4. Salmon with Salsa verde. Perfectly cooked salmon atop rice, plantains and beans. NOTE: All these are perfect with their great sangria. DRINK AWAY! The food mentioned above is 4 stars, but the service brings my rating down to 3. I usually end up getting the same things, so I must try totally different things next time. But how can you skip the above dishes??????
(3)
Jenn F.
The wait was only 15 min. when I went, which is pretty great especially for 8:00pm on a Friday night. The environment is very lively and the waiters were very welcoming and easy to get a hold of. It's a little loud in there with the music and amount of people, but nothing untolerable. The crab croquettes with aoili are good! Also, the cajun shrimp has a mild, tasty sauce that goes great with the bread :] The sangria is good, but a little stronger than sweet. Shared a half pitcher with 2 other girls and it was enough to get a buzz out of all 3 of us.
(4)
Christine N.
CAJUN SHRIMP!!!!! bomb. Yes, I know this place does not compare to the ones in SF. But this one is close enough. The quesadilla's are a tad bit different because they put BBQ sauce in them. The sangria's are yummy, crab cake things are on point, potatoes, calamari... yes i know it's a lot. But better believe I will eat them! Their water service is a little slow on busy days, but come on, if they are busy, its a good thing right? Better business for them. Just raise your hand and ask for some water and they will be more than happy to provide you some more. Although it's not SF its close enough to me. YAY!
(4)
Perry G.
I love this place so. It had definitely earned a top spot on my go-to's at one point. Not sure if it's just recently, as in the last times I went which were 4-5 months ago, but the quality got a little spotty. The service is always questionable. But it's not a big place. So you're never ignored for too long. Take my advice, take it upon yourself to to ask for things and you'll do just fine. Overarching thought, you owe it yourself to try everything. Food's pretty simple. I'm a bit of a purist, so I can appreciate that. Oh, and drink the sangria. You'll thank me later.
(4)
Jason M.
Mhmmmm the cajun shrimp was heavenly! The sauce was creamy, tangy, and spicy to the perfect degree. Not too hot, but left a sexy, scorching feeling in your mouth afterwards. Plus, the sauce was perfect for the rice later. A little bit pricey for 6 shrimps though. And the lechon- the pork was soft and chewy. Very tasty. The rice and the fried fruit on the side was not appealing though. Good meal, yum :)
(3)
Somey M.
How has this place not been sued by the real Cha Cha Cha's in the City? That's what I though I was going to get. Never again....
(2)
Matilyn C.
It was good but not great. The food was good other than the small portions compared to the price. The best thing to get is the cajun shrimp. Plus dipping the bread into the sauce is what fills you up. Sangria wasn't that good. And when we ran out of chips for guacamole and asked if we could get more they said they cant. Cajun shrimp for 10.75 plus bread is good. My bf got the arroz con pollo for $17. Sangria is $6 for a small cup. The service was okay. Just overall okay but not the best. Not something I'm willing to spend fifty bucks on again.
(3)
Ivy C.
Adorable, colorful little spot in downtown San Mateo. We got the jerk chicken, mussels, bistek, spinach salad and pitcher of sangria. We absolutely loved everything! I've never seen my boyfriend eat that much salad. Their sangria is the real deal. Not overly sweet and plenty of brandy and fresh fruit. I was buzzed off 2 small glasses.
(4)
Carol L.
Spanish tapas in downtown San Mateo. We tried: Cajun shrimp Plantains w/black bean sauce Seafood paella Fried yucca Mussels Ceviche Fried calamari Sangria All the food was "a-ok," and as that is what Yelp defines 3 stars, I give them 3 stars! Wouldn't protest if someone suggested coming back, but there are so many good eats in San Mateo, that I am not sure whenI'll be back to Cha Cha Cha Cuba. TLDR: Decent but not memorable Spanish tapas. A-OK.
(3)
Carina M.
Unfortunately, this is not cuban food :( I ordered the lechon asado, with platanos, arroz congri and had a sangria. I only really finished the platanos (plantains) It was not good :( I wish I could explain more in detail - but it just tasted two days old and unfortunately lacked in flavor/spices. The black beans must be on point but they were not and the sangria was unfortunately just not fresh at all. The service was nice! My waitress was very nice and attentive. Unfortunately, I cannot lie about the food. I will not be going back here.
(3)
Jassy P.
First off, reason why I gave them a 4* was.. The food was kinda pricey for what you get.. not so much food, we shared everything between 3people with 4items . It was enough although I recommend more quantity of the portion of food. Other than that the food was excellent.. The Cajun shrimp sauce was soooo yummy. The rices were tasty fr the lechon asado and paella de mariscos, wished the lechon was more tender but it was still good. The plantines compliment the meal and thought they we're really good. Btw.. the Sangria was a big hit. Reg price for a whole pitcher is $28 so I'd go to happy hr between 5-6 pm .. its half price. (Wish happy hr went on for longer) it wasn't busy for a Tuesday night. The decor was nice. Cute place. Cant wait to try their other stuff.
(4)
Ale E.
I would give them 5 stars for the food but Im giving them 3 because after my husband and I were seated, 10 minutes passed and we were still waiting for them to take our order. Then a group of 4 came in, sat down, 5 minutes later they are taking their order and we were still waiting. Even though they were polite the service is not the best. The ambience of the place is very very pretty and colorful but they had a mess with the music they were playing. We both order the Bistec encebollao' with arroz congri and yuca frita. IT WAS AWESOME!!! It was very tasty and it was a good amount of food (we both took home leftovers). I had the mango juice wich was a little "watery" for my taste so I didn't like it at all but the food was great!!!! It was a little expensive considering the bistec was $17 but for the flavor and the amount of food they served it was definetly worth it!
(3)
David H.
Very satisfying meal. Fast and friendly service. Sangria is solid. It is full bodied, flavorful, and fruity. Get the half pitcher because it is the best bang for the buck, more glasses to drink. The tapa portions are substantial and is a meal in itself. You can certainly share with a party of 3 or 4. Great vibe and great place. Check this out.
(4)
Michelle L.
Empty on a weeknight... but tasty food! Their seafood paella and papas rellenas (deep fried potato balls! need I say more?) were delicious...and the portions were big. Split the half pitcher of sangria...
(4)
Jie C.
I love their Cajun shrimp. The cream Cajun sauce is amazing! Ceviche was okay for me. The plantain was good. I ordered the ropa vieja as entree. It's okay. Not my type. The pork is a bit overly cooked. Sangera drink is pretty good!
(3)
X. Y.
Last week on Friday night I visited this restaurant for a second time. It was past 7PM and the place was packed. We were a party of three people and I think we waited for 20-30 minutes to sit. We ordered a pitcher of sangrÃa (don't try to guess what color because there is only one color and the other one should be called clarea). The pitcher yielded 11 1-cup glasses. I also ordered camarones al ajillo. The shrimp were good, the garlic a bit overpowering and the tostones not so exciting. The sangrÃa which I tried here before is still good. It was fresh and fruity, perfect for getting drunk and feeling good (sangrÃa is conducive to happiness).
I placed an office dinner order from Cha Cha Cha Cuba through FLUC. Cuban was a welcome departure from our typical orders. Variety is the spice of life as they say, and I really really like spice. I also really really like to say, "Cha Cha Cha Cuba". I ordered a grilled salmon dish that came with plantains, beans, and rice. I subbed out the rice for some additional beans. The dish was excellent. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the plantains were tasty. The beans were flavored well though felt a little soggy (perhaps due to transport). I think the true testament to the meal and Cha Cha Cha Cuba overall was my colleagues' unanimous view that we should definitely order from Cha Cha Cha Cuba more often.
(4)
Brittany C.
Mainly come here for happy hour for sangria. Red wine sangria was better than the white wine. Calamari is nothing special but the ceviche is rich with lots of flavor. Prices are a little high. Service is always great!
(3)
Carla B.
Love cha cha cha's!!!!! The best thing is Cajun shrimp n dip the bread in the sauce omg yum and also the mussled are amazing. Dip the bread in that sauce too! Yum yum yum
(5)
Glenn L.
Went here for HH with a group of friends! We liked the causal vibe here and their sangria was refreshing! FOODS -------------------- We ordered several appetizers here and they were all quite good.. - Calamaris - Lightly salted and crispy! - Chicken Wings - Good flavor! - Shrimp small plate - My favorite from here! The sauce was really good, so don't forget to ask for bread to dip in it! Check them out for HH!!!
(4)
Stephenie S.
If I had to pick my single favorite dish out of anything I've had in the Bay Area, I would honestly have to say that Cha Cha Cha's Cajun Shrimp is my ultimate fave. It's a tad spicy, but there is nothing better on this sweet sweet peninsula than dipping that free bread into the delicious cajun sauce. I kid you not, I crave that Cajun Shrimp on the regular. The sangria is delicious (I recommend the red sangria) and it is sufficiently potent for my not-really-all-that-high standards. I've never actually ordered regular dinner plates, but I can say that the tapas are all great. Actually, correction: I'm not a fan of the plantains, but I never am and a friend of mine loves them, so her opinion neutralizes my own opinion on that particular dish. I have mostly gone to the Cha Cha Cha's in San Francisco (one on Haight and the other in the Mission), but this one in San Mateo was the same thing, as far as I could tell. I have had good experiences at all three locations but I will say that the Mission location seems to be louder and busier, even on weekdays, so I would suggest one of the other two locations if you aren't a fan of that kinda thing.
(5)
Allison R.
Came here on a Saturday evening, pretty close to the restaurant opening because we were wanting an early, somewhat light dinner. I was glad we were there early because the restaurant is pretty small and there was a large party that took up many of the seats. We were seated pretty quickly though and took a look at the menu. We decided on the Ceviche, the Cajun Shrimp, the Papas Fritas, and a side of corn tortillas. Before we'd ordered, a waiter came over and almost dropped off a Ceviche plate for us, until we told him we hadn't ordered it. It happened to be for the table next door to us, and we had a good laugh with the diners because we told them that seeing their order solidified our decision to order it for ourselves too! The Ceviche was definitely my favorite of the night. The chunks of fish were huge and the portion size was definitely worth the $10.50. I highly recommend it if you're at all a fan of Cheviche. The Cajun Shrimp was really good, but there weren't as many shrimp as I would've liked. The sauce was pretty flavorful and great with the corn tortillas, but I was so happy with the Ceviche that it was hard for me to focus on anything else. The one thing that was kind of a bummer was that it took a very long time for us to get the Papas Fritas. We were almost done with the rest of the food by the time we received them. I suppose at a tapas place you really aren't supposed to get all of your food at once, but we ended up taking most of the potatoes home with us. We didn't try the sangria or any other drinks this time, but I definitely will in the future because it looked really good.
(4)
Ryan N.
Subpar food compared to other Cuban experiences ive had in the past at Mama Roombas in Bakersfield or Cha Cha Chicken in Venice Beach. My wife and I went and tried a variety of things from the camarones appetizer and mushrooms to the empanadas and asado entree. Would not go back.
(2)
Bori B.
Went here for happy hour yesterday with some coworkers. Their sangria was great! IT was half off sangria and $3 beers! Also tapas were $5 but not all of them, only the one with the asteriks on them. The quesadilla and empanadas were half off. I got the patatas bravas and the chicken wings which were great. We also got the pitcher of sangria which was a great deal and delicious! There were five of us and we all ordered food and drinks and it was only $12 a person at the end, WHAT A STEAL!
(4)
Max S.
The side of plantains is bomb. So sweet and caramelized. *drool* The cajun shrimp is worth an order even just for the sauce. Request extra bread to soak it up. The ceviche is pretty cheap for the portion, but the chips they serve definitely detract from the dish. If I were in the mood for ceviche, I would go to Mancora Cebicheria. It's a bit removed from downtown, but definitely worth it. Next time we'll have to come with more than just two people so we can try more. (and for dinner so we can get some Sangria)
(4)
D C.
Done with this place. Been coming for years and recommending it to everyone I know, but I won't be back. From a sold 4-stars down to a 0. The service tonight was abysmal, and I'm not even usually a "service" person. There were 3 servers (I'll call them The Tall One, The Short One Wearing the Grey Argyle Sweater or just The Short One, and The Sullen Long-Haired Girl), and for a restaurant that's relatively small, this should have been sufficient; however, nobody seemed to have assigned tables, and so everyone was running around taking care of everything and nothing all at the same time. Total failure of communication. Never in my life have I been so furious over a plate of bread, but I was. The FIRST thing I did after ordering was to ask for bread, which is usually put on the table when the water comes out. The ONLY thing I really want when I come here is the cajun shrimp, and the ONLY caveat to ordering this dish is that the sauce has to be sopped up with bread. The Short One said he'd bring it, and we waited. We saw The Sullen Long-Haired Girl bring out a big plate of bread to a party that was already finished with their meal, and they looked at her confused, and she looked at them confused, and then walked away. When she got back towards the kitchen, she looked back at them, as if she'd made a mistake, but made no moves to correct it. That, folks, was our plate of bread. I had to ask two more times for bread, while my shrimp sat on the table getting cold (they noticed we weren't eating, but never bothered to ask if something was wrong), and finally on the 3rd request, we were told that they ran out of bread. What? You fu*king RAN OUT OF BREAD?? You gave that last few pieces to the table that was finished with their meal?? All of this would have been bad enough for me to be upset, but then 20 minutes later, we saw them bringing bread out to a newly seated table. At that point, I couldn't even bring myself to say anything because I was table-flipping angry, and I knew that if I opened my mouth, all that would have come out would have been a stream of obscenities, insults, and yelling. This was a couple months ago, and as I'm writing this review, I can still feel the anger bubbling up from the total and complete incompetence of Cha Cha Cha's staff that night. Cannot and will not recommend this place to anyone ever again.
(1)
Nancy F.
I'm comparing this place to the one in SF. The service was spotty and the food was mediocre. Also, parking is horrible in this downtown area. Ceviche was actually good with large pieces Paella was a bit wet and didn't take long to come out, so obviously wasn't cooked the right way. This was my deciding factor. we also had the white sangria. it was good.
(2)
Jennifer A.
I did not realize there was a Cha Cha close to me Score! Met up with some friends for an early dinner (if you don't want to wait). Service was good, alittle smaller than the ones in the city. Nonetheless still a great spot for some tapas. We ordered the Camarones, Calamari Frito, Quesadilla de pollo (stuffed with BBQ chicken), Tostones, Black mussels and some Sangria to wash all of this yummy food down. I must agree with the rest of the Yelpers that Cha Cha Cha is probably one of my favorite Carribean spots in the Bay!
(4)
Elizabeth S.
It doesn't look like much from the sidewalk, but inside, the restaurant dons carnivalesque juxtaposed colors and beautiful mural art. I love the big bright blue painting of Cuba on the left with the smug cartoon guy in a white suit and hat smoking a cigar- very Scarface cool. On the right is a series makeshift window balconies with interesting details and foliage giving you the feeling of dining in a courtyard at festive floral printed tables. At the very top back wall of the restaurant is another decorative painting depicting Carribean heritage looking somewhat angelic. Cuban and Carribean is their specialty here. However, my bf and I went full Cuban for lunch and kept it light. We had the papas fritas with juicy meat in the middle of these scrumptious potato balls and shared a ropa vieja sandwich which came with a salad. My first bite into my half led to a serious of bites until it was gone. Juicy shreds of sirloin and nuances of Cuban flavors were too difficult to put down for a minute. We washed it all down with a generous sized pitcher of sangria. Yes, thank you for not filling half of the pitcher with ice. With all this authentic Cuban food (says my Cuban companion) comes excellent and friendly service. Our water glasses stayed full, and they came back to pour our sangria regularly. There's so much more exploration to be done on this menu. I must return for the full ropa vieja entree over rice and dip in the Carribean cuisine too!
(4)
Connie O.
Cuban place... One of Three.. The other 2 is located in the City.. The 2 AWESOME & BEAUTIFUL & may I say.. Hottie waitresses that are serving us right now are so sweet..!! They both catered to us.. My Little Irish Girl and my close friend Carlitos Way..!! Lol.. We ordered big portioned food and a pitcher of sangria..!! Nice quiet night for a Tuesday..!! Thanks girls for the service.. This was our 2nd time here and always a pleasure..!!
(5)
Bhonz Z.
Been here once and like the ambiance. There was only 1 server when we went and we waited a lil bit to get our food & that is why i'm giving them only 3-stars. Love their plaintains & wings! Yes, will recommend this place.
(3)
Taryn R.
Wow! I arrived here around 7, it was pretty empty. By 7:30 this place was packed. For me, it was a girls night out, and this was the most perfect location. Music, but low enough so we could carry on conversations, dim lighting, but enough to still see the menu and clean and homey. The food. AH-MAZE-ING! Holy heck! We ordered 7 plates amount the 3 of us. And they were all delicious. I'm vegetarian, and there is a large variety of opinions for vegetarians. The yuca, amazing. The Cajun shrimp... I die! The sauce is so tasty. The plantains- and black bean mash underneath! Delicious Oh let's not forget the sangria. A pitcher! And 3 glasses, that didn't last long! I can't wait to come back here! Another girls night is on the calendar. Our bill was 130$ for 7 plates of food, and a pitcher of sangria. And that was more than enough for all of us, and some left over to take home.
(5)
Stephanie B.
Food spicy but good. Sangria is amazing. Be careful.. It's addicting and strong. Lol Reasonable prices. Good sized portions. Good for groups .dates and families Tight space is my only whine. Overall. I had a good time.. Will be back
(4)
Ligia A.
Visited on a Sunday afternoon with my boyfriend, my father, and I. My boyfriend and I are power wheelchair users, getting into the restaurant was not difficult at all. The waitress seemed a little intimidated on how to help us in terms of seating, but we suggested a specific table, where would be out of the way of foot traffic, and it worked well. There were chairs we had to remove, the waitress seemed a little confused on where to put them. The decor is cute, with lots of great murals, the floor could be changed a little bit, it's a little boring. The ambiance is nice, great music playing, although the lighting is a little dim. My boyfriend and I shared the shrimp in garlic broth with tostones around it. He had a Negra Modelo, and I had a glass of wine. I had also ordered some hot tea, which never came. My father ordered the Papas Rellenas, and also had a glass of wine. We shared a plate of fried plantains. The shrimp in garlic broth was very nice, although we expected a little bit more shrimp, the tostones were perfectly fried, they were delicious! The drinks were good as well. My fathers plate was also delicious, just enough meat stuffed into the potato, and the potato was perfectly fried from the outside, giving it a really nice crust. The plantains were perfectly fried crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, they were also just the right amount of ripe, allowing them to be not overly sweet. The bread was a little sad, kind of hard, perhaps warming it up a little bit more would've helped. Overall, the meal was great! The waitress was nice, she seemed a little overly busy. The prices are a little expensive, but after tasting the food, it was worth it. I only gave it three stars because there is an area down below the first floor, and that's not acceptable at all to wheelchairs, there are only stairs going down. I also was waiting for my hot tea, and it never came. Lastly, we had to get the waitress's attention for certain things, it seemed like she was too busy. Overall, great experience, would try it again
(3)
Charlene E.
Cha Cha Cha is my favorite place to get tapas. I like this location better because it's closer and easier to find parking. I highly recommend: - Cajun shrimp: The sauce is creamy with just the right amount of spice. You're going to want to ask for more bread to soak up the sauce. - Potatoes: Perfectly crisp with a tangy, creamy dipping sauce. - BBQ chicken quesadilla: Very stuffed and flavorful! - Stuffed potato balls: Okay, it's not Porto's but they're huge and tasty! Their sangria isn't the best I've tried but I still like it. The white sangria doesn't taste as strong but I like both the red and white sangria. I would recommend coming for happy hour for cheaper tapas and sangria.
I came here with my family for lunch on a Sunday and ordered the following: Sangria- Delicious upon first taste but as we got further into the pitcher, became increasingly and more noticeably sweet. Almost nauseatingly sweet. Pollo al Jerk (jerk chicken)- Wonderful, probably my favorite dish of the meal. It's listed under tapas, but could easily be a small meal for one person. Great seasoning on the sauce, and very tender meat. Yummmm. Cajun shrimp- Creamy, spicy, and very good. Although, my mom saw them pull it out of the microwave and that turned me off A LOT. Paella- Decent, not amazing nor horrible. Not incredibly flavorful, not incredibly memorable. Pretty meh. Alitas de Pollo (glazed guava wings)- Overly sweet and terribly dry. These were either old or just way overcooked. I've never had dry wings before but the meat was tough. Did not enjoy. Lechon Asado- Dry. I'm Filipino so I know my lechon, and I've had better at a dozen family parties. And at those family parties, our lechon has that crispy skin, which is the best part. This lechon has no fatty skin. Shame. Overall, the flavors of the food are pretty good, but the quality is sub-par. We came just minutes within them opening, so I'm assuming the food that was served to us wasn't fresh, maybe reheated leftovers from the day before. This place could be great, but there's something missing from the food and I'm convinced it's love.
(3)
A.c. D.
Been here several times and it seems worse and worse. Food is mediocre, service is mixed, most recently the place smelled funky - like damp dish towels. If we were not starving we would have left. Being from miami and having been exposed to a lot of cuban food this place is hardly 'cuban'....more like general hispanic / mexican.
(2)
Sheila R.
the entrees: arroz con pollo and roast pork, plus the plantains still are so good, it's hard to order new things. David was our waiter, and he was wonderful, very warm and attentive. next, we have to try the tapas. the portions are large, making the prices so reasonable. wish they were open for lunch during the week.
(4)
Shawn G.
Unreliable take out. Sadly I can't give you a recommendation based off food but I can tell you their take out service is very shaky/unreliable. Setup a large take out order for a bunch of my coworkers as a thank you for OT on a project. Super excited thinking we have some delicious Cuban food on the way, get a call couple hours later that the order is cancelled due to a large party coming in. So if you want to try this place head in there. I may update it if I'm able to make it in and actually try the food but got to give them a 1 star for the poor take out service. Don't offer if it you can't support it :(.
(1)
Heidi P.
FLAVOR JOURNEY--Yum! I ordered something with New York Steak (I cannot recall the name of the dish) and it was delicious, and pleasantly not overcooked. Even the rice that came with it was wonderful, and I usually skip rice sides. I really enjoyed the unique flavors that I am unaccustomed to tasting because I live in Tahoe and the number of Peruvian restaurants there is zero. Service was good and servers friendly. We called in advance from the road and our table was ready when we arrived.
(4)
John G.
Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha! Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha! Party in Little Havana by way of San Mateo. I could only imagine what Ricky Ricardo would say when he visits Cha Cha Cha Cuba. Lucy, I'm hooome!!! Now where's my tapas? The only difference between this location and the one in the City is that you can easily find a parking here. Other than that, it's pretty much the same. However, I prefer this location better since it's less crowded and roomier. The high ceiling also gives it an illusion of grandeur. The decor is fun, colorful, bright and feels like someone from the wall will jump out and start singing Babalo ala Ricky Ricardo. Happy Hour is from 5 - 6 PM and some Tapas are either $5.00 each or half off. The ones with the asterisks are half off. And while you are here, you better order the Sangria. If you're with several people, you might as well get the pitcher. Service and staff is always exceptional, attentive, efficient, friendly and on point. The food here is always excellent. I can't say I have a particular favorite, but I've pretty much tried most of everything on the menu. If I have to pick one, I'd go with the Shrimp in Cajun Cream Sauce, Paella, Crab Croquettes, Pollo Al Jerk, Camarones in Garlic Sauce, Mussels, Tostones and the Plantains. Oops...I see I got carried away there. OK, if I really pick one, I'd go with the Sangria. Just make sure you order the Sangria. Make a note about their Sangria. Did I mention that their Sangria is so good?
(4)
Mel D.
My friends and I were in search of good cuban food and I am sad to report that this Cuban/Carribean mix is not for me. We ordered Garlic Shrimp, Calamari, and a steak with fried yucca. I was quite disappointed. I guess the place being empty on a Friday evening at 6:30pm says something. I drove by their location in Haight Ashbury and there was a line out the door (and their yelp reviews were quite high). Oh, and to top it off, they had the worst sangria. It tasted like cranberry juice with fruits BUT I got a strong buzz which quickly lead to a massive headache! I was not a happy camper!
(2)
Ken C.
Wow, this place was a fine treat. Ensalada de Spinach - good but wished it wasn't so drowned in the dijon sherry wine dressing. Pollo al jerk is highly recommended . Calamari Frito - same as everywhere else. alitas de pollo - was pretty darn good with that tangy sauce that coats dat pollo hongos al jerez - just sauteed mushrooms. nothing fancy. cajun shrimp - really good and the sauce is great for mopping up with bread. lechon asado - real delicious and tender. money maker right here. paella de mariscos - a bit watery on the stock, but still delicious. . sangria - not too sweet but goes great with this fine meal
(4)
Freddie L.
One of my favorite restaurants. I love getting the arroz con pollo and the papas Fritas while my girl friend loves getting the Cajun shrimp. Overall a romantic place to eat and on some nights they even have live music. Hands down one of the best Cuban restaurants I been too.
(5)
Jo L.
A little loud but as expected Service is great. They kept refilling our water and super fast when we asked for more bread ... 3 times lol.. Restaurant.com certificate no problem! Cajun shrimp... Creamy with a kick. Don't start filling up your stomach with bread until this arrives! Black mussel... A little overcooked (looked so small) but the sauce is amazing with bread or rice. Cerviche.. Way too sour for my taste but i know some people likes it that sour. The fish they used are not as firm so I'll pass next time Fried mashed potato balls..its good but too filling.. Ropa viejs.. I tried because of the fellow yelpers.. My dear said its like sloppy joe. Hahah.. Of cuz a much better version with bay leaves and all.. All in all, its a good place. We'll come back and try other dishes next time
(4)
Ken B.
I just visited this restaurant for the second time this evening. Tonight was markedly worse than last time, both in service and food quality. I wouldn't say the food was bad, per se, it just seems to not be very good. What really stands out (in a negative way) was how slow and inattentive the service was. First off, even though all the other tables were given free bread, we weren't given any. Perhaps that was a mercy as others in here have observed that the bread was stale. The waitress was very, very slow and forgetful. She did not refill our ice tea at all, and I had to ask her to refill my daughter's soda. I had to ask her for the bill, and after she finally delivered it, she had forgotten to pick it up. So, I had to get up to hand deliver it. At the prices they charge per dish, the value definitely isn't there, so I won't be going back. Ciao, CHA CHA CHA!
(2)
Jesenia P.
We were looking for authentic Cuban food since we are from Miami but did not find it here. The food was not the only place that left a bad taste in my mouth though, it started with the waitress. She came to sit us but neglected to let us now where to sit and kept walking towards the kitchen. Then when we got to the table and ordered drinks it felt rushed. The prices were a bit high. Ropa vieja typically cost around $7, here it was $15.50. That's just ridiculous, so I decided to order the rabo because it was a special and was even more disappointed. It was served with rice which was hidden underneath the rabo and I guess that's to hide the fact that it taste like uncle Ben type rice. Not Cuban rice at all. The rabo taste was good but I felt jipped, it barley had meat just bones and they added potatoes to make it look like more. I would not go back and I would not recommend it to anyone.
(1)
Teresa P.
I don't know what it is about the Cha Cha Cha restaurants, but IT IS always SO HOT in there. Not sure if its the yummy and (sneaky-potent) sangria or the energetic upbeat Cuban music they play, or maybe its the synergetic effect of the two on each other. The hotter you get, the more sangria you drink, the more you want to shake your bootie, the hotter you get. Oh, its a mad, perpetuating cycle. This restaurant is just like its sister locations in the city - same great food, same great vibe, same great atmosphere. As far as my favorite dish, It has to be the Cajun Shrimp. If you put that spicy cream sauce on a ratty slipper, I'd probably eat it. Ew, I know. I also love the Fried Platanos Maduros (fried plantains with beans & sour cream). Both are pretty damn good.
(4)
Ericka G.
Have been going to Cha Cha Cha (Other locations) for a long time. So I was really excited to learn there was one close to where I work. Meet a friend one day after work all ready for some great food and Sangria. Imagine my surprise when I ordered chicken pillard they seem to be out of it. So I ordered another chicken dish and that is when the waitress explained they where out of chicken altogether. EPIC FAIL....let's just say my dining experience went down hill from there. I'm sure mistakes happens and someone really messed up by not ordering chicken.
(1)
Suzy G.
I don't know...we've fallen in love with Cuban food because of Habana's in Alameda. We were in the Cha Cha Cha Cuba neighborhood and thought we'd give it a try. The shrimp ceviche was rubbery and lacked appeal. The roasted pork was just boring. It was over-boiled so the meat was dry and unappealing. There wasn't much effort to flavor it as far as I could tell. It was like boiled, salted, pork. We didn't finish either and we were glad we hadn't ordered any other items.
(2)
Patrick P.
The. Is. Amazing. Me and my gf, didn't talk for 20min because the food was so good lmao We order the paella, spinach salad and ceviche. All the seafood was very fresh. But I highly recommend getting the spinach salad not just to be healthy but because the mushroom coconut dressing is so good. I recommend this place to anyone
(4)
Sam B.
As soon as I walked into the restaurant, I dug the vibe of the restaurant. It felt very casual and tropical. The overall atmosphere stayed true to the Cuban culture. As for the food, I enjoyed it very much. The lechon asada had a nice salty essence to it; not too salty, yet flavorful. The dish, however, lacked in presentation. Nbd for me though. I also very much enjoyed eating the Cajun shrimp. I appreciated the creamy texture of the Cajun sauce, and even applied it to the lechon. Service was average. Checked in once a while, nothing special. I give Cha Cha Cha Cuba a 4 for its flavorful foods.
(4)
Sue K.
First time there everyone is talking about it. I hate long reviews but here is the rundown quick Presentation 0 taste 2 out of 10 atmosphere 0 like a taquria Service 9 out of 10 she was nice but not helpful The food was served cold or luke warm but nothing to be excited about its like something you put together at home out of jars real fast sorry never go there again
(1)
Jess O.
I would love to give a better review but the servers were just so horrible! Maybe because we had a party of 7 and were automatically getting 18% that they just didn't even try. The food and sangria was great! Just like the SF locations (from what I can remember, I haven't been in a long time) the plus side is it's not as crowded. What we usually get: -Jerk chicken -spicy but so good! -Calamari - i'm not a fan and it wasn't that good this time -Civiche - nice and fresh with lemon and lime wedges -Papas fritas - soooo good with dipping sauce. -Plantains - yummmm -Mushrooms - the sacue is so buttery and good, get some extra bread to dip in the sauce -Sangria - of course! it was pretty strong this time, but good. We were just so frustrated with the servers. WE had to ask to place our order, for more drinks, order more food (cause it's that delicious), and even for the check!! I mean...reall?y! When we asked for the check the girl was SITTING DOWN at a table! I do not know what was going on with them, because the guy wasn't any better. I don't think I saw either of them smile the whole night! I actually felt sorry for them that they were so sad looking and so horrible at their jobs. In the end, we had a great time! All that really matters was the food was good and the company was even better! So if you want great service don't go to this location.
(2)
Derrick C.
Having always heard such good things ab the Cha Cha Cha in SF and never having gotten around to try it, I was excited when one opened up right in my backyard. However, I'm still not clear if the two are related. Anyways, my experience was pretty underwhelming. We shared a bunch of the appetizers - Calamari, Cajun Shrimp, Sauteed Mushrooms, Pork Quesadilla -- none of which stood out or seemed distinctively Cuban to me.
(3)
J K.
Amazing food and great, fun vibe. It's on the loud side on Friday and Saturday nights-- just FYI, this is not really the place for a quiet dinner! I recently went with a large-ish group, so we were able to try a lot of dishes this time. Everything was spectacular, and the service is always really good. And if you like sangria, Cha Cha Cha has just about the best sangria that I've had in the Bay area.
(4)
Shiela T.
The first (and only other time) that I'd had Cuban cuisine was at an upscale restaurant. When my group had suggested Cuban - I have to admit I wasn't too excited but I WAS hungry.... so I went with it. OMG, I am so glad that I was exposed to this place! It was authentic, it was inexpensive, the portions were great, the tapas - ALL GOOD! Oh, and don't even get me started on the Platanos Fritos! DAAAAYM!!! MMMMMM!!! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who is new to Cuban food. It's rare that I give out a "5 star" review so the fact that I did says a whole lot. The only flaw to this place was the amount of difficulty you'll run into when looking for parking. Other than that, it's worth the hassle. Anyone up for Cuban this Friday??? Call me! ;)
(5)
Mansi A.
A good change of pace for some Cuban food in San Mateo. The place is brightly decorated, full of life, zest, and culture. The food was decent overall. We ordered: - Pollo al Jerk: Reminiscent of Persian fesengen chicken. Delicious rich, thick sauce. - Curry Chicken Empanadas: Where's the curry? Soggy, flavorless, total waste. Don't bother with this item. - Arroz con Pollo: Flavorful. Not the best I've had, but decent. The first two items were from the tapas menu, and the latter a main entree. Keep in mind that portion sizes between tapas/entrees items were roughly the same (you def get your money's worth). Cha3 was a nice place to try, but I can't say that I'd go back. Nothing was super stellar food-wise, and with lackadaisical service that required us to constantly flag down one of two servers managing the entire restaurant, I'd pass on this place for more attentive service elsewhere.
(3)
Bill O.
My wife and I went to Cha Cha Cha for the second time. We wanted to go somewhere before a movie, and this place is very close to the theatre. The restaurant did not disappoint. Like the first time we went, the service was friendly and fast. The decor is clever, faux balconies and staircase make it an interesting environment for a meal. My wife is half Cuban, so she knows the cuisine. Her Lechon was tender. The Congri was wonderful. The Plantains were cooked just right. My Arroz con Pollo was equally tasty and best of all served hot! I only wish the wine selection offered a bit more variety. But this is a great place to eat that does not cost too much.
(4)
Deanna G.
Yumscrilidocious! I had NO idea this location even existed! I had frequented the SF locations, on Haight and Mission and always dreaded the wait. It was ridiculous! Lines out the door.. and I hated it. However in San Mateo, we made reservations on a Friday evening and were seated! Food came out quickly and the servers were very attentive to refill water... until it came towards the end of my meal when I was coughing up a storm and I asked for more water but it never came. Boo to that! However, besides my "I need water incident", parking is a breeze right across the street in the garage. Delicious, quickly served food, with minimal wait. That's my spot right there!
(5)
Yamileth O.
My fiance and I have been here a couple of times, and we've never had to wait for a table or service. Last time we came by we ordered the arroz con pollo. Oh man that was soooo good! We also tried the fried calamari and the ceviche both equally delicious. I love Cha Cha Cha! You gotta try their Sangria as well although it could get very addicting... Definitely check it out if you are around downtown San Mateo!
(4)
Phil L.
Parking in San Mateo is very limited on the streets, but if you're willing to walk two blocks, park at the CalTrain station, no hassle and typically plenty of parking. I'm not a big fan of San Francisco for various reasons, so I'm happy that I can finally get my Cha Cha Cha fix in the Peninsula. If you are going for the first time, I highly recommend the cajun shrimp the most. The shrimp is fanastic, but the main star is the sauce. As what other's mentioned, when you dip the bread with the sauce, it's a mix that works in every way possible. The servers were very quick in service and when we asked for extra bread multiple times, the servers got it immediately. I'm also a big fan of the papas fritas(fried potatoes with sauce). The potatoes were perfectly crisp on the outside and when you dip it with the serving sauce, the sauce gives the potato a very small kick to it. I don't think this needs hard alcohol. Sangria is what it's all about. I'm not a fan of wine(especially red wine), but the way they make the sangria here, I can definitely drink more of this. Overall, I've always been happy with my experiences at Cha Cha Cha's, I'm even more happy that I don't have to travel as far as I used to, to get it. Service and food quality is always top notch. This place can serve as a fun dinner spot for groups of four or more.
(5)
Betsy C.
FOOD is BOMB.com Music is alway on point (Salsa) Sangria, YUM Service GREEEEEEEEEAT Everything on the menu is DElish but my favs are CAJUN SHRIMP Platano y frijole Potatoes w/ the brown sauce OHMYLANTA YUMMY
(5)
Patrick R.
Absolutely love coming here. My favorite restaurant to come to in San Mateo. Favorites: Cajun Shrimp with extra sauce= perfect Jerk Chicken= great seasoning and good size Papas Fritas=HUGE portion and gotta love the dip it comes with Seafood Paella= HUGE, amazing flavors, filling Sangria= strong, but not too much, very tasty The food is amazing and the atmosphere that you are in when eating is great. This one IS related to the others that are located in SF, same menu but this place isn't usually crowded. I'm so happy they opened one closer to me (San Jose).....wish they would open one in SJ.....wishful thinker
(4)
Stephy L.
On the day of my boyfriend's birthday, 4 of us including his brother and a friend of ours visited Cha Cha Cha for an early dinner. Passed by this place numerous times when I visited Old Town Sushi or Jeffrey's burgers. The outside doesn't look appealing at all. I never gave much thought about this place. But once you walk in, its a whole different story. Walked in at around 5:45pm. The restaurant was empty except for a few small parties enjoying their early dinner. The hostess was standing right by the door and greeted us. Than we were brought to our table. The decor was very colorful, lots of red and green. Cuban music was playing somewhat loudly. The whole atmosphere was cheerful and lively. Our waiter was super friendly. Boyfriend's brother whose been to the Cha Cha Cha on Haight says this place is famous for their Sangrias, so first things first, a pitcher of Sangrias please! Without a doubt, the waiter served a pitcher of Sangrias in no time. He didn't even check our IDs. First sip, mmmmm red wine and some fruity taste. not bad at all. yelp.com/user_local_phot… For the next 5 - 10 minutes, 4 of us were concentrated on the menu. John suggested that we order 4 plates to start with, since the portions at this place is more on the small side. Calamari : yelp.com/user_local_phot… Fresh and crispy. I thought this was nothing too special about it, but for calamari sake of ours, we ordered it as appetizers. It was delicious. Chicken breast? yelp.com/user_local_phot… I can't recall what the name of this plate was. But it was definitely chicken breast with a special house sauce. The sauce was so flavorful and thick enough that we used it for the bread on the side. The chicken was rather juicy and tender. Along with the sauce, they complimented each other well. Snow Crab croquettes : yelp.com/user_local_phot… I was the one who suggested to order this. Since boyfriend's brotherJohn is allergic to any type of crustaceans, we were gonna skip on this one. But OH MY GOD, best plate out of all! He seriously didn't care if he was gonna itch all over after. The outside was so crispy, perfectly done, while the inside was full of sizzling hot crab meat. So soft and juicy. Don't forget to dip into the sauce before taking a bite! And when I meant sizzling hot crab meat, i mean it! The hint of lemon will also enhance the taste. Quesadilla de puerco : yelp.com/user_local_phot… Basically a gigantic quesadilla with BBQ sauced pork, guac, sour cream, and salsa. Now this picture only shows 1/4 of the whole thing. Imagine 4 slices of this than you have it. The shredded pork was street. Perhaps the BBQ sauce was sweet? It is on the sweeter side. But the salsa and guac was so good. I love guac when it comes to eating it with quesadillas or burritos. I say this is also a go. Huge plate shared among myself and 3 other guys. It's worth a try. At the end, we ordered 6 plates total and we were all so full. (yes, I only have 4 plates down because I didn't take note of the other 2 plates, oops). We managed to finish a pitcher of Sangrias!! 2 out of 4 of us turned tomato red, and of course, we did NOT drive right after. Bill was probably around $80 ish. Im not too sure because I didnt even get to look at it before John took the bill. This place starts picking up at around 6:30pm. There was also a huge party behind us. You might also spot families with kids too. Most tables have a pitcher of Sangrias :) For ladies, bathrooms are clean with toilet paper and painted walls. Only one stall. Where did we go after? Walked our way to Teaway in hope of walking off the alcohol. That'll be my next review!
(4)
Doris W.
Walking around on a Sunday nnight in San Mateo, this caught our eye. The prior time while walking by, we noticed a crowd. I had been to Cha Cha Cha's in San Francisco so that made me anxious to now this would be. Bunny and I walked in and notice there are a lot of people. On the left wall, there was a painting of stairs that looked so realistic that we thought there was a second level. Then after carefully taking a second look, we realized it was only a design. Although the lighting was dim, there were a lot of bright colors that made the restaurant look lively. We were seated right away and had time to look through the menu. After much deliberation, Bunny decided on Arroz con pollo (chicken), while I ordered the Bistek encebollado (steak). We decided on tapas of Papa Fritas since I love potatoes. The server was friendly and nice as he took our orders and brought the drinks right away. Our appetizer came first and the potatoes were tasty. The portions were big and was almost large enough to be a meal on it's own. I was unsure of the sauce, but it went well with the papa fritas. Shortly after, our dishes came. Everything looked good. However, the steak was a bit tough to cut and at times difficult to chew. I enjoyed the chicken dish more. Although our server was nice when taking our orders, he never came back around to check up on us. He'd walk by several times and we'd have to get his attention if we needed something, for example a refill on a drink. Bunny had asked for more ice tea once and he said sure. He didn't take the glass with him. Then he left and didn't come back for a long time before coming back with the refill. As we were wrapping up and wanting to exit, again we had to flag down someone to get the bill and a box. This time, it was a different person and she seemed reluctant to want to come over to assist us. I enjoyed the Arroz on pollo and Papa Fritas. I woudn't mind coming back, as long as I know that I need to be patient and may not receive great service.
(3)
Jason G.
Contrary to some rumors, they're still open for lunch during the week. Went back with a large work crowd for lunch today. The food is still fantastic. The service at lunchtime doesn't ever suffer from the negative comments some reviewers have made about dinner time, so we don't have any issue getting in and out in under an hour. I completely recommend trying this place for lunch.
(5)
Jenn G.
Cha Cha Cha gets a solid 4 stars in my book solely based on the service. Noe was our server and he was awesome! He was very personal, inviting, fun to chat with, and provided excellent service. We came here on a Tuesday afternoon right when happy hour started. We ordered a pitcher of sangria and the rest was history. I recall the sangria being quite strong and definitely worth the price. Noe sat with us and shared a few glasses with us. This kind of personal attention with patrons is unusual and likely unheardful in today's typical hustle and bustle of restaurant business. Noe -- you rock! and Cha Cha Cha - I'll be back for more sangria next time!
(4)
Celia L.
Been here twice so far and had great experiences both times. The service is awesome, and the sangria is even better. All of the dishes I've tried were delicious. The ones that stuck out: - calamari - chicken wings - seafood paella - ceviche - sweet plantains - cajun shrimp - snow crab croquettes You can find street parking if you are lucky, but we park at the lot by the amtrak station a couple blocks away - I believe it's free after 6pm every day of the week. Try the flan or the tres leche cake for dessert! And then when you are ready for round two, sweet orchid (gelatto) and tpumps (boba) are just a few doors away. (We hit up both and did three rounds of dessert on our most recent visit!)
(5)
Kai Y.
After visiting a friend in San Mateo on a Sunday, we ended up in downtown San Mateo. We were just walking and trying to pick up a place for lunch. Cha Cha Cha Cuba looks like an interesting choice for lunch, after glancing through their menu, we decided to try it. The food was okay. It was not too impressive, but it didn't suck, either. We had the seafood paella, some grilled mushroom and sangria. The garlic sauce for the mushroom was good, though. We also noticed the sandwiches and the lunch plates on other tables looked pretty good. Might worth trying otherwise. However, I noticed how the waiter poured the sangria from the container to the cup. The juice washed over his fingers and dripped right back to the Sangria container. I kind of started to doubt the sanitary state of this place. It turned out I got a little bit stomach sickness at night. Not sure if it was directly related to Cha Cha Cha Cuba food, but it was enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth, literally. Probably won't go back there for a while. :(
(3)
Jenn M.
Pretty awesome to have the cousin of Cha,Cha, Cha SF in San Mateo. They had all my SF favorites on the menu with some fun additions. The Sangria wasn't quite the same. Maybe it was the lack of fruit? We went on a Thursday after work. No problem getting a table. Service was just right for my taste. The servers were courteous and helpful but didn't interrupt the table convo every 6 seconds to ask how things were.
(4)
Logan C.
I never feel good about giving less than 3 stars but after my experience here and reading the many negative Yelp reviews about service i don't understand why management isn't trying to improve things. Food was awesome but they have the worst service of any full service restaurant I have ever been to.
(2)
Cat C.
Bf and I got lucky on a rainy Thursday & walked into a not so crowded Cha Cha Cha Cuba. I was excited to finally try this place out after much anticipation but also with hesitation due to some of the mixed reviews. We decided to share: the papas fritas, camerones picante, & the jerk chicken. The waiter told us that he thinks that those dishes wouldn't be enough for us, and I asked him if the jerk chicken was a tapas too (they have some dishes big enough for entrees). He said it was, but we told him it was okay & we'd stick with it. I don't care for red wine, but the Sangria was delish and not too strong tasting! The camerones came in a delicious creamy sauce which I used for dipping bread in too. The papas fritas were perfectly crisped and seasoned, the chili aioli was okay, but the potatoes were good enough by themselves. So we waited and waited for the jerk chicken, but it never came. One of the other waiters asked us if everything was okay, and we told him we were waiting for the jerk chicken and he said he'd put it in. The original waiter came over and my bf tells him that we didn't get the jerk chicken, but that the other guy put it in & he said no it's not in. So then we just ordered the sauteed mushrooms. A little while later the jerk chicken actually comes and our original waiter comes over and asks if we still want it and we said no, so he took it away and out came the mushrooms shortly after. The mushrooms were very good, probably my favorite dish of the night, as they were cooked with sherry & garlic. While the staff was pretty attentive, their friendliness could be questioned as we would never hear a "You're welcome" or anything of that nature. Also, it was kind of gross how when we were brought a new plate of bread, one of the waiters used his fingers to move the old bread after a failed attempt to just plop it on the other plate. My seat was near these two chairs and some of the wait staff would sit on those two chairs and chit chat right next to me, that was definitely odd! The food and sangria was pretty good, but definitely pricey for the portions, the service can be questionable and I wonder if it was just us or if any other patrons have experienced a communication barrier. Total before tax and tip for 3 tapas and 1 glass of sangria was $30. For all of this, I give it between a 2 and 3. Maybe we'll be back in the future for Happy Hour.
(3)
Jennifer G.
The plantains and arroz con pollo was delicious! The sangria was a little strong for me since they only use lemon and orange but it works well with the food :)
(4)
Jason C.
Tired of Mexican all the time? theres more to latin america than just Mexican! Can i say Cha Cha Cha is authentic? no, but it does peak the curiosity. Food: Everything is in Spanish, so at least they dont water down the menu for the english speakers. They dont have a large menu but the entrees are not typically found in a lot of latin theme restaurants in the bay. I got the seafood paella. The rice was very flavorful and rich. However, its not overwhelming. the paella included sausage, shrimp, calamari, mussels and salmon. While on inspection, there doesnt appear to be alot of meat, it was good enough. The mix of the different types of meat gave the dish some variety and contrast instead of just a greasy meat fest. the menu is not long big, but the few things they do serve, they serve it well. glasses were tad on the small side. My friend got the chicken, portion was fairly large and the chicken was juicy. Service/Atmosphere: It was stuffy in there. The place wasnt even crowded and i was sweating while I was eating. Service could be a little better, we had to explain to the waiter each time we needed something. we had to explain to them we needed the check. staff might be new? they just seemed confused or something. so they loose a star on the service department. Verdict? I'd I would come again and try more of the menu. while not perfect, they have me asking for more.
(4)
Angela D.
The food is more of a Cuban fusion that tries to hard. While the bus boy was nice, the server must have been having a bad day. Not to mention our papa rellenos were cold. Paella was decent, sangria was not.
(2)
Vishal A.
The place was pretty busy when we stepped in. The sangria was awesome, the ambiance and music good and the food just decent. The best thing we tried was the Pollo Al Jerk, an explosion of flavor. It reminded me of the Fesenjan at Persian places, except that this was not sweet. The Arroz con Pollo was decent too, but skip the soggy Chicken Empanadas, which were too spicy and a complete misnomer with no curry flavor at all! Keep in mind that their tapas portions are practically a full meal!
(3)
Alex W.
The appetizers and entrees my boyfriend and I had at Cha Cha Cha Cuba were all pretty good. If the food was a little cheaper I would give them another star. Also- they really need to work on getting a hard alcohol license because I would have really loved to order a mojito!
(3)
Ryan S.
The paella was very good but the sangria was barely average. A pork quesadilla appetizer was overstuffed and tasty. Service was friendly but slow.
(3)
Evelyn C.
Yay, a Cha Cha Cha in San Mateo (plentiful parking when compared to SF's parking nightmare). Yay because I can now have sangria lunches! Anyway, went here on a Friday night, third-wheeling with my married couple friends. Sangria was delicious, the food was delicious, and though they were packed to the gills that night, service was still very good. The bread and butter was great, bread super fresh. We ordered shrimp in cajun sauce (perfect for dipping the bread in), sauteed mushrooms, paella, grilled steak--everything was great! We also had flan and bread pudding for dessert, even though we were stuffed. The bread pudding was AMAZING.
(5)
Amber S.
Great Cuban food and sea food! I ate with my boyfriend and his best friend. We all loved it. Great visual art on the walls, warm inviting atmosphere, I stared at the details on the walls of the restaurant. It is worth eating at this place, I can't say anything negative and be honest about it, it was even open late when we arrived hoping to find a restaurant that was still going to accept customers.
(5)
Charmaine L.
just the sangria alone is enough to keep a smile on my face. add some delicious small bites to the equation and you've got a recipe for a great night. the calamari is light and crispy while the roasted garlic mushrooms are rich and decadent. i love the shrimp in cajun cream sauce which i can sop up with a full baguette. the paella is full of seafood, and the lechon is fork tender! the ambiance and decor are inviting and welcoming. so is the service. 50% off sangria during happy hour. score! perfect downtown san mateo location with the parking garage across the street. what is not to love? an affair with sangria. i like it.
(5)
Joanna S.
I was so excited to come here, since I've never been to the SF location (it's always packed there). We made a reservation for Sunday lunch, but when we arrived, there really wasn't a need for it. The place was empty. The food was ok, but not very flavorful nor impressionable. I liked our shredded pork plate and the ceviche. The ceviche was different because they had raw scallops as well as calamari pieces mixed with shrimp and lettuce. It was pretty refreshing to have, and probably my favorite dish of the meal. Our waiter recommended this plantain pancake with black bean sauce which was not good at all. I even tried to hype it up to my friends, saying things like "mm, you have to try this!" "oh, this is so good", yet they saw right thru me. It literally tasted like a piece of dough dipped in black bean sauce. I guess I wasn't very persuasive, because there ended up to be a bunch left at the end of the meal. The calamari was really bland as well. It needed some salt or flavor to liven this dish up. I also picked up a piece, tried to peel the breading off, then could not find the actual calamari inside. I guess it was dried up inside. You can dip it in an aioli sauce they provide, but it just tastes like lemony mayo. And seriously, if the food isn't that great, what I expect most is for the sangria to be good! We got a half pitcher between the 4 of us, it only feeds each person 1.25 cups, which is fine. We weren't trying to get drunk at lunchtime, but I wish it tasted better. Usually, I could gulp down 2-3 cups easily through the meal, but this cup literally.lasted.me .thru.the.whole.meal. It was pretty much watered down wine here, I've had better. Lastly, the service. In the beginning they kept asking if we wanted something to drink. But when it came to time to order, nobody came around. Asked for the check, and that took a while too. No refills on water during our meal, not even a question if we're doing ok. Truly a disappointment! I don' think i'll be back.
After reading the mixed reviews on Yelp I was skeptical about trying this place out. Luckily we didn't encounter any of the slow food service, lacking waiter service or lack of flavor in the food. In fact my experience was completely opposite! For a group of 4 we ordered: - Cajun shrimp (shrimp itself was ok, sauce was good) - Fried New Potatoes (awesome!) - Lechon Asado (very flavorful) - A shredded beef dish, not on the website (good) The food came out pretty quickly and was very enjoyable. I would definitely come back again and is a nice alternative to driving to the other SF locations. I would definitely recommend coming with a group of at least 4 though, so you can try more dishes. I actually do not recommend the sangria though, as it is expensive for such a small little pitcher. Although it's good, it's hard to see its value.
(4)
Corinne R.
Just had lunch here and boy is my tummy happy. We shared the ceviche and the paella. The lightness and tartness of the ceviche combined with the depth and flavour of the paella make for a phenomenal combination that compliment each other. There was no scrimping on seafood and sausage in the paella (sometimes you get more rice than other stuff). Other stuff: Our waiter was quick. The ambiance was creative (one wall is painted to look like the outside of a building complete with windows and flowers). The food was well priced. Totally on our "go back list" for San Mateo eats.
(5)
Analyst C.
Fast service; great happy environment; good food; guitarist playing spanish songs;
(4)
Grace H.
Cha Cha Cha will always dance its way into my heart. This is their #3 location and man is it as cute as its sister locations. This location is probably the smallest of the 3 but their food is just as delicious and sangrias are just as strong!
(4)
Stephanie L.
One of the few Cuban tapas places that I've been to in the bay area and I though this was great for a group setting! I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed everything we ordered. Especially the shredded sirloin and the plantains! I can definitely see myself coming here again for happy hour :) Oh, and the Flan was sooo good. must. have. moar.
(4)
Lorraine C.
So unbelievably happy my favorite tapas restaurant is just down the street from work. Doesn't have the same abiansce as Haight...but the food is consistent. As well great to have some of the same HaightStreet faces to welcome you.
(5)
Janette W.
I always look forward to visiting any place that has sangria so I was excited to try Cha Cha Cha Cuba. It was a huge party for Kelly's birthday, and the service was decent considering that. The food was really good and the portions were significantly larger than most tapas places. The ceviche practically came in a bucket it was so big. There was a good variety of seafood too. The chicken curry empanada was an interesting spin on a classic. We also shared the pork quesadilla which was pretty standard. The mushrooms were the real standout here, really flavorful and tender. And how could I forget the sangria! It was great!
(4)
c c.
This place was terrible. I grew up in Miami, my father is Cuban, and I grew up eating Cuban food. Cuban food does NOT consist of tortillas. I should have known not to expect too much from a place that has "crab croquettas", passes off Moros as congri, and has spicy food on the menu. Cuban food is not spicy - it's more of a throw back to Spanish cuisine than what you're used to finding in Latin American food in the Bay Area- which is typically heavier in it's indigenous influence. Even so, the food wasn't very tasty. I had the ropa vieja after one reviewer mentioned it was just like his Cuban grandmother's. The dish was nothing like any ropa vieja I have eaten in my life and not in a good way. It was sweet, not savory as it should have been. If this place marketed itself as a Latin American fusion place, fine, 3 stars. But for claiming to be Cuban food, two stars. Those who say it's better than edible have never had real Cuban food or have been tricked into thinking they have.
(2)
Alyssa S.
If you want to have the same Cha Cha Cha as the city without the freakishly long wait, then come to downtown San Mateo. The food and sangria is exactly the same except parking is easier, the wait isn't long, and the space isn't as crowded. The food is pretty good and the sangria always gets me buzzed. Granted it's not my favorite type of food which is why I'd usually give this place 3 stars but with this specific location it gets another star because it's much closer to where I live and the wait is reasonable for what it is.
(4)
Nolando T.
I seriously think that Versailles in LA has ruined me for all Cuban restaurants. This place isn't bad...it just isn't Versailles. The Cajun Shrimp was alright...but the sauce was better with the bread than on the shrimp. I don't think they really compliment each other. I think the sauce might actually be better with something else other than shrimp. Also, they serve a plate that consists of just fried plantains and black beans??? I know it's a tapas place, but I found it weird to have 2 side dishes together like that. Maybe I'm weird, but to me that's like serving a plate with just rice & bread together. The good thing is their portions are quite large for tapas. Though, you do pay for it as each dish is roughly 9-10 bucks. I also thought it was odd that they didn't carry Iron Beer, Materva or any other traditionally South American beverages. Nor did they make batidos (fruit milkshakes). Overall not bad. Better than anything San Diego has to offer. But I'm not exactly going to make last minute trips to the Bay because I'm having a Cha Cha Cha craving.
(3)
Vicky L.
Came here for a Girl's Night dinner with the lovely Jenn W. They don't take reservations for parties less than 6 people. When we came at 8:30 there was a 20 minute wait before they seated us. The servers are hard to flag down and my water cup was empty for quite a few occasions. I ordered the shrimp ala diablo. The shrimp were disappointing; small, unfresh and the size of plankton. The sauce it was cooked with was outstanding after I added in 3 lime wedges. We ordered the plantains and beans to share and it was a solid 5 star dish. Great for people watching and once they up the freshness of that shrimp and use crustaceans that I don't need to use a magnifying glass to see, they would be onto something!
(4)
Mary T.
Total rating would be 3.5 stars. Came here for date night with my love, on a Friday night. Place is nice, but quite small. It was definitely packed when we walked in, but we got seated right away, in the far back of the restaurant, closest to the stairs. I didn't really care for the spot where they sat us because had I moved my chair maybe two more inches, I would have went flying down an entire flight of stairs. No joke! Then at that point they may have caught a case, know what I mean? Took the waiter some time to take our order after waving them down because they said they didn't even notice we were there. Yes, that's because they sat us in the corner, duh! Anyways, onto the food and service. Service was pretty quick...you don't have one assigned waiter...if you need something and you see a waiter, get their attention and they will come to you. Cajun Shrimp (Delish! The sauce that this dish is made with is great for dipping with bread, ask for plenty more bread as they only give you a small portion to begin. Trust me, you will want that bread for all this dipping sauce. Flavorful, the right amount of kick, the shrimp are perfected marinated in this sauce, a must get dish here) Lechon Asado (Hubby ordered this dish. I thought it was just eh, nothing special. The pork was bland to me, the rice and beans that it came with, not really my thing. It always comes with plantains that my hubby really enjoyed.) Guava Chipotle Wings (I really enjoyed this dish. Super marinaded in the sauce, tender, a unique flavor for sure! Great the nice day with rice for lunch heated up) Calamari (Great dish to start with, flavor is just right, but I wish it were a bit more crispy) Sangria (red) - Not my thing, it's way TOO sweet, and I could barely taste the alcohol. We got a whole pitcher to share between two and we still had maybe over a glass left, we didn't even finish it. Wish we would have just gotten single glasses. Next time, I can do without the sangria. I'm not sure if this place is related to the one in SF or not. My first experience at Cha Cha Cha was in SF and I remember it being OFF the HOOK, this one eh, it's just OK!
(3)
Alice C.
3.5 stars. Definitely not the same as the city locations. The vibe is different, the crowd is different, and so it feels a bit less hipster and a bit more laid back. The service is definitely not as good as the city locations -- hey just because we're not from the city, doesn't mean that we don't notice. The food is good, as usual. Pulled pork quesadilla, snow crab croquettes, plantains with black bean sauce -- all very yummy. Sangria too. I really suggest going with a decent sized group (4 or so) and share the dishes. This is supposed to be tapas! It's definitely a place to stop by in San Mateo. However if you can get to the city locations easily (and don't mind the wait), go there.
(3)
Derrek O.
This is the newest in Cha Cha Cha franchises. This location was the first one I ever visited so I came in with an impartial mindset, not knowing what to expect. Food here is a mixture of Cuban and Caribean influences. This place's claim to fame is the sangria. Get it. It's yummy. Other dishes I ordered and enjoyed here were the fried calamari, ceviche, arroz con pollo and the bistek encebollado. And although this place advertises itself as a "tapa plates" restaurant, each entree was hearty...easily serving 2-3 people. Waitstaff here is average at best. I feel like that could be more personable. I recently have had the opportunity to visit the Cha Cha Cha location on Haight St in the city. That location has more character and friendlier staff.
(3)
Shianne D.
Hmm after finding out a few friends regular this place, the bf and I decided to give it a whirl when we were in town. We had never had Cuban food, and were so surprised and pleased by the delicious tastes that our meals had! I ordered a dijon, basil chicken & he got rice with jerk chicken. I must admit though that while my chicken was sauteed in an AMAZING sauce, it only came with just the meat. No rice, no veggie, no nada. Kinda not used to that. But I had a small loaf of a bread to soak it up with. And I did try their famous sangria, which while tastey was ve rrry strong. Granted I am not a regular drinker in any capacity. I did enjoy the flavors. Prices were kinda high for only getting a chicken breast with no nothing. Service was FAST. LIGHTNING FAST. But not friendly. I might try it again but don't expect better results. I'm on the fence with this one, yelpers.
(3)
Chris T.
Came here for happy hour with some friends. The restaurant was pretty nice, service was friendly and food was okay. I had the Alitas de Pollo and the Quesadilla de puerco. The wings (alitas) were pretty good and the quesadillas were okay. The flavors were pretty similar so the food was played out pretty quick for me. So my visit here was okay, nothing too special.
(3)
Ceci C.
Seriously.... You are not anything watsoever like Cha Cha Cha's in San Francisco.... you thought you would be sneaky by having that name... but in fact you are an impostor, a disgraceful excuse for what you are saying is cuban food... taste more like burnt oil garbage food to me. The cuban season potatoes were so disgusting I left every single morsel on that plate...and I love potatoes but what you served me was a mountain of burnt oil with particules of what looked like could have been potatoes in a formal life. The sangria... seriously??!?!?!? Don't make me go there. I wonder if I can ask Yelp if we can give negative stars because I would definitely give you a -5 because you are that god awful.
(1)
Rosquete B.
3 1/2* Cuban Have happy hour; serve sangria, wine, and beer Delicious food, everything tastes salty or sweet Fried yucca was good; gambas al ajillo were overcooked Large portions; great lechon with plantains and dirty rice Have flan and tres leches for dessert Good food service
(3)
David H.
"So, what do you want for dinner tonight?" "I don't know, I really don't, you can decide, but something, exotic." "Hmm...Cha Cha Cha Cuba?" Of course, I replied it with a big YES. I always wanted to come to this place, I mean Cuban food, I'm not Cuban, I'm Asian... and how often do I get Cuban food? How many times have I had Cuban food? Never! It was so nice to get out of this food cycle of boredom: pizza, hot dogs, pizza, pizza, hamburgers, pizza, pizza, spinach pizza, pizza, and pizza. You know, no offense pizza, but sometimes you are just a little bit, too...common. I walked into this place and was welcomed by this warm tropical ambiance as a whole: the music and the painted colorful walls that really portrays well of Cuba; just everything I would imagine it to be though I have never been to Cuba. The floor here was sticky though, but it was fun, I like the sound when I put my feet on the floor and jerk it up, it makes that cool sound...a nice sound. But that's not the point, whatever. The waiter was very nice and patiently explained everything to us and really described everything thoroughly. Me and my friends were kind of surprised by the cost of these tapas, we ordered the "Pollo Al Jerk"- Chicken with a very tropical sauce, and "Filetillo de Pollo"- Grilled chicken with a creamy dijon basil sauce. The waiter served us free white bread with butter, which was just pretty normal bread. When the tapas got on the table, these tapas were sitting deliciously in a cute pan, we were happy that the tapas aren't as small as we thought, and that the price we are paying is quite worth it, but wait, I can't indicate if it's worth it before actually tasting it. So let's start with the "Pollo Al Jerk"- Chicken, covered with this dark brown sauce- the Jerk sauce. It was very interesting and delicious looking, and was served over a pile of white rice. The chicken was grilled and cooked nicely, some parts were grilled to a crunchy perfection...smothered with the Jerk sauce all over...The Jerk Sauce, ahh, spicy, fruity, savory, and a bit of the acidity...it was heaven, it was that vibrant flavor, that tropical, that warmth and especially that kick from the Habanero, EOOOOOAAAAAAAAOW. Oh I couldn't stop eating... Another dish my friend ordered was "Filetillo de Pollo"- Basically Chicken, again, topped with this creamy, dijon-basil sauce. I really wish they would serve this on top of rice, it seems to pairs so well with rice, the creamy sauce and the chicken has a really strong and defined smokey flavour, though it was a bit too much for me, but was sort of kind of balanced by the flavour of the pungent basil and the slightly sweet dijon. This place is definitely my new exotic hangout spot. I'm in love. It's almost like, these foods dance, maybe because they really do on your tongue, especially the food served here. I recommend this place to adventurous people who like to explore the new realms of cuisines and people who wants a perfect casual meal; By casual meal, I'm talking about the size of the dish, not too little to leave you hungry, not too filling to leave you stuffed, something just right.
(4)
Nicole M.
YUM!! Ate here for a first time. Sangria is yum- got a pretty good buzz from it, and the potatoes and potatos balls were delicious too! Wish they had their mussels that our friends were raving about. But theres always next time!
(4)
Wing Man C.
Ok...I know some people complained about the service, but I don't think you'd go to a place like this for French Laundry type service. It's like going to a cheap Chinese joint expecting to have your a$$ kissed. The wait staff is nice enough and the food is good. The sangria is the same as the locations in SF and it creeps up on you, so drink slowly. They have bistek empanizado and papas rellenas on their daily specials every so often and definitely order it if you see it!! Bistek empanizado is like the Cuban version of chicken fried steak. I love the citrus flavor in the marinade and the tangy flavor from the fresh squeezed lime/lemon juice on top of the fried steak. Imagine a mashed potato ball stuffer with super flavorful meat and deep fried...that's papas rellenas. How can you say no to that? I also really like their calamari, Cajun shrimp, black mussels, and paella. You can ask for your bread to be toasted and dip it into the Cajun shrimp and black mussels sauce...don't waste it!!! Overall, this is a great place to meet up with friends and have a delicious dinner with some sangria while catching up. The decor is super cute and being from the burbs, I prefer the chill/low key San Mateo crowd over San Francisco. Parking is free after 6pm and if you are coming on a busy night, consider parking at the Cal Train parking structure.
(5)
Carolyn A.
Great sangria and plantains. Rice and beans are good too. The atmosphere is very unique, colorful and like you're in a plaza from that movie Expendables with Sylvester Stalone, The Governator, Jet Li and others...kinda makes you wanna start some revolution or go to church. Not sure. I've been here a few times, and it's always crowded but in a lively way, you won't have to wait for a table. The bread is also surprisingly good. Pretty Frenchy tasting but I'll take it! Get there between 5-9. If not, they'll be closed...
(4)
Vy M.
The one in SF is still way better but can't complain about the strong sangria and the cheap happy hour menu. Half off all sangria and $5 menu. Though, their special shrimp is not on the happy hour menu! Surprising it wasn't crowded during their happy hour maybe not many people know about it? We were the first and only customer even when we arrived around 5:15 (happy hour is between 5-6pm). This place is worth a try especially if you live nearby.
(3)
Chers S.
Same owners and menu as the Haight St and Mission Cha Cha Chas but really lacking in the service area at the San Mateo location. Pros: Plantains were delicious Yummy Garlic Shrimp in a Cream Sauce Sangria is pretty good and inexpensive Cons: Downstairs is pretty dark and cramped Service is super slow The food is nothing spectacular but it's casual and inexpensive. However, I'd suggest going to one of the SF locations.
(3)
Jason W.
All the culinary things I miss about working up in the city are suddenly showing up in my neighborhood down here on the Peninsula! Golden Boy Pizza, Cha Cha Cha, Beard Papa, etc. Now, if we could just get a place to listen to some decent music... Cha Cha Cha looks deceptively tiny from the outside, but it's pretty spacious on the inside. In fact, it seems like there's room for another whole floor on the inside, but, instead, they've got a fake looking courtyard setup like something from Pirates of the Caribbean. It's fairly charming! We went on a weeknight, so it wasn't that crowded. Still it took a little while for the waiter to seat us. The star you see docked above is for the inattentive wait staff. There were only two of them and they made the rounds sporadically. Between ordering sangria and our entrees, it was probably about a 20 minute wait. The same thing happened when it took forever for our check to show up and then our change. It's not like we were in a hurry, but we were trying to get his attention to get the ball rolling and it didn't work. We started with the Sangria (good, but I like mine a little more chilled) and some fried potatoes and garlic aoili. The potatoes were super yummy! My friends had mushrooms and calamari which I didn't try, but they seemed happy. For my entree, I had the braised pork with rice, beans, and plantains. The pork was VERY fatty, but tasted really great. My wife had the salmon which she really enjoyed. Cha Cha Cha isn't exactly the same experience as the locations up in the city. The food is the same which is great, but there's not quite the atmosphere and the service isn't as good. But, HEY, I've got a Cha Cha Cha just a few blocks away from my house! :)
(4)
Benzee B.
This is definitely not part of the Cha Cha Chas in San Francisco. The sangria was above average but the menu is minuscule compared to the Cha Cha Chas in SF. We arrived there at 6 and the place was empty however when we left at 8 there was a waiting to get a table. Overall I would go back but I wouldn't make a special trip to get there.
(3)
Manisha S.
3.5 stars, went on a Tuesday night with 3 friends. I had to go ask the waiter for sangria after waiting 10 minutes to have a server come by! But the wait staff are SO nice and accomodating, they are just understaffed. The patatas bravas were yummy. Few vegetarian choices but I got the spinach empanada. It was excellent and came with a nice salad. We asked for the plantains without sour cream. They brought them w sour cream and then took them back but never replaced it! The plantains from my friend's dish were amazing though. We had to flag the waiter down for everything. Quality of food was excellent but wish they had better service and more veg options.
(3)
Vanessa G.
AMAZING food, service and spot! One of my favorite places in San Mateo!
I had such fond memories of Cha Cha Cha in San Francisco and was so excited to visit a location close to home. I really wanted to love it - Sadly I was disappointed - food was okay but service was so slow!!! We had to keep flagging them down for water and it was not very crowded.
(3)
Schelly Y.
I love the SF locations I have been to so I am very excited to have one closer to home! Sangria!!! Delicious and fruity Fried Plantains- Crispy outside with warm gooey perfection inside Cajun Shrimp- Rich creamy sauce but I would have liked it a bit more spicy. This was my first time having this dish and I was not that excited about it. Arroz con Pollo- All of the flavors melded together so well. YUM Steamed Black Mussels- SO GOOD. I order this every time I go and I love it every time. Fried New Potatoes- Fried perfectly and served with a yummy chile pasilla aioli mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm so good!
(4)
S. H.
Love the food! Hate the service. Never.coming.back.to .this.location.ever.
(2)
Brian B.
After being in South Beach for a weekend. I decided I should eat Cuban food again because it was so good in Miami. So I decided to go here. the inside of the restaurant is really nice. Had a picture of Cuba and I felt like I was back in Miami. I ordered chicken,rice and beans and it was just about when I was in Miami. I will probably come back here whenever I am craving Cuban food.
(4)
Tresnae R.
I absolutely love the Cajun shrimp! That has been my go to item on the menu, with a side of butter rice. Yummy! I haven't tried anything on the menu that I didn't like. The food is perfectly seasoned and flavorful! I love the atmosphere and the customer service is great! They also have great prices for the amount of food you receive, on many of the dishes you could share. The sangria is great as well :)
(4)
Brooke H.
People are trippin. Service was great tonight. Food was excellent. I love it.
(5)
Tony L.
It's hard to believe, but Cha Cha Cha's has been a Bay Area foodie institution--serving authentic, family-owned Cuban recipes--for close to a quarter century; it's Haight Street location has been open since 1987. It's newest location, joining a thriving night-life scene in downtown San Mateo, shows that Cha Cha Cha is still going strong. My advice? Try lots of appetizers and keep the sangria flowing. My favorite small bites of the night were the fried calamari and the chicken wings. Complex and comforting sauces complimenting tender rings of calamari and succulent wing meat is the perfect way to extend a conversation. For a main course, the jerk chicken was excellent. Tender. Moist. Slathered in thick, jerk sauce, it's enough to warm any heart. The ambiance of this place is vibrant, decor colorful, and conversations festive and amplified. There's also a room downstairs ideal for private parties. Fun and food are a perfect one-two combination, and if you're looking for a knockout, look no further than Cha Cha Cha Cuba.
(5)
Michelle C.
AHHHHH Cha Cha Cha's how much i love and adore thee. How much more do I love and adore thee when i don't need to wait to indulge in your sangria and tapas in a 3 hour wait time. Im loving this new location on super cute trendy B street in San Mateo! The restaurant itself is small and cozy with lots of color and great music as always the food was awesome and the sangria was flowing. We stopped in around 8:30 ish on a friday night and were seated right away. Our server was friendly and we got fed pretty darn quick! I love this location and plan on visiting again really soon!
(5)
MJ J.
Been coming here regularly now and hence the update. Awesome pork chop special, incredible chicken quesadilla with a mild sweet flavor and the amazing jerk chicken we normally order. Top it off with sangria and Jamaican beer! Great lovely scene plus always crowded.
(5)
Abigail D.
The ONLY items I get at Cha x 3 (yeah, the cool kids aka just me call it that. okay?!) are the cajun shrimp with extra sauce and the calamari, regardless of whichever location I'm at. I've ordered other things off the menu before and all were very good! However nothing beats that sauce. It's heaven. KEEP THE BREAD COMING. You need to soak up as much sauce as possible. It's divine. Now if you're looking for a lot of shrimp, you'll be disappointed. The dish itself comes with 6 pieces of shrimp. Don't cry. Have no fear. It's the sauce that counts. Trust me. Oh and I order the calamari because 1) they give you a lot of legit, big pieces 2) it's so filling and 3) the lemon aioli it comes with is so good!
(4)
Caitlin S.
We had a long wait because they don't make reservations for less than 6 people, BUT, totally worth it. Started with sangria- obviously amazing. Then quickly had papas fritas with and awesome sauce, jerk chicken over rice- amaze balls, with a super good jerk sauce on top. Next we had a shredded chicken quesadilla and even though I'm not a huge fan of meat, it was so flavorful I couldn't stop eating. Finally we had a ricotta spinach empanada with a bean sauce, also fabulous. I would not call these small plates, I will order far less next time because we couldn't eat dessert! We took most of it home for lunch tomorrow. For 2 hungry people, 2-3 plates would have been plenty and we'd probably have leftovers still. Even with all that food and a half pitcher of one of the best sangrias we've had, we only spent about 50$- not a bad date night + tomorrow's lunch! We will be back very soon (assuming we can get a table)!
(5)
Jean M.
Great paella and flan. Nice ambience and decor.
(4)
Sheri H.
We've been here a couple of times and aside from some slight differences, it is the same restaurant as the ones up in the city. Same tacky plastic tablecloths, adorning decor and inconsistent neglected service, however, they take reservations and have the famous delicious food and cheap sangria, that comes to your table before you know it!! They do take reservations, however, my fiancee and I came on a Friday night at 7pm and waited for only 10 min, before we were seated. My favorite are the cajun shrimp, jerk chicken, plantains/black beans, calamari and fried potatoes, which are all absolutely mouth watering. It's a loud place with large crowds, dates and family events, so just be prepared for a mixed crowd.
(3)
Lisa C.
Happy hour from 5-6pm. Arrive early to get a seat, but it didn't seem like a problem (at least on a Tuesday evening) since there were a few tables still open within that hour. The place filled up later into the evening though, after happy hour was over, with larger groups. $5 HH dishes and an entire of pitcher of sangria for $10. The HH menu had quite a few offerings. Good spot for HH specials.
(4)
Ned L.
$14 for a small pitcher of sangria, huge servings, mouth-watering plantains, delicious fish.... What's not to like? Seriously, look at the globe. Do you know how far away Cuba is from San Mateo? The decor is brilliant. OK the closest I've ever been is Little Cuba in Miami, but for a little while I could imagine Havana. Sure the service is slow, but it's probably worse in Cuba. Just go with people you want to talk with and enjoy yourself.
(4)
Patricia G.
Someone is lying here. Not sure who but when it's all said and don't, I have to admit that I don't care that much! lol When you come here and ask them, "are you guys the brother/sister restaurant to cha cha cha's in SF?" they instantly say yes. But when you ask the SF locations if they have a location in San Mateo, they say no? Is this a step child bitter rivalry of some sort? Either way, Sangria is delicious and inexpensive and the food is ALMOST identical (99.9%). The dishes are the same in size portions and in flavor but are called slightly different names. Cajun shrimp is still amazing regardless if I'm allergic to shrimp. I'll still dip my bread in that yummie goodness any day of the week. plantains are delish and so was the steak special. For the service, eh. Not the best but then again, you get your sangria and your food right? The ambiance isn't the same in comparison to the SF Haight or Mission location although they have tried to recreate it with the decor inside. But because I'm in Burlingame, I'll be back for that yummie goodness of the Cajun shrimp sauce.
(3)
Hiromi M.
I dont know cuban food, but what we had were good. cajun shrimp and chicken quesadilla, and fried yuca. by looking at the menu, it does not seem to be authentic cuban food, but regardless, i liked what we had. happy hour (5-6p) is a good deal.
(4)
Carlo M.
You ever meet a really fyyynnnne chick who had no personality? Unfortunately, this is what eating at Cha Cha Cha is like :( I guess Versaille in LA is my gauge on what good, flavorful Cuban food is. And this place doesn't even come close. I appreciate all big portions here, but not the big un-flavors. I'm serious. Where is the flavor? Bland,bland, bland!! No big citrus punch u in the face flavors here..Nothing remotely tropical. Not even simple salt!!! What a let down.. Love the interior of this place, (which will bring you back to Cuba, and then some..) But the food needs to catch up. The service was a let down also.
(2)
Gabriela H.
Terrible! I was so sad last night. The food tasted nothing like the other two locations. We had the cajun shrimp which was runny and had been sitting under a heat lamp. The ceviche had zero flavor. Don't waste your time. HEad to the city to the other locations if you want good food.
(1)
Chantal B.
Tonight was my first experience at Cha Cha Cha's in San Mateo; walked in on a whim. I had high hopes that unfortunately were just not met. I immediately noticed the very little organization/coordination between staff. I was directed to go to the back when asking for a to-go order, but when I arrived I was passed along to three people before I was asked without being offered a menu what I would like. Finally, I was handed what apparently was the "lunch" menu, although it was not marked as such, but was charged "dinner" prices. The wait was brief and I was offered a glass of water while waiting. When I arrived home I found the Arroz con Pollo to be lacking the rich flavor expected and contained entirely too many bell peppers. My all time favorite dish, platano frito con crema, was also an absolute disappointment. There was almost no "crema", thank goodness I asked for extra before leaving! The plaintains were CLEARLY not ripe as they were VERY firm and not sweet at all. All in all, I found the entire experience to be a disappointment and not worth the money. Hopefully, in a few more months when they have had more time to establish themselves I will find a better experience!
(2)
Christie X.
Just as other Yelpers have said, the service at this location SUCKS. Both waiters were cold, unfriendly and dismissive. Don't the owners read these reviews? Don't they check Yelp? Do they care about losing potential returning customers because of this? If I was a business owner, especially in today's economy, I would care. I would pay attention. Hard working people have a choice where they want to spend their money and I refuse to give this establishment any of mine ever again. This place has the potential to be great, but unfortunately it leaves little to be desired. The limited menu doesn't help either.
(1)
Lisa M.
I have always gone to the Cha3's in SF, and was happy to learn there was one in San Mateo. Same food, different vibe. I personally like the vibe in SF better. This one was quiet and less lively and decorated, but to me the food tasted the same. I love the pork quesadillas and the ceviche, and the plantains and black beans. Anyway- thank you cha cha cha for coming to San Mateo!!!
(4)
K P.
Summary: Food = 5 stars (Yum!) Sangria = 5 Stars Greeting = 5 Stars Ambiance = 4 Stars Service = 1 Star First the bad part - After being seated by the friendly/gracious hostess, we waited ~20 minutes before a server came to the table. At this point, he uttered the only 6 words we heard from him all night "Would you like something to drink?" After ordering drinks and our meal, he ignored us the rest of the night. I saw the same behavior from him at his other tables too. Now the good part - the Sangria and bread came out right away (from other servers) and was super delicious (FYI - they have red AND white sangria). The Ceviche appetizer came quickly, and the entrees shortly after. All the meals here are great with lots of Cuban flavor and presence. The seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes are equally good. And the Ceviche is super! Go to this restaurant with relaxed friends, and you'll love it. You'll have lots of time to socialize while waiting. And the food is worth the wait! At the end of the meal, the check was offered without a Thank You.
(3)
Carolina N.
This place is pretty awesome! As soon as I walked in I was already feeling happy and like I had arrived at the right place! The decor and feel of the restaurant was so warm and welcoming and very authentic. I came during happy hour and got a pitcher of their AMAZING sangria along with their yucca and calamari appetizer, both of which were also delicious. I have never tasted sangria better than what I had at Cha Cha Cha's and it's left me craving and wanting to go back for more. It had the perfect fruity flavor with a good kick of alcohol and I loved all the fresh fruit inside too. Their calamari was good, but nothing you can't get anywhere else which is why I ordered it... I was craving calamari! On the other hand the yucca with their cilantro-basil sauce was amazing. I'm waiting for Friday to come again so that I can catch their happy hour and try some more of their dishes! This place is awesome... I'm looking forward to bringing my family to this place very soon so that they can experience the deliciousness that I had the opportunity to taste!!!
(4)
Jess C.
Date/Time: Saturday - 8:30pm Occasion: Saturday evening dinner with friends Party of: Five Location: In the heart of DT SM. Limited seating. high ceilings. Old spanish style look. Ordered: Ceviche, Camarones al ajillo (garlic shrimp), Potatoes with spicy aioli, calamari, fried plantains with black beans, steamed mussels, spicy chipotle chicken wings, garlic mushrooms, coconut flan (x2), and a pitcher of sangria. Total incl gratuity: ~$140.00 A group of us had been craving Cha Cha Cha for a few weeks and finally got the opportunity to go. We decided to venture over to the San Mateo one instead, in hopes of a shorter wait. We called about two hours ahead and made "reservations". When we arrived, we still waited about 15 minutes before being seated. Food was a hit or miss, no in between, in my opinion. My personal favorites of what we ordered: the ceviche, the garlic shrimp, the potatoes, and of course the mushrooms. Ceviche was perfectly tart and the seafood fresh. The garlic shrimp, although shrimp small in size, was very good. The garlic was agreeably palatable. Loved the potatoes; the aioli made for an awesome dipping sauce. We added the garlic mushrooms after the fact, before last call. Glad we did as those were so delicious. The calamari was flavorless to me so I was not impressed. The chicken wings were a little too tangy for my taste. I'm not a fan of plantains so enough said. Service is forgettable although I expected as much. This is the kind of place for good times with good friends so they really leave you to that. The servers checked on our table sporadically. This is more so a great place for the atmosphere, some eclectic dishes, and great sangria. Cheers!
(3)
Ana B.
I truly wish there was a separate rating for food and service, because of careless, atrocious service this place is getting one star. Where to begin with this mess...... *We were greeted by a hostess dressed like she just woke up. *We didn't get menus and it took a while to get someone's attention to get them. *Had 4 different servers, one of them came over and offer us dessert when we haven't even ordered dinner, that's how unorganized they are. *Had our appetizers plates seating at our table forever until dinner arrived and of course there was no room for it . My food arrived first, 10 minutes later the rest of the dishes meanwhile we asked one of our 4 servers what was happening and nobody had a clue. I didn't have high expectations to begin with, but they seriously have zero costumer service here, I sensed that the staff is trying to be hippie and cool IT DOES NOT WORK it comes out as rude and neglectful attitude. I have to say that at least someone in the kitchen is doing a good job, the food was tasty and the ambiance of the place is lovely. But I don't think this is enough to come back.
(1)
Jenny H.
Thank you food gods for bringing Cha Cha Cha to San Mateo! Big warning though...this place has been packed since it has opened. Even on a weekday finding a table can be hard, let alone on a weekend it's nearly impossible! Even with the crowds, I've manage to somehow come here twice. I have to say even with the spotty service and major crowds, It's all worth it for the food. The food here is right on par with the SF locations along with the sangria! My three favorite dishes still are the paella, creamy shrimp dish and the steamed mussels. Only thing I miss here is the bar and place is much smaller then the other Cha Cha Cha locations. Even with that, I still love this place! I'm defiantly going to be a frequent dinner here. I heard they also have happy hour here from 5-7 with half off sangria pitchers and $5 tapas. Next thing to try here!
(5)
Tiffany K.
Came here on a Friday night with 6 other friends and ordered a bunch of tapas and of course 2 pitchers of Sangria!! Their Sangria was ok..wish it was a little sweeter. And I really like their fried potatoes with the sauce :). Alot of our plates had plantains...it seemed like they like to put plantains as a side for everything...So we had like almost 4 dishes with plantains..I was a bit overwhelmed by that...the sight of it. I mean it was good but too much! Overall, place is good but I prefer the places on Mission st in SF!!
(4)
Travis L.
I was actually pretty disappointed with Cha Cha Cha. #1- it was hot as shit when we were inside- please add ventilation. #2- the Sangria's are the reason why people come here and it was just ok. #3- chicken wings were overcooked The only reason why this isn't a 1star is because the servers were nice.
(2)
Zac Y.
Love there food! Every dish is great, specially the paella de mariscos, also very good customer service.
(5)
Mark K.
Imposter. NOT the Cha Cha Cha that everyone knows about. Same owners though, but with a Cuban flare. Hence, Cha Cha Cha CUBA.
(3)
Allison T.
Always a great experience at any of the Cha 3 locations and yes filled with sangria and good food. Service was a bit slow when I first sat down but once I got started ordering...they were no joke. Food came fast and water glass was always full. Our server was so fast with the sangria I didn't even notice that he had it poured out and sitting in front of me. As usual I order most of my favorites...my friends had to stop me since there was only 3 of us and I can very easily over order at any given time. We had the ceviche and both the shrimp appetizers but the cajun on is my favorite..extra bread please..to soak up all that sauce. We also had the crab croquettes and both the plaintain orders...yummy is all I have to say. As for the main entree we ordered the paella which is my all time favorite here...bugged them til it was on the menu and the rope vieja....delish. To finish off this delicious meal...we had the flan and bread pudding..haha I would have finished the bread pudding but I dropped my spoon figured it was a sign that I was eating too much. Wish I had the mango tango too but they didn't have it yesterday. I would have loved to order more items from their menu but we only had 3 people. Definitely would come back here and the place is very nicely decorated....could have fooled me into thinking there was an upstairs...check it out!
(5)
Chris C.
Cha Cha Cha is very similar to the one in SF. The food is really good, especially the small bites like the mussles. calamari, wings and ceviche. Sangria is also a must. For Entrees my favorites are the Seafood Paella and the Pork Plates. Overall a great place to have fun, drink, and enjoy good Cuban food.
(4)
ClosetDork ..
Love, love, love their Haight location. Glad that they decided to open one 5 mins away from work. Sad that sipping their infamous sangria was out of the question during a team lunch. Excited that there will be a happy hour organized here in a couple of weeks.
(4)
Elena F.
So the rumor is the owner of the San Francisco locations opened this location for his son. Well "Son" lets learn from Daddy and get some employees in there that know what they're doing. Really... my only complaint is with the Host ( I guess that's what you call him) He has no idea how to sit people. We waited an 1/2 hour (which isn't that long) to be seated and when we asked how much longer he told us "after these people" which we were before. And when we told him that he still took them before us. He told us to sit at a table when it was available and when we did he never came back to give us menus. Oh yeah... and we asked to get a pitcher of Sangria while we waited and it never came. Then after we sat he brought a pitcher of Sangria to a bunch of OTHER people that were waiting for a table. Dude just doesn't know whats going on. The food was great... Came fast and hot. The waiters were cool and attentive. It's just that damn Host.
(3)
Dave N.
This place is A-okay! The prawns portion was smallish, as was the mussels, but the ropa vieja was good and generous in size. The prices are right and the service was good. We will be back.
(4)
Angelique J.
I'm so happy Cha Cha Cha has a new site. I enjoy that the San Mateo bridge has no traffic vs the Bay Bridge and hella traffic. The place is small and no bar bit they still have sangria. The menu is done different but they still have the same food and some new items like crab. It was okay but my husband liked it. I enjoyed that it wasn't crowed and when it did get busy the wait wasn't long as I observed. I'm going to Cha Cha Cha San Mateo from now on. The area was like a mini Palo Alto minus the nice homes and Apple Store and parking is free after 6 in the parking lot.
(5)
Erica C.
Sooooooo disappointing. The decor is absolutely adorable and the packed restaurant seemed promising but the food was just ok and the service was terrible. Three of our dishes arrived at the same time and the 4th dish came out 20 minutes later. While we were taking a break between bites, the busboy came by and whisked away our plates without even asking if we were done. You would think that since they rushed to clear our table, they were in a rush to turn over our table but no... it took another 20 minutes to get our check. Lame.
(2)
Stefanie M.
We usually visit the ones in the city and were happy when this one opened. This is a great place to go for date night or girls night out. Food is great and portions make it easy to try different items and share. I just wish there was a full bar and more seating. I highly recommend this place
(4)
RoastNBoil L.
Oh boy another restaurant claiming to be Caribbean but doest quite get it...one star as the decor is really cute...had the salmon with yellow rice and black beans. The salmon had no flavor and rice was tough or under cooked. Also tried the jerk chicken which was a lame attempt at jerk chicken...um the fried plantains were good....yeah wont be back...maybe its good enough for drinks and appetizers.
(1)
Ali A.
2 stars for food; 1 for service. Had been sitting for almost 15 minutes before we were given a menu, much less water. Two different servers were not friendly--neither smiled and both seemed fairly impatient--as if we were bothering them by being there. Black beans and plantains - great! Ceviche - ok Mussels - broth was good, but we had a few bad mussels Calamari -heavy on the batter w/not much seasoning Sure the sangria was cheap, but it was terrible! Nothing like the sangria at the Haight location. (Are they REALLY sister restaurants?!) The chances of giving this resto a second chance is pretty slim.
(1)
Elena D.
i was very excited to try cha cha cha cuba...had some friends coming in from out of town - made reservations 5 days prior. The day of our reservation - I got a call 2 hours before our time slot - only to be told that they do not take reservations for a party of 4 - and that my reservation was not valid - they would not accomodate the mistake made by one of the employees there (the hostess said one of the cooks must have taken the reservation not knowing their rules) needless to say - we had to find another place to have dinner that would "accomodate" us...in a world where customer service is everything...this blew me away...their mistake...and yet...they wouldn't honor the reservation.
(1)
Sandy H.
It was tasty! We got seafood paella and the day's special, seafood in tomato based broth. It was a bit pricey, $50 for 2 entrees and a beer, but might be because we ordered 2 seafood dishes. Would definitely return to cha cha cha. :)
(4)
Gabriela D.
I was very disappointed. Both the service and the food were awful. I ordered the plantains, they were cold and super dry. I was really looking forward to having dinner here since I love the one in on Haight street but its not the same. We went on late New Years Day so maybe thats why the service was bad but then don't open if you don't want to work. I'll try this place one more time to see if it was just a one time thing but we'll see.
(2)
Mitzie R.
Pure ignorance! How does an employee fail to realize or remember that they are closed on July 4th? I made reservations for a party of 12 for my husbands birthday and they call me on July 2nd to let me know that they're not going to be open??? Then the moron asks if I' d like to reschedule and offers me a free sangria. Really??? How about you stick that sangria up your A$$.
(1)
Maria E.
Having a Cuban husband means that we are always on the hunt for great Cuban style food we have driven up and down the city and ofcourse one of our favorites is Cha cha cha in SF when I found out that there was going to be a new cha cha cha in San Mateo I made sure to have a small birthday party for my hubby and boy was he excited and so were our friends who live in the area and really feel grateful that they no longer have to drive to the city for great cha cha cha food. We were greeted warmly and seated right away our waiter was funny and very entertaining also the decor was very different than the cha cha cha's in the city you feel as if you are seating in the court yard of some Cuban neighbor hood and my hubby got a kick out of the balsa on the wall he couldn't get over it when the food started to arrive we could only hope that the look of the place was the only thing different and we were so happy to report that the excellence of the flavors were not changed we tried the seafood paella and the crab croquetas and lots of our usual favorite dishes and the sangria lots and lots of sangria needless to say we had a great time. I found out that they have a private room and my birthday is coming up so everyone will know were to find me So like the commercial says Food out of this world good Ambiance fun fun fun lively the music will make you want to get up and dance Total experience priceless
(5)
Roseanne F.
Great food, best sangria on the Peninsula! All around good service. One of my favorite date spots for sure.
(4)
Richard R.
This place is small for a person that eats with his elbows on the table but the food is legit. Sangria will get you twisted and make everything taste better. Paella is way nice and tapas were on point.
(4)
Vaishali S.
3.5 stars for the Happy Hour! The pitcher of sangria was really good and really cheap. $5 tapas were also pretty good sized portions...we got the calamari, yuka frites, and tostones. They were decent, could have used a little more flavor. I'd like to go back to try the paella and some other tapas.
(3)
Alan P.
Great food. Had pork which just fell apart from being so moist with plantains and rice. Curry flavored empanadas very good
(4)
Leilani A.
Awesome!! Came with super low expectations based on the reviews but was blown away by service AND food! Croquetas, sangria, ceviche and jerk chicken were out of this world and the service was top. We will definitely be back.
(5)
Catherine k.
I had recently been to Cha Cha's my first experience was hands down good , good food and yes the sangria was the BOMB.. My group was about 8 of us and had good service . My second visit here we had a crowd of 20 or so and was seated downstairs which took away from all the loudness of upstairs music could have been turned down a bit, Food was excellent as always but I have to say the customer service was hands down terrible our waitress didnt understand that we wanted two seprate checks on top of it all a few other people had orded food that never came and was still charged to our bill , make matters worse when a few other people from the party had paid there portion your customer service took it upon herself to add everyones checks together without telling us . to our surprise our bill started off at around 200 and came back modifed to as she said to 400 WTF .. I hate to say there was a language barrier between or waiteress and getting things correct in the first place. Other then that i would go back for thesimple fact the food is good and cant forget the Sangria
(3)
Stephen C.
This is a great place with delicious food. I recently moved up to San Mateo, and this has been one of our top 3 places. It would have been five stars, but they just recently changed up their menu, and are now substituting boring white rice on meals they used to serve with delicious congri. I was greatly disheartened to learn this fact, but I believe you can still substitute it in (for added cost). The sangria is good, the plantains are delicious, the environment is wonderful, it's a pretty great place! Also, no longer open for lunch (except Sundays). Very sad.
(4)
Leya L.
I.5 stars is more like it. My husband and I waited nearly 2 hours for a table after the waiter told us the wait would be 45 minutes. We thought it would be worth it. When we finally sat down, I felt like the waiter wanted to rush us out of there as quickly as possible. I barely got a chance to spit out my order, and he was off. It took me 5 tries to get a straw for my drink...and even longer to get silverware. The waiter didn't bother apologizing that our food arrived before our silverware, he was just rolling his eyes and seemed irritated at whoever had forgotten to give it to us in the first place. The only time he asked us if we were okay is when we were already eating. Where the heck were you when I asked for a straw 5 times and my husband wanted a glass for his beer?? While my husband was in the restroom, I tried to surprise him by paying the bill. The surprise was on me when my credit card was charged nearly double what it should have been. My husband ended up straightening it out with the waiter, and the surprise was over. Absolutely and totally not worth it!
(2)
Michael G.
I was wanting this to be good but it wasn't. Went on a Thursday- they close at 9 even though they were full. They don't have Cuban coffee. It is a little expensive and that would be OK if the food was fresh and tasty; but it wasn't. La Viga in Redwood City is a much better way to spend your money-although I am aware it is not exactly the same thing...
Awesome food, great & fast service. You'll be crazy not to try this place, w/friends or a date.
(5)
Karrie F.
I came here for the first time on a Friday night because it is always busy and the decor looks really cute but I had a bad experience. Hostess and server were unfriendly and very lazy. I guess they ran out of a few wines and they didn't have any of the pork entree dish I was eyeing. I settled on this shrimp tapas and it was basically cooked frozen shrimp heated up in a creamy spiced tomato dish. Not good. The server didn't even acknowledge us the rest of the night so we ended up leaving after having only one tapas!
(2)
Rigo C.
I was thrilled to see that one of my favorite restaurants in SF had opened in my area. I decided to go check it out this past weekend and I did not leave disappoint! The food and sangria were amazing. We shared a lot of plates from the menu and everything was terrific.
(5)
Paul C.
3 stars for the food. Good, but not "to die for". We had the plantains, mushroom for appetizers - both were very good, geneous portions. We had the paella and bistec. The paella was a bit watery, but had a nice flavor and fairly generous with seafood. The bistec was ok, nothing special. The service is slow and we had to flag down the waiter for everything, to order, to get our check etc.
(3)
Lisa C.
My significant other and I came here on a Tuesday for a spur of the moment date night. We came in around 8pm and the place was decently busy. (Not all of the tables were taken. There was a larger group that did show up after us...) ORDER: We ordered three tapas and two entrees. TAPAS: ceviche, camarones alajillo, and ensalada de spinach. ENTREES: bistek encebollado and paella. It was a lot of food for the two of us, but I would order almost all of it again! (I didn't care for the camarones alajillo. The shrimp in butter was not very interesting to me.) We made only a dent in the food and took the rest home. Lunch at work was never more delicious the next day as I packed the leftovers for my midday meal. SERVICE: The food came out very quickly. The service was great. The waiter was very attentive. We were too full to order dessert. I will definitely try the flan and a glass of sangria next time I go back!
(4)
Shane R.
atmosphere is relaxed and fun. got the chicken wings, spicy shrimp, calamari, and empanadas. overall, everything was just low on taste. shrimp was fresh. calamari didnt seem as fresh. have definitely had better tapas.
(3)
karisa r.
Glad I took the time to hunt for parking to get take out from this place! Staff was fantastic from the moment I walked in-was greeted promptly & professionally. Loved the inside decor; wonderful interior made you feel like maybe you weren't in San Mateo, Ca for a few moments. Music was perfect; festive but not too loud. My take out order was correct(woo-hoo) once I got home & the food was AMAZING!!!!! Calamari melted in my mouth, garlic shrimp was delish, etc. Yum! Yum! Highly recommend & can't wait to go there again! Not sure why, but I LOVED the exotic, painted dancing female on the door. Great way to enter/exit this place! Cost seemed appropriate for what I ordered, not expensive.
(5)
Pammy J.
Maaan everything here was GOOOOOD! My 1st for Cuban food & I am definitely sold. Of course started off with some guava juice (yumm!); ordered the salmon filet which did not disappoint at all. Recommend this place!!
(4)
Joanne M.
you know when you go to a restaurant and you can tell right away from the super dim light that it is going to be loud as h*** in there? well this is cha cha cha, but without the sexiness or dimed light, just loud. like abnormally loud. the sangria is delicious and really strong (three girls, 1 pitcher= knocked us out!). Although they just have this huge tub of sangria at the back where you can see it just sitting there all night without a lid, that's a bit questionnable. The food was good. My chicken main didn't come with any sides, so remember to order some unless you are low card and just want to eat straight up chicken. I give them a four because of their delicious sangria.
(4)
D G.
I have been here twice for dinner now, and the food is pretty good. The first time that I was here the dining area and front door were packed with people who were eating and those waiting to be seated. The staff seemed overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with the mayhem. The service that night was pretty bad, it took about 20 mins to get a waiters attention just to order drinks, and the rest of the evening went on like this. So the second time, I expected the service to be much better since there were only a total of 7 diners siting at 3 different tables around the restaurant, and this included my table of three. After seating ourselves I looked to the back to see where all the waiters were, and noticed that they were all standing by the kitchen window and had not taken notice of us even walking in and grabbing a table. I tried; unsuccessfully, to wave one of them over. At one point I saw one of them actually carrying a pitcher of water a few tables away, here was my chance to get his attention, he had to see us. I waved and called out, but nothing. No reaction at all, almost as if they were walking around wearing blinders and a bad case of tunnel vision. Finally, after about 15 mins we had a waiter table-side, we proceded to rattle off our drink and food orders all at once so as not having to wait for him to appear again. All the drinks and food arrived all at once and we dug in, but did not have anyone come back to refill our water glasses or anything unless we went out of our way to let the staff know. We had to ask twice for someone to pack our leftovers, and that took a while. We even had to flag them down for the check, and the place wasn't even busy! Bottom line, good food but horrible service. I for one, will not be back!
(2)
B. D.
I can finally get my Cha Cha Cha fix in the peninsula!!!! Awesome! I'd love to keep this place a secret! Can't wait for the full bar! Def celebrating my birthday here!
(5)
San F.
Met some girlfriends here for a light dinner and had a good time. However, compared to the ones in SF this was like a "Cha Cha Cha express". It seemed to me the menu was a bit consolidated to limited items and the place was pretty small. I would still come back and glad there is one in San Mateo, which is closer to me than the city...but compared to the other locations..it's obviously not the same.
(3)
Renee C.
Went here with the hubby and another couple. The four of us split the garlic mushrooms, garlic shrimp, spinach salad, and steak dish (skirt steak? can't remember, but it's on the dinner menu, not the tapas menu). That and two beers was $61. Not bad for great food, decent service, and a quick, tasty pre-movie meal. This would be a great place to go with a larger group to taste more items, but we were all thoroughly satisfied with what we had. Everything was good, but extra high marks for the mushrooms and the fried yucca that accompanied the steak - super crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, like french fries, but better. Also made good delivery mechanism for the yummy garlicky sauces if you don't do bread. I don't get too worked up about the kind of oil food is cooked in when I go out, so I can't vouch for that, but otherwise, pretty Paleo perfect if you can manage to skip the bread.
(4)
Anna L.
I was here last night with a friend on the tail end of happy hour, and we were pleased to get the $5 fried potatoes with spicy aioli, $5 mixed salad, $5 pork quesadilla and paid the regular price for the Cajun shrimp--all very yummy, but the WAIT SERVICE SUCKED! The waiter brought only one menu for the two of us, never asked if we wanted more to eat or drink, never refilled out water, and we had to ask him THREE TIMES for our check in between which he took forever to actually bring it. As we're about to leave the restaurant, he stopped us, saying he gave us the wrong check, and we returned to pay......all the while fuming. I couldn't in good conscience not tip him though we almost walked out of the restaurant in frustration and will probably never come to the San Mateo Cha Cha Cha though I would patronize the one in the Mission or the Haight.
(2)
Ian S.
i was actually pretty excited when I found out that they were opening a cha cha cha here in San Mateo. i usually go to the one on Haight Street but that place is always packed everyday of the week as well as the one on mission. I came here last night and to my suprise the place was empty. It was a Monday after all and I missed the happy hour already. The food was excellent I definitely recommend the seafood paella and the arroz con pollo was good too. Definitely a good place to bring a date if your feeling a little ethnic food
(4)
JasNen M.
Sangria is a bit weaker in alcohol compared to the 2 locations in SF. Take advantage of the happy hour they have on weekdays where the sangria is half off and some selected items on the menu. It's never crowded so service is quick. Food is delicious.
(5)
Jay S.
ChaChaCha took the place of Macchu Pichu... and its just as good, probably better. A livelier, younger crowd. Service was very good. Waiter was very attentive and the hostess came back and asked what we liked. We loved the tapas... the calamari was covered in a light battered and perfectly fried. It was not greasy at all. The chicken curry empanada came with a good size salad that was tossed in a light dressing... it was not creamy, similar to an Italian but not vinaigrette.While I liked the empanada, I did not taste curry. The mussels in a saffron-like sauce with a bit of cut up cilantro and tomatoes along with some chili flakes were perfect with the bread. I drink every bit of that soupy sauce. The frites was probably my least favorite probably because I prefer good old american fries but it was still good. The bbq quesadilla was very meaty and big enough for a meal for a lighter eater. The guacamole and salsa was served along the side. Yum, especially the guacamole... The steak dinner with onions and rice piled on top was plentiful. The steak was perfectly cooked and very tasty. The chicken with rice dish was good but the chicken was a little dry and still very tasty. All in all I think the flavoring of the food is very good and definitely looking forward to coming back.
(4)
Lisa O.
I've been to the location in SF many times and when I saw this opened up I was excited but wary that it wouldn't be the same quality food. I was delighted to find that the food and sangria were the same minus the long wait. Score! The place is smaller and doesn't have the full bar like the one in SF but it's closer to where I live and parking is so much easier (unless you go on a Friday night). My favorites are: -Cajun shrimp - love dipping my bread in that sauce! -Ceviche -Paella -Sauteed mushrooms with white wine and garlic -Sangria (DUH!) I've also had the calamari, the plantains and the potatoes which are all tasty. I always love going to the SF location but this spot is so much more convenient for me. I'll definitely be back!
(4)
Denise N.
Celebrated my birthday lunch here on Sat. Food was DELICIOUS! Although, the ambiance isn't nearly the same as the SF locations....I came here for the food! The service was decent. I'm happy that they have a new location!!!!! Things we ordered: Sangria fried potatoes x2 pailliard chicken x2 pollo quesadilla x2 spinach salad rice and beans pulled pork mushrooms x2 it was a lot of food....we didn't bring home a lot of left overs! Tip was included in the bill and there were only 5 adults and a child in our group. We'll be back!
(5)
Shamra R.
As I read the reviews for this restaurant I noticed people referring to the SF locations. This is not Cha Cha Cha, this is "Cha Cha Cha Cuba". This is a completely different restaurant and not affiliated with the SF Cha Cha Cha at all. The name is similar which confuses people into trying it but it is a totally different restaurant with the the same type of cultural food. This is not another location of the SF Cha Cha Cha, which is why the food is not as good.
(3)
Linda D.
This was my first visit and will be my last! The staff was very disorganized and the food was bland. The thing that ticked me off the most is that the waitress had the audacity to come to our table and ask if we could leave because people were waiting. We had only been there an hour and had a $75 bill. Horrible customer service you never ever do that unless you want to lose customers.
(1)
Kelley H.
Seafood pallella is bomb!! Ceviche was bomb!!!! Sangria was really sweet for my likings maybe because I'm a fan of red wine and don't like my drinks sweet. It was so-so, but plus side is they have happy hour and offer pitchers! One star minus because the waiters are not so friendly.
(4)
Tigger E.
My family and I were soooo excited to eat here as first timers yesterday. I guess they're not consistent. First, the service is so bad.. they were serving food to the wrong table. The lady sitting right across our table was not totally happy at all because of their service. My husband's order took forever, same thing, we saw the server who was so clueless what table to put it. Anyway, I was expecting their food was amazing after reading all the reviews. Not at all, first...they were served in small iron casket pans..really small for $10.00 ( Had I known it, we should have gone to Crepevine or Urban Bistro in Burlingame) But we wanted to try a different one this time..Totally disappointed. My husband ordered special for the day which was the papellenos or fried mashed potates with ground beef. They were served like 3 pcs of the size of Chinese sesame balls with NO ground beef at all , it was GROUND BEEF PASTE. FOR $10.00, we dont mind paying but at least they should have said ground beef paste not ground beef. NOT GOING back here in this overrated, overpriced restaurant with poor service. We just wasted our money and time here. Burlingame is a lot pricey area, but still they have restaurants who serve food with fresh ingredients and generous servings for $10.00 and under. My daughter ordered shrimp with a runny sauce, very poor presentation and the flavor is below average, small serving again for $10.00. My pollo ala jerk, was salty and no white meat at all..I dont care if there was no white meat but it was very salty. We've gone to Back a yard in Menlo Park, this resto is way better than them also serving carribean food. I wont mind driving 15 miles or waste my gas for a good food but Back a yard has better service, reasonably priced with generous servings.
(1)
Dan Z.
Ok, I will be honest...my staple is ChaChaCha in SF, but hey, I live in San Mateo so why not try the local joint! Me and the wife got here and were immediatly seated and the service was on point! Sangria was nice and the tapas were all as I remembered in SF. I love the service and the atmosphere! People having a good time and drinks flowin! Will be back for sure to get our drink and grub on!
(4)
B M.
I'm Cuban and I think the food is fabulous and authentically Cuban with a little bit of Spanish flavor. I prefer this restaurant location than the one in San Francisco. In San Mateo the street parking can be challenging but there are 2 public parking lots near by. I LOVE CHA CHA RESTAURANT!!!!!
(5)
Mary N.
Twelve of us went for lunch today. Service was great, food was fantastic. We ordered several dishes, shared them all and couldn't pick a favorite. Really liked the sangria. Thought the cost was more than fair for the amount and quality of the food and service. Will definately go again.
(5)
Annabelle P.
Came here tonight with my 2 besties since we heard they opened a 3rd location in the Peninsula. The place was busy but we didn't have to wait so that was a plus. The decor was nice and colorful, reminiscent of the Caribbean, and I liked the little balconies on the wall. We ordered what we would usually order at CCC's in the city: warm spinach salad, calamares, lechon asado, mussels, and the fried potatoes. We were a bit disappointed with the spinach salad since it didn't come warm at all. The calamares were good but I didn't like the aioli....it tasted like fishy mayo, not sure what that was. The fried potatoes were good and so was the accompanying sauce. The mussels were hot and tender but we wished we had more bread to sop up the soupy goodness. The lechon asado was so yummy and so tender; the meat melted in my mouth...it came with rice & beans and fried plantains. The food, overall, was good...pretty big portions for tapas and reasonably priced. We left CCCC's full and still had food to go. I wouldn't mind going back again to try the other dishes.
(4)
kristin t.
This palce makes me wanna cha cha cha!! Love the food, service is excellent!! Olay!
(5)
L M.
The service was slow, the food was bland, some of the food was cold. I really wanted to like this place. I will not be coming back.
(2)
Johnny D.
I had dinner here tonight and I was very disappointed with the food and the service. I had high hopes because I love Cuban food and it's difficult to find them in the Peninsula. First and foremost, their menu is so tacky. The selection is very limited and the price is ridiculously high for what it is. I had the ropa vieja, which was actually decent (that's for the 2 star rating). The other dish we ordered was the lechon asado, which was nothing to brag about. Our waiter recommended the spicy shrimp in Cajun sauce for appetizer. It was awful. They charged $9 for 6 frozen small sized shrimps. And worst of all, the Sangria was horrible. It wasn't even cold. And the waiters are pretty lazy, just standing there talking to each other, not paying any attention to their customers. I will definitely pass on this restaurant in the future. Not worth my time or money
(2)
Patrick F.
Sangria was awesome, though kinda pricy food was delicious even though they forgot part of our order. They were understaffed but it was busy for a Wednesday all in all I'm for sure making this a regular spot
(4)
Lyne N.
Love this place! The servers were terrific and the food, delicious! They put some thought into the decor, giving it a Cuban "den" feel, though I wish they would let me redo their window, which does nothing to entice newcomers. Compared to the Cuban food I've had, this is spot on and the prices are great.
(4)
Laura P.
After having visited the sf Haight location and loved it, I visited their location in San Mateo which is closer to where I live. we went there just before happy hour was ending at 6:00pm so we managed to order half off sangrias witch were delicious and quite strong. I ordered my favorite tapas on the menu, the cajun shrimp in a delicate cajun cream sauce. Delish! we dipped our bread in the creamy sauce, trust me the sauce is worth the trip. we also ordered the snow crab croquettes with a cilantro dipping sauce and they were good too, a little salty my fiancee noted. but still good. then for the main dish we ordered the seafood paella, which was perfectly cooked with shrimp, muscles, scallops, sausage, fish, peas.olives, bell peppers and onions married happily in saffron rice... same tastes as their original location very close to home.... definitely try their cajun shrimp and paella. you wont be disappointed.
(4)
Dolce Vita V.
Pros: It's in San Mateo!! Delicious food Reasonable prices Great music No Santeria alters like the one on Height st. Cons: Don't go for the service. I went on a Tuesday night, they had two staff only which did the following: host, waiter, bus tables No greeting upon arrival, we requested a booth and we were told to wait then the server went to the kitchen, someone else sat us 5 minutes later and he didn't want to give us the booth. Slow service Basically lacking customer service. We ordered the following and highly recommend it: Bistek encebollado (sirloin steak): Amazing flavors with a little hint of a hot pepper. Garlic prawns: delicious but small - med size prawns and 7 come in the order. Rice & beans platter - yum! yellow rice & black beans Platanos: generous portion Calamari: very good! Great place for food and music just expect bad service and try to ignore it. I'm still glad they're in town!
(4)
g s.
First time I had Cuban food as we didn't want to wait in line for the Old Town Sushi place around the corner. The food was really good. The braised pork and plantains were delish.
(4)
Lisa H.
This place has the best sangria I've ever tasted. Also, a must try is their cajun shrimp and calamari. I haven't had anything here that I didn't like! This place can get pretty loud, but that is not why it's lacking a star. I'm not giving a full 5 stars because sometimes the service can be pretty bad, where you wait just for a waiter to take your order and wait forever for the check, even though it isn't busy at all. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for a great cajun restaurant. I probably go here every few months with friends, and it is definitely one of my top favorite restaurants! I wish they had one a little closer to where I live, (or maybe that's a good thing because then I would be going all the time)! I must also say that I've never been to the one in SF, so I can't compare the 2 locations. This was my first restaurant that I've eaten Cuban food at, and I was extremely impressed. The prices are great too!
(4)
Mike U.
My lady and I where visiting from San Diego and we had a wonderful time visiting this place. To start off the staff was extreamly helpful and they filled up our sangria cups everytime they saw it was less than half way full and keep in mind it was a busy Friday evening. My lady and I had Jerk chicken, muscles, paela, mushroom, cajun shrimp and I have never had muscles but I have to admit it was delicioso!!!!!! By the time my lady and I left not only did we feel like family but we will definetly be comeing all the way to San Mateo from Frisco everytime we visit.
(5)
Margie C.
I came here over the weekend for dinner on a Saturday night. The atmosphere was good, not too loud. We ordered the calamari, chicken curry empanada, 2 sangrias and the paella. The food was mostly good, the calamari was really hot and fresh tasting. The empanada was meh.. the inside was still a little cold.. and it didnt' taste that great, like the salad it came with better. The sangrias are generally delicious and strong tasting very fruity too.. the Paella was ok as well.. very hot but I found it to be not that flavorful, although there was plenty of seafood in it. The service was bad.. bsically you have to flag someone down for every little thing.. to order, to get water/napkins, to order more food, to get the check.. to pick up the check.. no one really comes to your table unless you ask them or wave them down .. the second thing was the HEAT.. omg this restaurant felt like a boiler.. i was sweating while I ate and when they opened the door.. i was trying to breathe in for as long as I could !
(3)
Melissa W.
Updated menus, now tapas and dinners are clearly differentiated! So, here's that star. Thanks!!!
(5)
Cecilia G.
Love/Love the sangria. Food is pretty good. Happy Hour sucks: it ends at 5 pm. In all my life, in all my travels, never have I encountered a Happy Hour that starts at 4 pm and ends at 5 pm, with erroneous hours posted outside the restaurant and printed on the menu. I wasn't happy, but after two glasses of that sangria, I let it go.
(3)
liss c.
Food is good. Calamari, ropa vieja, mussels, paella, sangria, spinach and chicken salad. I would def come back for more. :)
(5)
Cecilia K.
so glad I do not have to drive to san francisco for cuban food
(4)
Nana C.
Was so excited to see CHA CHA CHA in San Mateo. I LOVE CHA CHA CHA on Haight!!!!!!!!!!! So sad that San Mateo, the food is not always great, the service is HORRIBLE!!!!!! I really do not understand how they managed to mess up the Sangria!!! .... Really putting the name to shame people!!!
(2)
Jim M.
Food was okay but based on service we'd probably choose not to come back. There were only 4 tables occupied while we were eating. We tried to catch the waiter to get our bill. Caught his eye, he didn't come over. Asked for the bill, he never delivered. After 30 minutes, the other server brought our bill.
(2)
Rochelle P.
Surprisingly good and inexpensive...sangria was delish, roasted pork was juicy and fork-tendered (picky 4 yr old gobbled it up!), roasted potatoes looked burnt at first, but ended up being crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, combined with the yummy sauce, carb coma! As others had mentioned, service is SUPER slow (didn't seem to have anything to do with being a Saturday night, as two other tables orders were taken before ours), but would go back for the food and to avoid the commute to SF :)
(4)
Cynthia N.
Tried the new Cha Cha Cha and the food was great. The plantains were yummy and the Arroz con Pollo was great. As many others have said, I was very happy after one sangria, imagine what a whole pitcher would do! Can't wait to go back! Too bad they don't have a bar like the other Cha Cha Chas...!
(4)
Sarah R.
The atmosphere here is not nearly as good as the one in the mission. The sangria had not fermented as much as in the city but the four of us still managed to have 2 pitchers! Our favorite dishes are the mushrooms, the jerk chicken and the spicy shrimp. We are excited to have a location closer to home but we are still waiting for all of the kinks to be worked out at this new location.
(3)
claudia p.
We went to have dinner and we all liked it a lot, we liked the food, the service, and the decor. We had paeya, chicken jerk, shrimp, tostones, hongos al jeres, and of course the sangria. The food flavour was as good as the one in the city, the decor and the parking is better here, and the service was very good too. We have no complaints, we will go back again soon.
(5)
M R.
A group of us came to CCC's last week for dinner. We didn't have to wait for a table because we got there before 6pm. Our waiter needs to go to waiter school or something or he needs to find another job as he didn't smile and it seemed as if he wasn't happy to be there. But I disregarded that because I came for the food. We ordered some tapas, the potatoes were good, tostones were too dry and the calamari no comment from the group. I didn't taste it because I don't eat calamari. I ordered ropa vieja...it was ok. I've tasted better because I have a friend who's Cuban and makes a mean ropa vieja. Arroz con pollo was ok the rice was pretty good, croquetas I didn't hear my friend who ordered them rave about them. She has good culinary taste by the way so I'm guessing it was just ok. Salmon was ordered and it was ok and the jerk chicken... no comment from my other friend. So...just ok. I think I'm spoiled because I've tried really good authentic cuban food food prepared at home. But for restaurant food I guess its just ok. I'm willing to go again to see if the next time it is beyond ok. Ok?
(2)
Amanda R.
So we went, we had a pitcher of sangria, and the usual we always order at Cha Cha Cha in the city - camarones, papas fritas, platanos frtios with frijoles....mmmmm.... same good food! Love that it's down the street from my house and happy hour 50% off sangria before 6pm is awesome!!!!!! oh but they should fix their website....
(5)
Jay B.
Yes yes, finally! First time I ate at Cha cha cha in Haight, it left a impressionable taste in my palate. I was elated to find out that it would not be much of a drive to visit Cuba in B street. For two people we ordered Fried Calamari - nothing exciting Steamed black Mussels - the soup base - Mmmm with dipping the bread in the soup... Oh man just delish! and the shredded beef with their rice and olives - flavorful still had leftovers to take home. ***Tends to get busy*** ***Seating arrangements tight squeeze*** if you have a big booty, forget it you'll be knocking someones food over ***Underground seating****
(4)
Terry C.
Drafting this review as events occur tonight. Like most of my restaurant reviews, I free flow it. We entered. Noticed they were busy and understaffed immediately. The place was nearly full, only two servers, and three groups waiting. Oddly slammed for a Wednesday evening. We were finally seated and the menu was easy to comprehend and order from. Server was helpful with our questions, but could tell he was rushed because of the original understaffed observation above. Our table ordered the infamous pitcher of house Sangria that other reviews raved about. It tasted great but the balance of alcohol to fruity taste was off. The alcohol was a tiny bit overpowered in the mix compared to other Sangria's I've had at restaurants before. It was lacking an included berry taste to be honest, as this had more of a prominent apple/citrus. Still it wasn't bad. Although I can't imagine alcoholics or those looking for a quicker buzz goal minding this. The real shocker was that pitcher cost $25. Mind you the Sangria pricing and an aforementioned happy hour was not listed anywhere visible, nor on the menu. Never have I paid that much for a pitcher of fruit and cheap red wine mixed together. Our food arrives. Correction... all my friend's food arrives--not mine. I'm patient so I waited considering how busy they were. Then I became concerned when my friends were all finished eating and waiting on me. Awkward! We had to finally flag our server down and tell him that I never received my food. The server didn't even say sorry or acknowledge the situation, just walked away. ***They either forgot to make my order or the kitchen never received it.*** Finally my food arrives long after reminding the server about it and waiting for it to be made--by this time the tone was already set and still... ...no apology My late dish itself was roasted chicken, black beans, yellow rice, red pepper, garnished with cilantro and light sour cream drizzle. It was tasty but somewhat bland overall in that home cooked meal kind of way that only a tired Cuban housewife working two jobs and doesn't feel like going all out for her family on a Wednesday night kind of way. The chicken mainly smelled slightly sour and looked grey and slimy inside. The rest of the beans and rice was great. The most telling issue was this. If someone at your table says their dish needs salt, pepper or season for their dish (which all confident restaurants do not need at their tables) is a subtle killing complement to the cook of ones meal. Then YOUR restaurant shouldn't be thinking that highly of themselves yet (ie. overcharging inexpensive fruit/wine mix that nearly every table had mass produced on the cheap). I wouldn't recommend my experience if not for hearing this place was still in its soft opening. Perhaps another visit may change this. But for now overpriced Sangria, forgetting my order, fairly bland dish, and absolutely NO apology with a substantial tip from my friends felt like a huge slap in the face and sloppy start to an experience at a new restaurant.
(2)
Scott M.
I have no words to describe the bad service we got at this place, I was speechless and still am trying to write this review. Long story short, end up at this place not by choice. Met another couple for dinner, from the moment you walk in the door you can sense the "we do not give a shit about your business attitude " greeted by a hostess who seemed extremely bother to be doing " her job " . The rest of the night just made me wonder how is it possible for a place like this to be open in this economy . I probably should of waited to cool down to yelp them. Don't go there, if you care about the food which was good and sorta saved the night order to go if the hostess is in the mood to pick up the phone and write .
(1)
lauren j.
I should have took it as a sign that it was noon on a Sunday and this place was empty. Met some friends for lunch here and was FAR from impressed. I have been to the SF locations many times and I find those to be semi-mediocre as well, but this one was just plain bad. Service was okay, but when our food did come, servers were nowhere to be seen- not once did they check on us and our water glasses remained empty the entire lunch. Food wasn't good. Most of the dishes we ordered we bland and tasteless. Crispy Calamari w/ Aioli- had zero taste, even the aioli didn't help. i guess it wouldn't help anyways since it tasted like plain mayo. gross. I mean, how do you mess up calamari?! Ceviche- tasty because of the lime juice, but still not impressive. Braised Shredded Beef- this was my favorite dish if I had to pick one Chicken Wings- Tasty, but not crispy nor saucy,...kind of mushy. The flavor was good though- chipotle guava! Plantains w/ black bean sour cream- NOT good. Had no taste to it whatsoever, even with the sauce. I will give them a star for the Sangria, though. It tasted more of wine than fruits, which I really liked. The only other good thing I can say is that they had really good bread. I have no plans on returning to this restaurant at all.
(1)
Steve B.
First off I am not convinced that this restaurant is connected to the 2 in the City, there is no mention at all on the cha3 website about a new location. I think they would want to publicize that fact if they did open a new location. just sayin. Yes the menu is the same, literally same day glow small sheets of paper, yes the music is loud and bumpin, but something is just off. First Impressions..it's small..no bar, hence no waiting area so the typical dumb people blocking the front area with their strollers and kids running around the restaurant (why bring a stroller into a small restaurant that you know you just parked like 20 feet away and your kid isn't even in the damn thing...sorry i hate strollers in restaurants) and decor is ummmm kind of cheesy..and not good cheesy. And you get one of those small thin paper napkins that are usually stored by the thousands in a rectangular metal box on the table top. But here you only get one, be careful with it. We sat at the table closest to the pass through to the kitchen, and next to the register so servers had to pass us like every five seconds, but not once did they come to take away any empty plates. The plates were stacking up like we were at a sushi boat restaurant and they needed to tally them to figure out the bill. Our fried potatoes never came, (don't ever deprive this white man his fried potato, that's punishable by death in Ireland). So the food that did come was good. The mussels, jerk chicken, & spinach salad. The calamari was meh..but so is the calamari in SF, I think. The sangria was very good and before 6:00 pm its 50% off. When I left I didn't feel like it was a special meal at a nice restaurant. I felt like i ate at a typical B street taqueria with different food, and that's fine. But that is not the vibe I get from the supposedly same cha cha's in SF. That's my take.
(2)
Katrina J.
I'm so excited they opened a Cha Cha Cha in San Mateo - YaY! No more driving all the way to the city for this delicious food! :) The food is the same as in the city the only difference is there isn't a bar. The service needs work though (I know it's new so I'm not going to knock it by giving them 2 stars like I feel they deserve.) It took forever to get our order taken and we knew exactly what we wanted once we sat down. Two tables that got seated after us got their order taken before us - it was only bugging me because I was starving! But a plus is it felt like right after we ordered, our food was already at the table and everything came out quick so once the food got there our mouths were full so no one was complaining ;) Everything taste the same as the city locations.. consistency, I love it! But when we were done and ready to go it felt like another loong wait until we got our check. No problems though - good food, good company. I will be going to the city locations the next few times when I'm craving Cha Cha Cha, you know - just until this place figures out their service and hopefully that won't take long! Don't knock it until you try it :):)
(4)
JazzMarie C.
I'd like to make one special request of the cooks.... Please clean the poop chute (black nasty veiny thing) out of my camarones/shrimp. It would make my dining experience that much more pleasant :) Oh and someone tell the owner to extend the happy hour hours!
(5)
Kim N.
Up until now, I only knew the places in San Jose for solid Cuban food in the south bay. Well add CCCC to the mix. Ropa Vieja, cuban style paella and the lechon were all solid. Very flavorful with the meats cooked with care until tender. Add a pitcher of sangria and a coconut flan and you have a good meal. It's too bad the Peruvian place didn't last but CCCC is a worthy successor.
(4)
Tiffany L.
All the Cuban flavors are here. Ropa vieja soft and velvety melts in your mouth kind of experience. Chicken cooked with perfect texture. Oh so moist. These folks brew a strong sangria. Barely tasted fruit. At least you know you're getting what you're paying. Ambiance kick-back causal, including the waiters. Everybody is having a good loud time with the sangria flowing. Catch a waiters attention takes committed flailing.
(3)
Melinda Y.
Yay, cha cha cha's in san mateo! I don't have to stress over parking, in fact I don't even need my car...woot! Everything is pretty much the same as the other cha cha cha locations but the fried calamari disappointed me here. It was way too overcooked = chewy and not tasty. I think they're still working out a few kinks but don't worry, I don't care. I love the sangria here! Potatoes and chicken wings are awesome! bottom line: you know what to do, stick to the tapas, and leave the entrees alone and keep your glass of sangria full :D
(4)
Lars P.
I almost don't want to rate this place as it will just mean longer waits for tables, but with that said, this is CERTAINLY worth waiting for (0: We were a party of four and we did a family style dinner which allowed us to try 6 different dishes. The beef top sirloin with caramelized onion and bean rice is just fantastic and got my highest mark of the dishes we had. Food is Freshly made and each plate is presented nicely with individual condiments. When you order six dishes you somewhat anticipate the sides to mirror each other, but not at Cha Cha Cha. Each dish came with it's own unique, and very tasteful, side. For drinks we had the house sangria and the first pitcher was really good... Second pitcher was... aehm... oh well... Don't eat teh fruit..!!! (0: Anyhow, I am not giving this establishment the 5th star because we were seated in the basement which holds 6-7 tables. Aside from the trippy murals on the wall, this was not the best of experiences as the noise from other tables bounce off the concrete walls making the room very loud. But.. go for the food and forget about the rest.
(4)
Christine M.
We were looking for a place to drink and grab a light dinner after coming from the moveable feast at the San Mateo Event center. So we were kinda hungry since it was a mad house at the food trucks. Hour wait atleast in each line. Anways we decided here since my girl told me they opened up a Cha Cha Cha's in san mateo. Okay this place is nothing like the Cha Cha Cha's in SF. I dont think they are even connected to the sf locations. The name is similar and the menu is similar but it is nothing like the sf locations. The sangria was weak and not as good as the haight location in fact it was really warm. Yeah they serve bread but they dont serve chips and salsa. The only reason we stayed was cuz it was my boy's bday and we hadnt seen him in a while. We ordered the mushrooms and that was good as well as the shrimp. but the platanoes with black beans was terrible how can u mess that up. The black beans was so thick and paste like compared to the creamy black beans from Haight location. The calamari was decent but our chicken wings seemed burnt. My friend suggested to return it but me and my girl both felt the same about them messing with our food if we return it back. Yeah if you want the real cha cha cha's go to the sf locations cuz this cha cha cha cuban is not the spot. Oh well I really wanted this place to be like the haight but it is not. Yeah there is no wait and parking is alil easier...but there is a reason why there is no wait... Oh yeah I am not sure if there is a underground parking or what but there were these people coming up from the stairs on the side of restaurant. They were just coming from no where...not sure if there was seating below or a hidden latin club that we werent informed about. Yeah good for the guys to look at girls in mini outfits ....
(2)
Amy B.
All I can say is...it's about DAMN TIME!!! Not that I mind the trek to Haight, but Cha3 is now in my own backyard! (Give or take 2 miles) I LOVE CHA CHA CHA!!!! And the best part is not only is the waiter from Haight St working there, but they have a 5-7 Happy Hour! WoooHA! It's great for a date, or for my whole family, my 3 year old daughter loves the food, the music & we can all go out for a great time close to home. Chicken Paillard is still the best. Welcome to San Mateo, Cha Cha Cha!
(5)
Michelle D.
To the waitstaff at Cha Cha Cha, please heed the advise of Mr. Rourke... Smiles Everyone!! Our little gathering for happy hour started out smack in the middle of the episode where the fantasy starts unraveling into a nightmare. Our waiter was the saddest, rudest waiter I've encountered. He seemed to absolutely hate his job. We asked about the 4-6pm happy hour posted on the sign out front. He gave a cold stare and told us that was an error. We then inquired about the 4-6pm happy hour that was written on our menu. He just sneered and told us happy hour ended at 5. No apology, no nuthin'. Because we have such love for the the other two locations, we decided to suck it up and order our full-priced Sangria. Mr. "I hate my job" reluctantly took our order, submitted it to the bartender and then let it sit up on the bar for 15 minutes. The only reasons I am giving Cha3 three stars is because A) The food was almost as good as the SF locations (not quite though). B) We didn't have to wait an hour for a table. C) Halfway through our meal, we got a different waiter who didn't quite make all of our fantasies come true, but I believe I saw him crack one smile.
(3)
Boops D.
Came here last night with the hubby and we enjoyed ourselves very much. We shared the small sangria (which was perfect) the cajun shrimp (will always be my favorite) the sauce is amazing. Especially with some bread. The spinach and ricotta empanada was excellent. Wings are also tasty and the potatoes and aioli. Seems pretty consistent. And you really cant beat the 5-6 happy hour! Half off Sangria and $5 for certain apps. Definitely worth it! Coconut flan for dessert. YUM!
(5)
Katherine B.
Finally went to try it out as we have been meaning to for a long time. The Sangria was excellent. I thought I was a non-fan of plantains but I was wrong. The plantains here were excellent, not greasy and very flavorful. I had the lechon asado which was excellent. My BF had the ropa Vieja which had a very nice spice to it. Food was excellent and service was prompt. There was not an empty seat in the house and the 2 waitresses did a very good job in taking care of everyone. Will return soon.
(4)
Claudia H.
The food is great, the sangria was awsome! nothing like it around san mateo! the food was good, it is pretty loud and the staff seems to be a little bit confused or all over the place.
(5)
J Q.
People just need to quit their bitching and sack up. You don't come to a place like this to eat amazing food with stellar presentation nor to get your ass kissed by the waiters. You come to a place like this for one thing...to get fucked up off sangria. To put it lightly you come here for the environment. I may be a tad bit biased since we bromanced with Noe and Carlos and were served desert and a round on the house but fuck it you would be too!
(4)
Annie D.
So I guess now they're open Sundays and Mondays for those who enjoy this place. Came here Sunday night for dinner to try it out since we enjoy the SF one. We started off the the calamari and camaron picante (spicy shrimp). The calamari was straight bland. The batter had no flavor so it just tasted like oil, the aioli tasted like just mayo mixed up with a hint of lemon?? You'll need to squeeze all the lemon possible to make this dish taste any better. The shrimp dish wasn't spicy at all, tasted more like a fettuccine dish missing noodles, just a cream sauce really. Even this lacked flavor. Also tried their beef dish, Ropa something, stewed beef with yellow rice with olives and plantains. This dish really reminded me of beef stew without the soup and potatoes, but with shredded beef. This dish actually had some flavor and wasn't too bad, but the rice didn't have much flavor for yellow rice that I know, just the green olives gave it flavor. The plantains were good. Overall, I was really hoping for some good tapas, but the simple dishes we ordered just disappointed me. It'll be a while before I try another dish here.
(2)
Jim Chris U.
Spent our monthsary celeb here. This place is really nice! it has a wide space and it has a high ceiling with paintings. it was a bit dim which makes it romantic. minus the music.lol the food here is like mexican food. and it was great! and and and....sangria!!!! lol i give this place the Aight stamp. such a romantic evening..
(3)
Ana G.
Dude this place has the best caribbean food in all of the peninsula! I lived in Puerto Rico all my life and I found heaven in the arroz con pollo and topped it off with a genuinely homemade flan. Fantastic. The service was great but it was a Friday night. Great experience all around.
(4)
Szu H.
Went here on a Thursday for Happy Hour which runs from 5-6pm. $12 bucks for a pitcher of sangria. Awesome. We ordered 2...for 4 people. And yes, they were strong. The service, as other Yelpers have noted is a little slow. We also had to ask for the Happy Hour menu which had about 8 or so items on there. We ordered pretty much every item on the HH menu. We also got the paella and mussels from the regular menu. So a lot of food to go with a lot of sangria. Overall the food is average tasting and nothing really stuck out as being exceptionally good. I probably wouldn't come back just for dinner since there's so many other great restaurants nearby. However, at $5 bucks an entree for happy hour menu items and $12 pitchers of sangria, it's probably one of the best HH places in in the area. Oh and not sure if it was just that night, but the ratio of girls to guys was like 4:1 Just an fyi for you single peeps...
(3)
Philip F.
Food was tasty. Service was terrible, if not, insulting.
(3)
David K.
So I came here today with my girlfriend, kind of a long drive from San Jose. But it was not crowded and we got seated quickly. We ordered the ceviche, quesadilla with pork and arroz con pollo. The ceviche was fresh, it included shrimp, squid, scallops. The only thing is that it didnt come with any tortilla chips or anything to eat it with! The quesadilla with pork was awesome, the meat was sorta sweet and i really dig that. We were already full by then so we took the arroz con pollo come. Had it later for dinner, I have to say the flavors here arent like POW in the mouth flavors, but still good. We concluded that we would rather eat at this Peruvian restaurant in San Jose, which has similar types of food but dont have to drive 40 mins to eat. Definitely a place I wanted to try. I liked the sangria but they need some ice to keep the bucket chilled.
(3)
Karen C.
In no way comparable to Cha Cha Cha's in the mission. I was super excited to hear that they had opened in San Mateo and was hoping that this would be the answer to my tapas cravings. The food is okay, nothing spectacular. The sangria is good and the happy hour menu is decent. But oh boy does the service suck! Everytime I've been there, I find myself always waiting around and flagging down servers in order to get any attention. All the times I've gone they weren't busy and yet everytime I find myself standing at the door for a good minute before seating myself and my party, as I watch the server in the back chatting it up with the chefs or just wandering around the back. (WTH is he doing back there??) I came for happy hour one day and they gave me 3 different menus but no happy hour menu... why? I'll keep this place in mind as one of my happy hour rotation spots but I definetely won't be coming here for dinner or lunch.
(3)
Bebe W.
What's not to love about Cha Cha Cha Cuba? When the service staff is on their A game, this is a fun place to be. Great food, fun ambiance, colorful interior...also really busy on the weekends. I like the salmon dish here with the black beans and plantains. The pork carnitas, which my dinner friends had were also very popular, as was the bisteak. I've been here about 6 times, but this is my first time yelping it. I've always had a great experience here and would heartily recommend it. So glad we don't have to travel all the way to SF since they opened a branch in SM.
(4)
Hema K.
Walking by B street, you might think it will be a small resto but once we stepped inside, high ceilings, floor to ceiling paintings, and more tables underground like a den. Food, ambiance, service all great. Though it took a while for our food to come, as the kitchen is upstairs, the server was cute enough to keep checking on our table. The den was quiet and low ceiling, as though kept for intimate cozy dining.. The upper floor was more lively, noisier, closer tables - which I prefer the next time i dine there :)
(5)
Mochi L.
I rather go to the other Cha Cha Cha's in SF. If you want friendly or attentive service find yourself elsewhere. I found the food just ok. Yes, it's tasty but I already had a bad taste in my mouth. I seriously wanted to walk out of there but my husband wanted to give them a chance. Nah won't be back.
(2)
Marky Mark F.
What a disappointment this turned out to be!!! My wife wanted to go here fore dinner because she had such a good experience at the one in SF. We arrived around 8:15 pm and were told that there would be a 45 minute wait. No problem! I figured it was worth the wait. They were busy. The place looked fun. We get back at 9 pm. We're able to locate the guy who is apparently both a server and the host. He pulled the disheveled notepad, which I suspect was the wait list, out of his pocket and told us that we would have to wait another 30 min. At this point I realized that something was not quite right. Still, we came back in 30 min and waited another 15 min until the server/host came around. At this point I'm just kind of going with the flow believing that the wait would be worth it. It wasn't. I order a beer. Maybe I'm spoiled, but I usually get a glass when I get a beer by the bottle at dinner. Nope. Just the bottle. No biggie. Maybe this is how beer is served with dinner at all Cuban restaurants. Before we're even able to order, another server drops off a plate of steamed clams and calamari. Whoa!!! This is awesome. Better than bread. But I'm allergic to shellfish. My wife's not though. Too bad. Turns out that the plates actually belong to the couple next to us. They felt bad that we had to part with the dishes, especially after witnessing my other half salivating. They offered to share though. Nice guys. So the waiter/host takes our order. I never felt so rushed to place an order. And don't even think of any followup questions. You'll be lucky just to get the order on paper. The plates arrive. No silverware. Now I have to track someone down for silverware. Great. The food was pretty tasty. It wasn't an hour and 45 minutes of waiting tasty. Typical Cuban cuisine. That's why I'm not giving them 1 star. Finally the check comes. Somehow they decided to charge us for the clams and calamari. CONCLUSION: The back of the house has their shit together. The front of the house needs to be replaced and host needs to be added. Will not be back.
(2)
Mish N.
So the rumor mills are true...ChaChaCha's finally opened up a location in San Mateo! I owe this place a re-review after I visit it again, but I went here a few weeks ago and here's a breakdown of why it only deserves 3 stars: PROS: -same menu and food as SF location (even the sangria is the same!) -accessible street parking (unlike SF locations) CONS: -service (way understaffed, especially for a saturday night!) -no bar (both SF locations have a bar area) -small venue (not many tables and rather crammed) Perhaps when I come back again, I may up it to 4 stars, but they are way understaffed and need to work on their service in the meantime.
(3)
Kendall L.
I heard a rumor the doors will be open tonight! Can hardly wait to try it. The SF one's are off the charts! Rumor are sometimes true! They are open for business and I got to try it with a friend. The Sangria is awesome (don't forget to eat the wine soaked fruits within) and the Quesadilla was well presented and very tasty, came with lots of pico and guacamole. Service was fast & good, after I finally got someones attention that I was waiting to be seated. The colorful decor was somewhat distracting to me but I can appreciate the work that went into the painting of the walls and ceiling. Can hardly wait to get back and try more of their menu items and drink list. They said they are thinking of a "happy hour"-that would be a nice way of getting people in the door to experience what they're all about.
(5)
David L.
My wife and I ate in the San Francisco location "pre-kids", so we were thrilled to see CCC opening in San Mateo. What can I say -- the food is as good as I remember. And 1/2 price sangria from 5-7 PM? PERFECT.
(5)
kim b.
Eh....it's okay. Not quite like the ones in the city. Don't know if they were affiliated. Seating was easy. Street parking. Fried calamari...very greasy...good flavor at first, but then pool of oil sat in the bottom of the dish. Hubby ordered the lechon asado and it was amazing he said. Also ordered the chicken paillard, which was alright. Would have been better if they didn't forget the bread. If this place is supposed to be like the ones in the city, than it's worth the drive into the city than to eat at the one San Mateo. For whatever reason, it's just not as good.
(3)
Taco Y.
Ate here Friday night on 02/22/13. There were four of us, two couples. We arrived a little after 5:30 PM. Only one other table was occupied. We ordered a half pitcher of the red sangria. I asked the waitress what kind of fruit juice was used and if sugar was added. She may not have understood the question because she said red wine, orange juice no sugar. The sangria was very sweet, too sweet for me. Too much sugar for my taste. We ordered five tapas and two dinner entrees. Shrimp with garlic, mushrooms, pork quesadilla, calamari fritos, chicken wings, lechon asado, and paella de mariscos. It was too much for the four of us. It was a good representative variety from the menu. We also had the bread pudding for dessert. Oh, bread comes with the order. Most of the dishes were just OK nothing spectacular for my taste buds. The paella was a little too wet. The fried plantains were good. Overall the meal was good for talking eating and having a good time with friends. The wait staff was very attentive even when the place filled up. When we left at about 7, people were waiting for tables. Will probably come again but order less food and try some of the other items..
(3)
Teresa T.
We walked in with 8 people on a Friday night and they were able to seat us in five minutes. The sangria was not so great and one of the waiters mistook a finished sangria cup for water and filled it with water but the food was decent (3.5 stars) - the paella, the chicken wings, a pork entree, mussels, ceviche and a bunch of others. I would go back though would order beer.
(3)
Ian B.
Stay away! Worst service ever. Plus food poisoning and just ok food to boot
(1)
Laila A.
I came here with my hubby a couple weeks ago. We wanted to try something new. We loved the food and red sangria.... We had the Jerk chicken and some wings the potato's are amazing here.... Now the red Sangria is To die for we had a pitcher for $25 dollars. We will defiantly be back to try there other food!!
(4)
Ryan T.
Stepping in to Cha Cha Cha Cuba makes me feel like I'm in Miami. Lively music, delicious food. The plantains are awesome.
(4)
Janice C.
Came here for dinner yesterday with a couple friends. We ordered the following: Food Chicken Quesadilla - Was quite tasty! It was one huge quesadilla folded in half with jerk chicken inside. Friend new potatoes - the potatoes were crunchy. we weren't quite sure why they were called new (vs old potatoes??) but they were flavorful. The dipping sauce that came with it is pretty good and is also good to use to dip bread in too. Sauteed Mushrooms - Tasty! Cajun Shrimp - Wasn't too spicy which I liked since I can't consume too much spicy food. Fried Calamari and 1 other dish i can't remember Pros - I like the fact that there is parking nearby - there is a parking garage about 1.5 blocks away that has free parking after 6pm :) - Food portions are huge! We ordered 6 dishes for 5 people and couldn't finish all the food Cons - Service was a bit slow, and we had to flag down the waiters at times. - They added an automatic 18% gratuity even though their menu states it's only added on parties of 6 and above (we were a party of 5).
(3)
KissteL M.
I was almost sure Yelpers would Yelp for joy! and start Yelping. Anyway, I've gone crazy. Opening night--Dec.10 ! wOohOoo! It was my mom's birthday and I just couldn't wait to chow down on ChaChaCha. And boy, we were all so satisfied~yumyum! Decor- adorable, classic old cafeteria style, with high-ceilings, artistically painted walls and decor. Lovely ambiance. Service- fast! friendly! I met the cook, and the servers before they even opened because I kept bugging them if I needed to have a reservation for the opening night. Finally got to talk to Mario, the manager, and he was supppeeerr nice. More starts to come since it was their first night. GOod job folks! Food- love love love! We thought the servings were appropriate for the price! Sangria (pitcher) was divine! just the way my mom makes it... supahh delicioso! We ordered the Plantains with Black bean and sour cream, Camarones(shrimp) in some coconut sauce, Warm SPinach salad with bacon (my fave!), Jerk Chicken (spicy, but I prefer the Jamaican jerk chicken, still good though), Carnitas Quesadilla (good too), Calamari, Ceviche (loves it too!), Paella (i love this because it's not to wet or moist compared to the usual Spanish paella), ohmygosh,.. i can't remember what else we ordered. But I will update this later. Haha. All in all ! I'm so glad that they opened one here in San Mateo, because parking is so much easier with the parking garage half-a-block away. Happy Happy Joy JOy. ;p ~
(5)
jackilyn b.
I love ChaChaCha's and all their tasty dishes...especially the one on Mission and the one on Haight in SF...but this San Mateo one really needs to revise their happy hour times... Happy Hour for the San Mateo location is 3pm-5pm...ummm ok...most people get out of their 9-5 jobs at, yup, you guessed it, 5pm! Until they change their Happy Hour times, I will stick to the SF locations where the Happy Hour menu's are good until 7pm.
(3)
Debbi B.
I would have rated 3.5 stars if I could. Needs a little work. This was my first time here. My dining partner and I arrived shortly after 5:00; we were the first customers. The server informed us that it was happy hour and explained the HH items available. While we were there, there were a couple other dining parties that came in. The food came out quickly (even considering we were the only customers at the time), and the waitstaff filled our water glasses. I had decided to try a couple of the items that other Yelpers had liked. We ordered: Two glasses of sangria Ensalada mixta--a large baby greens salad with julienned carrots, some cucumber and tomato, with toasted coconut on top. The dressing itself was somewhat sweet, but I didn't really taste coconut in it (description says coconut vinaigrette). Papas fritas--"fried new potatoes with chile pasilla aioli". The potato chunks were crispy on the outside. Mostly what I tasted in the orange aioli was the aioli. My dining partner liked this dish. Cajun shrimp--served in a small iron skillet, it was mostly sauce ("spicy Cajun cream sauce") with 8 shrimp which could have been cooked less. I found that just very slightly spicy and somewhat bisque-like, and smelled fishy. Filete de salmon con salsa verde--the fish was undercooked in the middle (looked raw, felt lukewarm). We sent it back for more time. It was still moist when it returned (if this were a different kind of place I might expect a new plate, but I also don't like to waste food). The green herb sauce was tasty. We liked the plantains (which I've had in various places). The beans and rice were ok. Coconut flan--the sauce had a lot of shredded coconut in it. I think that was the extent of the coconut. It was ok, but I would have liked it better if the flan was flavored with coconut and not so much sauce. As we were finishing, a large table was being prepared for a party. The food overall seemed a bit bland, but I probably would try this place again. The service was fine for us. Now as far as the bill and prices: The HH items reflected the HH price, but the online menu, the paper takeout menu, the menu in the window, and the inside table menus had different prices. We were charged the prices on the paper takeout menu, which were higher than the table menus. I didn't see the differences until we were at the door. The menus need to be literally on the same page.
After reading so many good reviews, I have to admit I was very disappointed. I (and my 4 fellow diners) found the food to be average at best. Sangria was good, not great. We were there on a semi busy Thursday night and they were staffed with only 2 servers, leading to so so service. Also, one of the servers made a snide comment on the amount of food we were ordering. I won't be back. Dang! Really wanted to like this place.
(2)
Rona m.
Great vibe, almost as fun as the Haight street location, but a great subsitute if you live on the Peninsula. The happy hour is a great deal (half pitcher of sangria, $7)
(4)
Geomar R.
To put it simply, this place was mediocre at best...not a good first impression for someone who is trying out Cuban food for the first time. I went here with a bunch of coworkers for lunch. First off, the service was extremely slow. It took a long time for us to get seated and a good 10 minutes to finally order our food. My coworker recommended the Ropa Vieja, as a matter of fact, the whole party ordered it. The steak was the best part. It was full of flavor and very tender and not chewy. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the rice. It was completely flavorless and bland. I needed water to wash it down, but like I said, the service was too slow for them to refill our waters. I guess I will have to find another Cuban restaurant to fully experience this new cuisine to me. I recommend you do the same.
(3)
Alexa D.
MAJORLY DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS PLACE!!! Eating here ruined my night, and started with the awful service. I have walked by Cha Cha Cha Cuba multiple times and my boyfriend and I finally decided we would give it a try. We walked in, read the "Please wait to be seated sign" and waited... and waited... and waited! One of the two waitresses chatting away behing the counter FINALLY noticed us and seated us. Still feeling optomistic, we ordered some our drinks and moved onto the menu. I ordered the Ceviche and my borfriend the Jerk Chicken. The food was 'decent', my ceviche tasted a bit 'off' (cant think of another way to describe it) and my boyfriend's chicken was very spicy but good. However, throughout our meal, we were completely ignored! My boyfriend literally had to stick his cup out in front of the waitress as she walked by to get her to bring him a refill. The We never got any napkins, never got the sugar I asked for to add to my iced tea, and the bolillo we got when we ordered was the most STALE piece of bread. It was tough, chewy, and a pain to tear apart even though it was already cut. It got to the point where our waitress SAT DOWN a few tables down with a group of ladies and was drinking and blabbing away. When we just couldnt take it anymore, I repeatedly looked and waved in her direction trying to get her attention for the bill. The other waitress saw me, and did absolutely nothing. Instead she walked over and conversed with them as well. I was obviously upset, and even the table of people next to us made a comment about how we were being ignored. Finally the bus boy happened to walk over to refill our water, and I gave him my card and asked him to pay the bill. I honestly didn't even care to see it, I just wanted to leave. He also had a hard time getting the waitress' attention for her to charge it! The bill was $30, I left no tip,and walked out. We never got a smile, "Have a good night", or even a "Thank you" from anyone. A few hours later, I spent the night looking pale, with a horrible stomach ache, feeling nauseus, and with a headache. Looking at the good reviews I might have just been unlucky, but I am definately not giving this place another shot. If you have $30 to spend, just cross the street and go watch a movie with some over priced snacks.
(1)
Angelica P.
Great food and sangria! Had been here many times and pretty much have tasted almost all their menu. No disapointments so far.
(5)
James K.
After a horrible experience with tapas at another place in Menlo Park (forgot the name but check my review), this place was a much better experience. First off, when I think of tapas, I think of small little items to taste. But make no mistake. The portions are like mini family style sides so have your appetite ready just in case. My girlfriend and I ordered the seafood paella, jerk chicken, crispy potatoes and one shredded beef dish. All of the dishes were hot, delicious and had plenty of flavor. The paella had seasoned rice, mussels, pieces of salmon etc. For the jerk chicken, you get two pieces and the sauce had good kick but the heat didn't seem to resonate on the actual chicken. Nonetheless, it was tasty. The shredded beef was probably my least favorite but it was still very good. It's just that the other dishes upstaged the beef. It came with Spanish rice, which gave it a nice touch. With all that beef and protein, we had to get the potatoes and boy were they good. Very very crispy, hot, and simply full of flavor and "to die for". 1 star deduction for the service. The food in itself came out very quick, so kudos right there. The deduction is based on our waiter doing the bare minimum. He never asked if everything was okay even once and we had to ask for water refills. We also had to ask for "to go" boxes and ask for the check. Basically, there wasn't much effort on his part. Even with that, the food holds up on it's own. It's fresh and it came out quick so I can't complain too much.
(4)
BosCal S.
NOTHING like the ones in SF!! :( Greatly dissapointed. I knew they did not have a bar but was looking forward to the sangria (didn't like it!) The place was pretty much empty, our food was nowhere near as good as it is in the SF locations...nothing specific just...not as tasty...Music was too soft (I love reggae!) and overall was just dissapointed. They should have named this place something different so those of us who are looking for the real Cha Cha Cha experience won't be so dissapointed!
(2)
Audrey C.
3 stars for the food and drink -1 star for the service We rolled in with a group of 8 fairly early on a weekend evening (we had made a reservation). After a few minutes waiting they seated us, but we only had 2 tables for all 8 of us and it was squished. The music was loud enough that hearing anyone who wasn't right next to you was really hard. Almost everything was slow, except maybe the sangria pitcher. The main dishes came pretty much one at a time over the course of 30 or 45 minutes... which really sucked since we weren't eating family style (too many food allergies/preferences). Someone's paella was given to us immediately before even any of the appetizer type of food came out, for instance. Meanwhile, when they did start putting dishes in front of people (instead of in the center of the table), it was almost always the wrong dish. Once, it was the wrong dish and they told us it was the right dish, and we didn't realize until the right dish came afterwards! Then my friend who had asked for no sour cream tried to give them the dish back and they kept pushing it on him so he finally just took it and scraped the sour cream off. Finally, the check took FOREVER, and then didn't come until we asked. We weren't asked about dessert at all. No one asked us whether our food was good or checked on us as the dishes were brought. The sangria was really tasty, and I personally liked my pork and sweet plantains - but not enough to make up for the service, squished table, and difficult to talk in atmosphere. I can usually forgive a few service blunders, but pretty much no part of the service was even decent. If you aren't in a hurry, and you don't have a big group - I could totally see going here. Maybe the service is better if the 18% gratuity isn't going to be automatically added to the check...
(2)
Kristi D.
I would say this was just as good as the ones in SF and way less crowded! I am assuming it is the same ownership although the website is defunct and does not link up (fix that people!). :) PROS: + ambience - nice decor, good acoustics, cheerful, and fun + service - attentive and friendly + all the food was amazing, especially the cajun shrimp! + sangria + decent prices! CONS: - they do not take reservations for less than 6 people. We got there early enough where this wasn't an issue but still kind of an obstacle. - no working website to preview the menu and such.
(4)
Veronica R.
Went there last night super tasty!!! there was a half hour wait for a table so we just took our to go, but the spicy shrimp and the chicken was amazing...
(4)
Viv R.
My favorite restaurant. Not as busy as the ones in SF but sangria and food are the same.....happy hour tapas and drinks...what's not to love =)
(4)
arlene d.
I came in last Friday since my bf hadn't had any Cuban food since being in Miami. We were seated right away. I must say that the ropa vieja was delicious!! The right amount of spices and the rice was awesome..it was yellow rice with olives which I love. My bf ordered the bistek encebollado which was awesome it came with yuca and the rice and beans mixed together I forget what cubans call it, I call it gallo pinto. We also had a side order of sweet plantains my favorite!! For dessert we had the coconut flan mmm...I will definitely be back!!
(4)
John W.
Went in here for a tapas dinner. With a lot of people, I was able to try a lot of the menu. First I had the CEVICHE, which had bay scallops, shrimp & calamari marinated in spicy lime-serrano chile vinaigrette. Next, the CALAMAR FRITO ( Calamari to you Degos ;). Cooked perfectly, with a meaty consistency, wasn't just a mouth full of bread crumbs. I even thought the side sauce was an excellent lemon-garlic aioli that complemented perfectly. Next up, the BLACK MUSSELS. Prepared with garlic, tomatoes, saffron broth & fresh herbs. These were one of my favorites. This was a bit of surprise, because mussels don't typically get me very excited. After that I tasted the POLLO AL JERK, I thought it was a little dried out tasting but the seasoning sure woke it up. TOSTONES and YUCA FRITA were also enjoyed. On top of all this, I had two half entrees. First one, the BISTEK ENCEBOLLADO, grilled marinated sirloin steak topped with caramelized onions. Had a little kick and was slightly charred on the outside and tender inside. Finally, PAELLA DE MARISCOS, this was fantastic and a bit disturbing. You see, I liked it better then my (used to be) favorite here in the city. So now I'm search again for a better paella in San Francisco, but when down the peninsula, I am set. The price point value is good here too.
(4)
Mas M.
I was so excited for cha 3 in my neck of the woods! I like the one in the city, so I gave this one a try. We were brought down to the bottom floor in the furthest corner of the place, and I had a bad feeling. I was right. The waiter was serving way too many tables, and our food was forgotten or we got the wrong thing. The food was pretty decent, not sure I'm going back.
(3)
Liza S.
I hate to give this place 2 stars :( The food was awesome~! A+ Potatoes, Chicken, Warm Spinach salad will keep me coming back alone... The SERVICE SUCKS! We had a party of 14, so tip was included...Maybe that was why we had to ask for bread 11 times and get up to get any waiter 5 times. Mind you we were the ONLY people there at 3pm on a Saturday with 3 wait staff people... I mean really? Why is this so hard to do? Why do we have to keep getting our own water?? and Bread? Unfortunately, we will go back because none of the other locations can handle a big party due to space. So if someone from this establishment reads this PLEASE for the love of Cha Cha Cha, hire people who care about customers. I would have loved to leave a tip on top of the 18% they included, but not if we have to do all the work....
(2)
Stacey B.
I heard such awesome things about this place I decided to try it. Ended up being the tables and seats were sticky and disgusting and even though the place wasnt crowded at all it took forever to get our food, which by the way they cooked till the shrimp died AGAIN. The sauces, rice, and beans are great, but the meats and veggies are awful and over cooked to the point of inedible, I will NEVER go here again, 2 stars for friendly and adorable waiters, sh*t, they didnt cook the food, right?
(2)
Christian D.
Cha Cha Cha Cuban food review: Nice atmosphere, Nice decorations and props and good service (cause it was kinda empty) But overall the food wasn't quite all there. Lacked flavor, We ordered 2 separate chicken orders, both The Aroz con pollo and the Jerk Chicken, were flavorless and the jerk chicken was dry. The portion was good. The only thing that stood out was the beans with sour cream that came with the platines. (kinda sad if you think about it). Later Cha Cha cha! I would recommend you just keep on walking, because believe me when I say, you'll thank me.
(2)
L A.
The place was pretty empty when the my friends went here. But I don't understand how the service is SOOOOOO doot da doo and slow. Like really slow, I don't know if all of them were high that night or something. The cha cha cha in the Mission is by far way better with a better atmosphere. What you should order: shrimp, mushrooms, potatoes... everything else can pass.
(3)
Pamela R.
So I think that La Bodeguita Del Medio in Palo Alto is better, but overall I would go back here. Their hongos were the best thing that I ate and I would definitely order them again. The yucca was well cooked and the green salsa that came with it was good. I have definitely had better tostones as these were overfried and therefore a little dry. They were also kind of bland. . The ricotta spinach empanada was a little strong for me, but if you really like ricotta go for it. Not bad, but not the best that I have had either.
(3)
Erika E.
So I came here about a year ago and had a horrible experience! Unfortunately I had to experience it all over again because my friend had her birthday here. I was hoping they had improved or made changes because of the bad review I posted previously and I saw several reviews before and after mine but nope they didn't change one bit! NEVER going there again even for a birthday, even of my life depended on it! They have such horrible service, the staff needs attitude adjustments and some simple customer service training! The food was horrible as well, still! We were all pretty unhappy. I only gave it two stars because the drinks were pretty decent. So I guess if you just want a drink, then it would fine to go here.. Other than that, just don't waste your time. So much for second chances!!!
(2)
K F.
Good food, fun atmosphere. Plantains were perfect. Ceviche was cooked, not cured....okay, but not great. Ropa vieja had a lot of flavor, and the rice was surprisingly good.
(4)
Tiffany L.
I really want to like this place. I was so excited that there finally a tapas place in San Mateo. But Cha Cha Cha Cuba was very disappointing. The vegetarian tapas are few and far in between; worst yet, they just lack flavor. The sangria was decent. We dislike the pushy servers who kept wanting to take our uneaten dishes away so they can clear our table. What is up with that?!
(1)
R B.
Change your effin hours on yelp. It says you're open from 12noon to 9pm. Even happy hour starts at 3pm. I came by at 3:30pm all the way from the east bay and you were closed!
(1)
Ghia G.
i've been to the Haight location once and I can say without a doubt that this location has so much more space and less wait time to get a table. Food selection is pretty much the same as the sister locations, my favorites being the Shrimp in Cajun Sauce and the rice/beans with sour cream. The sandwich/lunch portions are huge and we realized later we didn't need to buy so many tapas since we could have easily been filled by our sandwich. Everything on the menu looks so good though and we couldn't help but want a little bit of everything. Do yourself a favor and couple with a small group of people and share your plans. I really love the food choices around this area and the parking is very convenient. Reason for the 3 stars? They had 1 server on a Sunday afternoon and it was a long wait for every table to get their order in, get their drinks, get their food and any other requests they may have had. Don't get me wrong, the waiter handled it smoothly, but the restaurant should have been better staffed. I also wasn't too impressed with their sangrias since I really didn't get a lot of fruit/fruit-infused flavor. I think next time I'll ask for some ice to make it a big colder, but will be back when I get tired of the normal Bay Area go-to places.
(3)
Katie L.
Food was great. Sangria very good. Service was great. Atmosphere charming. Great value. 5 of us shared 5 tapas and barely had room for dessert. Luckily we went for the tres leche cake anyway - delicious!
(4)
Eddie I.
As soon as I walked in, I was impressed with the atmosphere and design of the place. Add a rooster and some sun and voila ! I usually would like to write a review after a few trips to a place cuz I can't order the entire menu. However, I'm bored, so might as well. Ordered some light delicacies to compliment the half pitcher of Sangria, wait a minute, they serve the Sangria without ice...I love it !....not watered down, perfect flavor with a light touch of fruit garnish, just the way I like it ! We had ceviche, calamares and plantains. The ceviche had all the main ingredients it should have and was very delicious, good portions for the price. Calamares was all fresh and deep fried to perfection, but the aoili was not garlicky enough, oreder a little vinegar instead. Plantains were superb, drizzled with some white sauce and for a $5 side dish, plenty to go around with if you have company. Overall, the place may not beat a Spanish tapas restaurant but I liked it ! Can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu...PAELLA ! They have no liquor license yet so the "mojitos" NADA !
(4)
Michael H.
Slow service. Good food and good sangria. I'll be back, but better service would easily bump this up to a 4-star!
(3)
JP's GIR- L.
MMMM This Cuban food is so delicious! We love the ceviche, black mussels, pollo al jerk, plantano & yuca frito, and the black beans and rice. Also can't miss out on the sangria. Both red an white are wonderful. The white is pretty sweet but tastes like juice! Love this place! We always do family style with the tapas which are about $7-10 each. Going for happy hour is a good deal $5 tapas and 1/2 off sangria. M-TH 5-6. If you get to the restaurant right when they open at 5 you won't have to wait to be seated. But even arriving at 5:30-6:00 there's usually a decent sized wait.
(5)
Julie C.
Tried it twice and both times I left disappointed. Service is slow and food is "meh." I love tapas and really wanted to like this place, but I didn't enjoy any of the ones I tried, besides the papas bravas (although it's kind of hard to mess up potatoes). Sangria is pretty good though.
(2)
Pooh C.
I've been here several times for dinner. The food is good, sangria is good, but service is terrible. The waiters all seem really rushed and not too friendly, and it can take a while to get served. The restaurant at dinner time is REALLY loud - don't bother to have a conversation loud - which may be great if you're stuck with a date you don't like much - but not so great if you're with friends, loved ones, etc. There are also waay too many tables for the size of the restaurant - which explains the noise and service - you feel like you're eating in a crowded cafeteria.
(3)
Tiff W.
still good, flavorful and delicious, sangria is soooo good. chicken dish was done well. the plantain looked strange but tasted delicious!
(4)
Daisy R.
OH MAN!! Another great taste of SF in the peninsula! If you go here I suggest the appetizers: the shrimp swimming in the pool of deliciousness, potatoes with the aioli OH cant forget the pitcher of Sangria! Great place for a girls night out since the bars are walking distance from Cha Cha Cha's.
(4)
Matt M.
I went in specifically looking for a Cuban sandwich. Pork, ham, mayo, pickle, all pressed together on a great Cuban bread. The potatoes that came with it were seasoned perfectly! I will definitely be a repeat customer.
(4)
J. S.
They were not busy when we went, but service was horrible. There were plenty of people working there but I don;t know what they were doing. Food was not so tasty, just really oily. Our calamari tasted like old grease. Sangria tasted like vinegar and yes, the ones who had the vinegar ended up with a horrible heartburn. Not going back, but I would try their other location.
(2)
Alex W.
Food was either tasteless or overcooked. Waiters are friendly but they need new cooks.
(1)
Claudia M.
Meh, the food was alright, the service was ok...probably might come again?
(3)
Jesse T.
CHA CHA GAG is more like it! Microwaved empanadas, cheap red wine with fruit from Lucky's markdown basket was passed off as Sangria! Real Cubans would be embarrassed. Don't waste your money.
(1)
Favi R.
I've been here multiple times already and the food and service is consistent. Food is always good (sauteed mushrooms, ropa, yuca frites, sangria) and service is always slow..but hey I get it they are usually busy...but please hire more servers!
(3)
Madeline R.
The food was ok, average if that. But the service was atrocious. The restaurant wasn't busy, we arrived at 6pm so only about 5-7 tables had customers. We were finished eating around 6:35 but it took almost 1/2 an hour before we got our bill, after asking our server 3-4 times. Our server never actually brought the bill, another server brought it to us after we flagged him down since our server was unresponsive. Won't come here again.
(2)
Shawn S.
I love this place! Their food is excellent and always fresh. The Lechon Asado is my favorite. Every time I go to the bay area I try and stop in. Always great!
(5)
R L.
Dishes: Camarones Picante, Arroz con Pollo, Lechon, glass of sangria = $44 Camarones were not picante, just creamy bland. Arroz con Pollo was ok, not memorable for better or worse. I liked the lechon, it wasn't obviously special, but it was comforting somehow. Service was neglectful, borderline just plain bad. Very slow. For example, we had to wait about 25 minutes for bread after we ordered and only after asking twice. Water was never refilled. Typically, we had to wait to make requests, which of course was followed by a long wait. Oh, and when I asked one of the personnel what kind of paella the table next to me had, he said, "It's paella," and walked off.
(2)
Mike C.
Been looking for some good ethnic food in the peninsula and came across this place on yelp. My wife really wanted to try some Cuban food so thought we would come in and try it out. The service is pretty good. The waiter introduced us to the food since it was the first time we ate Cuban. We ordered the snow crab cakes, the Paella di Mariscos, and a fish dish that I couldn't really remember the name of. Since it was the first time I ate Cuban food I don't really have a frame of reference to go by, but just going by pure taste, the food is pretty good. The place does get busy so the earlier you get there, the better. Parking also is a problem so getting there early is probably the smater thing to do. I would definitely go back to try some of the other dishes.
(4)
Dennis S.
Calamar fritos, BBQ chicken quesadilla and a half pitcher of sangria for less than $20 bucks, is a deal that I can't pass up during happy hour. The flavorful sangria can really creep up on you so, I always order enough food to balance me out.
(4)
Vanessa M.
Nothing like SF. The customer service is pretty bad too. Even when there is NO ONE else in the restaurant. Also, happy hour is from 3-5pm? Dumb. I wouldn't recommend this place.
(2)
Patricia S.
I ate lunch here for the first time this week I just recently started working near by and was happy to find it. I was pleasently surprised the rice was the best I had had other then home made of course I had blk beans and rice and I had the yuca that was prepared perfectly the green sauce they served it with could have used a little more flavor I am looking forward to returning to try the Lechon and the sangria
(5)
Victor C.
The sad part about this place is, we can't take the Sangria home! Damn! The pitcher was 3/4 full and we just left it! smh, next time, I'll be ready with my Coleman Canteen! FTW!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Christina C.
My boyfriend and I love going to Cha Cha Cha's! Best dishes : Cajun Shrimp - $10.50 (Shrimp sautéed in spicy Cajun cream sauce) Filetillo de Pollo - $9.75 (Paillard style chicken breast with Dijon-basil cream sauce) We always order a 1/2 pitcher or even a full pitcher of Sangria and enjoy the evening there. Delicious food!
(5)Amanda K.
Went here for my dad's birthday on a weekday night. Service was friendly and fast, atmosphere colorful and inviting. Food was super tasty but very heavy! A good idea to dine here family style. I recommend the arroz con pollo, seafood paella, and lechon asado!
(4)CavLuv R.
Very disappointing food and service. Had dinner Saturday with friends, ordered 8/9 tapas but only the two shrimp dishes (very tender too) and sauté mushrooms had good flavor, others were bland. Service? None. Waitress took order & brought food - that was it. At one point our table was kind of full, she stood there, looked at us and waited for us to clear a space for her to put the dish down. So I politely tell her she might want to rearrange the table because I don't work here. No one checked on us during our 90min dinner, had to ask for water and other needs. I know this is no 5-star establishment but why do servers expect customers do their job and still get the minimum15% tips?! Two stars for three good dishes & tasty flan.
(2)mengzi w.
It was really fun. The Cajun shrimp was yumy; Ceviche a bit less sour and like it as such, the fish they made it with is very good, fresh and rich; the jerk chicken not so impressed, over tendered but in-line with what I've experienced with Cuban food. Also ordered a Blue Moon, excellent beer that got extra kick than the normal dole bottled beers. Especially impressed was the portions, other than the shrimp there are more food than entrees, it is supposed to be tapas! Which makes it so awesome. And I guess a mix of South American food also is way better than authentic Cuban food, which is probably only well cooked pork/minced beef/beans/etc. Only thing to complain is that it feels like a run-down warehouse, maybe that is what Cuba supposed to feel like, but I was expecting at least one Cha, you see, there are even 3 Chas. Guys, just some lovely music will help. Service was great.
(4)Luke S.
Yo this place isn't usually very busy when I see it but to me this is a hot spot I dig it . The happy hour is soo excellent. half off sangria is like whoa, and its excellent sangria too. I was hella sucking the juices out of them fruits. $3 beers too!! Definitely feeling the tapas, THe chicken wings were hella good soo thick and juicy and very saucy. mmm finger licking baby. THe service here is really great too and the waitresses here sure know about style. I like places with unique people. I dig it and really wanted to get to know them ha.
(5)Katrina A.
I've come here a few times on different occasions, but I'm always a little disappointed when I leave, since I end up paying way too much for mediocre Cuban food. I've tried the bistek encebollado and the pork chimichangas -- neither were as flavorful as Cuban food should be, and the service took an inordinate amount of time (the restaurant wasn't super busy). I do love love love their yucca frita, but that's just about all I'd go back there for.
(3)Julia C.
A couple pitchers of the sangria and you'll be clutching on to the steering wheel for dear life. I speak from experience, no matter how much carbs you intend on intaking do your self a favor and come here with a DD. The two of you can sloth it up as the gluttony wears down. Fritas, ceviche, shrimp, calamari... get it all. I'm sad to say I didn't have the pleasure of indulging into the potato balls as we noticed them on the menu on the way out. Supposedly they're talking Porto's status so you could imagine my resentment as this is the closest that NorCal will get.
(4)Alexander J.
You know what kinda rhymes with Seafood Paella? Diarrhea. Was it Anthony Bourdain who said, "Don't order seafood on Mondays?" Yeah, don't do that at Cha Cha. I spat out one of the mussels that tasted weird, but must have eaten another bad one. Yikes. Too bad, the BBQ Pork quesadilla wasn't bad: stuffed with a lot of pork, a little too salty, but not bad. And the Paella actually tasted OK... and my water glass was never less than 3/4 empty.
(2)Jen A.
Following the trend of good reviews, here's another one for ya. I've been to 3 "Cha cha cha's" in the bay area, and seems to be all the same. I've enjoyed each one and giving my review to San Mateo location because it's closer to work vs SF locations. The tapas are delicious, I am a huge fan of Cuban food and really enjoyed all the dishes I've tried and I've had basically all of them. I have never been disappointed even when its a busy time or a slow time. The servers are helpful and the atmosphere is calming even when there's a ton of people. The good food makes the big difference to making this establishment superb. I've had the ceviche (could be better but still tasty), calamari frito (eh mediocre still good though), quesadilla de pollo (bbq and all the sides put it all together its yum), chicken curry empanada(it was ok), hongos al jerez (my favorite I love mushrooms!), black mussels (really good too), alitas de pollo (great tapas to pass around big party), croquetas de cangrejo, papas fritas (good for big parties and who can't love aioli with potatoes mmmm) and papa rellenas (which is usually on the specials chalk board they have). If you know Cuban food then you know Portos in socal I always miss Portos and this is my one fix in the bay area that will hit the spot when I'm missing my Cuban fix. I've always gone in groups of 3+ at most I've gone with 8. It was never an issue to find seating you'll have to wait for a bigger party but its worth the wait. Sangria is good nothing out of this world but definitely nice paired with tapas and good friends :) . I am definitely a regular and will continue because of its food and atmosphere. Clean, good service, great food, can't complain.
(5)Lotus E.
I love this spot! The only thing I don't like about this place is their seating setup, idk I wasn't feeling it. But who cares the food is definitely on point!
(5)Debb D.
The Tapas were all delicious we had a party of 12 so we ordered pretty much every tapas on the menu and shared with our whole party. The sangria was good too.. They were really busy hence service was a little slow.
(4)Lisa K.
Unfortunately the lechon was a textbook example of my Puerto Rican mother -in-law's warning : you can't have too much garlic, but you can have too much salt. The meat was too bland so everything had too much salt added to it. We also found that the ropa vieja was much better the next day, once the flavors had melded a bit more. I found the sangria to be pretty much too sweet to drink. But, the atmosphere and music was pretty nice, and we liked some of the appetizers.
(3)Juan I.
One word: SANGRIA!!! Omg best sangria around! During happy hour, a pitcher is only $12! Such a great deal. Their food was pretty tasty as well. I also was very satisfied with the customer service. They worked hard to set up a table of 20 for my friends and I, when they already had a party of 40 to serve. Food and drinks were served very quick. Only down fall was they are stingy with bread, and it won't be served unless asked. However, we will be back for the sangria!
(4)Regina C.
This review is strictly for their happy hour. So amongst the wide selection of yummy tapas, etc etc... THE BEST PART --- Half off sangria pitchers. I dig it.
(3)Kim N.
3.5 stars because the food was amazing but the apparent lack in customer service made our dinner a bit unpleasant. It was a Saturday night and the waiter said it would be about a 30 minute wait -- no problem. That's what happens when you come promptly at dinner time on a Saturday night. As we're standing out in the cold, others were packing themselves in the little waiting area closest to the window. There's no 'real' division between the patrons eating, attempting to enjoy their meal and the wide-eyed patrons waiting for a table. The set up of the restaurant is a bit weird when it's gets really crowded. 30 minutes pass, and we expect a table in the back because that's what the waiter said. But because of the apparent lack in communication between two waiters, they give our table to another group and place us right in front of the other hungry customers waiting to eat. I'd really prefer not to be stared down at by customers as I eat and there was no way to avoid that. The food made up for all of that and may be the only reason why I go back. My table ordered: Calamari: great garlic aoili but it's honestly like any other fried calamari. Pollo Al Jerk: fall off the bone chicken thighs, great flavor but I wish there was just a bit more sauce. Still a great dish. Paella: Since we shared all of our dishes among 4, the paella was a bit small for us. Mixture of seafood was a great combination, can't go wrong with this one. Alitas De Pollo: The gauva-chipotle description intrigued us to order this dish, but it was not that memorable. I'd prefer the habenero mango chicken wings from Buffalo Wild Wings any day. Ropa Vieja: Great flavor and texture. I'm not a complete fan of plantains but we managed to finish the plate clean!
(3)Claire S.
I'm honestly sad that I've been in the area for ages but never knew this place existed until now. Now that I know, it's definitely on a regular rotation of delicious places to visit! It was packed on a Friday night, but we were luckily seated not too long after stumbling in. The place isn't a huge frills one, but I prefer one that focuses on their food more anyways, and they most certainly do. The boy was in charge of ordering, which made everything conveniently tasty for me. We started with a pitcher of white wine sangria, which was quite good, and, as always, very dangerous - it doesn't taste at all like alcohol, so you can go overboard if you aren't paying attention. My entrée was incredible - the lechon asado (roasted pork, served with rice, beans, and sweet plantains). I ended up barely touching the congri, but the pork was perfection - juicy, tender, and full of flavor. I'm a huge fan of plantains anyways, but these were fantastic - awesome serving size, and tasty. The boy had the bistek encebollado (grilled sirloin topped with caramelized onions, congri, and yucca fritas). I didn't try much of it, but he loved the steak, and the yucca fritas were great, nothing I've had before, but quite good! Most definitely coming back for Happy Hour sometime, and for more of their lechon asado in general!
(4)Pam Y.
This place reminds me of cha cha cha in the mission. I am not sure if it has the same owner. A good place to have a party or have dinner with a group of friends. They have good sangria. Lots of yummy tapas like the mussels, calamari, big croquettes....Cheap too compared to other tapas bars.
(4)Leslie C.
3.5 I got the lechon asado and friend got the arroz con pollo. The pork in my lechon was sooo tender.. it was absolutely delish. The rice was good, even though it was served with black beans (I'm not a fan of beans). However, I didn't really like the plantains. They were really sugary and I know plantains are normally extremely sugary anyway, but I think they drizzled some sort of honey-sugar concoction over it because it was exxxxtra sweet. My friend's dish wasn't too bad, either. The rice was good, but the chicken was just OK. I definitely liked my pork more. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here, but I am interested in trying the ropa vieja.. just the meat portion of it, though.
(3)Conlan R.
Great food and sangria! Can't beat the prices either.
(4)Jeralyn M.
Attentive staff, bomb food, and buzzerific sangria! Tried the white sangria today. Same potency as the red and lighter in taste. Had two tapas and thought it wasn't going to be enough for a party of two, pero it was just right. Never disappointed with the Cajun shrimp and calamari :)
(5)Theresa B.
The food was excellent and the white sangria was tasty. Parking was a little tricky.
(5)Chantal P.
Actually, better than what I was expecting but not better than the Cha Cha Cha in SF. The happy hour Sangria and food is well worth a visit after a long stressful day at work. Get the spicy shrimp, wings, and yucca fries.
(3)Alexandra F.
This Cha Cha Cha is smaller than either two in SF, but the food was just as wonderful.
(4)Farhana D.
Cha Cha Cha's is a fun place for delish tapas and yummy sangrias! This place was actually very good, but the seafood in the seafood paella lacked freshness. The paella flavors were good, but if seafood isn't fresh it really taints the dish. On the other hand, the tapas here are amazing! The garlic shrimp, Cajun shrimp, calamari, papas fritas and ofcourse the sangrias are to die for! It's a fun spot to meet up with friends and have a fun dinner!
(4)Shelby C.
Cha Cha Cha never fails! The sangria and tapa plates alwaaaaays hit the spot, not to mention they compliment each other so well. Both so rich and flavorful in their elements. I would really give this place a 4.5/5 but I think the tapa plates are a little overpriced for how much you get. But then again they are pretty delicious. Also, complimentary bread! And props to their restaurant location selection- always in good, central locations (i.e. downtown San Mateo, Haight in SF), where you can walk off your buzz and full stomach.
(4)Ivette R.
Such a cute little place! Came here for a friends bday and we ordered the camarones al ajillo..... It was good but I wouldn't order it again and my friend thought it was too salty. We also order half a pitcher of sangria... Really good! We were both pretty happy by the time we finished it ;). I took off one star because of the shrimp. Another one because as I was walking to the table to sit I slipped and almost fell. The waitress saw but didn't bother to clean the wet floor. Oh another plus is that there's a guy with a guitar that comes in and sings. Very nice guy and good singer.
(3)Anita L.
Have been wanting to try this place for a while. I loved the ambience here - it was super warm and homey, reminded me a little of New Orleans. The sangria here is delish and is a must have. For food, we got their cajun shrimp and papas fritas. The latter was a lot bigger than I expected (which is a good thing!) and the shrimp had a nice kick to it (for me, the spicier the better.) Loved the food and even better, the service was amazing. The staff was super friendly and accommodating. This place seems pretty popular - came here on a Friday evening, and waited around 20 minutes for a table. Beware - downtown San Mateo is super congested around this time on the weekends, so plan on coming earlier because finding parking is definitely all about luck.
(4)Kamila A.
Excellent food and service! The sangria is one of the best I've ever had! We ordered calamari, platanos con frijoles, camarones al ajillo, paella and salmon. I'm definitely going back to try the rest of the menu. Service is excellent, ambiance is great!
(5)Rene B.
Of course less than 24 hours after writing this review.... Sangria - Not that good, watery, no flavor...maybe corked or super, super cheap wine or watered down. Is that possible being the wine should be cheap? Either someone inexperienced is making the batch or they are cutting back on some ingredients. It was like sangria with a hole in it. New server - Attitude, so not friendly. She's in her 20's, brown hair. Her face may crack if she smiles. Pork quesadilla (not what it is called on the menu) - Burnt shell, served like a taco instead of wrapped like a burrito in a soft flour roll which means everything falls out when cutting into it. Meat still attached to slimy fat and not tender like before. I am always grossed out with fatl so I could hardly eat. It use to shred with a fork, no fat! Yucca - still good, asked for extra sauce which was not a problem but it will never be enough. Like I said before you need the sauce. They give you a ton of yucca but not enough of the herbed sauce to accompany the dish. It needs it. Otherwise it tastes like fries with no nuttin'! I honestly think they should add olive oil and drizzle it all over and then give the little dab on the side. Ceviche - Delicious. A lot of fish. Very little broken chips. Not on happy hour menu. Could have been an off day. Will return to see what's the dealio.
(3)Franki M.
The food was exquisite. Had a Paella filled with delicious seafood. Clams, calamari, shrimp, salmon and scallops filled the paella with flavor. The "relleno de papas" also delicious. This were crunchy on the outside, as a puertorican this was weird for me. Still it was full of flavor.
(5)Jack I.
I believe this Cha Cha Cha Cuba is done by the same people of the two Cha Cha Chas in SF but I can not say for sure. Although we were initially happy to have a Cha Cha Cha outside of SF after visiting several times I do not believe we will go back. The last time I went the service wasn't bad, it was non-existent. After the first few plates nothing was coming out of the restaurant. Every time I look over to the kitchen I just see the chef and waiter chatting it up. This went on for close to an hour, no food was coming out for anyone. It was bizarre. The waiter finally came to us and said "all set?". I looked at him and said "we haven't even received our food yet." We left $20 on the table and walked out. I noticed that when they first opened up there was some buzz and interest but now the place seems to always be empty or no where near as full as the locations in SF. It's not for lack of customers either cause next door the restaurant has a line out the door. I guess having a Cha Cha Cha in San Mateo was just too good to be true. Gave ti 2 stars cause the first few times was as expected, but it has since been down hill.
(2)LaniKai C.
My favorite tapas and Caribbean restaurant in the Bay Area! Delicious tapas, refreshing Sangria and I love the flan dessert! Cha Cha Cha Cuba is great for big groups to share tapas! I love to order the: Cajun Shrimp Crispy Calamari Steamed Black Mussels Sautéed Mushrooms Fried Sweet Plantains and Black Beans A large pitcher of Sangria Housemade flan for dessert Order this and you're in heaven! You'll thank me later!
(5)Zarina P.
Customer service sucks! The waitresses are a little rude, don't smile, and didn't like us asking for bread. They sucked! And because of that it doesn't make me want to go back. The food is really good. I've gone to the one in the city and it's bomb! So we went to the one closer to home. Their filetilla de pollo is the best thing I've ever had! I can eat that all day! Their ceviche I loved as well! It was perfect. Soft, lemony, and comes with chips. Their ropa vieja was delicious. Very flavorful. And of course their Sangria is very good! I definitely recommend the one in the city on Haight. It's worth the trip there. Like I said in the beginning, the waitresses suck! Customer service is NO BUENO!
(3)eric t.
SANGRIA!!!!! Growing up near San Francisco I know Cha cha chas very well. When they finally opened one down the peninsula I was pretty excited. Sure enough its the same great flavorful food and same yummy sangria. Occasionally some specials are on the menu that you can't get at the San Francisco locations. I have been there a few times now. Service is always great. Ask for Mario if you go. He is always smiling. Great place for a romantic dinner for 2 and just as great for those large parties as well. Order the Cajun Shrimp when you go. The sauce is very addicting. And order extra bread. Something about that sauce and their bread. They are meant to go together.
(5)Wendy X.
I always leave here slurring my sentences and walking in crooked lines. So what?! Im proud! I'm asian, and I'm a lightweight! I always get the red sangria and the white sangria, which is probably a bad idea, but OH WELL! And I'm always with my partner in crime, ADRIENNE DOMINO HEAD. The red sangria is my favorite, it has a must stronger wine flavor, I think it has a bit of an odd aftertaste, but that is if you are really picky. The white sangria has a much more subtle wine flavor, not strong enough for me, but domino head loves it. the mussels are bomb, the guava chili chicken, and the shrimp cajun!! Ask for extra sauce in the shrimp cajun so you can get extra bread to dip it in. hint hint; nursing trick, eat fatty foods while drinking and not carbs. Carbs are first to digest, making you more drunk at a faster rate. Eat a slab of butter, that'll help! The service is nice, not too great on speed though. The price isn't the cheapest either, but I just come here for the sangria and the tapas! The owner is very nice though, so try to talk to him when he's around. He makes sure your experience at cha cha cha is worth it. Sometimes, after I walk out, I want to walk in front of the Tpumps line, wave like the princess diaries taught me, and say thank you thank you, the princess has arrived. It's nice knowing that you are one of the first employed, and you were there back when the quality was way better. Had to move on though!! So maybe I won't be seeing too much of cha cha cha anymore.
(4)John W.
After working around San Mateo, me and my coworkers would often walk by this place. However, on this particular Sunday afternoon, we decided to check this place out. It was a nice change from the countless times that we've had asian food around town. We all shared the ceviche, quesadilla de pollo BBQ, and the platano fritos. Our drink of choice for that day was a pitcher of sangria. We noticed there was white sangria upon request, but we went classical with the drink. The ceviche was alright. I was expecting to have more shrimp pieces as opposed to having fish pieces in the ceviche. Other than that, that was my only discrepancy with the ceviche. The quesadilla was great. I usually don't order chicken quesadillas, but this one was pretty tasty. The chicken was moist and flavorful. The addition of having the salsa and guacamole on the side is good too. My favorite was the platano fritos. The sweet bananas paired with savory beans and the sour cream were a good pairing in my honest opinion. Lastly, the sangria pitcher that we ordered was fantastic. There really is not much to say about this. It was good and I highly recommend ordering it, maybe not a pitcher like we did, but a glass or two. In all, it was a good meal with good ambience and good people.
(4)Rhea M.
NOPE!!! I normally go to the ChaChaCha in the Mission, so I decided, well... I can give this location a try, shouldn't be too different? NO NO NO.... :( 1. Small, and not very clean 2. Bread was stale, and she only gave us a few pieces, and I had to keep asking for more... 3. Portion for my Cajun Shrimp was much smaller 4. Terrible service 5. Sangria is not good (which I have heard from other friends in the past but didn't want to believe it...) and last but not least, what do I hate?! 6. Hair in my FAVORITE CAJUN SHRIMP... Not coming back because I was so disappointed...
(1)Brian B.
Enjoyed the food at Cha Cha Cha Cuba. Not sure about the name...many of the dishes were Spanish, Argentine, etc...but maybe that's what Cubans eat? Definitely different from the Cuban food I've had in the past... Anyway, the place is awesome for groups because you can order a lot of little tapas and share them with the table. We got a little of everything and passed it all around to try ALL the things. My favourites were probably the Chicken Al Jerk and [especially[ the Papas Fritas. Highly recommended.
(4)Nancy W.
When i was still working in the area sometimes last year my co workers and i ordered take out, I got the Paella de Mariscos and the portion was so big!! i'm sure anyone who is reading this review is like DAMN its $16 of course the portion is big. butt anywho! It amazing!! I had enough for lunch the next day. This is a must try cuban food
(5)Tony P.
We really feel sad writing this review. We are a huge huge fan of cha cha cha , but in San Francisco. The other day we were in san mateo and saw the sign and we were ecstatic. The first thing that came to mind was the yummy shrimp with jerk sauce. So we went around the corner and parked the car and walked really fast to make sure they've seats. We know how crowded cha cha cha in san Francisco is. We had to wait in line sometimes and when you get a seat, you felt like you passed some great test :-). So we get in around 5pm or so. Surprise 1. No body inside. I mean 0. We were the first. I couldn't believe. So I thought something should be out of order here. So we sat, ordered the food, the shrimp with the jerk sauce. Then we realized why there weren't that many people . The sauce was sub par. Not tangy or even close as the sfo cha cha cha. We ordered the piaia. Omg the worst piaia ever. Soggy, water dripping, mostly not well cooked rice. Somewhat of a bland taste. The worst ever. Even the famous sangria was not as good. Maybe the owners are not the same, or some family fight or twist and siblings separated and opened this up. That's the last time we're there. I mean we hold cha cha cha to a much higher standard than most other similar level restaurants. They're just ruining the name of cha cha cha in sfo. So be warned, if you ever been to sfo cha cha chat and think it's the same here, you'll be highly disappointed.
(2)Alex L.
I went here for HH...1/2 off sangria and $5 tapas. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the food. The wings were crisp and saucy, the tostones were favorful and the black bean dipping sauce was truly addictive. The curry chicken empanada was meh. I'm not sure if this was more of a traditional empanada crust, but I've always had flaky, buttery empanada crust. Who knows.... I'm asian, I don't know these things. Last, but not least, the mussels were so good. SO SO GOOD. Sangria...also SO SO GOOD.
(4)Chantal T.
3.5 stars. There is a parking lot close by and less traffic compared to the SF location which is really nice. It still gets crowded so I would make reservations. Tapas are always good for groups so we usually come with a lot of folks. The food has been pretty good every time I've been here. I don't eat shrimp often, but the sauce that it's in is bomb. Sangria is yummy and not too sweet. Only issues that I've had both times I've been here is that some of their dinnerware comes out dirty and they're not attentive at filling up our water glasses or making sure we don't need more sangria.
(3)MJ P.
I love this place! Each time I've came here it has always met my expectations. Came here for Mother's Day after waiting miserably at Pacific Catch. Should have made this my first choice! Anyway, I got the Aroz Con Pollo (first time having it), it was delicious! I usually get the Ropa Veja but I wanted to try something different. We got the calamari and chicken wings for appetizers. The sauce on the wings is really good. The Sangria was great! Overall service is great. Staff is very friendly and even though this place is small, the wait isn't bad. Cheers!
(5)Shana O.
Over a week since I first tried them, I am still dreaming of the Cajun Shrimp. Seriously. The sauce is AMAZING! The sangria, Jerk Chicken, and Platano Frito are also wonderful, but it's the Cajun Shrimp that I'll be going back for. The prices are a bit hefty, but the portions are large, & the quality is good. The service was fine, though a bit brusque.
(5)Brandon N.
Awe-frickin-some Cuban food. Had the Lechon and while it looked dry at first sight, it was super moist. The side of beans and rice [not a fan of plantains] match perfectly with the salty cubes of pork. 2nd course was the Jerk Chicken. Usually, I am not a fan of thighs as I am a breast guy. Ooo right! But this was a party in my mouth. The spices of the Caribbean brought me back to Jamaica. The thighs were smothered in a slightly thick Jerk gravy - not a dry rub like it is in it's native country - but still flavorfully done. I was kinda shocked to see this item on the menu but SO glad i tried it. Let's talk about Sangria. This place KNOWS how to do sangria. Happy hour is the best time for a first try, but you will be ordering it by the pitcher in no time. Fresh fruit and red wine.... what is not to love??
(5)Jossie L.
Went there on a Sunday afternoon and there was only one other party eating so our order was taken pretty fast. We ordered mango and guava juices (those that come in a can). Guava was good, mango not so much. Then we had camarones al ajillo and rellenos de papa, both were kind of spicy, which I wasn't expecting. And in my opinion too small for the price, and the quality and flavor wasn't the best either, it wasn't even hot. It gave me the impression that everything here was pre made and reheated. For dessert we had a coconut flan, which was basically vanilla flan with lots of toasted coconut on top (not good at all). No authentic flavors here. I don't like to write bad reviews, but this business needs to wake up or walk away. Sorry, but I don't think I'm coming back here. I'd rather eat at Los Cubanos in downtown San Jose.
(2)Irma R.
I've been to the SF location plenty of times. I think they are different owners, however the menu is very similar. I'm giving the food here 4 stars all the way! The food really didn't disappoint. However! The service here was HORRIBLE! The waiter couldn't take a drink and food order at the same time. He seems preoccupied to take our order in the beginning. There were maybe 6 people (customers) in the restaurant at the time too, so it wasn't like it was packed busy. He brings us our drinks, we finally get to order. We get our food, and he never returned. Had to flag him down a few times to reorder drinks, get more bread. Then again, he never returned. He checked on the table next to us a few times and when i wanted to pay they flagged him down for us. I honestly didn't even want to tip him, but we did generously. My very last complaint is the bathroom. I walked in, pee ALL over the seat and floor, it was disgusting! I would come back for a happy hour or a girls get together however I will remember that the service is terrible and not to use the bathroom here.
(3)Anthony M.
Delicious Spinach salad. I usually have it with salmon instead of chicken. Crab Croquetas are yummy but a little spicy. The ceviche is world class. -2 stars for the scatterbrained waitress with the blue hair. I have been here three times, all three times she has been our server, and all three times something from the order is missing. Tonight, no salmon with my salmon salad.
(3)Malyssa C.
Must haves: Pitcher of red sangria, cajun shrimp, and fried new potatoes. Dip the bread in the cajun shrimp sauce, and you're set. You can thank me later. I've been to the location on Haight in SF, and I've gotta say, I like the San Mateo location better. The one in SF is smaller and seems to be much busier. The one in San Mateo has a bigger and open layout, and is also less busy. At least based on the times that I've went. Great place to kick it for tapas and draankss. So glad there's a location much closer to me! Just be careful because their sangria is a creeper!
(4)Rj M.
Whenever I head down to San Mateo, I always make it a point with family and friends we head out here for some sangria and Cajun shrimp sauce. It's really good! I like that this place is not as crowded as the location in the Mission. But the food here is just as good! Definitely a must try!
(5)Christine T.
We went in around 6:30 and the place was kind of empty. Apparently we had just missed happy hour, which APPARENTLY included half off sangria? Uh, yes please. The white sangria was quite tasty, by the way. Service was slow, felt like we were being ignored at first. We tried to ask the waiter for recommendations/serving size, and he just wasn't very helpful. At least the food was good - the chicken quesadilla was alright, but the seafood paella was on point. Random: they charge you a $10 cake fee... a fee for bringing in your own cake, and cutting in your cake yourself. Slightly absurd.
(3)Andy C.
Not really sure what the hype is about. The ceviche was unremarkable and the prices were a bit steep. I'm used to Bodeguita del Medio in Palo Alto with a far superior ambience and food, so count me unimpressed. I'll give another shot at a review when I try their happy hour menu.
(2)Lisa C.
3.5 STARS! But I rounded up because the food is just delicious. I'm surprised this place makes a profit while just opening at night only. I came here 2 times. First time was after happy hour, second time, happy hour of course!!!!!!! The menu can be slightly deceiving since Happy Hour is from 5-6pm and HALF OFF TAPAS! We thought it was ALL OF IT. Here comes to the foolish part, there are these "asterisk" on the tapas menu which personally I thought it meant "spicy" WHEN ACTUALLY it applies towards the Tapas that are $5 (or half off). So not all tapas are $5. My friends and I started ordering everything: -Chicken Curry Empanada (comes with a side of salad)* -Calamari -Crab sticks -Pollo al Jerk (chicken in this brown spicy sauce over white rice DELICIOUS)* -Hongos (mushrooms)* and of course Sangria (pitcher) which was half off from $24. The sangria is legit Sangria. It's not water down or anything. We constantly had to keep ordering cups of ice for our sangria because it was getting warm. We actually couldn't finish it for a group of 3 (while 2 of us were driving). So bring a DD! Overall, it was $58 for the bill, which was a little MUCH, but it was gooooooood. I learned my lesson this time! P.S. --Did anyone recognized the asterisks?! ;)
(4)Marlene T.
Happy Hour GALORE! I love this place for a great happy hour. The menu is $5 for selected appetizers and the sangria is half off during happy hour which I believe is from 5-6pm. I only wish it would go till 7pm. It would make it so much more enjoyable. The chicken wings here have a great sauce around it. The fried potatoes are delicious, but make sure you order it with the cajun shrimp because that sauce is GREAT to spread on any other piece of anything you eat. DO IT.
(4)Ken T.
I'm not a huge fan of tapas, but my experience here was a good one. My first impression was that the decor is fun and colorful. I ordered the jerk chicken, fried plantains, and cheese quesadillas. All 3 dishes were very tasty and the portions were adequate for 2 people. The service was also excellent!
(4)Krystal A.
best shrimp ever.
(5)Elizabeth O.
Love this place. Start with the pitcher of Sangria. Love the tapas. Arroz con Frijoles, chicken curry empanada, Yucatan fritas. Mm mm mmmmm.
(5)J D.
Went back a couple of times and it seems the food has gone downhill. We thought it may just be an off night so we gave it another chance and meh, not good! Sangrias are still great though! Don't know if the Sangria is enough to warrant another visit as the last two visits were very disappointing, from 4 stars to 1 star.
(1)Anne T.
I cannot believe Cha Cha Cha is now in my backyard! Well, not literally.. But it's soo close that I feel like it is! Love the music, love the service.. Food was great! Always start with a glass (or a pitcher) of sangria! Like others have said, do not eat the fruit, it's pretty potent! But if you don't think it is, try it out for yourself like my friend, Jen K., did! We ordered: BBQ Chicken Quesadilla - Came out as a fat taco.. we were able to cut this into three and were filled. Tostones - These are green banana chips with black bean sauce. YUM! So simple, yet so good. Calamari - Can't go wrong with these! Camarones Picante - These shrimp were in this amazing sauce that I kept dipping the calamari and bread into this sauce. Between 3 girls and sangria, this was a great lunch. It wasn't too packed for a Friday. Definitely our weekly hang out spot!
(5)Cynthia C.
I love tapas and it's cool that this place is close to work. They only have happy hour M-Thurs tho, which is weird since isn't happy hour mostly fridays? The ceviche and calamari are my favorites. yum! jerk chicken was kinda dry tho. ick. sangrias are yummers but you need people who will drink to help since it's in a pitcher.
(3)JN W.
Great meal for the value. We went during happy hour (5 to 6 M through Thurs) shared spinach and ricotta empanada and a quesadilla de puerca. Both excellent. Empanada had perfect crust. Sangria was also excellent- not too sweet or dry
(5)John N.
I can go here and get the shrimp dish and bread and I'm set. I'm a happy man!
(4)Frankie S.
Skirt steak was amazing! Shrimp with cream sauce also great. Highly recommend putting the cream sauce on the rice and beans. This is definitely one of the better Cuban plans I've had - No idea how Yelp only has this place at 3.5 stars!
(5)Jane G.
This place is OK. I have dietary restrictions (soy allergy) and they didn't accommodate well- the only oil they had was soybean oil. I had the spinach salad. Not bad. Just ok. Service was just ok.
(2)Sancho S.
Usually a great place to eat but taday their customer service dropped the ball. Ordered a half pitcher of sangria which had a fly in it. Item was not removed from the check and only received a mediocre apology along with a flan. I expected a lot more from this place since I am a fan and a farly normal client. Will have to be a lot longer between visits if I decide to come back.
(2)Andrea C.
on the pricey side but OMG the shrimp is soooo good!!! bread and shrimp is the way to go for sure. that stuff is spicy but addicting!! actually. everything we ate was delicious! i think we also ordered the jerk chicken and paella. so so good. its too bad its so damn expensive though. =(
(4)Maria R.
Cuban food at its best. I had heard many good things about this restaurant and wanted to form my own opinion. It was excellent and would recommend to all my family and friends.
(5)Bee M.
Every time I have come here, the food and service have both been excellent, even though we used Restaurant.com coupons. With the coupon, the food is a great deal, and the staff accepts them generously. The staff has also graciously made our special requests happen. The first time, we got the jerk chicken (~$10 - it's a "tapa" but is big enough to be an entree, it comes with rice) and the ropa vieja (~$15 - it comes with rice and plantains). The ropa vieja was outstanding and the jerk chicken was great but I found it too spicy. The second time (last week), we got the ropa vieja again (it really was fantastic!) but we asked to substitute out the rice and plantains for black beans and spinach salad to be more healthy. The staff graciously did so, and may I add, the spinach salad is fantastic! I will get it the third time we come here. We also got the Cajun Shrimp, which was creamy and spicy but the portion was quite small for the price (5-7 large shrimp). The sauce was great to dip our bread in though! The staff is really great about giving you as much bread as you want. This is one of our favorite restaurants. We also enjoyed the live singer last Friday night. He sang a Spanish lullaby to a baby in the restaurant!
(5)Danny C.
The food was great, but gave me severe food poisoning. I know this because my Dad and I ate there the night before and both started feeling sick at the exact same time (we had eaten nothing else in common, and we ruled out stomach flu). We were both in bed all day and it took us a couple days to fully recover. It's a shame that I won't be able to come back here... at least not for a very long time. Maybe I'll get over the shell shock of this food poisoning eventually. I'm not sure how the actual sanitary conditions are in the kitchen. But other customers be warned, although the food was great it wasn't worth this price :\
(2)Stephen C.
Fun and generally tasty tapas! But like all things tapas, expensive for what you get. I recommend the Cajun Shrimp (though I would have called it Cuban Shrimp to stay in character). The sauce is creamy, spicy and we found that we ended up dipping every other dish we ordered into it anyway. The sangria will get you drunk and taste like adult grape juice while doing it. Marvel at the incredible never ending line outside for the tapioca bar next door. They must be a front for some kind of drug cartel that caters only to high schoolers who are willing to wait a really long time for pudding.
(4)Laura W.
Called the restaurant directly 5 days ago to make a reservation for 12/22. Upon arrival with family from out of town, we found out the restaurant was closed for the holidays. No one ever called us to tell us. I will not go back based on the bad management of this restaurant.
(1)Esther S.
Came here for the first time tonight and absolutely loved it! We ordered the calamari frito, tostones, paella de mariscos, plus the red sangria. Everything, especially the paella, was delish! Service was pretty good too. Will definitely be coming back here in the near future!
(4)Mark H.
I read all these excellent reviews about this place so I came to check it out. I'm no Cuban food snob, so I went into it knowing that it would be a fun and different experience. I knew from the reviews that the Sangria was where the party would start. While waiting in their lounge area, I ordered a pitcher of Sangria. The reviews were right, it was very good. So good that I ended up drinking 3/4 of the pitcher myself. I ordered an appetizer of "Camerones al"- something (hey, I was drunk). It was excellent. Not so much the taste of the prawns as the sauce it came in. I was literally licking the plate. For an entree, I ordered "Chicken al Cubano". It came smothered in spices, gravy and veggies on top of rice pilaf. The chicken was juicy and very tender. The seasoning was perfect, not too much salt but a lot of good spice. I felt like I was back in Puerto Rico, since I've never been to Cuba, I'll assume they are close in decor and style. The decor is fun and intimate. They had Cuban music playing in the background and vibrant colors throughout the restaurant. Everyone was having a good time and the service was prompt. The Sangria was so good that I couldn't remember where I was, what I had done or why I had an all-day headache the day afterwards. I swear I'm not an alkie...it's just THAT good! I will definitely be going back and next time I'll share my pitcher of Sangria :-)
(4)Freideleen L.
Wanted to try something different so went to get some Cuban. Despite, having many extremely negative reviews, I still wanted to give this place a chance. Bad idea. It was extremely dead when I arrived with on one group of people. I should've walked out to a more bustling venue but I didn't. Shame on me. Location/Parking Located on the popular B Street, it should be a destination spot to grub. Being downtown San Mateo, expect to pay for parking in the garage or street if before 6 pm (free after that). Good luck trying to find parking during peak dinner time though. Service Staff sucks, they are not friendly and super lazy. Several tables were not bused for the 20 minutes it took to get my food and was never offered water or checked on. Food Arroz con Pollo - bland, tasteless, dry and small portions (to go) Lechon Asado - burnt, dry and missing the flavor in everything, small portions (to go) Prices Dinner is about $15+ and totally not worth it. OVERALL Never again and truly a disappointment. Maybe it was my bad for even thinking it would slightly compare to Cha Cha Cha in SF. I agree with fellow Yelper, Logan C. when he stated "I don't understand why management isn't trying to improve things." We know why, they don't care and because of that, their business will unfortunately suffer for their lack of proactiveness. It's a shame because they have a great location.
(1)Amy L.
I think i'm still a little tipsy from the sangria here. At least you know they don't skimp on the alcohol content. The decor is fun and colorful. A phone booth as you enter the restaurant and actual balcony fixtures extends from the walls. I can only describe the food here as mediocre at best and I don't quite understand the raving reviews that are given. I was frankly, quite disappointed. Everything that came out was just warm and not piping hot. The cajun shrimp which is sauteed in a cajun curry cream sauce had no kick and not much flavor. The sauteed mushrooms were decent and the sauce was good for dipping our bread in. The calamari batter is light and crispy but the calamari itself was a bit chewy and not soft. The lechon asado (roast pork) served with black bean rice and plantains was bland. The pork tasted like boiled pork. The only thing that I really liked was the plantains. It wasn't mushy and crispy on the outside. I had a good time here with my companion but i'd much rather cha cha cha my way to Esperpento in the mission. Bigger menu, much tastier and less expensive tapas.
(2)Johannes L.
The ceviche is fantastic! It's spicy and packs a great punch. The sangria is a wonderful start to a long night and painful morning. The chicken quesadilla is delicious. Absolutely fantastic. The calamari isn't anything special. But a chewy addition to general tapas.
(4)Cat G.
We came here last night for my boyfriend's birthday dinner. A party of 9 total... The place itself is on the smaller size, more intimate than other big chain restaurants. But I liked it better. It had an authentic feel to it. Definitely the two Tapas to try here would me the CAJUN SHRIMP and the FILETILLO DE POLLO (chicken wings)- wow. SO DELISH. Both about a level 4/5 on a scale of 1-10. My boyfriend and I both had the BISTEK ENCEBOLLADO - it was SO amazing, however, the fried plantains that came on the plate as a side we're pretty awful. Super dried and had no flavor whatsoever. I wish they had some sort of dipping sauce in it. One of the other couples at the table with us had the quesadillas that they practically had finished before the waiters were able to set down the last guests plate at our table. Also someone ordered the ARROZ CON POLLO, which she had nothing left on the plate so I'm assuming it was delish. The service was good. Although sometimes we were out of water for too long and with some of the food being spicy, that was a pain. For all 9 of us, the bill was about $200 - which isn't bad... however no one drank so it was all food... about $22/each not including tip - and we all shared the two plates of Tapas.
(4)Jamie C.
Dude, if you want a good buzz and phenomenal food, come here.
(4)Carol K.
Sangria was too sweet!! I wouldn't order it again but I normally don't drink anything with too much sugar. Tapas are really good. Great for sharing!
(4)Joyce E.
I had a really good experience at Cha Cha Cha Cuba on Haight, so I decided to bring my mom and sisters to the San Mateo location. The hostess/waiter at around 6pm on 07/24/2012 was so unfriendly! No warm Cuban greeting? Whatevs! It wasn't crowded and there was plenty of parking. We ordered the Fried New Potatoes, Calamari, and 2 orders of Cajun Shrimp. Fried New Potatoes - My sisters and mom didn't really care for this dish, however, my sister loved the sauce that accompanied the potatoes. Calamari - This was probably one of the best calamari dishes I've had! The calamari was so juicy, tender, and perfectly crispy. I loved the sauce that accompanied it! Cajun Shrimp - What a disappointment! The Cha Cha Cha Cuba on Haight gives plenty of shrimp compared to this location! Seriously, there were about 7 shrimp in a plate. Overall, I would eat here again despite the lack of service and the lack of shrimp. I'd rather go to the Haight location, though!
(3)Tom K.
Went here yesterday on a whim. Regretful choice. I ordered a Cubano sandwich which lacked any flavor it just tasted like boring warm meat. It tasted microwaved to be honest. My wife orders potato balls they were mediocre. After finishing our meal we were both very disappointed in choosing to eat here. Service was good. Food was poor. Not going to return.
(2)Raymund S.
We come here once in a while to celebrate birthdays or events. It can get really crowded, so reservations are a must. Service does get really slow once it gets packed and noisy, so make sure when you order you get enough. Now for the food......these are my favorites: 1. Cajun Shrmip: the cream sauce is like crack! you will keep asking for more bread and wipe that plate clean. Definitely my favorite here. 2. Alitas de Pollo: guava-chipotle rubbed chicken wings. This is also amazing. Perfect balance of spice and it has a nice cripsy texture without being fried. Delicious. 3. Platano Frito: Plantains served with black beans and sour cream. This side dish of goodness is jsut delicious. The sour cream and beans act as a nice creamy sauce to the fried plantains. Addicting! 4. Salmon with Salsa verde. Perfectly cooked salmon atop rice, plantains and beans. NOTE: All these are perfect with their great sangria. DRINK AWAY! The food mentioned above is 4 stars, but the service brings my rating down to 3. I usually end up getting the same things, so I must try totally different things next time. But how can you skip the above dishes??????
(3)Jenn F.
The wait was only 15 min. when I went, which is pretty great especially for 8:00pm on a Friday night. The environment is very lively and the waiters were very welcoming and easy to get a hold of. It's a little loud in there with the music and amount of people, but nothing untolerable. The crab croquettes with aoili are good! Also, the cajun shrimp has a mild, tasty sauce that goes great with the bread :] The sangria is good, but a little stronger than sweet. Shared a half pitcher with 2 other girls and it was enough to get a buzz out of all 3 of us.
(4)Christine N.
CAJUN SHRIMP!!!!! bomb. Yes, I know this place does not compare to the ones in SF. But this one is close enough. The quesadilla's are a tad bit different because they put BBQ sauce in them. The sangria's are yummy, crab cake things are on point, potatoes, calamari... yes i know it's a lot. But better believe I will eat them! Their water service is a little slow on busy days, but come on, if they are busy, its a good thing right? Better business for them. Just raise your hand and ask for some water and they will be more than happy to provide you some more. Although it's not SF its close enough to me. YAY!
(4)Perry G.
I love this place so. It had definitely earned a top spot on my go-to's at one point. Not sure if it's just recently, as in the last times I went which were 4-5 months ago, but the quality got a little spotty. The service is always questionable. But it's not a big place. So you're never ignored for too long. Take my advice, take it upon yourself to to ask for things and you'll do just fine. Overarching thought, you owe it yourself to try everything. Food's pretty simple. I'm a bit of a purist, so I can appreciate that. Oh, and drink the sangria. You'll thank me later.
(4)Jason M.
Mhmmmm the cajun shrimp was heavenly! The sauce was creamy, tangy, and spicy to the perfect degree. Not too hot, but left a sexy, scorching feeling in your mouth afterwards. Plus, the sauce was perfect for the rice later. A little bit pricey for 6 shrimps though. And the lechon- the pork was soft and chewy. Very tasty. The rice and the fried fruit on the side was not appealing though. Good meal, yum :)
(3)Somey M.
How has this place not been sued by the real Cha Cha Cha's in the City? That's what I though I was going to get. Never again....
(2)Matilyn C.
It was good but not great. The food was good other than the small portions compared to the price. The best thing to get is the cajun shrimp. Plus dipping the bread into the sauce is what fills you up. Sangria wasn't that good. And when we ran out of chips for guacamole and asked if we could get more they said they cant. Cajun shrimp for 10.75 plus bread is good. My bf got the arroz con pollo for $17. Sangria is $6 for a small cup. The service was okay. Just overall okay but not the best. Not something I'm willing to spend fifty bucks on again.
(3)Ivy C.
Adorable, colorful little spot in downtown San Mateo. We got the jerk chicken, mussels, bistek, spinach salad and pitcher of sangria. We absolutely loved everything! I've never seen my boyfriend eat that much salad. Their sangria is the real deal. Not overly sweet and plenty of brandy and fresh fruit. I was buzzed off 2 small glasses.
(4)Carol L.
Spanish tapas in downtown San Mateo. We tried: Cajun shrimp Plantains w/black bean sauce Seafood paella Fried yucca Mussels Ceviche Fried calamari Sangria All the food was "a-ok," and as that is what Yelp defines 3 stars, I give them 3 stars! Wouldn't protest if someone suggested coming back, but there are so many good eats in San Mateo, that I am not sure whenI'll be back to Cha Cha Cha Cuba. TLDR: Decent but not memorable Spanish tapas. A-OK.
(3)Carina M.
Unfortunately, this is not cuban food :( I ordered the lechon asado, with platanos, arroz congri and had a sangria. I only really finished the platanos (plantains) It was not good :( I wish I could explain more in detail - but it just tasted two days old and unfortunately lacked in flavor/spices. The black beans must be on point but they were not and the sangria was unfortunately just not fresh at all. The service was nice! My waitress was very nice and attentive. Unfortunately, I cannot lie about the food. I will not be going back here.
(3)Jassy P.
First off, reason why I gave them a 4* was.. The food was kinda pricey for what you get.. not so much food, we shared everything between 3people with 4items . It was enough although I recommend more quantity of the portion of food. Other than that the food was excellent.. The Cajun shrimp sauce was soooo yummy. The rices were tasty fr the lechon asado and paella de mariscos, wished the lechon was more tender but it was still good. The plantines compliment the meal and thought they we're really good. Btw.. the Sangria was a big hit. Reg price for a whole pitcher is $28 so I'd go to happy hr between 5-6 pm .. its half price. (Wish happy hr went on for longer) it wasn't busy for a Tuesday night. The decor was nice. Cute place. Cant wait to try their other stuff.
(4)Ale E.
I would give them 5 stars for the food but Im giving them 3 because after my husband and I were seated, 10 minutes passed and we were still waiting for them to take our order. Then a group of 4 came in, sat down, 5 minutes later they are taking their order and we were still waiting. Even though they were polite the service is not the best. The ambience of the place is very very pretty and colorful but they had a mess with the music they were playing. We both order the Bistec encebollao' with arroz congri and yuca frita. IT WAS AWESOME!!! It was very tasty and it was a good amount of food (we both took home leftovers). I had the mango juice wich was a little "watery" for my taste so I didn't like it at all but the food was great!!!! It was a little expensive considering the bistec was $17 but for the flavor and the amount of food they served it was definetly worth it!
(3)David H.
Very satisfying meal. Fast and friendly service. Sangria is solid. It is full bodied, flavorful, and fruity. Get the half pitcher because it is the best bang for the buck, more glasses to drink. The tapa portions are substantial and is a meal in itself. You can certainly share with a party of 3 or 4. Great vibe and great place. Check this out.
(4)Michelle L.
Empty on a weeknight... but tasty food! Their seafood paella and papas rellenas (deep fried potato balls! need I say more?) were delicious...and the portions were big. Split the half pitcher of sangria...
(4)Jie C.
I love their Cajun shrimp. The cream Cajun sauce is amazing! Ceviche was okay for me. The plantain was good. I ordered the ropa vieja as entree. It's okay. Not my type. The pork is a bit overly cooked. Sangera drink is pretty good!
(3)X. Y.
Last week on Friday night I visited this restaurant for a second time. It was past 7PM and the place was packed. We were a party of three people and I think we waited for 20-30 minutes to sit. We ordered a pitcher of sangrÃa (don't try to guess what color because there is only one color and the other one should be called clarea). The pitcher yielded 11 1-cup glasses. I also ordered camarones al ajillo. The shrimp were good, the garlic a bit overpowering and the tostones not so exciting. The sangrÃa which I tried here before is still good. It was fresh and fruity, perfect for getting drunk and feeling good (sangrÃa is conducive to happiness).
(4)Geminyna J.
Cha Cha Cha's in the City is always on point. But parking in San Mateo is fairly easier (& cheaper) than San Francisco. FIRST VISIT to SAN MATEO: We walked in at 3pm on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Surprisingly, it was practically empty inside Cha3, our party of 6 + our toddler was seated promptly. Considering there were only two other tables occupied, service wasn't as attentive as it should've been. No pre-bus, so our used/empty plates remained on the table until we received our check. Our water pitcher was only refilled once - the same # of times our server checked in on us during our 90 minute post-hike feast. We couldn't help but wonder if the lack of service was due to the customary 18% gratuity already incurred by our large party. Luckily, each tasty dish that came out in succession left our tummies full enough to forgive our server of his shortcomings. TAPAS: * Alitas de Pollo - $9.00: Two words: Guava. Wings. Itty bitty chicken wings glazed in a super dark, sticky guava-chipotle chili sauce. Finger licking Cuban goodness. The portion served in a mini cast iron skillet was just enough to whet our appetites. * Ceviche - $9.75: Swai fish fillets, scallops, shrimp & calamari with diced mangoes & cucumbers, in a spicy lime & serrano chile marinade, served atop a bed of mixed greens. Accompanied by bottomless tortilla chips, to my toddler's delight. The acidity and heat married so well that we used the remaining marinade as a sauce for forthcoming dishes. * Calamar Frito - $9.50: Fried calamari rings & tentacles, dusted lightly in a seasoned batter, served with a rich lemon-garlic aioli. The calamari was fried to perfection, not rubbery nor chewy with an almost buttery softness to the rings, while the tentacles had just the right amount of crunch to its golden exterior. ENTREES: * Pollo Al Jerk (Jerk Chicken) - $11.00: Marinated bone-in chicken quarter (one leg and one thigh), with habanero peppers, raisins, ginger, and tomatoes. Served on a heaping plate of fluffy white rice. If you enjoy a bold kick, this dish is for you. Technically it's under the tapas menu but the plate is hearty enough to cross over to the "entree" side of the menu. * Lechon Asado - $16.00: Pork leg rubbed down with adobe criollo (Cuban dry rub of oregano, garlic, black pepper), marinated in wine, and slow roasted until fork tender. Served with congri (Cuban rice and black beans) and caramelized sweet plantains. This succulent dish was my mom's favorite - the only thing that could've made it better was if the lechon was served Filipino-style (crispy skin attached to the leg). * Paella de Mariscos - $21.00: Sautéed yellow rice with saffron, peas, olives, tomatoes, andouille sausage and a generous serving of seafood (mussels, salmon, bay scallops, calamari, and shrimp). Flavorful and filling, easily a meal on its own. The children love this dish as much as the adults do so we get each time. BILL: The damage by our party of 6.5 for 2 entrees, 4 tapas, and no beverages rang up to $97.03, inclusive of their 18% gratuity. ~$16.17 per person (not including our toddler). Despite the disappointing neglect, we'll come back to see if the service improves. Overall, we'd recommend to friends and return, perhaps during Happy Hour and definitely for pick up.
(3)Sebastian N.
I placed an office dinner order from Cha Cha Cha Cuba through FLUC. Cuban was a welcome departure from our typical orders. Variety is the spice of life as they say, and I really really like spice. I also really really like to say, "Cha Cha Cha Cuba". I ordered a grilled salmon dish that came with plantains, beans, and rice. I subbed out the rice for some additional beans. The dish was excellent. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the plantains were tasty. The beans were flavored well though felt a little soggy (perhaps due to transport). I think the true testament to the meal and Cha Cha Cha Cuba overall was my colleagues' unanimous view that we should definitely order from Cha Cha Cha Cuba more often.
(4)Brittany C.
Mainly come here for happy hour for sangria. Red wine sangria was better than the white wine. Calamari is nothing special but the ceviche is rich with lots of flavor. Prices are a little high. Service is always great!
(3)Carla B.
Love cha cha cha's!!!!! The best thing is Cajun shrimp n dip the bread in the sauce omg yum and also the mussled are amazing. Dip the bread in that sauce too! Yum yum yum
(5)Glenn L.
Went here for HH with a group of friends! We liked the causal vibe here and their sangria was refreshing! FOODS -------------------- We ordered several appetizers here and they were all quite good.. - Calamaris - Lightly salted and crispy! - Chicken Wings - Good flavor! - Shrimp small plate - My favorite from here! The sauce was really good, so don't forget to ask for bread to dip in it! Check them out for HH!!!
(4)Stephenie S.
If I had to pick my single favorite dish out of anything I've had in the Bay Area, I would honestly have to say that Cha Cha Cha's Cajun Shrimp is my ultimate fave. It's a tad spicy, but there is nothing better on this sweet sweet peninsula than dipping that free bread into the delicious cajun sauce. I kid you not, I crave that Cajun Shrimp on the regular. The sangria is delicious (I recommend the red sangria) and it is sufficiently potent for my not-really-all-that-high standards. I've never actually ordered regular dinner plates, but I can say that the tapas are all great. Actually, correction: I'm not a fan of the plantains, but I never am and a friend of mine loves them, so her opinion neutralizes my own opinion on that particular dish. I have mostly gone to the Cha Cha Cha's in San Francisco (one on Haight and the other in the Mission), but this one in San Mateo was the same thing, as far as I could tell. I have had good experiences at all three locations but I will say that the Mission location seems to be louder and busier, even on weekdays, so I would suggest one of the other two locations if you aren't a fan of that kinda thing.
(5)Allison R.
Came here on a Saturday evening, pretty close to the restaurant opening because we were wanting an early, somewhat light dinner. I was glad we were there early because the restaurant is pretty small and there was a large party that took up many of the seats. We were seated pretty quickly though and took a look at the menu. We decided on the Ceviche, the Cajun Shrimp, the Papas Fritas, and a side of corn tortillas. Before we'd ordered, a waiter came over and almost dropped off a Ceviche plate for us, until we told him we hadn't ordered it. It happened to be for the table next door to us, and we had a good laugh with the diners because we told them that seeing their order solidified our decision to order it for ourselves too! The Ceviche was definitely my favorite of the night. The chunks of fish were huge and the portion size was definitely worth the $10.50. I highly recommend it if you're at all a fan of Cheviche. The Cajun Shrimp was really good, but there weren't as many shrimp as I would've liked. The sauce was pretty flavorful and great with the corn tortillas, but I was so happy with the Ceviche that it was hard for me to focus on anything else. The one thing that was kind of a bummer was that it took a very long time for us to get the Papas Fritas. We were almost done with the rest of the food by the time we received them. I suppose at a tapas place you really aren't supposed to get all of your food at once, but we ended up taking most of the potatoes home with us. We didn't try the sangria or any other drinks this time, but I definitely will in the future because it looked really good.
(4)Ryan N.
Subpar food compared to other Cuban experiences ive had in the past at Mama Roombas in Bakersfield or Cha Cha Chicken in Venice Beach. My wife and I went and tried a variety of things from the camarones appetizer and mushrooms to the empanadas and asado entree. Would not go back.
(2)Bori B.
Went here for happy hour yesterday with some coworkers. Their sangria was great! IT was half off sangria and $3 beers! Also tapas were $5 but not all of them, only the one with the asteriks on them. The quesadilla and empanadas were half off. I got the patatas bravas and the chicken wings which were great. We also got the pitcher of sangria which was a great deal and delicious! There were five of us and we all ordered food and drinks and it was only $12 a person at the end, WHAT A STEAL!
(4)Max S.
The side of plantains is bomb. So sweet and caramelized. *drool* The cajun shrimp is worth an order even just for the sauce. Request extra bread to soak it up. The ceviche is pretty cheap for the portion, but the chips they serve definitely detract from the dish. If I were in the mood for ceviche, I would go to Mancora Cebicheria. It's a bit removed from downtown, but definitely worth it. Next time we'll have to come with more than just two people so we can try more. (and for dinner so we can get some Sangria)
(4)D C.
Done with this place. Been coming for years and recommending it to everyone I know, but I won't be back. From a sold 4-stars down to a 0. The service tonight was abysmal, and I'm not even usually a "service" person. There were 3 servers (I'll call them The Tall One, The Short One Wearing the Grey Argyle Sweater or just The Short One, and The Sullen Long-Haired Girl), and for a restaurant that's relatively small, this should have been sufficient; however, nobody seemed to have assigned tables, and so everyone was running around taking care of everything and nothing all at the same time. Total failure of communication. Never in my life have I been so furious over a plate of bread, but I was. The FIRST thing I did after ordering was to ask for bread, which is usually put on the table when the water comes out. The ONLY thing I really want when I come here is the cajun shrimp, and the ONLY caveat to ordering this dish is that the sauce has to be sopped up with bread. The Short One said he'd bring it, and we waited. We saw The Sullen Long-Haired Girl bring out a big plate of bread to a party that was already finished with their meal, and they looked at her confused, and she looked at them confused, and then walked away. When she got back towards the kitchen, she looked back at them, as if she'd made a mistake, but made no moves to correct it. That, folks, was our plate of bread. I had to ask two more times for bread, while my shrimp sat on the table getting cold (they noticed we weren't eating, but never bothered to ask if something was wrong), and finally on the 3rd request, we were told that they ran out of bread. What? You fu*king RAN OUT OF BREAD?? You gave that last few pieces to the table that was finished with their meal?? All of this would have been bad enough for me to be upset, but then 20 minutes later, we saw them bringing bread out to a newly seated table. At that point, I couldn't even bring myself to say anything because I was table-flipping angry, and I knew that if I opened my mouth, all that would have come out would have been a stream of obscenities, insults, and yelling. This was a couple months ago, and as I'm writing this review, I can still feel the anger bubbling up from the total and complete incompetence of Cha Cha Cha's staff that night. Cannot and will not recommend this place to anyone ever again.
(1)Nancy F.
I'm comparing this place to the one in SF. The service was spotty and the food was mediocre. Also, parking is horrible in this downtown area. Ceviche was actually good with large pieces Paella was a bit wet and didn't take long to come out, so obviously wasn't cooked the right way. This was my deciding factor. we also had the white sangria. it was good.
(2)Jennifer A.
I did not realize there was a Cha Cha close to me Score! Met up with some friends for an early dinner (if you don't want to wait). Service was good, alittle smaller than the ones in the city. Nonetheless still a great spot for some tapas. We ordered the Camarones, Calamari Frito, Quesadilla de pollo (stuffed with BBQ chicken), Tostones, Black mussels and some Sangria to wash all of this yummy food down. I must agree with the rest of the Yelpers that Cha Cha Cha is probably one of my favorite Carribean spots in the Bay!
(4)Elizabeth S.
It doesn't look like much from the sidewalk, but inside, the restaurant dons carnivalesque juxtaposed colors and beautiful mural art. I love the big bright blue painting of Cuba on the left with the smug cartoon guy in a white suit and hat smoking a cigar- very Scarface cool. On the right is a series makeshift window balconies with interesting details and foliage giving you the feeling of dining in a courtyard at festive floral printed tables. At the very top back wall of the restaurant is another decorative painting depicting Carribean heritage looking somewhat angelic. Cuban and Carribean is their specialty here. However, my bf and I went full Cuban for lunch and kept it light. We had the papas fritas with juicy meat in the middle of these scrumptious potato balls and shared a ropa vieja sandwich which came with a salad. My first bite into my half led to a serious of bites until it was gone. Juicy shreds of sirloin and nuances of Cuban flavors were too difficult to put down for a minute. We washed it all down with a generous sized pitcher of sangria. Yes, thank you for not filling half of the pitcher with ice. With all this authentic Cuban food (says my Cuban companion) comes excellent and friendly service. Our water glasses stayed full, and they came back to pour our sangria regularly. There's so much more exploration to be done on this menu. I must return for the full ropa vieja entree over rice and dip in the Carribean cuisine too!
(4)Connie O.
Cuban place... One of Three.. The other 2 is located in the City.. The 2 AWESOME & BEAUTIFUL & may I say.. Hottie waitresses that are serving us right now are so sweet..!! They both catered to us.. My Little Irish Girl and my close friend Carlitos Way..!! Lol.. We ordered big portioned food and a pitcher of sangria..!! Nice quiet night for a Tuesday..!! Thanks girls for the service.. This was our 2nd time here and always a pleasure..!!
(5)Bhonz Z.
Been here once and like the ambiance. There was only 1 server when we went and we waited a lil bit to get our food & that is why i'm giving them only 3-stars. Love their plaintains & wings! Yes, will recommend this place.
(3)Taryn R.
Wow! I arrived here around 7, it was pretty empty. By 7:30 this place was packed. For me, it was a girls night out, and this was the most perfect location. Music, but low enough so we could carry on conversations, dim lighting, but enough to still see the menu and clean and homey. The food. AH-MAZE-ING! Holy heck! We ordered 7 plates amount the 3 of us. And they were all delicious. I'm vegetarian, and there is a large variety of opinions for vegetarians. The yuca, amazing. The Cajun shrimp... I die! The sauce is so tasty. The plantains- and black bean mash underneath! Delicious Oh let's not forget the sangria. A pitcher! And 3 glasses, that didn't last long! I can't wait to come back here! Another girls night is on the calendar. Our bill was 130$ for 7 plates of food, and a pitcher of sangria. And that was more than enough for all of us, and some left over to take home.
(5)Stephanie B.
Food spicy but good. Sangria is amazing. Be careful.. It's addicting and strong. Lol Reasonable prices. Good sized portions. Good for groups .dates and families Tight space is my only whine. Overall. I had a good time.. Will be back
(4)Ligia A.
Visited on a Sunday afternoon with my boyfriend, my father, and I. My boyfriend and I are power wheelchair users, getting into the restaurant was not difficult at all. The waitress seemed a little intimidated on how to help us in terms of seating, but we suggested a specific table, where would be out of the way of foot traffic, and it worked well. There were chairs we had to remove, the waitress seemed a little confused on where to put them. The decor is cute, with lots of great murals, the floor could be changed a little bit, it's a little boring. The ambiance is nice, great music playing, although the lighting is a little dim. My boyfriend and I shared the shrimp in garlic broth with tostones around it. He had a Negra Modelo, and I had a glass of wine. I had also ordered some hot tea, which never came. My father ordered the Papas Rellenas, and also had a glass of wine. We shared a plate of fried plantains. The shrimp in garlic broth was very nice, although we expected a little bit more shrimp, the tostones were perfectly fried, they were delicious! The drinks were good as well. My fathers plate was also delicious, just enough meat stuffed into the potato, and the potato was perfectly fried from the outside, giving it a really nice crust. The plantains were perfectly fried crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, they were also just the right amount of ripe, allowing them to be not overly sweet. The bread was a little sad, kind of hard, perhaps warming it up a little bit more would've helped. Overall, the meal was great! The waitress was nice, she seemed a little overly busy. The prices are a little expensive, but after tasting the food, it was worth it. I only gave it three stars because there is an area down below the first floor, and that's not acceptable at all to wheelchairs, there are only stairs going down. I also was waiting for my hot tea, and it never came. Lastly, we had to get the waitress's attention for certain things, it seemed like she was too busy. Overall, great experience, would try it again
(3)Charlene E.
Cha Cha Cha is my favorite place to get tapas. I like this location better because it's closer and easier to find parking. I highly recommend: - Cajun shrimp: The sauce is creamy with just the right amount of spice. You're going to want to ask for more bread to soak up the sauce. - Potatoes: Perfectly crisp with a tangy, creamy dipping sauce. - BBQ chicken quesadilla: Very stuffed and flavorful! - Stuffed potato balls: Okay, it's not Porto's but they're huge and tasty! Their sangria isn't the best I've tried but I still like it. The white sangria doesn't taste as strong but I like both the red and white sangria. I would recommend coming for happy hour for cheaper tapas and sangria.
(4)Bridget K.
My friend and I have been here twice, didn't realize it was related to the SF Cha Cha Cha we haunted 20 years ago. I love this place: big portions, delicious seafood paella, terrific ceviche, and the sautéed mushrooms are to die for (get plenty of bread to sop up the goop). We've had attentive service when we were there and the food came out in a timely manner. No disappointments at all. Most tapas places cost a lot per plate and you get tiny portions...you can be well-fed in just two or three tapas plates. I'm coming back.
(5)Alexa C.
I came here with my family for lunch on a Sunday and ordered the following: Sangria- Delicious upon first taste but as we got further into the pitcher, became increasingly and more noticeably sweet. Almost nauseatingly sweet. Pollo al Jerk (jerk chicken)- Wonderful, probably my favorite dish of the meal. It's listed under tapas, but could easily be a small meal for one person. Great seasoning on the sauce, and very tender meat. Yummmm. Cajun shrimp- Creamy, spicy, and very good. Although, my mom saw them pull it out of the microwave and that turned me off A LOT. Paella- Decent, not amazing nor horrible. Not incredibly flavorful, not incredibly memorable. Pretty meh. Alitas de Pollo (glazed guava wings)- Overly sweet and terribly dry. These were either old or just way overcooked. I've never had dry wings before but the meat was tough. Did not enjoy. Lechon Asado- Dry. I'm Filipino so I know my lechon, and I've had better at a dozen family parties. And at those family parties, our lechon has that crispy skin, which is the best part. This lechon has no fatty skin. Shame. Overall, the flavors of the food are pretty good, but the quality is sub-par. We came just minutes within them opening, so I'm assuming the food that was served to us wasn't fresh, maybe reheated leftovers from the day before. This place could be great, but there's something missing from the food and I'm convinced it's love.
(3)A.c. D.
Been here several times and it seems worse and worse. Food is mediocre, service is mixed, most recently the place smelled funky - like damp dish towels. If we were not starving we would have left. Being from miami and having been exposed to a lot of cuban food this place is hardly 'cuban'....more like general hispanic / mexican.
(2)Sheila R.
the entrees: arroz con pollo and roast pork, plus the plantains still are so good, it's hard to order new things. David was our waiter, and he was wonderful, very warm and attentive. next, we have to try the tapas. the portions are large, making the prices so reasonable. wish they were open for lunch during the week.
(4)Shawn G.
Unreliable take out. Sadly I can't give you a recommendation based off food but I can tell you their take out service is very shaky/unreliable. Setup a large take out order for a bunch of my coworkers as a thank you for OT on a project. Super excited thinking we have some delicious Cuban food on the way, get a call couple hours later that the order is cancelled due to a large party coming in. So if you want to try this place head in there. I may update it if I'm able to make it in and actually try the food but got to give them a 1 star for the poor take out service. Don't offer if it you can't support it :(.
(1)Heidi P.
FLAVOR JOURNEY--Yum! I ordered something with New York Steak (I cannot recall the name of the dish) and it was delicious, and pleasantly not overcooked. Even the rice that came with it was wonderful, and I usually skip rice sides. I really enjoyed the unique flavors that I am unaccustomed to tasting because I live in Tahoe and the number of Peruvian restaurants there is zero. Service was good and servers friendly. We called in advance from the road and our table was ready when we arrived.
(4)John G.
Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha! Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha! Party in Little Havana by way of San Mateo. I could only imagine what Ricky Ricardo would say when he visits Cha Cha Cha Cuba. Lucy, I'm hooome!!! Now where's my tapas? The only difference between this location and the one in the City is that you can easily find a parking here. Other than that, it's pretty much the same. However, I prefer this location better since it's less crowded and roomier. The high ceiling also gives it an illusion of grandeur. The decor is fun, colorful, bright and feels like someone from the wall will jump out and start singing Babalo ala Ricky Ricardo. Happy Hour is from 5 - 6 PM and some Tapas are either $5.00 each or half off. The ones with the asterisks are half off. And while you are here, you better order the Sangria. If you're with several people, you might as well get the pitcher. Service and staff is always exceptional, attentive, efficient, friendly and on point. The food here is always excellent. I can't say I have a particular favorite, but I've pretty much tried most of everything on the menu. If I have to pick one, I'd go with the Shrimp in Cajun Cream Sauce, Paella, Crab Croquettes, Pollo Al Jerk, Camarones in Garlic Sauce, Mussels, Tostones and the Plantains. Oops...I see I got carried away there. OK, if I really pick one, I'd go with the Sangria. Just make sure you order the Sangria. Make a note about their Sangria. Did I mention that their Sangria is so good?
(4)Mel D.
My friends and I were in search of good cuban food and I am sad to report that this Cuban/Carribean mix is not for me. We ordered Garlic Shrimp, Calamari, and a steak with fried yucca. I was quite disappointed. I guess the place being empty on a Friday evening at 6:30pm says something. I drove by their location in Haight Ashbury and there was a line out the door (and their yelp reviews were quite high). Oh, and to top it off, they had the worst sangria. It tasted like cranberry juice with fruits BUT I got a strong buzz which quickly lead to a massive headache! I was not a happy camper!
(2)Ken C.
Wow, this place was a fine treat. Ensalada de Spinach - good but wished it wasn't so drowned in the dijon sherry wine dressing. Pollo al jerk is highly recommended . Calamari Frito - same as everywhere else. alitas de pollo - was pretty darn good with that tangy sauce that coats dat pollo hongos al jerez - just sauteed mushrooms. nothing fancy. cajun shrimp - really good and the sauce is great for mopping up with bread. lechon asado - real delicious and tender. money maker right here. paella de mariscos - a bit watery on the stock, but still delicious. . sangria - not too sweet but goes great with this fine meal
(4)Freddie L.
One of my favorite restaurants. I love getting the arroz con pollo and the papas Fritas while my girl friend loves getting the Cajun shrimp. Overall a romantic place to eat and on some nights they even have live music. Hands down one of the best Cuban restaurants I been too.
(5)Jo L.
A little loud but as expected Service is great. They kept refilling our water and super fast when we asked for more bread ... 3 times lol.. Restaurant.com certificate no problem! Cajun shrimp... Creamy with a kick. Don't start filling up your stomach with bread until this arrives! Black mussel... A little overcooked (looked so small) but the sauce is amazing with bread or rice. Cerviche.. Way too sour for my taste but i know some people likes it that sour. The fish they used are not as firm so I'll pass next time Fried mashed potato balls..its good but too filling.. Ropa viejs.. I tried because of the fellow yelpers.. My dear said its like sloppy joe. Hahah.. Of cuz a much better version with bay leaves and all.. All in all, its a good place. We'll come back and try other dishes next time
(4)Ken B.
I just visited this restaurant for the second time this evening. Tonight was markedly worse than last time, both in service and food quality. I wouldn't say the food was bad, per se, it just seems to not be very good. What really stands out (in a negative way) was how slow and inattentive the service was. First off, even though all the other tables were given free bread, we weren't given any. Perhaps that was a mercy as others in here have observed that the bread was stale. The waitress was very, very slow and forgetful. She did not refill our ice tea at all, and I had to ask her to refill my daughter's soda. I had to ask her for the bill, and after she finally delivered it, she had forgotten to pick it up. So, I had to get up to hand deliver it. At the prices they charge per dish, the value definitely isn't there, so I won't be going back. Ciao, CHA CHA CHA!
(2)Jesenia P.
We were looking for authentic Cuban food since we are from Miami but did not find it here. The food was not the only place that left a bad taste in my mouth though, it started with the waitress. She came to sit us but neglected to let us now where to sit and kept walking towards the kitchen. Then when we got to the table and ordered drinks it felt rushed. The prices were a bit high. Ropa vieja typically cost around $7, here it was $15.50. That's just ridiculous, so I decided to order the rabo because it was a special and was even more disappointed. It was served with rice which was hidden underneath the rabo and I guess that's to hide the fact that it taste like uncle Ben type rice. Not Cuban rice at all. The rabo taste was good but I felt jipped, it barley had meat just bones and they added potatoes to make it look like more. I would not go back and I would not recommend it to anyone.
(1)Teresa P.
I don't know what it is about the Cha Cha Cha restaurants, but IT IS always SO HOT in there. Not sure if its the yummy and (sneaky-potent) sangria or the energetic upbeat Cuban music they play, or maybe its the synergetic effect of the two on each other. The hotter you get, the more sangria you drink, the more you want to shake your bootie, the hotter you get. Oh, its a mad, perpetuating cycle. This restaurant is just like its sister locations in the city - same great food, same great vibe, same great atmosphere. As far as my favorite dish, It has to be the Cajun Shrimp. If you put that spicy cream sauce on a ratty slipper, I'd probably eat it. Ew, I know. I also love the Fried Platanos Maduros (fried plantains with beans & sour cream). Both are pretty damn good.
(4)Ericka G.
Have been going to Cha Cha Cha (Other locations) for a long time. So I was really excited to learn there was one close to where I work. Meet a friend one day after work all ready for some great food and Sangria. Imagine my surprise when I ordered chicken pillard they seem to be out of it. So I ordered another chicken dish and that is when the waitress explained they where out of chicken altogether. EPIC FAIL....let's just say my dining experience went down hill from there. I'm sure mistakes happens and someone really messed up by not ordering chicken.
(1)Suzy G.
I don't know...we've fallen in love with Cuban food because of Habana's in Alameda. We were in the Cha Cha Cha Cuba neighborhood and thought we'd give it a try. The shrimp ceviche was rubbery and lacked appeal. The roasted pork was just boring. It was over-boiled so the meat was dry and unappealing. There wasn't much effort to flavor it as far as I could tell. It was like boiled, salted, pork. We didn't finish either and we were glad we hadn't ordered any other items.
(2)Patrick P.
The. Is. Amazing. Me and my gf, didn't talk for 20min because the food was so good lmao We order the paella, spinach salad and ceviche. All the seafood was very fresh. But I highly recommend getting the spinach salad not just to be healthy but because the mushroom coconut dressing is so good. I recommend this place to anyone
(4)Sam B.
As soon as I walked into the restaurant, I dug the vibe of the restaurant. It felt very casual and tropical. The overall atmosphere stayed true to the Cuban culture. As for the food, I enjoyed it very much. The lechon asada had a nice salty essence to it; not too salty, yet flavorful. The dish, however, lacked in presentation. Nbd for me though. I also very much enjoyed eating the Cajun shrimp. I appreciated the creamy texture of the Cajun sauce, and even applied it to the lechon. Service was average. Checked in once a while, nothing special. I give Cha Cha Cha Cuba a 4 for its flavorful foods.
(4)Sue K.
First time there everyone is talking about it. I hate long reviews but here is the rundown quick Presentation 0 taste 2 out of 10 atmosphere 0 like a taquria Service 9 out of 10 she was nice but not helpful The food was served cold or luke warm but nothing to be excited about its like something you put together at home out of jars real fast sorry never go there again
(1)Jess O.
I would love to give a better review but the servers were just so horrible! Maybe because we had a party of 7 and were automatically getting 18% that they just didn't even try. The food and sangria was great! Just like the SF locations (from what I can remember, I haven't been in a long time) the plus side is it's not as crowded. What we usually get: -Jerk chicken -spicy but so good! -Calamari - i'm not a fan and it wasn't that good this time -Civiche - nice and fresh with lemon and lime wedges -Papas fritas - soooo good with dipping sauce. -Plantains - yummmm -Mushrooms - the sacue is so buttery and good, get some extra bread to dip in the sauce -Sangria - of course! it was pretty strong this time, but good. We were just so frustrated with the servers. WE had to ask to place our order, for more drinks, order more food (cause it's that delicious), and even for the check!! I mean...reall?y! When we asked for the check the girl was SITTING DOWN at a table! I do not know what was going on with them, because the guy wasn't any better. I don't think I saw either of them smile the whole night! I actually felt sorry for them that they were so sad looking and so horrible at their jobs. In the end, we had a great time! All that really matters was the food was good and the company was even better! So if you want great service don't go to this location.
(2)Derrick C.
Having always heard such good things ab the Cha Cha Cha in SF and never having gotten around to try it, I was excited when one opened up right in my backyard. However, I'm still not clear if the two are related. Anyways, my experience was pretty underwhelming. We shared a bunch of the appetizers - Calamari, Cajun Shrimp, Sauteed Mushrooms, Pork Quesadilla -- none of which stood out or seemed distinctively Cuban to me.
(3)J K.
Amazing food and great, fun vibe. It's on the loud side on Friday and Saturday nights-- just FYI, this is not really the place for a quiet dinner! I recently went with a large-ish group, so we were able to try a lot of dishes this time. Everything was spectacular, and the service is always really good. And if you like sangria, Cha Cha Cha has just about the best sangria that I've had in the Bay area.
(4)Shiela T.
The first (and only other time) that I'd had Cuban cuisine was at an upscale restaurant. When my group had suggested Cuban - I have to admit I wasn't too excited but I WAS hungry.... so I went with it. OMG, I am so glad that I was exposed to this place! It was authentic, it was inexpensive, the portions were great, the tapas - ALL GOOD! Oh, and don't even get me started on the Platanos Fritos! DAAAAYM!!! MMMMMM!!! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who is new to Cuban food. It's rare that I give out a "5 star" review so the fact that I did says a whole lot. The only flaw to this place was the amount of difficulty you'll run into when looking for parking. Other than that, it's worth the hassle. Anyone up for Cuban this Friday??? Call me! ;)
(5)Mansi A.
A good change of pace for some Cuban food in San Mateo. The place is brightly decorated, full of life, zest, and culture. The food was decent overall. We ordered: - Pollo al Jerk: Reminiscent of Persian fesengen chicken. Delicious rich, thick sauce. - Curry Chicken Empanadas: Where's the curry? Soggy, flavorless, total waste. Don't bother with this item. - Arroz con Pollo: Flavorful. Not the best I've had, but decent. The first two items were from the tapas menu, and the latter a main entree. Keep in mind that portion sizes between tapas/entrees items were roughly the same (you def get your money's worth). Cha3 was a nice place to try, but I can't say that I'd go back. Nothing was super stellar food-wise, and with lackadaisical service that required us to constantly flag down one of two servers managing the entire restaurant, I'd pass on this place for more attentive service elsewhere.
(3)Bill O.
My wife and I went to Cha Cha Cha for the second time. We wanted to go somewhere before a movie, and this place is very close to the theatre. The restaurant did not disappoint. Like the first time we went, the service was friendly and fast. The decor is clever, faux balconies and staircase make it an interesting environment for a meal. My wife is half Cuban, so she knows the cuisine. Her Lechon was tender. The Congri was wonderful. The Plantains were cooked just right. My Arroz con Pollo was equally tasty and best of all served hot! I only wish the wine selection offered a bit more variety. But this is a great place to eat that does not cost too much.
(4)Deanna G.
Yumscrilidocious! I had NO idea this location even existed! I had frequented the SF locations, on Haight and Mission and always dreaded the wait. It was ridiculous! Lines out the door.. and I hated it. However in San Mateo, we made reservations on a Friday evening and were seated! Food came out quickly and the servers were very attentive to refill water... until it came towards the end of my meal when I was coughing up a storm and I asked for more water but it never came. Boo to that! However, besides my "I need water incident", parking is a breeze right across the street in the garage. Delicious, quickly served food, with minimal wait. That's my spot right there!
(5)Yamileth O.
My fiance and I have been here a couple of times, and we've never had to wait for a table or service. Last time we came by we ordered the arroz con pollo. Oh man that was soooo good! We also tried the fried calamari and the ceviche both equally delicious. I love Cha Cha Cha! You gotta try their Sangria as well although it could get very addicting... Definitely check it out if you are around downtown San Mateo!
(4)Phil L.
Parking in San Mateo is very limited on the streets, but if you're willing to walk two blocks, park at the CalTrain station, no hassle and typically plenty of parking. I'm not a big fan of San Francisco for various reasons, so I'm happy that I can finally get my Cha Cha Cha fix in the Peninsula. If you are going for the first time, I highly recommend the cajun shrimp the most. The shrimp is fanastic, but the main star is the sauce. As what other's mentioned, when you dip the bread with the sauce, it's a mix that works in every way possible. The servers were very quick in service and when we asked for extra bread multiple times, the servers got it immediately. I'm also a big fan of the papas fritas(fried potatoes with sauce). The potatoes were perfectly crisp on the outside and when you dip it with the serving sauce, the sauce gives the potato a very small kick to it. I don't think this needs hard alcohol. Sangria is what it's all about. I'm not a fan of wine(especially red wine), but the way they make the sangria here, I can definitely drink more of this. Overall, I've always been happy with my experiences at Cha Cha Cha's, I'm even more happy that I don't have to travel as far as I used to, to get it. Service and food quality is always top notch. This place can serve as a fun dinner spot for groups of four or more.
(5)Betsy C.
FOOD is BOMB.com Music is alway on point (Salsa) Sangria, YUM Service GREEEEEEEEEAT Everything on the menu is DElish but my favs are CAJUN SHRIMP Platano y frijole Potatoes w/ the brown sauce OHMYLANTA YUMMY
(5)Patrick R.
Absolutely love coming here. My favorite restaurant to come to in San Mateo. Favorites: Cajun Shrimp with extra sauce= perfect Jerk Chicken= great seasoning and good size Papas Fritas=HUGE portion and gotta love the dip it comes with Seafood Paella= HUGE, amazing flavors, filling Sangria= strong, but not too much, very tasty The food is amazing and the atmosphere that you are in when eating is great. This one IS related to the others that are located in SF, same menu but this place isn't usually crowded. I'm so happy they opened one closer to me (San Jose).....wish they would open one in SJ.....wishful thinker
(4)Stephy L.
On the day of my boyfriend's birthday, 4 of us including his brother and a friend of ours visited Cha Cha Cha for an early dinner. Passed by this place numerous times when I visited Old Town Sushi or Jeffrey's burgers. The outside doesn't look appealing at all. I never gave much thought about this place. But once you walk in, its a whole different story. Walked in at around 5:45pm. The restaurant was empty except for a few small parties enjoying their early dinner. The hostess was standing right by the door and greeted us. Than we were brought to our table. The decor was very colorful, lots of red and green. Cuban music was playing somewhat loudly. The whole atmosphere was cheerful and lively. Our waiter was super friendly. Boyfriend's brother whose been to the Cha Cha Cha on Haight says this place is famous for their Sangrias, so first things first, a pitcher of Sangrias please! Without a doubt, the waiter served a pitcher of Sangrias in no time. He didn't even check our IDs. First sip, mmmmm red wine and some fruity taste. not bad at all. yelp.com/user_local_phot… For the next 5 - 10 minutes, 4 of us were concentrated on the menu. John suggested that we order 4 plates to start with, since the portions at this place is more on the small side. Calamari : yelp.com/user_local_phot… Fresh and crispy. I thought this was nothing too special about it, but for calamari sake of ours, we ordered it as appetizers. It was delicious. Chicken breast? yelp.com/user_local_phot… I can't recall what the name of this plate was. But it was definitely chicken breast with a special house sauce. The sauce was so flavorful and thick enough that we used it for the bread on the side. The chicken was rather juicy and tender. Along with the sauce, they complimented each other well. Snow Crab croquettes : yelp.com/user_local_phot… I was the one who suggested to order this. Since boyfriend's brotherJohn is allergic to any type of crustaceans, we were gonna skip on this one. But OH MY GOD, best plate out of all! He seriously didn't care if he was gonna itch all over after. The outside was so crispy, perfectly done, while the inside was full of sizzling hot crab meat. So soft and juicy. Don't forget to dip into the sauce before taking a bite! And when I meant sizzling hot crab meat, i mean it! The hint of lemon will also enhance the taste. Quesadilla de puerco : yelp.com/user_local_phot… Basically a gigantic quesadilla with BBQ sauced pork, guac, sour cream, and salsa. Now this picture only shows 1/4 of the whole thing. Imagine 4 slices of this than you have it. The shredded pork was street. Perhaps the BBQ sauce was sweet? It is on the sweeter side. But the salsa and guac was so good. I love guac when it comes to eating it with quesadillas or burritos. I say this is also a go. Huge plate shared among myself and 3 other guys. It's worth a try. At the end, we ordered 6 plates total and we were all so full. (yes, I only have 4 plates down because I didn't take note of the other 2 plates, oops). We managed to finish a pitcher of Sangrias!! 2 out of 4 of us turned tomato red, and of course, we did NOT drive right after. Bill was probably around $80 ish. Im not too sure because I didnt even get to look at it before John took the bill. This place starts picking up at around 6:30pm. There was also a huge party behind us. You might also spot families with kids too. Most tables have a pitcher of Sangrias :) For ladies, bathrooms are clean with toilet paper and painted walls. Only one stall. Where did we go after? Walked our way to Teaway in hope of walking off the alcohol. That'll be my next review!
(4)Doris W.
Walking around on a Sunday nnight in San Mateo, this caught our eye. The prior time while walking by, we noticed a crowd. I had been to Cha Cha Cha's in San Francisco so that made me anxious to now this would be. Bunny and I walked in and notice there are a lot of people. On the left wall, there was a painting of stairs that looked so realistic that we thought there was a second level. Then after carefully taking a second look, we realized it was only a design. Although the lighting was dim, there were a lot of bright colors that made the restaurant look lively. We were seated right away and had time to look through the menu. After much deliberation, Bunny decided on Arroz con pollo (chicken), while I ordered the Bistek encebollado (steak). We decided on tapas of Papa Fritas since I love potatoes. The server was friendly and nice as he took our orders and brought the drinks right away. Our appetizer came first and the potatoes were tasty. The portions were big and was almost large enough to be a meal on it's own. I was unsure of the sauce, but it went well with the papa fritas. Shortly after, our dishes came. Everything looked good. However, the steak was a bit tough to cut and at times difficult to chew. I enjoyed the chicken dish more. Although our server was nice when taking our orders, he never came back around to check up on us. He'd walk by several times and we'd have to get his attention if we needed something, for example a refill on a drink. Bunny had asked for more ice tea once and he said sure. He didn't take the glass with him. Then he left and didn't come back for a long time before coming back with the refill. As we were wrapping up and wanting to exit, again we had to flag down someone to get the bill and a box. This time, it was a different person and she seemed reluctant to want to come over to assist us. I enjoyed the Arroz on pollo and Papa Fritas. I woudn't mind coming back, as long as I know that I need to be patient and may not receive great service.
(3)Jason G.
Contrary to some rumors, they're still open for lunch during the week. Went back with a large work crowd for lunch today. The food is still fantastic. The service at lunchtime doesn't ever suffer from the negative comments some reviewers have made about dinner time, so we don't have any issue getting in and out in under an hour. I completely recommend trying this place for lunch.
(5)Jenn G.
Cha Cha Cha gets a solid 4 stars in my book solely based on the service. Noe was our server and he was awesome! He was very personal, inviting, fun to chat with, and provided excellent service. We came here on a Tuesday afternoon right when happy hour started. We ordered a pitcher of sangria and the rest was history. I recall the sangria being quite strong and definitely worth the price. Noe sat with us and shared a few glasses with us. This kind of personal attention with patrons is unusual and likely unheardful in today's typical hustle and bustle of restaurant business. Noe -- you rock! and Cha Cha Cha - I'll be back for more sangria next time!
(4)Celia L.
Been here twice so far and had great experiences both times. The service is awesome, and the sangria is even better. All of the dishes I've tried were delicious. The ones that stuck out: - calamari - chicken wings - seafood paella - ceviche - sweet plantains - cajun shrimp - snow crab croquettes You can find street parking if you are lucky, but we park at the lot by the amtrak station a couple blocks away - I believe it's free after 6pm every day of the week. Try the flan or the tres leche cake for dessert! And then when you are ready for round two, sweet orchid (gelatto) and tpumps (boba) are just a few doors away. (We hit up both and did three rounds of dessert on our most recent visit!)
(5)Kai Y.
After visiting a friend in San Mateo on a Sunday, we ended up in downtown San Mateo. We were just walking and trying to pick up a place for lunch. Cha Cha Cha Cuba looks like an interesting choice for lunch, after glancing through their menu, we decided to try it. The food was okay. It was not too impressive, but it didn't suck, either. We had the seafood paella, some grilled mushroom and sangria. The garlic sauce for the mushroom was good, though. We also noticed the sandwiches and the lunch plates on other tables looked pretty good. Might worth trying otherwise. However, I noticed how the waiter poured the sangria from the container to the cup. The juice washed over his fingers and dripped right back to the Sangria container. I kind of started to doubt the sanitary state of this place. It turned out I got a little bit stomach sickness at night. Not sure if it was directly related to Cha Cha Cha Cuba food, but it was enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth, literally. Probably won't go back there for a while. :(
(3)Jenn M.
Pretty awesome to have the cousin of Cha,Cha, Cha SF in San Mateo. They had all my SF favorites on the menu with some fun additions. The Sangria wasn't quite the same. Maybe it was the lack of fruit? We went on a Thursday after work. No problem getting a table. Service was just right for my taste. The servers were courteous and helpful but didn't interrupt the table convo every 6 seconds to ask how things were.
(4)Logan C.
I never feel good about giving less than 3 stars but after my experience here and reading the many negative Yelp reviews about service i don't understand why management isn't trying to improve things. Food was awesome but they have the worst service of any full service restaurant I have ever been to.
(2)Cat C.
Bf and I got lucky on a rainy Thursday & walked into a not so crowded Cha Cha Cha Cuba. I was excited to finally try this place out after much anticipation but also with hesitation due to some of the mixed reviews. We decided to share: the papas fritas, camerones picante, & the jerk chicken. The waiter told us that he thinks that those dishes wouldn't be enough for us, and I asked him if the jerk chicken was a tapas too (they have some dishes big enough for entrees). He said it was, but we told him it was okay & we'd stick with it. I don't care for red wine, but the Sangria was delish and not too strong tasting! The camerones came in a delicious creamy sauce which I used for dipping bread in too. The papas fritas were perfectly crisped and seasoned, the chili aioli was okay, but the potatoes were good enough by themselves. So we waited and waited for the jerk chicken, but it never came. One of the other waiters asked us if everything was okay, and we told him we were waiting for the jerk chicken and he said he'd put it in. The original waiter came over and my bf tells him that we didn't get the jerk chicken, but that the other guy put it in & he said no it's not in. So then we just ordered the sauteed mushrooms. A little while later the jerk chicken actually comes and our original waiter comes over and asks if we still want it and we said no, so he took it away and out came the mushrooms shortly after. The mushrooms were very good, probably my favorite dish of the night, as they were cooked with sherry & garlic. While the staff was pretty attentive, their friendliness could be questioned as we would never hear a "You're welcome" or anything of that nature. Also, it was kind of gross how when we were brought a new plate of bread, one of the waiters used his fingers to move the old bread after a failed attempt to just plop it on the other plate. My seat was near these two chairs and some of the wait staff would sit on those two chairs and chit chat right next to me, that was definitely odd! The food and sangria was pretty good, but definitely pricey for the portions, the service can be questionable and I wonder if it was just us or if any other patrons have experienced a communication barrier. Total before tax and tip for 3 tapas and 1 glass of sangria was $30. For all of this, I give it between a 2 and 3. Maybe we'll be back in the future for Happy Hour.
(3)Jennifer G.
The plantains and arroz con pollo was delicious! The sangria was a little strong for me since they only use lemon and orange but it works well with the food :)
(4)Jason C.
Tired of Mexican all the time? theres more to latin america than just Mexican! Can i say Cha Cha Cha is authentic? no, but it does peak the curiosity. Food: Everything is in Spanish, so at least they dont water down the menu for the english speakers. They dont have a large menu but the entrees are not typically found in a lot of latin theme restaurants in the bay. I got the seafood paella. The rice was very flavorful and rich. However, its not overwhelming. the paella included sausage, shrimp, calamari, mussels and salmon. While on inspection, there doesnt appear to be alot of meat, it was good enough. The mix of the different types of meat gave the dish some variety and contrast instead of just a greasy meat fest. the menu is not long big, but the few things they do serve, they serve it well. glasses were tad on the small side. My friend got the chicken, portion was fairly large and the chicken was juicy. Service/Atmosphere: It was stuffy in there. The place wasnt even crowded and i was sweating while I was eating. Service could be a little better, we had to explain to the waiter each time we needed something. we had to explain to them we needed the check. staff might be new? they just seemed confused or something. so they loose a star on the service department. Verdict? I'd I would come again and try more of the menu. while not perfect, they have me asking for more.
(4)Angela D.
The food is more of a Cuban fusion that tries to hard. While the bus boy was nice, the server must have been having a bad day. Not to mention our papa rellenos were cold. Paella was decent, sangria was not.
(2)Vishal A.
The place was pretty busy when we stepped in. The sangria was awesome, the ambiance and music good and the food just decent. The best thing we tried was the Pollo Al Jerk, an explosion of flavor. It reminded me of the Fesenjan at Persian places, except that this was not sweet. The Arroz con Pollo was decent too, but skip the soggy Chicken Empanadas, which were too spicy and a complete misnomer with no curry flavor at all! Keep in mind that their tapas portions are practically a full meal!
(3)Alex W.
The appetizers and entrees my boyfriend and I had at Cha Cha Cha Cuba were all pretty good. If the food was a little cheaper I would give them another star. Also- they really need to work on getting a hard alcohol license because I would have really loved to order a mojito!
(3)Ryan S.
The paella was very good but the sangria was barely average. A pork quesadilla appetizer was overstuffed and tasty. Service was friendly but slow.
(3)Evelyn C.
Yay, a Cha Cha Cha in San Mateo (plentiful parking when compared to SF's parking nightmare). Yay because I can now have sangria lunches! Anyway, went here on a Friday night, third-wheeling with my married couple friends. Sangria was delicious, the food was delicious, and though they were packed to the gills that night, service was still very good. The bread and butter was great, bread super fresh. We ordered shrimp in cajun sauce (perfect for dipping the bread in), sauteed mushrooms, paella, grilled steak--everything was great! We also had flan and bread pudding for dessert, even though we were stuffed. The bread pudding was AMAZING.
(5)Amber S.
Great Cuban food and sea food! I ate with my boyfriend and his best friend. We all loved it. Great visual art on the walls, warm inviting atmosphere, I stared at the details on the walls of the restaurant. It is worth eating at this place, I can't say anything negative and be honest about it, it was even open late when we arrived hoping to find a restaurant that was still going to accept customers.
(5)Charmaine L.
just the sangria alone is enough to keep a smile on my face. add some delicious small bites to the equation and you've got a recipe for a great night. the calamari is light and crispy while the roasted garlic mushrooms are rich and decadent. i love the shrimp in cajun cream sauce which i can sop up with a full baguette. the paella is full of seafood, and the lechon is fork tender! the ambiance and decor are inviting and welcoming. so is the service. 50% off sangria during happy hour. score! perfect downtown san mateo location with the parking garage across the street. what is not to love? an affair with sangria. i like it.
(5)Joanna S.
I was so excited to come here, since I've never been to the SF location (it's always packed there). We made a reservation for Sunday lunch, but when we arrived, there really wasn't a need for it. The place was empty. The food was ok, but not very flavorful nor impressionable. I liked our shredded pork plate and the ceviche. The ceviche was different because they had raw scallops as well as calamari pieces mixed with shrimp and lettuce. It was pretty refreshing to have, and probably my favorite dish of the meal. Our waiter recommended this plantain pancake with black bean sauce which was not good at all. I even tried to hype it up to my friends, saying things like "mm, you have to try this!" "oh, this is so good", yet they saw right thru me. It literally tasted like a piece of dough dipped in black bean sauce. I guess I wasn't very persuasive, because there ended up to be a bunch left at the end of the meal. The calamari was really bland as well. It needed some salt or flavor to liven this dish up. I also picked up a piece, tried to peel the breading off, then could not find the actual calamari inside. I guess it was dried up inside. You can dip it in an aioli sauce they provide, but it just tastes like lemony mayo. And seriously, if the food isn't that great, what I expect most is for the sangria to be good! We got a half pitcher between the 4 of us, it only feeds each person 1.25 cups, which is fine. We weren't trying to get drunk at lunchtime, but I wish it tasted better. Usually, I could gulp down 2-3 cups easily through the meal, but this cup literally.lasted.me .thru.the.whole.meal. It was pretty much watered down wine here, I've had better. Lastly, the service. In the beginning they kept asking if we wanted something to drink. But when it came to time to order, nobody came around. Asked for the check, and that took a while too. No refills on water during our meal, not even a question if we're doing ok. Truly a disappointment! I don' think i'll be back.
(2)Luis C.
I came here as soon as I heard that Cha Cha Cha decided to open a new branch in San Mateo. media1.ct.yelpcdn.com/bp… CCC took over the space of former Machu Picchu restaurant, next to the froyo place on B street. It looks small from the outside, but the interior is long and spacious. U can see the cooks in action thru the kitchen window, next to the drinks station. media1.ct.yelpcdn.com/bp… The dining room is very colorful. media4.ct.yelpcdn.com/bp… My first visit was during the 2nd week open when it wasn't busy yet. Here's my pic of a takeout order of lechon asado (comes with congri and plantains). media4.ct.yelpcdn.com/bp… It was delicious! no exaggeration, the pork meat was so tender and moist. Most Cuban rice and beans (congri) I find elsewhere is bland, but this one had the right amount of seasoning. The fried plantains was excellent, super sweet and not too starchy. Other dishes I really like: black mussels, and the side of sautéed mushrooms (hongos al jerez). I prefer Peruvian ceviche, so usually I never order CCC's version. Other popular dishes are: calamari, 2 different shrimp plates - picante (Cajun) and al ajillo, and a side of fried new potatoes with pasilla sauce.
(4)Rachelle T.
After reading the mixed reviews on Yelp I was skeptical about trying this place out. Luckily we didn't encounter any of the slow food service, lacking waiter service or lack of flavor in the food. In fact my experience was completely opposite! For a group of 4 we ordered: - Cajun shrimp (shrimp itself was ok, sauce was good) - Fried New Potatoes (awesome!) - Lechon Asado (very flavorful) - A shredded beef dish, not on the website (good) The food came out pretty quickly and was very enjoyable. I would definitely come back again and is a nice alternative to driving to the other SF locations. I would definitely recommend coming with a group of at least 4 though, so you can try more dishes. I actually do not recommend the sangria though, as it is expensive for such a small little pitcher. Although it's good, it's hard to see its value.
(4)Corinne R.
Just had lunch here and boy is my tummy happy. We shared the ceviche and the paella. The lightness and tartness of the ceviche combined with the depth and flavour of the paella make for a phenomenal combination that compliment each other. There was no scrimping on seafood and sausage in the paella (sometimes you get more rice than other stuff). Other stuff: Our waiter was quick. The ambiance was creative (one wall is painted to look like the outside of a building complete with windows and flowers). The food was well priced. Totally on our "go back list" for San Mateo eats.
(5)Analyst C.
Fast service; great happy environment; good food; guitarist playing spanish songs;
(4)Grace H.
Cha Cha Cha will always dance its way into my heart. This is their #3 location and man is it as cute as its sister locations. This location is probably the smallest of the 3 but their food is just as delicious and sangrias are just as strong!
(4)Stephanie L.
One of the few Cuban tapas places that I've been to in the bay area and I though this was great for a group setting! I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed everything we ordered. Especially the shredded sirloin and the plantains! I can definitely see myself coming here again for happy hour :) Oh, and the Flan was sooo good. must. have. moar.
(4)Lorraine C.
So unbelievably happy my favorite tapas restaurant is just down the street from work. Doesn't have the same abiansce as Haight...but the food is consistent. As well great to have some of the same HaightStreet faces to welcome you.
(5)Janette W.
I always look forward to visiting any place that has sangria so I was excited to try Cha Cha Cha Cuba. It was a huge party for Kelly's birthday, and the service was decent considering that. The food was really good and the portions were significantly larger than most tapas places. The ceviche practically came in a bucket it was so big. There was a good variety of seafood too. The chicken curry empanada was an interesting spin on a classic. We also shared the pork quesadilla which was pretty standard. The mushrooms were the real standout here, really flavorful and tender. And how could I forget the sangria! It was great!
(4)c c.
This place was terrible. I grew up in Miami, my father is Cuban, and I grew up eating Cuban food. Cuban food does NOT consist of tortillas. I should have known not to expect too much from a place that has "crab croquettas", passes off Moros as congri, and has spicy food on the menu. Cuban food is not spicy - it's more of a throw back to Spanish cuisine than what you're used to finding in Latin American food in the Bay Area- which is typically heavier in it's indigenous influence. Even so, the food wasn't very tasty. I had the ropa vieja after one reviewer mentioned it was just like his Cuban grandmother's. The dish was nothing like any ropa vieja I have eaten in my life and not in a good way. It was sweet, not savory as it should have been. If this place marketed itself as a Latin American fusion place, fine, 3 stars. But for claiming to be Cuban food, two stars. Those who say it's better than edible have never had real Cuban food or have been tricked into thinking they have.
(2)Alyssa S.
If you want to have the same Cha Cha Cha as the city without the freakishly long wait, then come to downtown San Mateo. The food and sangria is exactly the same except parking is easier, the wait isn't long, and the space isn't as crowded. The food is pretty good and the sangria always gets me buzzed. Granted it's not my favorite type of food which is why I'd usually give this place 3 stars but with this specific location it gets another star because it's much closer to where I live and the wait is reasonable for what it is.
(4)Nolando T.
I seriously think that Versailles in LA has ruined me for all Cuban restaurants. This place isn't bad...it just isn't Versailles. The Cajun Shrimp was alright...but the sauce was better with the bread than on the shrimp. I don't think they really compliment each other. I think the sauce might actually be better with something else other than shrimp. Also, they serve a plate that consists of just fried plantains and black beans??? I know it's a tapas place, but I found it weird to have 2 side dishes together like that. Maybe I'm weird, but to me that's like serving a plate with just rice & bread together. The good thing is their portions are quite large for tapas. Though, you do pay for it as each dish is roughly 9-10 bucks. I also thought it was odd that they didn't carry Iron Beer, Materva or any other traditionally South American beverages. Nor did they make batidos (fruit milkshakes). Overall not bad. Better than anything San Diego has to offer. But I'm not exactly going to make last minute trips to the Bay because I'm having a Cha Cha Cha craving.
(3)Vicky L.
Came here for a Girl's Night dinner with the lovely Jenn W. They don't take reservations for parties less than 6 people. When we came at 8:30 there was a 20 minute wait before they seated us. The servers are hard to flag down and my water cup was empty for quite a few occasions. I ordered the shrimp ala diablo. The shrimp were disappointing; small, unfresh and the size of plankton. The sauce it was cooked with was outstanding after I added in 3 lime wedges. We ordered the plantains and beans to share and it was a solid 5 star dish. Great for people watching and once they up the freshness of that shrimp and use crustaceans that I don't need to use a magnifying glass to see, they would be onto something!
(4)Mary T.
Total rating would be 3.5 stars. Came here for date night with my love, on a Friday night. Place is nice, but quite small. It was definitely packed when we walked in, but we got seated right away, in the far back of the restaurant, closest to the stairs. I didn't really care for the spot where they sat us because had I moved my chair maybe two more inches, I would have went flying down an entire flight of stairs. No joke! Then at that point they may have caught a case, know what I mean? Took the waiter some time to take our order after waving them down because they said they didn't even notice we were there. Yes, that's because they sat us in the corner, duh! Anyways, onto the food and service. Service was pretty quick...you don't have one assigned waiter...if you need something and you see a waiter, get their attention and they will come to you. Cajun Shrimp (Delish! The sauce that this dish is made with is great for dipping with bread, ask for plenty more bread as they only give you a small portion to begin. Trust me, you will want that bread for all this dipping sauce. Flavorful, the right amount of kick, the shrimp are perfected marinated in this sauce, a must get dish here) Lechon Asado (Hubby ordered this dish. I thought it was just eh, nothing special. The pork was bland to me, the rice and beans that it came with, not really my thing. It always comes with plantains that my hubby really enjoyed.) Guava Chipotle Wings (I really enjoyed this dish. Super marinaded in the sauce, tender, a unique flavor for sure! Great the nice day with rice for lunch heated up) Calamari (Great dish to start with, flavor is just right, but I wish it were a bit more crispy) Sangria (red) - Not my thing, it's way TOO sweet, and I could barely taste the alcohol. We got a whole pitcher to share between two and we still had maybe over a glass left, we didn't even finish it. Wish we would have just gotten single glasses. Next time, I can do without the sangria. I'm not sure if this place is related to the one in SF or not. My first experience at Cha Cha Cha was in SF and I remember it being OFF the HOOK, this one eh, it's just OK!
(3)Alice C.
3.5 stars. Definitely not the same as the city locations. The vibe is different, the crowd is different, and so it feels a bit less hipster and a bit more laid back. The service is definitely not as good as the city locations -- hey just because we're not from the city, doesn't mean that we don't notice. The food is good, as usual. Pulled pork quesadilla, snow crab croquettes, plantains with black bean sauce -- all very yummy. Sangria too. I really suggest going with a decent sized group (4 or so) and share the dishes. This is supposed to be tapas! It's definitely a place to stop by in San Mateo. However if you can get to the city locations easily (and don't mind the wait), go there.
(3)Derrek O.
This is the newest in Cha Cha Cha franchises. This location was the first one I ever visited so I came in with an impartial mindset, not knowing what to expect. Food here is a mixture of Cuban and Caribean influences. This place's claim to fame is the sangria. Get it. It's yummy. Other dishes I ordered and enjoyed here were the fried calamari, ceviche, arroz con pollo and the bistek encebollado. And although this place advertises itself as a "tapa plates" restaurant, each entree was hearty...easily serving 2-3 people. Waitstaff here is average at best. I feel like that could be more personable. I recently have had the opportunity to visit the Cha Cha Cha location on Haight St in the city. That location has more character and friendlier staff.
(3)Shianne D.
Hmm after finding out a few friends regular this place, the bf and I decided to give it a whirl when we were in town. We had never had Cuban food, and were so surprised and pleased by the delicious tastes that our meals had! I ordered a dijon, basil chicken & he got rice with jerk chicken. I must admit though that while my chicken was sauteed in an AMAZING sauce, it only came with just the meat. No rice, no veggie, no nada. Kinda not used to that. But I had a small loaf of a bread to soak it up with. And I did try their famous sangria, which while tastey was ve rrry strong. Granted I am not a regular drinker in any capacity. I did enjoy the flavors. Prices were kinda high for only getting a chicken breast with no nothing. Service was FAST. LIGHTNING FAST. But not friendly. I might try it again but don't expect better results. I'm on the fence with this one, yelpers.
(3)Chris T.
Came here for happy hour with some friends. The restaurant was pretty nice, service was friendly and food was okay. I had the Alitas de Pollo and the Quesadilla de puerco. The wings (alitas) were pretty good and the quesadillas were okay. The flavors were pretty similar so the food was played out pretty quick for me. So my visit here was okay, nothing too special.
(3)Ceci C.
Seriously.... You are not anything watsoever like Cha Cha Cha's in San Francisco.... you thought you would be sneaky by having that name... but in fact you are an impostor, a disgraceful excuse for what you are saying is cuban food... taste more like burnt oil garbage food to me. The cuban season potatoes were so disgusting I left every single morsel on that plate...and I love potatoes but what you served me was a mountain of burnt oil with particules of what looked like could have been potatoes in a formal life. The sangria... seriously??!?!?!? Don't make me go there. I wonder if I can ask Yelp if we can give negative stars because I would definitely give you a -5 because you are that god awful.
(1)Rosquete B.
3 1/2* Cuban Have happy hour; serve sangria, wine, and beer Delicious food, everything tastes salty or sweet Fried yucca was good; gambas al ajillo were overcooked Large portions; great lechon with plantains and dirty rice Have flan and tres leches for dessert Good food service
(3)David H.
"So, what do you want for dinner tonight?" "I don't know, I really don't, you can decide, but something, exotic." "Hmm...Cha Cha Cha Cuba?" Of course, I replied it with a big YES. I always wanted to come to this place, I mean Cuban food, I'm not Cuban, I'm Asian... and how often do I get Cuban food? How many times have I had Cuban food? Never! It was so nice to get out of this food cycle of boredom: pizza, hot dogs, pizza, pizza, hamburgers, pizza, pizza, spinach pizza, pizza, and pizza. You know, no offense pizza, but sometimes you are just a little bit, too...common. I walked into this place and was welcomed by this warm tropical ambiance as a whole: the music and the painted colorful walls that really portrays well of Cuba; just everything I would imagine it to be though I have never been to Cuba. The floor here was sticky though, but it was fun, I like the sound when I put my feet on the floor and jerk it up, it makes that cool sound...a nice sound. But that's not the point, whatever. The waiter was very nice and patiently explained everything to us and really described everything thoroughly. Me and my friends were kind of surprised by the cost of these tapas, we ordered the "Pollo Al Jerk"- Chicken with a very tropical sauce, and "Filetillo de Pollo"- Grilled chicken with a creamy dijon basil sauce. The waiter served us free white bread with butter, which was just pretty normal bread. When the tapas got on the table, these tapas were sitting deliciously in a cute pan, we were happy that the tapas aren't as small as we thought, and that the price we are paying is quite worth it, but wait, I can't indicate if it's worth it before actually tasting it. So let's start with the "Pollo Al Jerk"- Chicken, covered with this dark brown sauce- the Jerk sauce. It was very interesting and delicious looking, and was served over a pile of white rice. The chicken was grilled and cooked nicely, some parts were grilled to a crunchy perfection...smothered with the Jerk sauce all over...The Jerk Sauce, ahh, spicy, fruity, savory, and a bit of the acidity...it was heaven, it was that vibrant flavor, that tropical, that warmth and especially that kick from the Habanero, EOOOOOAAAAAAAAOW. Oh I couldn't stop eating... Another dish my friend ordered was "Filetillo de Pollo"- Basically Chicken, again, topped with this creamy, dijon-basil sauce. I really wish they would serve this on top of rice, it seems to pairs so well with rice, the creamy sauce and the chicken has a really strong and defined smokey flavour, though it was a bit too much for me, but was sort of kind of balanced by the flavour of the pungent basil and the slightly sweet dijon. This place is definitely my new exotic hangout spot. I'm in love. It's almost like, these foods dance, maybe because they really do on your tongue, especially the food served here. I recommend this place to adventurous people who like to explore the new realms of cuisines and people who wants a perfect casual meal; By casual meal, I'm talking about the size of the dish, not too little to leave you hungry, not too filling to leave you stuffed, something just right.
(4)Nicole M.
YUM!! Ate here for a first time. Sangria is yum- got a pretty good buzz from it, and the potatoes and potatos balls were delicious too! Wish they had their mussels that our friends were raving about. But theres always next time!
(4)Wing Man C.
Ok...I know some people complained about the service, but I don't think you'd go to a place like this for French Laundry type service. It's like going to a cheap Chinese joint expecting to have your a$$ kissed. The wait staff is nice enough and the food is good. The sangria is the same as the locations in SF and it creeps up on you, so drink slowly. They have bistek empanizado and papas rellenas on their daily specials every so often and definitely order it if you see it!! Bistek empanizado is like the Cuban version of chicken fried steak. I love the citrus flavor in the marinade and the tangy flavor from the fresh squeezed lime/lemon juice on top of the fried steak. Imagine a mashed potato ball stuffer with super flavorful meat and deep fried...that's papas rellenas. How can you say no to that? I also really like their calamari, Cajun shrimp, black mussels, and paella. You can ask for your bread to be toasted and dip it into the Cajun shrimp and black mussels sauce...don't waste it!!! Overall, this is a great place to meet up with friends and have a delicious dinner with some sangria while catching up. The decor is super cute and being from the burbs, I prefer the chill/low key San Mateo crowd over San Francisco. Parking is free after 6pm and if you are coming on a busy night, consider parking at the Cal Train parking structure.
(5)Carolyn A.
Great sangria and plantains. Rice and beans are good too. The atmosphere is very unique, colorful and like you're in a plaza from that movie Expendables with Sylvester Stalone, The Governator, Jet Li and others...kinda makes you wanna start some revolution or go to church. Not sure. I've been here a few times, and it's always crowded but in a lively way, you won't have to wait for a table. The bread is also surprisingly good. Pretty Frenchy tasting but I'll take it! Get there between 5-9. If not, they'll be closed...
(4)Vy M.
The one in SF is still way better but can't complain about the strong sangria and the cheap happy hour menu. Half off all sangria and $5 menu. Though, their special shrimp is not on the happy hour menu! Surprising it wasn't crowded during their happy hour maybe not many people know about it? We were the first and only customer even when we arrived around 5:15 (happy hour is between 5-6pm). This place is worth a try especially if you live nearby.
(3)Chers S.
Same owners and menu as the Haight St and Mission Cha Cha Chas but really lacking in the service area at the San Mateo location. Pros: Plantains were delicious Yummy Garlic Shrimp in a Cream Sauce Sangria is pretty good and inexpensive Cons: Downstairs is pretty dark and cramped Service is super slow The food is nothing spectacular but it's casual and inexpensive. However, I'd suggest going to one of the SF locations.
(3)Jason W.
All the culinary things I miss about working up in the city are suddenly showing up in my neighborhood down here on the Peninsula! Golden Boy Pizza, Cha Cha Cha, Beard Papa, etc. Now, if we could just get a place to listen to some decent music... Cha Cha Cha looks deceptively tiny from the outside, but it's pretty spacious on the inside. In fact, it seems like there's room for another whole floor on the inside, but, instead, they've got a fake looking courtyard setup like something from Pirates of the Caribbean. It's fairly charming! We went on a weeknight, so it wasn't that crowded. Still it took a little while for the waiter to seat us. The star you see docked above is for the inattentive wait staff. There were only two of them and they made the rounds sporadically. Between ordering sangria and our entrees, it was probably about a 20 minute wait. The same thing happened when it took forever for our check to show up and then our change. It's not like we were in a hurry, but we were trying to get his attention to get the ball rolling and it didn't work. We started with the Sangria (good, but I like mine a little more chilled) and some fried potatoes and garlic aoili. The potatoes were super yummy! My friends had mushrooms and calamari which I didn't try, but they seemed happy. For my entree, I had the braised pork with rice, beans, and plantains. The pork was VERY fatty, but tasted really great. My wife had the salmon which she really enjoyed. Cha Cha Cha isn't exactly the same experience as the locations up in the city. The food is the same which is great, but there's not quite the atmosphere and the service isn't as good. But, HEY, I've got a Cha Cha Cha just a few blocks away from my house! :)
(4)Benzee B.
This is definitely not part of the Cha Cha Chas in San Francisco. The sangria was above average but the menu is minuscule compared to the Cha Cha Chas in SF. We arrived there at 6 and the place was empty however when we left at 8 there was a waiting to get a table. Overall I would go back but I wouldn't make a special trip to get there.
(3)Manisha S.
3.5 stars, went on a Tuesday night with 3 friends. I had to go ask the waiter for sangria after waiting 10 minutes to have a server come by! But the wait staff are SO nice and accomodating, they are just understaffed. The patatas bravas were yummy. Few vegetarian choices but I got the spinach empanada. It was excellent and came with a nice salad. We asked for the plantains without sour cream. They brought them w sour cream and then took them back but never replaced it! The plantains from my friend's dish were amazing though. We had to flag the waiter down for everything. Quality of food was excellent but wish they had better service and more veg options.
(3)Vanessa G.
AMAZING food, service and spot! One of my favorite places in San Mateo!
(5)James L.
This Cha^3 has the same three-star to 3.5-star quality food as the Cha^3 in the Mission (yeah, I said it: it's pretty solid food but I'd be hard-pressed to call it "great"), but with the added bonus of: being closer to where I live; having no real wait time on a Saturday night; being lively but quiet enough that I can actually think and have a conversation while I eat; and being spacious enough that waiters and patrons aren't constantly bumping into the back of my chair. My friends and I always order tapas style, getting a huge selection of things to graze on with plenty of (free!) bread to mop up the various sauces/broths/juices. My favorite dishes at the Cha^3 in the Mission are the black mussels, ceviche, sautéed mushrooms, and platanos, and those dishes tasted identical here. Only one problem: the ceviche definitely tasted a little bit like the fridge it had been stored in. It wasn't strong enough to be a dealbreaker but enough that I noticed. Close the lid more tightly, boys! Also, the bread could be of better quality but considering it's free and keeps coming so long as you keep asking for refills, it's kind of difficult to be whining that it's not from Acme or something. Our total came out to $23 per person after tax/tip; keep in mind however that we were being oinkers and ordered quite a bit more than the average table would have. I probably wouldn't bother coming here alone or on a romantic date but with friends Cha^3 is an excellent option for a weekend get-together. Oh, and kudos to the waitstaff for dealing with my hobbling-on-crutches situation without blinking. 3.5-stars, rounded up for all the little differences that makes coming here way more relaxing than making a trek out to the Mission. I mean love the city but I don't need a "scene" when all I want to do is get my grub on with friends.
(4)N B.
I had such fond memories of Cha Cha Cha in San Francisco and was so excited to visit a location close to home. I really wanted to love it - Sadly I was disappointed - food was okay but service was so slow!!! We had to keep flagging them down for water and it was not very crowded.
(3)Schelly Y.
I love the SF locations I have been to so I am very excited to have one closer to home! Sangria!!! Delicious and fruity Fried Plantains- Crispy outside with warm gooey perfection inside Cajun Shrimp- Rich creamy sauce but I would have liked it a bit more spicy. This was my first time having this dish and I was not that excited about it. Arroz con Pollo- All of the flavors melded together so well. YUM Steamed Black Mussels- SO GOOD. I order this every time I go and I love it every time. Fried New Potatoes- Fried perfectly and served with a yummy chile pasilla aioli mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm so good!
(4)S. H.
Love the food! Hate the service. Never.coming.back.to .this.location.ever.
(2)Brian B.
After being in South Beach for a weekend. I decided I should eat Cuban food again because it was so good in Miami. So I decided to go here. the inside of the restaurant is really nice. Had a picture of Cuba and I felt like I was back in Miami. I ordered chicken,rice and beans and it was just about when I was in Miami. I will probably come back here whenever I am craving Cuban food.
(4)Tresnae R.
I absolutely love the Cajun shrimp! That has been my go to item on the menu, with a side of butter rice. Yummy! I haven't tried anything on the menu that I didn't like. The food is perfectly seasoned and flavorful! I love the atmosphere and the customer service is great! They also have great prices for the amount of food you receive, on many of the dishes you could share. The sangria is great as well :)
(4)Brooke H.
People are trippin. Service was great tonight. Food was excellent. I love it.
(5)Tony L.
It's hard to believe, but Cha Cha Cha's has been a Bay Area foodie institution--serving authentic, family-owned Cuban recipes--for close to a quarter century; it's Haight Street location has been open since 1987. It's newest location, joining a thriving night-life scene in downtown San Mateo, shows that Cha Cha Cha is still going strong. My advice? Try lots of appetizers and keep the sangria flowing. My favorite small bites of the night were the fried calamari and the chicken wings. Complex and comforting sauces complimenting tender rings of calamari and succulent wing meat is the perfect way to extend a conversation. For a main course, the jerk chicken was excellent. Tender. Moist. Slathered in thick, jerk sauce, it's enough to warm any heart. The ambiance of this place is vibrant, decor colorful, and conversations festive and amplified. There's also a room downstairs ideal for private parties. Fun and food are a perfect one-two combination, and if you're looking for a knockout, look no further than Cha Cha Cha Cuba.
(5)Michelle C.
AHHHHH Cha Cha Cha's how much i love and adore thee. How much more do I love and adore thee when i don't need to wait to indulge in your sangria and tapas in a 3 hour wait time. Im loving this new location on super cute trendy B street in San Mateo! The restaurant itself is small and cozy with lots of color and great music as always the food was awesome and the sangria was flowing. We stopped in around 8:30 ish on a friday night and were seated right away. Our server was friendly and we got fed pretty darn quick! I love this location and plan on visiting again really soon!
(5)MJ J.
Been coming here regularly now and hence the update. Awesome pork chop special, incredible chicken quesadilla with a mild sweet flavor and the amazing jerk chicken we normally order. Top it off with sangria and Jamaican beer! Great lovely scene plus always crowded.
(5)Abigail D.
The ONLY items I get at Cha x 3 (yeah, the cool kids aka just me call it that. okay?!) are the cajun shrimp with extra sauce and the calamari, regardless of whichever location I'm at. I've ordered other things off the menu before and all were very good! However nothing beats that sauce. It's heaven. KEEP THE BREAD COMING. You need to soak up as much sauce as possible. It's divine. Now if you're looking for a lot of shrimp, you'll be disappointed. The dish itself comes with 6 pieces of shrimp. Don't cry. Have no fear. It's the sauce that counts. Trust me. Oh and I order the calamari because 1) they give you a lot of legit, big pieces 2) it's so filling and 3) the lemon aioli it comes with is so good!
(4)Caitlin S.
We had a long wait because they don't make reservations for less than 6 people, BUT, totally worth it. Started with sangria- obviously amazing. Then quickly had papas fritas with and awesome sauce, jerk chicken over rice- amaze balls, with a super good jerk sauce on top. Next we had a shredded chicken quesadilla and even though I'm not a huge fan of meat, it was so flavorful I couldn't stop eating. Finally we had a ricotta spinach empanada with a bean sauce, also fabulous. I would not call these small plates, I will order far less next time because we couldn't eat dessert! We took most of it home for lunch tomorrow. For 2 hungry people, 2-3 plates would have been plenty and we'd probably have leftovers still. Even with all that food and a half pitcher of one of the best sangrias we've had, we only spent about 50$- not a bad date night + tomorrow's lunch! We will be back very soon (assuming we can get a table)!
(5)Jean M.
Great paella and flan. Nice ambience and decor.
(4)Sheri H.
We've been here a couple of times and aside from some slight differences, it is the same restaurant as the ones up in the city. Same tacky plastic tablecloths, adorning decor and inconsistent neglected service, however, they take reservations and have the famous delicious food and cheap sangria, that comes to your table before you know it!! They do take reservations, however, my fiancee and I came on a Friday night at 7pm and waited for only 10 min, before we were seated. My favorite are the cajun shrimp, jerk chicken, plantains/black beans, calamari and fried potatoes, which are all absolutely mouth watering. It's a loud place with large crowds, dates and family events, so just be prepared for a mixed crowd.
(3)Lisa C.
Happy hour from 5-6pm. Arrive early to get a seat, but it didn't seem like a problem (at least on a Tuesday evening) since there were a few tables still open within that hour. The place filled up later into the evening though, after happy hour was over, with larger groups. $5 HH dishes and an entire of pitcher of sangria for $10. The HH menu had quite a few offerings. Good spot for HH specials.
(4)Ned L.
$14 for a small pitcher of sangria, huge servings, mouth-watering plantains, delicious fish.... What's not to like? Seriously, look at the globe. Do you know how far away Cuba is from San Mateo? The decor is brilliant. OK the closest I've ever been is Little Cuba in Miami, but for a little while I could imagine Havana. Sure the service is slow, but it's probably worse in Cuba. Just go with people you want to talk with and enjoy yourself.
(4)Patricia G.
Someone is lying here. Not sure who but when it's all said and don't, I have to admit that I don't care that much! lol When you come here and ask them, "are you guys the brother/sister restaurant to cha cha cha's in SF?" they instantly say yes. But when you ask the SF locations if they have a location in San Mateo, they say no? Is this a step child bitter rivalry of some sort? Either way, Sangria is delicious and inexpensive and the food is ALMOST identical (99.9%). The dishes are the same in size portions and in flavor but are called slightly different names. Cajun shrimp is still amazing regardless if I'm allergic to shrimp. I'll still dip my bread in that yummie goodness any day of the week. plantains are delish and so was the steak special. For the service, eh. Not the best but then again, you get your sangria and your food right? The ambiance isn't the same in comparison to the SF Haight or Mission location although they have tried to recreate it with the decor inside. But because I'm in Burlingame, I'll be back for that yummie goodness of the Cajun shrimp sauce.
(3)Hiromi M.
I dont know cuban food, but what we had were good. cajun shrimp and chicken quesadilla, and fried yuca. by looking at the menu, it does not seem to be authentic cuban food, but regardless, i liked what we had. happy hour (5-6p) is a good deal.
(4)Carlo M.
You ever meet a really fyyynnnne chick who had no personality? Unfortunately, this is what eating at Cha Cha Cha is like :( I guess Versaille in LA is my gauge on what good, flavorful Cuban food is. And this place doesn't even come close. I appreciate all big portions here, but not the big un-flavors. I'm serious. Where is the flavor? Bland,bland, bland!! No big citrus punch u in the face flavors here..Nothing remotely tropical. Not even simple salt!!! What a let down.. Love the interior of this place, (which will bring you back to Cuba, and then some..) But the food needs to catch up. The service was a let down also.
(2)Gabriela H.
Terrible! I was so sad last night. The food tasted nothing like the other two locations. We had the cajun shrimp which was runny and had been sitting under a heat lamp. The ceviche had zero flavor. Don't waste your time. HEad to the city to the other locations if you want good food.
(1)Chantal B.
Tonight was my first experience at Cha Cha Cha's in San Mateo; walked in on a whim. I had high hopes that unfortunately were just not met. I immediately noticed the very little organization/coordination between staff. I was directed to go to the back when asking for a to-go order, but when I arrived I was passed along to three people before I was asked without being offered a menu what I would like. Finally, I was handed what apparently was the "lunch" menu, although it was not marked as such, but was charged "dinner" prices. The wait was brief and I was offered a glass of water while waiting. When I arrived home I found the Arroz con Pollo to be lacking the rich flavor expected and contained entirely too many bell peppers. My all time favorite dish, platano frito con crema, was also an absolute disappointment. There was almost no "crema", thank goodness I asked for extra before leaving! The plaintains were CLEARLY not ripe as they were VERY firm and not sweet at all. All in all, I found the entire experience to be a disappointment and not worth the money. Hopefully, in a few more months when they have had more time to establish themselves I will find a better experience!
(2)Christie X.
Just as other Yelpers have said, the service at this location SUCKS. Both waiters were cold, unfriendly and dismissive. Don't the owners read these reviews? Don't they check Yelp? Do they care about losing potential returning customers because of this? If I was a business owner, especially in today's economy, I would care. I would pay attention. Hard working people have a choice where they want to spend their money and I refuse to give this establishment any of mine ever again. This place has the potential to be great, but unfortunately it leaves little to be desired. The limited menu doesn't help either.
(1)Lisa M.
I have always gone to the Cha3's in SF, and was happy to learn there was one in San Mateo. Same food, different vibe. I personally like the vibe in SF better. This one was quiet and less lively and decorated, but to me the food tasted the same. I love the pork quesadillas and the ceviche, and the plantains and black beans. Anyway- thank you cha cha cha for coming to San Mateo!!!
(4)K P.
Summary: Food = 5 stars (Yum!) Sangria = 5 Stars Greeting = 5 Stars Ambiance = 4 Stars Service = 1 Star First the bad part - After being seated by the friendly/gracious hostess, we waited ~20 minutes before a server came to the table. At this point, he uttered the only 6 words we heard from him all night "Would you like something to drink?" After ordering drinks and our meal, he ignored us the rest of the night. I saw the same behavior from him at his other tables too. Now the good part - the Sangria and bread came out right away (from other servers) and was super delicious (FYI - they have red AND white sangria). The Ceviche appetizer came quickly, and the entrees shortly after. All the meals here are great with lots of Cuban flavor and presence. The seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes are equally good. And the Ceviche is super! Go to this restaurant with relaxed friends, and you'll love it. You'll have lots of time to socialize while waiting. And the food is worth the wait! At the end of the meal, the check was offered without a Thank You.
(3)Carolina N.
This place is pretty awesome! As soon as I walked in I was already feeling happy and like I had arrived at the right place! The decor and feel of the restaurant was so warm and welcoming and very authentic. I came during happy hour and got a pitcher of their AMAZING sangria along with their yucca and calamari appetizer, both of which were also delicious. I have never tasted sangria better than what I had at Cha Cha Cha's and it's left me craving and wanting to go back for more. It had the perfect fruity flavor with a good kick of alcohol and I loved all the fresh fruit inside too. Their calamari was good, but nothing you can't get anywhere else which is why I ordered it... I was craving calamari! On the other hand the yucca with their cilantro-basil sauce was amazing. I'm waiting for Friday to come again so that I can catch their happy hour and try some more of their dishes! This place is awesome... I'm looking forward to bringing my family to this place very soon so that they can experience the deliciousness that I had the opportunity to taste!!!
(4)Jess C.
Date/Time: Saturday - 8:30pm Occasion: Saturday evening dinner with friends Party of: Five Location: In the heart of DT SM. Limited seating. high ceilings. Old spanish style look. Ordered: Ceviche, Camarones al ajillo (garlic shrimp), Potatoes with spicy aioli, calamari, fried plantains with black beans, steamed mussels, spicy chipotle chicken wings, garlic mushrooms, coconut flan (x2), and a pitcher of sangria. Total incl gratuity: ~$140.00 A group of us had been craving Cha Cha Cha for a few weeks and finally got the opportunity to go. We decided to venture over to the San Mateo one instead, in hopes of a shorter wait. We called about two hours ahead and made "reservations". When we arrived, we still waited about 15 minutes before being seated. Food was a hit or miss, no in between, in my opinion. My personal favorites of what we ordered: the ceviche, the garlic shrimp, the potatoes, and of course the mushrooms. Ceviche was perfectly tart and the seafood fresh. The garlic shrimp, although shrimp small in size, was very good. The garlic was agreeably palatable. Loved the potatoes; the aioli made for an awesome dipping sauce. We added the garlic mushrooms after the fact, before last call. Glad we did as those were so delicious. The calamari was flavorless to me so I was not impressed. The chicken wings were a little too tangy for my taste. I'm not a fan of plantains so enough said. Service is forgettable although I expected as much. This is the kind of place for good times with good friends so they really leave you to that. The servers checked on our table sporadically. This is more so a great place for the atmosphere, some eclectic dishes, and great sangria. Cheers!
(3)Ana B.
I truly wish there was a separate rating for food and service, because of careless, atrocious service this place is getting one star. Where to begin with this mess...... *We were greeted by a hostess dressed like she just woke up. *We didn't get menus and it took a while to get someone's attention to get them. *Had 4 different servers, one of them came over and offer us dessert when we haven't even ordered dinner, that's how unorganized they are. *Had our appetizers plates seating at our table forever until dinner arrived and of course there was no room for it . My food arrived first, 10 minutes later the rest of the dishes meanwhile we asked one of our 4 servers what was happening and nobody had a clue. I didn't have high expectations to begin with, but they seriously have zero costumer service here, I sensed that the staff is trying to be hippie and cool IT DOES NOT WORK it comes out as rude and neglectful attitude. I have to say that at least someone in the kitchen is doing a good job, the food was tasty and the ambiance of the place is lovely. But I don't think this is enough to come back.
(1)Jenny H.
Thank you food gods for bringing Cha Cha Cha to San Mateo! Big warning though...this place has been packed since it has opened. Even on a weekday finding a table can be hard, let alone on a weekend it's nearly impossible! Even with the crowds, I've manage to somehow come here twice. I have to say even with the spotty service and major crowds, It's all worth it for the food. The food here is right on par with the SF locations along with the sangria! My three favorite dishes still are the paella, creamy shrimp dish and the steamed mussels. Only thing I miss here is the bar and place is much smaller then the other Cha Cha Cha locations. Even with that, I still love this place! I'm defiantly going to be a frequent dinner here. I heard they also have happy hour here from 5-7 with half off sangria pitchers and $5 tapas. Next thing to try here!
(5)Tiffany K.
Came here on a Friday night with 6 other friends and ordered a bunch of tapas and of course 2 pitchers of Sangria!! Their Sangria was ok..wish it was a little sweeter. And I really like their fried potatoes with the sauce :). Alot of our plates had plantains...it seemed like they like to put plantains as a side for everything...So we had like almost 4 dishes with plantains..I was a bit overwhelmed by that...the sight of it. I mean it was good but too much! Overall, place is good but I prefer the places on Mission st in SF!!
(4)Travis L.
I was actually pretty disappointed with Cha Cha Cha. #1- it was hot as shit when we were inside- please add ventilation. #2- the Sangria's are the reason why people come here and it was just ok. #3- chicken wings were overcooked The only reason why this isn't a 1star is because the servers were nice.
(2)Zac Y.
Love there food! Every dish is great, specially the paella de mariscos, also very good customer service.
(5)Mark K.
Imposter. NOT the Cha Cha Cha that everyone knows about. Same owners though, but with a Cuban flare. Hence, Cha Cha Cha CUBA.
(3)Allison T.
Always a great experience at any of the Cha 3 locations and yes filled with sangria and good food. Service was a bit slow when I first sat down but once I got started ordering...they were no joke. Food came fast and water glass was always full. Our server was so fast with the sangria I didn't even notice that he had it poured out and sitting in front of me. As usual I order most of my favorites...my friends had to stop me since there was only 3 of us and I can very easily over order at any given time. We had the ceviche and both the shrimp appetizers but the cajun on is my favorite..extra bread please..to soak up all that sauce. We also had the crab croquettes and both the plaintain orders...yummy is all I have to say. As for the main entree we ordered the paella which is my all time favorite here...bugged them til it was on the menu and the rope vieja....delish. To finish off this delicious meal...we had the flan and bread pudding..haha I would have finished the bread pudding but I dropped my spoon figured it was a sign that I was eating too much. Wish I had the mango tango too but they didn't have it yesterday. I would have loved to order more items from their menu but we only had 3 people. Definitely would come back here and the place is very nicely decorated....could have fooled me into thinking there was an upstairs...check it out!
(5)Chris C.
Cha Cha Cha is very similar to the one in SF. The food is really good, especially the small bites like the mussles. calamari, wings and ceviche. Sangria is also a must. For Entrees my favorites are the Seafood Paella and the Pork Plates. Overall a great place to have fun, drink, and enjoy good Cuban food.
(4)ClosetDork ..
Love, love, love their Haight location. Glad that they decided to open one 5 mins away from work. Sad that sipping their infamous sangria was out of the question during a team lunch. Excited that there will be a happy hour organized here in a couple of weeks.
(4)Elena F.
So the rumor is the owner of the San Francisco locations opened this location for his son. Well "Son" lets learn from Daddy and get some employees in there that know what they're doing. Really... my only complaint is with the Host ( I guess that's what you call him) He has no idea how to sit people. We waited an 1/2 hour (which isn't that long) to be seated and when we asked how much longer he told us "after these people" which we were before. And when we told him that he still took them before us. He told us to sit at a table when it was available and when we did he never came back to give us menus. Oh yeah... and we asked to get a pitcher of Sangria while we waited and it never came. Then after we sat he brought a pitcher of Sangria to a bunch of OTHER people that were waiting for a table. Dude just doesn't know whats going on. The food was great... Came fast and hot. The waiters were cool and attentive. It's just that damn Host.
(3)Dave N.
This place is A-okay! The prawns portion was smallish, as was the mussels, but the ropa vieja was good and generous in size. The prices are right and the service was good. We will be back.
(4)Angelique J.
I'm so happy Cha Cha Cha has a new site. I enjoy that the San Mateo bridge has no traffic vs the Bay Bridge and hella traffic. The place is small and no bar bit they still have sangria. The menu is done different but they still have the same food and some new items like crab. It was okay but my husband liked it. I enjoyed that it wasn't crowed and when it did get busy the wait wasn't long as I observed. I'm going to Cha Cha Cha San Mateo from now on. The area was like a mini Palo Alto minus the nice homes and Apple Store and parking is free after 6 in the parking lot.
(5)Erica C.
Sooooooo disappointing. The decor is absolutely adorable and the packed restaurant seemed promising but the food was just ok and the service was terrible. Three of our dishes arrived at the same time and the 4th dish came out 20 minutes later. While we were taking a break between bites, the busboy came by and whisked away our plates without even asking if we were done. You would think that since they rushed to clear our table, they were in a rush to turn over our table but no... it took another 20 minutes to get our check. Lame.
(2)Stefanie M.
We usually visit the ones in the city and were happy when this one opened. This is a great place to go for date night or girls night out. Food is great and portions make it easy to try different items and share. I just wish there was a full bar and more seating. I highly recommend this place
(4)RoastNBoil L.
Oh boy another restaurant claiming to be Caribbean but doest quite get it...one star as the decor is really cute...had the salmon with yellow rice and black beans. The salmon had no flavor and rice was tough or under cooked. Also tried the jerk chicken which was a lame attempt at jerk chicken...um the fried plantains were good....yeah wont be back...maybe its good enough for drinks and appetizers.
(1)Ali A.
2 stars for food; 1 for service. Had been sitting for almost 15 minutes before we were given a menu, much less water. Two different servers were not friendly--neither smiled and both seemed fairly impatient--as if we were bothering them by being there. Black beans and plantains - great! Ceviche - ok Mussels - broth was good, but we had a few bad mussels Calamari -heavy on the batter w/not much seasoning Sure the sangria was cheap, but it was terrible! Nothing like the sangria at the Haight location. (Are they REALLY sister restaurants?!) The chances of giving this resto a second chance is pretty slim.
(1)Elena D.
i was very excited to try cha cha cha cuba...had some friends coming in from out of town - made reservations 5 days prior. The day of our reservation - I got a call 2 hours before our time slot - only to be told that they do not take reservations for a party of 4 - and that my reservation was not valid - they would not accomodate the mistake made by one of the employees there (the hostess said one of the cooks must have taken the reservation not knowing their rules) needless to say - we had to find another place to have dinner that would "accomodate" us...in a world where customer service is everything...this blew me away...their mistake...and yet...they wouldn't honor the reservation.
(1)Sandy H.
It was tasty! We got seafood paella and the day's special, seafood in tomato based broth. It was a bit pricey, $50 for 2 entrees and a beer, but might be because we ordered 2 seafood dishes. Would definitely return to cha cha cha. :)
(4)Gabriela D.
I was very disappointed. Both the service and the food were awful. I ordered the plantains, they were cold and super dry. I was really looking forward to having dinner here since I love the one in on Haight street but its not the same. We went on late New Years Day so maybe thats why the service was bad but then don't open if you don't want to work. I'll try this place one more time to see if it was just a one time thing but we'll see.
(2)Mitzie R.
Pure ignorance! How does an employee fail to realize or remember that they are closed on July 4th? I made reservations for a party of 12 for my husbands birthday and they call me on July 2nd to let me know that they're not going to be open??? Then the moron asks if I' d like to reschedule and offers me a free sangria. Really??? How about you stick that sangria up your A$$.
(1)Maria E.
Having a Cuban husband means that we are always on the hunt for great Cuban style food we have driven up and down the city and ofcourse one of our favorites is Cha cha cha in SF when I found out that there was going to be a new cha cha cha in San Mateo I made sure to have a small birthday party for my hubby and boy was he excited and so were our friends who live in the area and really feel grateful that they no longer have to drive to the city for great cha cha cha food. We were greeted warmly and seated right away our waiter was funny and very entertaining also the decor was very different than the cha cha cha's in the city you feel as if you are seating in the court yard of some Cuban neighbor hood and my hubby got a kick out of the balsa on the wall he couldn't get over it when the food started to arrive we could only hope that the look of the place was the only thing different and we were so happy to report that the excellence of the flavors were not changed we tried the seafood paella and the crab croquetas and lots of our usual favorite dishes and the sangria lots and lots of sangria needless to say we had a great time. I found out that they have a private room and my birthday is coming up so everyone will know were to find me So like the commercial says Food out of this world good Ambiance fun fun fun lively the music will make you want to get up and dance Total experience priceless
(5)Roseanne F.
Great food, best sangria on the Peninsula! All around good service. One of my favorite date spots for sure.
(4)Richard R.
This place is small for a person that eats with his elbows on the table but the food is legit. Sangria will get you twisted and make everything taste better. Paella is way nice and tapas were on point.
(4)Vaishali S.
3.5 stars for the Happy Hour! The pitcher of sangria was really good and really cheap. $5 tapas were also pretty good sized portions...we got the calamari, yuka frites, and tostones. They were decent, could have used a little more flavor. I'd like to go back to try the paella and some other tapas.
(3)Alan P.
Great food. Had pork which just fell apart from being so moist with plantains and rice. Curry flavored empanadas very good
(4)Leilani A.
Awesome!! Came with super low expectations based on the reviews but was blown away by service AND food! Croquetas, sangria, ceviche and jerk chicken were out of this world and the service was top. We will definitely be back.
(5)Catherine k.
I had recently been to Cha Cha's my first experience was hands down good , good food and yes the sangria was the BOMB.. My group was about 8 of us and had good service . My second visit here we had a crowd of 20 or so and was seated downstairs which took away from all the loudness of upstairs music could have been turned down a bit, Food was excellent as always but I have to say the customer service was hands down terrible our waitress didnt understand that we wanted two seprate checks on top of it all a few other people had orded food that never came and was still charged to our bill , make matters worse when a few other people from the party had paid there portion your customer service took it upon herself to add everyones checks together without telling us . to our surprise our bill started off at around 200 and came back modifed to as she said to 400 WTF .. I hate to say there was a language barrier between or waiteress and getting things correct in the first place. Other then that i would go back for thesimple fact the food is good and cant forget the Sangria
(3)Stephen C.
This is a great place with delicious food. I recently moved up to San Mateo, and this has been one of our top 3 places. It would have been five stars, but they just recently changed up their menu, and are now substituting boring white rice on meals they used to serve with delicious congri. I was greatly disheartened to learn this fact, but I believe you can still substitute it in (for added cost). The sangria is good, the plantains are delicious, the environment is wonderful, it's a pretty great place! Also, no longer open for lunch (except Sundays). Very sad.
(4)Leya L.
I.5 stars is more like it. My husband and I waited nearly 2 hours for a table after the waiter told us the wait would be 45 minutes. We thought it would be worth it. When we finally sat down, I felt like the waiter wanted to rush us out of there as quickly as possible. I barely got a chance to spit out my order, and he was off. It took me 5 tries to get a straw for my drink...and even longer to get silverware. The waiter didn't bother apologizing that our food arrived before our silverware, he was just rolling his eyes and seemed irritated at whoever had forgotten to give it to us in the first place. The only time he asked us if we were okay is when we were already eating. Where the heck were you when I asked for a straw 5 times and my husband wanted a glass for his beer?? While my husband was in the restroom, I tried to surprise him by paying the bill. The surprise was on me when my credit card was charged nearly double what it should have been. My husband ended up straightening it out with the waiter, and the surprise was over. Absolutely and totally not worth it!
(2)Michael G.
I was wanting this to be good but it wasn't. Went on a Thursday- they close at 9 even though they were full. They don't have Cuban coffee. It is a little expensive and that would be OK if the food was fresh and tasty; but it wasn't. La Viga in Redwood City is a much better way to spend your money-although I am aware it is not exactly the same thing...
(2)Nestor O.
We were curious to try a Cuban twist on tapas, so we went to Cha Cha Cha Cuba despite some of the warnings we read on Yelp about problems with forgotten orders and poor service. That was a decision we would regret. The restaurant was busy. We were seated after about a 30 min wait. Service was initially brisk, but reasonable. Menus and drinks came out quickly. After we ordered, our appetizers came out in a reasonable time. Food was comparable to what you might expect from Cha Cha Cha in SF. After 20 min or so, our waiter came to clear our appetizer plates and we told him that we were still waiting for our paella. He never came to our table again. After that, plates weren't cleared and water was never refilled. After close to 45 min (we tried to be patient because good paella typically takes time), we mentioned the missing entree to another waiter who checked in to see if we wanted desert. He was apologetic after learning that our entrée order never went in. Rather than start the clock on another entrée wait, we cut our losses and made it to Pancho Villa just before closing time. Two stars may be generous as we spent two hours on this place and still had to go elsewhere for dinner. But it's hard to mess up fried food. I definitely wouldn't recommend going here until the owners/managers make some changes to ensure consistent, decent service. Having waiters write down orders and check on a table more than once every 30-45 minutes would be a good start.
(2)Anna C.
Awesome food, great & fast service. You'll be crazy not to try this place, w/friends or a date.
(5)Karrie F.
I came here for the first time on a Friday night because it is always busy and the decor looks really cute but I had a bad experience. Hostess and server were unfriendly and very lazy. I guess they ran out of a few wines and they didn't have any of the pork entree dish I was eyeing. I settled on this shrimp tapas and it was basically cooked frozen shrimp heated up in a creamy spiced tomato dish. Not good. The server didn't even acknowledge us the rest of the night so we ended up leaving after having only one tapas!
(2)Rigo C.
I was thrilled to see that one of my favorite restaurants in SF had opened in my area. I decided to go check it out this past weekend and I did not leave disappoint! The food and sangria were amazing. We shared a lot of plates from the menu and everything was terrific.
(5)Paul C.
3 stars for the food. Good, but not "to die for". We had the plantains, mushroom for appetizers - both were very good, geneous portions. We had the paella and bistec. The paella was a bit watery, but had a nice flavor and fairly generous with seafood. The bistec was ok, nothing special. The service is slow and we had to flag down the waiter for everything, to order, to get our check etc.
(3)Lisa C.
My significant other and I came here on a Tuesday for a spur of the moment date night. We came in around 8pm and the place was decently busy. (Not all of the tables were taken. There was a larger group that did show up after us...) ORDER: We ordered three tapas and two entrees. TAPAS: ceviche, camarones alajillo, and ensalada de spinach. ENTREES: bistek encebollado and paella. It was a lot of food for the two of us, but I would order almost all of it again! (I didn't care for the camarones alajillo. The shrimp in butter was not very interesting to me.) We made only a dent in the food and took the rest home. Lunch at work was never more delicious the next day as I packed the leftovers for my midday meal. SERVICE: The food came out very quickly. The service was great. The waiter was very attentive. We were too full to order dessert. I will definitely try the flan and a glass of sangria next time I go back!
(4)Shane R.
atmosphere is relaxed and fun. got the chicken wings, spicy shrimp, calamari, and empanadas. overall, everything was just low on taste. shrimp was fresh. calamari didnt seem as fresh. have definitely had better tapas.
(3)karisa r.
Glad I took the time to hunt for parking to get take out from this place! Staff was fantastic from the moment I walked in-was greeted promptly & professionally. Loved the inside decor; wonderful interior made you feel like maybe you weren't in San Mateo, Ca for a few moments. Music was perfect; festive but not too loud. My take out order was correct(woo-hoo) once I got home & the food was AMAZING!!!!! Calamari melted in my mouth, garlic shrimp was delish, etc. Yum! Yum! Highly recommend & can't wait to go there again! Not sure why, but I LOVED the exotic, painted dancing female on the door. Great way to enter/exit this place! Cost seemed appropriate for what I ordered, not expensive.
(5)Pammy J.
Maaan everything here was GOOOOOD! My 1st for Cuban food & I am definitely sold. Of course started off with some guava juice (yumm!); ordered the salmon filet which did not disappoint at all. Recommend this place!!
(4)Joanne M.
you know when you go to a restaurant and you can tell right away from the super dim light that it is going to be loud as h*** in there? well this is cha cha cha, but without the sexiness or dimed light, just loud. like abnormally loud. the sangria is delicious and really strong (three girls, 1 pitcher= knocked us out!). Although they just have this huge tub of sangria at the back where you can see it just sitting there all night without a lid, that's a bit questionnable. The food was good. My chicken main didn't come with any sides, so remember to order some unless you are low card and just want to eat straight up chicken. I give them a four because of their delicious sangria.
(4)D G.
I have been here twice for dinner now, and the food is pretty good. The first time that I was here the dining area and front door were packed with people who were eating and those waiting to be seated. The staff seemed overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with the mayhem. The service that night was pretty bad, it took about 20 mins to get a waiters attention just to order drinks, and the rest of the evening went on like this. So the second time, I expected the service to be much better since there were only a total of 7 diners siting at 3 different tables around the restaurant, and this included my table of three. After seating ourselves I looked to the back to see where all the waiters were, and noticed that they were all standing by the kitchen window and had not taken notice of us even walking in and grabbing a table. I tried; unsuccessfully, to wave one of them over. At one point I saw one of them actually carrying a pitcher of water a few tables away, here was my chance to get his attention, he had to see us. I waved and called out, but nothing. No reaction at all, almost as if they were walking around wearing blinders and a bad case of tunnel vision. Finally, after about 15 mins we had a waiter table-side, we proceded to rattle off our drink and food orders all at once so as not having to wait for him to appear again. All the drinks and food arrived all at once and we dug in, but did not have anyone come back to refill our water glasses or anything unless we went out of our way to let the staff know. We had to ask twice for someone to pack our leftovers, and that took a while. We even had to flag them down for the check, and the place wasn't even busy! Bottom line, good food but horrible service. I for one, will not be back!
(2)B. D.
I can finally get my Cha Cha Cha fix in the peninsula!!!! Awesome! I'd love to keep this place a secret! Can't wait for the full bar! Def celebrating my birthday here!
(5)San F.
Met some girlfriends here for a light dinner and had a good time. However, compared to the ones in SF this was like a "Cha Cha Cha express". It seemed to me the menu was a bit consolidated to limited items and the place was pretty small. I would still come back and glad there is one in San Mateo, which is closer to me than the city...but compared to the other locations..it's obviously not the same.
(3)Renee C.
Went here with the hubby and another couple. The four of us split the garlic mushrooms, garlic shrimp, spinach salad, and steak dish (skirt steak? can't remember, but it's on the dinner menu, not the tapas menu). That and two beers was $61. Not bad for great food, decent service, and a quick, tasty pre-movie meal. This would be a great place to go with a larger group to taste more items, but we were all thoroughly satisfied with what we had. Everything was good, but extra high marks for the mushrooms and the fried yucca that accompanied the steak - super crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, like french fries, but better. Also made good delivery mechanism for the yummy garlicky sauces if you don't do bread. I don't get too worked up about the kind of oil food is cooked in when I go out, so I can't vouch for that, but otherwise, pretty Paleo perfect if you can manage to skip the bread.
(4)Anna L.
I was here last night with a friend on the tail end of happy hour, and we were pleased to get the $5 fried potatoes with spicy aioli, $5 mixed salad, $5 pork quesadilla and paid the regular price for the Cajun shrimp--all very yummy, but the WAIT SERVICE SUCKED! The waiter brought only one menu for the two of us, never asked if we wanted more to eat or drink, never refilled out water, and we had to ask him THREE TIMES for our check in between which he took forever to actually bring it. As we're about to leave the restaurant, he stopped us, saying he gave us the wrong check, and we returned to pay......all the while fuming. I couldn't in good conscience not tip him though we almost walked out of the restaurant in frustration and will probably never come to the San Mateo Cha Cha Cha though I would patronize the one in the Mission or the Haight.
(2)Ian S.
i was actually pretty excited when I found out that they were opening a cha cha cha here in San Mateo. i usually go to the one on Haight Street but that place is always packed everyday of the week as well as the one on mission. I came here last night and to my suprise the place was empty. It was a Monday after all and I missed the happy hour already. The food was excellent I definitely recommend the seafood paella and the arroz con pollo was good too. Definitely a good place to bring a date if your feeling a little ethnic food
(4)JasNen M.
Sangria is a bit weaker in alcohol compared to the 2 locations in SF. Take advantage of the happy hour they have on weekdays where the sangria is half off and some selected items on the menu. It's never crowded so service is quick. Food is delicious.
(5)Jay S.
ChaChaCha took the place of Macchu Pichu... and its just as good, probably better. A livelier, younger crowd. Service was very good. Waiter was very attentive and the hostess came back and asked what we liked. We loved the tapas... the calamari was covered in a light battered and perfectly fried. It was not greasy at all. The chicken curry empanada came with a good size salad that was tossed in a light dressing... it was not creamy, similar to an Italian but not vinaigrette.While I liked the empanada, I did not taste curry. The mussels in a saffron-like sauce with a bit of cut up cilantro and tomatoes along with some chili flakes were perfect with the bread. I drink every bit of that soupy sauce. The frites was probably my least favorite probably because I prefer good old american fries but it was still good. The bbq quesadilla was very meaty and big enough for a meal for a lighter eater. The guacamole and salsa was served along the side. Yum, especially the guacamole... The steak dinner with onions and rice piled on top was plentiful. The steak was perfectly cooked and very tasty. The chicken with rice dish was good but the chicken was a little dry and still very tasty. All in all I think the flavoring of the food is very good and definitely looking forward to coming back.
(4)Lisa O.
I've been to the location in SF many times and when I saw this opened up I was excited but wary that it wouldn't be the same quality food. I was delighted to find that the food and sangria were the same minus the long wait. Score! The place is smaller and doesn't have the full bar like the one in SF but it's closer to where I live and parking is so much easier (unless you go on a Friday night). My favorites are: -Cajun shrimp - love dipping my bread in that sauce! -Ceviche -Paella -Sauteed mushrooms with white wine and garlic -Sangria (DUH!) I've also had the calamari, the plantains and the potatoes which are all tasty. I always love going to the SF location but this spot is so much more convenient for me. I'll definitely be back!
(4)Denise N.
Celebrated my birthday lunch here on Sat. Food was DELICIOUS! Although, the ambiance isn't nearly the same as the SF locations....I came here for the food! The service was decent. I'm happy that they have a new location!!!!! Things we ordered: Sangria fried potatoes x2 pailliard chicken x2 pollo quesadilla x2 spinach salad rice and beans pulled pork mushrooms x2 it was a lot of food....we didn't bring home a lot of left overs! Tip was included in the bill and there were only 5 adults and a child in our group. We'll be back!
(5)Shamra R.
As I read the reviews for this restaurant I noticed people referring to the SF locations. This is not Cha Cha Cha, this is "Cha Cha Cha Cuba". This is a completely different restaurant and not affiliated with the SF Cha Cha Cha at all. The name is similar which confuses people into trying it but it is a totally different restaurant with the the same type of cultural food. This is not another location of the SF Cha Cha Cha, which is why the food is not as good.
(3)Linda D.
This was my first visit and will be my last! The staff was very disorganized and the food was bland. The thing that ticked me off the most is that the waitress had the audacity to come to our table and ask if we could leave because people were waiting. We had only been there an hour and had a $75 bill. Horrible customer service you never ever do that unless you want to lose customers.
(1)Kelley H.
Seafood pallella is bomb!! Ceviche was bomb!!!! Sangria was really sweet for my likings maybe because I'm a fan of red wine and don't like my drinks sweet. It was so-so, but plus side is they have happy hour and offer pitchers! One star minus because the waiters are not so friendly.
(4)Tigger E.
My family and I were soooo excited to eat here as first timers yesterday. I guess they're not consistent. First, the service is so bad.. they were serving food to the wrong table. The lady sitting right across our table was not totally happy at all because of their service. My husband's order took forever, same thing, we saw the server who was so clueless what table to put it. Anyway, I was expecting their food was amazing after reading all the reviews. Not at all, first...they were served in small iron casket pans..really small for $10.00 ( Had I known it, we should have gone to Crepevine or Urban Bistro in Burlingame) But we wanted to try a different one this time..Totally disappointed. My husband ordered special for the day which was the papellenos or fried mashed potates with ground beef. They were served like 3 pcs of the size of Chinese sesame balls with NO ground beef at all , it was GROUND BEEF PASTE. FOR $10.00, we dont mind paying but at least they should have said ground beef paste not ground beef. NOT GOING back here in this overrated, overpriced restaurant with poor service. We just wasted our money and time here. Burlingame is a lot pricey area, but still they have restaurants who serve food with fresh ingredients and generous servings for $10.00 and under. My daughter ordered shrimp with a runny sauce, very poor presentation and the flavor is below average, small serving again for $10.00. My pollo ala jerk, was salty and no white meat at all..I dont care if there was no white meat but it was very salty. We've gone to Back a yard in Menlo Park, this resto is way better than them also serving carribean food. I wont mind driving 15 miles or waste my gas for a good food but Back a yard has better service, reasonably priced with generous servings.
(1)Dan Z.
Ok, I will be honest...my staple is ChaChaCha in SF, but hey, I live in San Mateo so why not try the local joint! Me and the wife got here and were immediatly seated and the service was on point! Sangria was nice and the tapas were all as I remembered in SF. I love the service and the atmosphere! People having a good time and drinks flowin! Will be back for sure to get our drink and grub on!
(4)B M.
I'm Cuban and I think the food is fabulous and authentically Cuban with a little bit of Spanish flavor. I prefer this restaurant location than the one in San Francisco. In San Mateo the street parking can be challenging but there are 2 public parking lots near by. I LOVE CHA CHA RESTAURANT!!!!!
(5)Mary N.
Twelve of us went for lunch today. Service was great, food was fantastic. We ordered several dishes, shared them all and couldn't pick a favorite. Really liked the sangria. Thought the cost was more than fair for the amount and quality of the food and service. Will definately go again.
(5)Annabelle P.
Came here tonight with my 2 besties since we heard they opened a 3rd location in the Peninsula. The place was busy but we didn't have to wait so that was a plus. The decor was nice and colorful, reminiscent of the Caribbean, and I liked the little balconies on the wall. We ordered what we would usually order at CCC's in the city: warm spinach salad, calamares, lechon asado, mussels, and the fried potatoes. We were a bit disappointed with the spinach salad since it didn't come warm at all. The calamares were good but I didn't like the aioli....it tasted like fishy mayo, not sure what that was. The fried potatoes were good and so was the accompanying sauce. The mussels were hot and tender but we wished we had more bread to sop up the soupy goodness. The lechon asado was so yummy and so tender; the meat melted in my mouth...it came with rice & beans and fried plantains. The food, overall, was good...pretty big portions for tapas and reasonably priced. We left CCCC's full and still had food to go. I wouldn't mind going back again to try the other dishes.
(4)kristin t.
This palce makes me wanna cha cha cha!! Love the food, service is excellent!! Olay!
(5)L M.
The service was slow, the food was bland, some of the food was cold. I really wanted to like this place. I will not be coming back.
(2)Johnny D.
I had dinner here tonight and I was very disappointed with the food and the service. I had high hopes because I love Cuban food and it's difficult to find them in the Peninsula. First and foremost, their menu is so tacky. The selection is very limited and the price is ridiculously high for what it is. I had the ropa vieja, which was actually decent (that's for the 2 star rating). The other dish we ordered was the lechon asado, which was nothing to brag about. Our waiter recommended the spicy shrimp in Cajun sauce for appetizer. It was awful. They charged $9 for 6 frozen small sized shrimps. And worst of all, the Sangria was horrible. It wasn't even cold. And the waiters are pretty lazy, just standing there talking to each other, not paying any attention to their customers. I will definitely pass on this restaurant in the future. Not worth my time or money
(2)Patrick F.
Sangria was awesome, though kinda pricy food was delicious even though they forgot part of our order. They were understaffed but it was busy for a Wednesday all in all I'm for sure making this a regular spot
(4)Lyne N.
Love this place! The servers were terrific and the food, delicious! They put some thought into the decor, giving it a Cuban "den" feel, though I wish they would let me redo their window, which does nothing to entice newcomers. Compared to the Cuban food I've had, this is spot on and the prices are great.
(4)Laura P.
After having visited the sf Haight location and loved it, I visited their location in San Mateo which is closer to where I live. we went there just before happy hour was ending at 6:00pm so we managed to order half off sangrias witch were delicious and quite strong. I ordered my favorite tapas on the menu, the cajun shrimp in a delicate cajun cream sauce. Delish! we dipped our bread in the creamy sauce, trust me the sauce is worth the trip. we also ordered the snow crab croquettes with a cilantro dipping sauce and they were good too, a little salty my fiancee noted. but still good. then for the main dish we ordered the seafood paella, which was perfectly cooked with shrimp, muscles, scallops, sausage, fish, peas.olives, bell peppers and onions married happily in saffron rice... same tastes as their original location very close to home.... definitely try their cajun shrimp and paella. you wont be disappointed.
(4)Dolce Vita V.
Pros: It's in San Mateo!! Delicious food Reasonable prices Great music No Santeria alters like the one on Height st. Cons: Don't go for the service. I went on a Tuesday night, they had two staff only which did the following: host, waiter, bus tables No greeting upon arrival, we requested a booth and we were told to wait then the server went to the kitchen, someone else sat us 5 minutes later and he didn't want to give us the booth. Slow service Basically lacking customer service. We ordered the following and highly recommend it: Bistek encebollado (sirloin steak): Amazing flavors with a little hint of a hot pepper. Garlic prawns: delicious but small - med size prawns and 7 come in the order. Rice & beans platter - yum! yellow rice & black beans Platanos: generous portion Calamari: very good! Great place for food and music just expect bad service and try to ignore it. I'm still glad they're in town!
(4)g s.
First time I had Cuban food as we didn't want to wait in line for the Old Town Sushi place around the corner. The food was really good. The braised pork and plantains were delish.
(4)Lisa H.
This place has the best sangria I've ever tasted. Also, a must try is their cajun shrimp and calamari. I haven't had anything here that I didn't like! This place can get pretty loud, but that is not why it's lacking a star. I'm not giving a full 5 stars because sometimes the service can be pretty bad, where you wait just for a waiter to take your order and wait forever for the check, even though it isn't busy at all. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for a great cajun restaurant. I probably go here every few months with friends, and it is definitely one of my top favorite restaurants! I wish they had one a little closer to where I live, (or maybe that's a good thing because then I would be going all the time)! I must also say that I've never been to the one in SF, so I can't compare the 2 locations. This was my first restaurant that I've eaten Cuban food at, and I was extremely impressed. The prices are great too!
(4)Mike U.
My lady and I where visiting from San Diego and we had a wonderful time visiting this place. To start off the staff was extreamly helpful and they filled up our sangria cups everytime they saw it was less than half way full and keep in mind it was a busy Friday evening. My lady and I had Jerk chicken, muscles, paela, mushroom, cajun shrimp and I have never had muscles but I have to admit it was delicioso!!!!!! By the time my lady and I left not only did we feel like family but we will definetly be comeing all the way to San Mateo from Frisco everytime we visit.
(5)Margie C.
I came here over the weekend for dinner on a Saturday night. The atmosphere was good, not too loud. We ordered the calamari, chicken curry empanada, 2 sangrias and the paella. The food was mostly good, the calamari was really hot and fresh tasting. The empanada was meh.. the inside was still a little cold.. and it didnt' taste that great, like the salad it came with better. The sangrias are generally delicious and strong tasting very fruity too.. the Paella was ok as well.. very hot but I found it to be not that flavorful, although there was plenty of seafood in it. The service was bad.. bsically you have to flag someone down for every little thing.. to order, to get water/napkins, to order more food, to get the check.. to pick up the check.. no one really comes to your table unless you ask them or wave them down .. the second thing was the HEAT.. omg this restaurant felt like a boiler.. i was sweating while I ate and when they opened the door.. i was trying to breathe in for as long as I could !
(3)Melissa W.
Updated menus, now tapas and dinners are clearly differentiated! So, here's that star. Thanks!!!
(5)Cecilia G.
Love/Love the sangria. Food is pretty good. Happy Hour sucks: it ends at 5 pm. In all my life, in all my travels, never have I encountered a Happy Hour that starts at 4 pm and ends at 5 pm, with erroneous hours posted outside the restaurant and printed on the menu. I wasn't happy, but after two glasses of that sangria, I let it go.
(3)liss c.
Food is good. Calamari, ropa vieja, mussels, paella, sangria, spinach and chicken salad. I would def come back for more. :)
(5)Cecilia K.
so glad I do not have to drive to san francisco for cuban food
(4)Nana C.
Was so excited to see CHA CHA CHA in San Mateo. I LOVE CHA CHA CHA on Haight!!!!!!!!!!! So sad that San Mateo, the food is not always great, the service is HORRIBLE!!!!!! I really do not understand how they managed to mess up the Sangria!!! .... Really putting the name to shame people!!!
(2)Jim M.
Food was okay but based on service we'd probably choose not to come back. There were only 4 tables occupied while we were eating. We tried to catch the waiter to get our bill. Caught his eye, he didn't come over. Asked for the bill, he never delivered. After 30 minutes, the other server brought our bill.
(2)Rochelle P.
Surprisingly good and inexpensive...sangria was delish, roasted pork was juicy and fork-tendered (picky 4 yr old gobbled it up!), roasted potatoes looked burnt at first, but ended up being crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, combined with the yummy sauce, carb coma! As others had mentioned, service is SUPER slow (didn't seem to have anything to do with being a Saturday night, as two other tables orders were taken before ours), but would go back for the food and to avoid the commute to SF :)
(4)Cynthia N.
Tried the new Cha Cha Cha and the food was great. The plantains were yummy and the Arroz con Pollo was great. As many others have said, I was very happy after one sangria, imagine what a whole pitcher would do! Can't wait to go back! Too bad they don't have a bar like the other Cha Cha Chas...!
(4)Sarah R.
The atmosphere here is not nearly as good as the one in the mission. The sangria had not fermented as much as in the city but the four of us still managed to have 2 pitchers! Our favorite dishes are the mushrooms, the jerk chicken and the spicy shrimp. We are excited to have a location closer to home but we are still waiting for all of the kinks to be worked out at this new location.
(3)claudia p.
We went to have dinner and we all liked it a lot, we liked the food, the service, and the decor. We had paeya, chicken jerk, shrimp, tostones, hongos al jeres, and of course the sangria. The food flavour was as good as the one in the city, the decor and the parking is better here, and the service was very good too. We have no complaints, we will go back again soon.
(5)M R.
A group of us came to CCC's last week for dinner. We didn't have to wait for a table because we got there before 6pm. Our waiter needs to go to waiter school or something or he needs to find another job as he didn't smile and it seemed as if he wasn't happy to be there. But I disregarded that because I came for the food. We ordered some tapas, the potatoes were good, tostones were too dry and the calamari no comment from the group. I didn't taste it because I don't eat calamari. I ordered ropa vieja...it was ok. I've tasted better because I have a friend who's Cuban and makes a mean ropa vieja. Arroz con pollo was ok the rice was pretty good, croquetas I didn't hear my friend who ordered them rave about them. She has good culinary taste by the way so I'm guessing it was just ok. Salmon was ordered and it was ok and the jerk chicken... no comment from my other friend. So...just ok. I think I'm spoiled because I've tried really good authentic cuban food food prepared at home. But for restaurant food I guess its just ok. I'm willing to go again to see if the next time it is beyond ok. Ok?
(2)Amanda R.
So we went, we had a pitcher of sangria, and the usual we always order at Cha Cha Cha in the city - camarones, papas fritas, platanos frtios with frijoles....mmmmm.... same good food! Love that it's down the street from my house and happy hour 50% off sangria before 6pm is awesome!!!!!! oh but they should fix their website....
(5)Jay B.
Yes yes, finally! First time I ate at Cha cha cha in Haight, it left a impressionable taste in my palate. I was elated to find out that it would not be much of a drive to visit Cuba in B street. For two people we ordered Fried Calamari - nothing exciting Steamed black Mussels - the soup base - Mmmm with dipping the bread in the soup... Oh man just delish! and the shredded beef with their rice and olives - flavorful still had leftovers to take home. ***Tends to get busy*** ***Seating arrangements tight squeeze*** if you have a big booty, forget it you'll be knocking someones food over ***Underground seating****
(4)Terry C.
Drafting this review as events occur tonight. Like most of my restaurant reviews, I free flow it. We entered. Noticed they were busy and understaffed immediately. The place was nearly full, only two servers, and three groups waiting. Oddly slammed for a Wednesday evening. We were finally seated and the menu was easy to comprehend and order from. Server was helpful with our questions, but could tell he was rushed because of the original understaffed observation above. Our table ordered the infamous pitcher of house Sangria that other reviews raved about. It tasted great but the balance of alcohol to fruity taste was off. The alcohol was a tiny bit overpowered in the mix compared to other Sangria's I've had at restaurants before. It was lacking an included berry taste to be honest, as this had more of a prominent apple/citrus. Still it wasn't bad. Although I can't imagine alcoholics or those looking for a quicker buzz goal minding this. The real shocker was that pitcher cost $25. Mind you the Sangria pricing and an aforementioned happy hour was not listed anywhere visible, nor on the menu. Never have I paid that much for a pitcher of fruit and cheap red wine mixed together. Our food arrives. Correction... all my friend's food arrives--not mine. I'm patient so I waited considering how busy they were. Then I became concerned when my friends were all finished eating and waiting on me. Awkward! We had to finally flag our server down and tell him that I never received my food. The server didn't even say sorry or acknowledge the situation, just walked away. ***They either forgot to make my order or the kitchen never received it.*** Finally my food arrives long after reminding the server about it and waiting for it to be made--by this time the tone was already set and still... ...no apology My late dish itself was roasted chicken, black beans, yellow rice, red pepper, garnished with cilantro and light sour cream drizzle. It was tasty but somewhat bland overall in that home cooked meal kind of way that only a tired Cuban housewife working two jobs and doesn't feel like going all out for her family on a Wednesday night kind of way. The chicken mainly smelled slightly sour and looked grey and slimy inside. The rest of the beans and rice was great. The most telling issue was this. If someone at your table says their dish needs salt, pepper or season for their dish (which all confident restaurants do not need at their tables) is a subtle killing complement to the cook of ones meal. Then YOUR restaurant shouldn't be thinking that highly of themselves yet (ie. overcharging inexpensive fruit/wine mix that nearly every table had mass produced on the cheap). I wouldn't recommend my experience if not for hearing this place was still in its soft opening. Perhaps another visit may change this. But for now overpriced Sangria, forgetting my order, fairly bland dish, and absolutely NO apology with a substantial tip from my friends felt like a huge slap in the face and sloppy start to an experience at a new restaurant.
(2)Scott M.
I have no words to describe the bad service we got at this place, I was speechless and still am trying to write this review. Long story short, end up at this place not by choice. Met another couple for dinner, from the moment you walk in the door you can sense the "we do not give a shit about your business attitude " greeted by a hostess who seemed extremely bother to be doing " her job " . The rest of the night just made me wonder how is it possible for a place like this to be open in this economy . I probably should of waited to cool down to yelp them. Don't go there, if you care about the food which was good and sorta saved the night order to go if the hostess is in the mood to pick up the phone and write .
(1)lauren j.
I should have took it as a sign that it was noon on a Sunday and this place was empty. Met some friends for lunch here and was FAR from impressed. I have been to the SF locations many times and I find those to be semi-mediocre as well, but this one was just plain bad. Service was okay, but when our food did come, servers were nowhere to be seen- not once did they check on us and our water glasses remained empty the entire lunch. Food wasn't good. Most of the dishes we ordered we bland and tasteless. Crispy Calamari w/ Aioli- had zero taste, even the aioli didn't help. i guess it wouldn't help anyways since it tasted like plain mayo. gross. I mean, how do you mess up calamari?! Ceviche- tasty because of the lime juice, but still not impressive. Braised Shredded Beef- this was my favorite dish if I had to pick one Chicken Wings- Tasty, but not crispy nor saucy,...kind of mushy. The flavor was good though- chipotle guava! Plantains w/ black bean sour cream- NOT good. Had no taste to it whatsoever, even with the sauce. I will give them a star for the Sangria, though. It tasted more of wine than fruits, which I really liked. The only other good thing I can say is that they had really good bread. I have no plans on returning to this restaurant at all.
(1)Steve B.
First off I am not convinced that this restaurant is connected to the 2 in the City, there is no mention at all on the cha3 website about a new location. I think they would want to publicize that fact if they did open a new location. just sayin. Yes the menu is the same, literally same day glow small sheets of paper, yes the music is loud and bumpin, but something is just off. First Impressions..it's small..no bar, hence no waiting area so the typical dumb people blocking the front area with their strollers and kids running around the restaurant (why bring a stroller into a small restaurant that you know you just parked like 20 feet away and your kid isn't even in the damn thing...sorry i hate strollers in restaurants) and decor is ummmm kind of cheesy..and not good cheesy. And you get one of those small thin paper napkins that are usually stored by the thousands in a rectangular metal box on the table top. But here you only get one, be careful with it. We sat at the table closest to the pass through to the kitchen, and next to the register so servers had to pass us like every five seconds, but not once did they come to take away any empty plates. The plates were stacking up like we were at a sushi boat restaurant and they needed to tally them to figure out the bill. Our fried potatoes never came, (don't ever deprive this white man his fried potato, that's punishable by death in Ireland). So the food that did come was good. The mussels, jerk chicken, & spinach salad. The calamari was meh..but so is the calamari in SF, I think. The sangria was very good and before 6:00 pm its 50% off. When I left I didn't feel like it was a special meal at a nice restaurant. I felt like i ate at a typical B street taqueria with different food, and that's fine. But that is not the vibe I get from the supposedly same cha cha's in SF. That's my take.
(2)Katrina J.
I'm so excited they opened a Cha Cha Cha in San Mateo - YaY! No more driving all the way to the city for this delicious food! :) The food is the same as in the city the only difference is there isn't a bar. The service needs work though (I know it's new so I'm not going to knock it by giving them 2 stars like I feel they deserve.) It took forever to get our order taken and we knew exactly what we wanted once we sat down. Two tables that got seated after us got their order taken before us - it was only bugging me because I was starving! But a plus is it felt like right after we ordered, our food was already at the table and everything came out quick so once the food got there our mouths were full so no one was complaining ;) Everything taste the same as the city locations.. consistency, I love it! But when we were done and ready to go it felt like another loong wait until we got our check. No problems though - good food, good company. I will be going to the city locations the next few times when I'm craving Cha Cha Cha, you know - just until this place figures out their service and hopefully that won't take long! Don't knock it until you try it :):)
(4)JazzMarie C.
I'd like to make one special request of the cooks.... Please clean the poop chute (black nasty veiny thing) out of my camarones/shrimp. It would make my dining experience that much more pleasant :) Oh and someone tell the owner to extend the happy hour hours!
(5)Kim N.
Up until now, I only knew the places in San Jose for solid Cuban food in the south bay. Well add CCCC to the mix. Ropa Vieja, cuban style paella and the lechon were all solid. Very flavorful with the meats cooked with care until tender. Add a pitcher of sangria and a coconut flan and you have a good meal. It's too bad the Peruvian place didn't last but CCCC is a worthy successor.
(4)Tiffany L.
All the Cuban flavors are here. Ropa vieja soft and velvety melts in your mouth kind of experience. Chicken cooked with perfect texture. Oh so moist. These folks brew a strong sangria. Barely tasted fruit. At least you know you're getting what you're paying. Ambiance kick-back causal, including the waiters. Everybody is having a good loud time with the sangria flowing. Catch a waiters attention takes committed flailing.
(3)Melinda Y.
Yay, cha cha cha's in san mateo! I don't have to stress over parking, in fact I don't even need my car...woot! Everything is pretty much the same as the other cha cha cha locations but the fried calamari disappointed me here. It was way too overcooked = chewy and not tasty. I think they're still working out a few kinks but don't worry, I don't care. I love the sangria here! Potatoes and chicken wings are awesome! bottom line: you know what to do, stick to the tapas, and leave the entrees alone and keep your glass of sangria full :D
(4)Lars P.
I almost don't want to rate this place as it will just mean longer waits for tables, but with that said, this is CERTAINLY worth waiting for (0: We were a party of four and we did a family style dinner which allowed us to try 6 different dishes. The beef top sirloin with caramelized onion and bean rice is just fantastic and got my highest mark of the dishes we had. Food is Freshly made and each plate is presented nicely with individual condiments. When you order six dishes you somewhat anticipate the sides to mirror each other, but not at Cha Cha Cha. Each dish came with it's own unique, and very tasteful, side. For drinks we had the house sangria and the first pitcher was really good... Second pitcher was... aehm... oh well... Don't eat teh fruit..!!! (0: Anyhow, I am not giving this establishment the 5th star because we were seated in the basement which holds 6-7 tables. Aside from the trippy murals on the wall, this was not the best of experiences as the noise from other tables bounce off the concrete walls making the room very loud. But.. go for the food and forget about the rest.
(4)Christine M.
We were looking for a place to drink and grab a light dinner after coming from the moveable feast at the San Mateo Event center. So we were kinda hungry since it was a mad house at the food trucks. Hour wait atleast in each line. Anways we decided here since my girl told me they opened up a Cha Cha Cha's in san mateo. Okay this place is nothing like the Cha Cha Cha's in SF. I dont think they are even connected to the sf locations. The name is similar and the menu is similar but it is nothing like the sf locations. The sangria was weak and not as good as the haight location in fact it was really warm. Yeah they serve bread but they dont serve chips and salsa. The only reason we stayed was cuz it was my boy's bday and we hadnt seen him in a while. We ordered the mushrooms and that was good as well as the shrimp. but the platanoes with black beans was terrible how can u mess that up. The black beans was so thick and paste like compared to the creamy black beans from Haight location. The calamari was decent but our chicken wings seemed burnt. My friend suggested to return it but me and my girl both felt the same about them messing with our food if we return it back. Yeah if you want the real cha cha cha's go to the sf locations cuz this cha cha cha cuban is not the spot. Oh well I really wanted this place to be like the haight but it is not. Yeah there is no wait and parking is alil easier...but there is a reason why there is no wait... Oh yeah I am not sure if there is a underground parking or what but there were these people coming up from the stairs on the side of restaurant. They were just coming from no where...not sure if there was seating below or a hidden latin club that we werent informed about. Yeah good for the guys to look at girls in mini outfits ....
(2)Amy B.
All I can say is...it's about DAMN TIME!!! Not that I mind the trek to Haight, but Cha3 is now in my own backyard! (Give or take 2 miles) I LOVE CHA CHA CHA!!!! And the best part is not only is the waiter from Haight St working there, but they have a 5-7 Happy Hour! WoooHA! It's great for a date, or for my whole family, my 3 year old daughter loves the food, the music & we can all go out for a great time close to home. Chicken Paillard is still the best. Welcome to San Mateo, Cha Cha Cha!
(5)Michelle D.
To the waitstaff at Cha Cha Cha, please heed the advise of Mr. Rourke... Smiles Everyone!! Our little gathering for happy hour started out smack in the middle of the episode where the fantasy starts unraveling into a nightmare. Our waiter was the saddest, rudest waiter I've encountered. He seemed to absolutely hate his job. We asked about the 4-6pm happy hour posted on the sign out front. He gave a cold stare and told us that was an error. We then inquired about the 4-6pm happy hour that was written on our menu. He just sneered and told us happy hour ended at 5. No apology, no nuthin'. Because we have such love for the the other two locations, we decided to suck it up and order our full-priced Sangria. Mr. "I hate my job" reluctantly took our order, submitted it to the bartender and then let it sit up on the bar for 15 minutes. The only reasons I am giving Cha3 three stars is because A) The food was almost as good as the SF locations (not quite though). B) We didn't have to wait an hour for a table. C) Halfway through our meal, we got a different waiter who didn't quite make all of our fantasies come true, but I believe I saw him crack one smile.
(3)Boops D.
Came here last night with the hubby and we enjoyed ourselves very much. We shared the small sangria (which was perfect) the cajun shrimp (will always be my favorite) the sauce is amazing. Especially with some bread. The spinach and ricotta empanada was excellent. Wings are also tasty and the potatoes and aioli. Seems pretty consistent. And you really cant beat the 5-6 happy hour! Half off Sangria and $5 for certain apps. Definitely worth it! Coconut flan for dessert. YUM!
(5)Katherine B.
Finally went to try it out as we have been meaning to for a long time. The Sangria was excellent. I thought I was a non-fan of plantains but I was wrong. The plantains here were excellent, not greasy and very flavorful. I had the lechon asado which was excellent. My BF had the ropa Vieja which had a very nice spice to it. Food was excellent and service was prompt. There was not an empty seat in the house and the 2 waitresses did a very good job in taking care of everyone. Will return soon.
(4)Claudia H.
The food is great, the sangria was awsome! nothing like it around san mateo! the food was good, it is pretty loud and the staff seems to be a little bit confused or all over the place.
(5)J Q.
People just need to quit their bitching and sack up. You don't come to a place like this to eat amazing food with stellar presentation nor to get your ass kissed by the waiters. You come to a place like this for one thing...to get fucked up off sangria. To put it lightly you come here for the environment. I may be a tad bit biased since we bromanced with Noe and Carlos and were served desert and a round on the house but fuck it you would be too!
(4)Annie D.
So I guess now they're open Sundays and Mondays for those who enjoy this place. Came here Sunday night for dinner to try it out since we enjoy the SF one. We started off the the calamari and camaron picante (spicy shrimp). The calamari was straight bland. The batter had no flavor so it just tasted like oil, the aioli tasted like just mayo mixed up with a hint of lemon?? You'll need to squeeze all the lemon possible to make this dish taste any better. The shrimp dish wasn't spicy at all, tasted more like a fettuccine dish missing noodles, just a cream sauce really. Even this lacked flavor. Also tried their beef dish, Ropa something, stewed beef with yellow rice with olives and plantains. This dish really reminded me of beef stew without the soup and potatoes, but with shredded beef. This dish actually had some flavor and wasn't too bad, but the rice didn't have much flavor for yellow rice that I know, just the green olives gave it flavor. The plantains were good. Overall, I was really hoping for some good tapas, but the simple dishes we ordered just disappointed me. It'll be a while before I try another dish here.
(2)Jim Chris U.
Spent our monthsary celeb here. This place is really nice! it has a wide space and it has a high ceiling with paintings. it was a bit dim which makes it romantic. minus the music.lol the food here is like mexican food. and it was great! and and and....sangria!!!! lol i give this place the Aight stamp. such a romantic evening..
(3)Ana G.
Dude this place has the best caribbean food in all of the peninsula! I lived in Puerto Rico all my life and I found heaven in the arroz con pollo and topped it off with a genuinely homemade flan. Fantastic. The service was great but it was a Friday night. Great experience all around.
(4)Szu H.
Went here on a Thursday for Happy Hour which runs from 5-6pm. $12 bucks for a pitcher of sangria. Awesome. We ordered 2...for 4 people. And yes, they were strong. The service, as other Yelpers have noted is a little slow. We also had to ask for the Happy Hour menu which had about 8 or so items on there. We ordered pretty much every item on the HH menu. We also got the paella and mussels from the regular menu. So a lot of food to go with a lot of sangria. Overall the food is average tasting and nothing really stuck out as being exceptionally good. I probably wouldn't come back just for dinner since there's so many other great restaurants nearby. However, at $5 bucks an entree for happy hour menu items and $12 pitchers of sangria, it's probably one of the best HH places in in the area. Oh and not sure if it was just that night, but the ratio of girls to guys was like 4:1 Just an fyi for you single peeps...
(3)Philip F.
Food was tasty. Service was terrible, if not, insulting.
(3)David K.
So I came here today with my girlfriend, kind of a long drive from San Jose. But it was not crowded and we got seated quickly. We ordered the ceviche, quesadilla with pork and arroz con pollo. The ceviche was fresh, it included shrimp, squid, scallops. The only thing is that it didnt come with any tortilla chips or anything to eat it with! The quesadilla with pork was awesome, the meat was sorta sweet and i really dig that. We were already full by then so we took the arroz con pollo come. Had it later for dinner, I have to say the flavors here arent like POW in the mouth flavors, but still good. We concluded that we would rather eat at this Peruvian restaurant in San Jose, which has similar types of food but dont have to drive 40 mins to eat. Definitely a place I wanted to try. I liked the sangria but they need some ice to keep the bucket chilled.
(3)Karen C.
In no way comparable to Cha Cha Cha's in the mission. I was super excited to hear that they had opened in San Mateo and was hoping that this would be the answer to my tapas cravings. The food is okay, nothing spectacular. The sangria is good and the happy hour menu is decent. But oh boy does the service suck! Everytime I've been there, I find myself always waiting around and flagging down servers in order to get any attention. All the times I've gone they weren't busy and yet everytime I find myself standing at the door for a good minute before seating myself and my party, as I watch the server in the back chatting it up with the chefs or just wandering around the back. (WTH is he doing back there??) I came for happy hour one day and they gave me 3 different menus but no happy hour menu... why? I'll keep this place in mind as one of my happy hour rotation spots but I definetely won't be coming here for dinner or lunch.
(3)Bebe W.
What's not to love about Cha Cha Cha Cuba? When the service staff is on their A game, this is a fun place to be. Great food, fun ambiance, colorful interior...also really busy on the weekends. I like the salmon dish here with the black beans and plantains. The pork carnitas, which my dinner friends had were also very popular, as was the bisteak. I've been here about 6 times, but this is my first time yelping it. I've always had a great experience here and would heartily recommend it. So glad we don't have to travel all the way to SF since they opened a branch in SM.
(4)Hema K.
Walking by B street, you might think it will be a small resto but once we stepped inside, high ceilings, floor to ceiling paintings, and more tables underground like a den. Food, ambiance, service all great. Though it took a while for our food to come, as the kitchen is upstairs, the server was cute enough to keep checking on our table. The den was quiet and low ceiling, as though kept for intimate cozy dining.. The upper floor was more lively, noisier, closer tables - which I prefer the next time i dine there :)
(5)Mochi L.
I rather go to the other Cha Cha Cha's in SF. If you want friendly or attentive service find yourself elsewhere. I found the food just ok. Yes, it's tasty but I already had a bad taste in my mouth. I seriously wanted to walk out of there but my husband wanted to give them a chance. Nah won't be back.
(2)Marky Mark F.
What a disappointment this turned out to be!!! My wife wanted to go here fore dinner because she had such a good experience at the one in SF. We arrived around 8:15 pm and were told that there would be a 45 minute wait. No problem! I figured it was worth the wait. They were busy. The place looked fun. We get back at 9 pm. We're able to locate the guy who is apparently both a server and the host. He pulled the disheveled notepad, which I suspect was the wait list, out of his pocket and told us that we would have to wait another 30 min. At this point I realized that something was not quite right. Still, we came back in 30 min and waited another 15 min until the server/host came around. At this point I'm just kind of going with the flow believing that the wait would be worth it. It wasn't. I order a beer. Maybe I'm spoiled, but I usually get a glass when I get a beer by the bottle at dinner. Nope. Just the bottle. No biggie. Maybe this is how beer is served with dinner at all Cuban restaurants. Before we're even able to order, another server drops off a plate of steamed clams and calamari. Whoa!!! This is awesome. Better than bread. But I'm allergic to shellfish. My wife's not though. Too bad. Turns out that the plates actually belong to the couple next to us. They felt bad that we had to part with the dishes, especially after witnessing my other half salivating. They offered to share though. Nice guys. So the waiter/host takes our order. I never felt so rushed to place an order. And don't even think of any followup questions. You'll be lucky just to get the order on paper. The plates arrive. No silverware. Now I have to track someone down for silverware. Great. The food was pretty tasty. It wasn't an hour and 45 minutes of waiting tasty. Typical Cuban cuisine. That's why I'm not giving them 1 star. Finally the check comes. Somehow they decided to charge us for the clams and calamari. CONCLUSION: The back of the house has their shit together. The front of the house needs to be replaced and host needs to be added. Will not be back.
(2)Mish N.
So the rumor mills are true...ChaChaCha's finally opened up a location in San Mateo! I owe this place a re-review after I visit it again, but I went here a few weeks ago and here's a breakdown of why it only deserves 3 stars: PROS: -same menu and food as SF location (even the sangria is the same!) -accessible street parking (unlike SF locations) CONS: -service (way understaffed, especially for a saturday night!) -no bar (both SF locations have a bar area) -small venue (not many tables and rather crammed) Perhaps when I come back again, I may up it to 4 stars, but they are way understaffed and need to work on their service in the meantime.
(3)Kendall L.
I heard a rumor the doors will be open tonight! Can hardly wait to try it. The SF one's are off the charts! Rumor are sometimes true! They are open for business and I got to try it with a friend. The Sangria is awesome (don't forget to eat the wine soaked fruits within) and the Quesadilla was well presented and very tasty, came with lots of pico and guacamole. Service was fast & good, after I finally got someones attention that I was waiting to be seated. The colorful decor was somewhat distracting to me but I can appreciate the work that went into the painting of the walls and ceiling. Can hardly wait to get back and try more of their menu items and drink list. They said they are thinking of a "happy hour"-that would be a nice way of getting people in the door to experience what they're all about.
(5)David L.
My wife and I ate in the San Francisco location "pre-kids", so we were thrilled to see CCC opening in San Mateo. What can I say -- the food is as good as I remember. And 1/2 price sangria from 5-7 PM? PERFECT.
(5)kim b.
Eh....it's okay. Not quite like the ones in the city. Don't know if they were affiliated. Seating was easy. Street parking. Fried calamari...very greasy...good flavor at first, but then pool of oil sat in the bottom of the dish. Hubby ordered the lechon asado and it was amazing he said. Also ordered the chicken paillard, which was alright. Would have been better if they didn't forget the bread. If this place is supposed to be like the ones in the city, than it's worth the drive into the city than to eat at the one San Mateo. For whatever reason, it's just not as good.
(3)Taco Y.
Ate here Friday night on 02/22/13. There were four of us, two couples. We arrived a little after 5:30 PM. Only one other table was occupied. We ordered a half pitcher of the red sangria. I asked the waitress what kind of fruit juice was used and if sugar was added. She may not have understood the question because she said red wine, orange juice no sugar. The sangria was very sweet, too sweet for me. Too much sugar for my taste. We ordered five tapas and two dinner entrees. Shrimp with garlic, mushrooms, pork quesadilla, calamari fritos, chicken wings, lechon asado, and paella de mariscos. It was too much for the four of us. It was a good representative variety from the menu. We also had the bread pudding for dessert. Oh, bread comes with the order. Most of the dishes were just OK nothing spectacular for my taste buds. The paella was a little too wet. The fried plantains were good. Overall the meal was good for talking eating and having a good time with friends. The wait staff was very attentive even when the place filled up. When we left at about 7, people were waiting for tables. Will probably come again but order less food and try some of the other items..
(3)Teresa T.
We walked in with 8 people on a Friday night and they were able to seat us in five minutes. The sangria was not so great and one of the waiters mistook a finished sangria cup for water and filled it with water but the food was decent (3.5 stars) - the paella, the chicken wings, a pork entree, mussels, ceviche and a bunch of others. I would go back though would order beer.
(3)Ian B.
Stay away! Worst service ever. Plus food poisoning and just ok food to boot
(1)Laila A.
I came here with my hubby a couple weeks ago. We wanted to try something new. We loved the food and red sangria.... We had the Jerk chicken and some wings the potato's are amazing here.... Now the red Sangria is To die for we had a pitcher for $25 dollars. We will defiantly be back to try there other food!!
(4)Ryan T.
Stepping in to Cha Cha Cha Cuba makes me feel like I'm in Miami. Lively music, delicious food. The plantains are awesome.
(4)Janice C.
Came here for dinner yesterday with a couple friends. We ordered the following: Food Chicken Quesadilla - Was quite tasty! It was one huge quesadilla folded in half with jerk chicken inside. Friend new potatoes - the potatoes were crunchy. we weren't quite sure why they were called new (vs old potatoes??) but they were flavorful. The dipping sauce that came with it is pretty good and is also good to use to dip bread in too. Sauteed Mushrooms - Tasty! Cajun Shrimp - Wasn't too spicy which I liked since I can't consume too much spicy food. Fried Calamari and 1 other dish i can't remember Pros - I like the fact that there is parking nearby - there is a parking garage about 1.5 blocks away that has free parking after 6pm :) - Food portions are huge! We ordered 6 dishes for 5 people and couldn't finish all the food Cons - Service was a bit slow, and we had to flag down the waiters at times. - They added an automatic 18% gratuity even though their menu states it's only added on parties of 6 and above (we were a party of 5).
(3)KissteL M.
I was almost sure Yelpers would Yelp for joy! and start Yelping. Anyway, I've gone crazy. Opening night--Dec.10 ! wOohOoo! It was my mom's birthday and I just couldn't wait to chow down on ChaChaCha. And boy, we were all so satisfied~yumyum! Decor- adorable, classic old cafeteria style, with high-ceilings, artistically painted walls and decor. Lovely ambiance. Service- fast! friendly! I met the cook, and the servers before they even opened because I kept bugging them if I needed to have a reservation for the opening night. Finally got to talk to Mario, the manager, and he was supppeeerr nice. More starts to come since it was their first night. GOod job folks! Food- love love love! We thought the servings were appropriate for the price! Sangria (pitcher) was divine! just the way my mom makes it... supahh delicioso! We ordered the Plantains with Black bean and sour cream, Camarones(shrimp) in some coconut sauce, Warm SPinach salad with bacon (my fave!), Jerk Chicken (spicy, but I prefer the Jamaican jerk chicken, still good though), Carnitas Quesadilla (good too), Calamari, Ceviche (loves it too!), Paella (i love this because it's not to wet or moist compared to the usual Spanish paella), ohmygosh,.. i can't remember what else we ordered. But I will update this later. Haha. All in all ! I'm so glad that they opened one here in San Mateo, because parking is so much easier with the parking garage half-a-block away. Happy Happy Joy JOy. ;p ~
(5)jackilyn b.
I love ChaChaCha's and all their tasty dishes...especially the one on Mission and the one on Haight in SF...but this San Mateo one really needs to revise their happy hour times... Happy Hour for the San Mateo location is 3pm-5pm...ummm ok...most people get out of their 9-5 jobs at, yup, you guessed it, 5pm! Until they change their Happy Hour times, I will stick to the SF locations where the Happy Hour menu's are good until 7pm.
(3)Debbi B.
I would have rated 3.5 stars if I could. Needs a little work. This was my first time here. My dining partner and I arrived shortly after 5:00; we were the first customers. The server informed us that it was happy hour and explained the HH items available. While we were there, there were a couple other dining parties that came in. The food came out quickly (even considering we were the only customers at the time), and the waitstaff filled our water glasses. I had decided to try a couple of the items that other Yelpers had liked. We ordered: Two glasses of sangria Ensalada mixta--a large baby greens salad with julienned carrots, some cucumber and tomato, with toasted coconut on top. The dressing itself was somewhat sweet, but I didn't really taste coconut in it (description says coconut vinaigrette). Papas fritas--"fried new potatoes with chile pasilla aioli". The potato chunks were crispy on the outside. Mostly what I tasted in the orange aioli was the aioli. My dining partner liked this dish. Cajun shrimp--served in a small iron skillet, it was mostly sauce ("spicy Cajun cream sauce") with 8 shrimp which could have been cooked less. I found that just very slightly spicy and somewhat bisque-like, and smelled fishy. Filete de salmon con salsa verde--the fish was undercooked in the middle (looked raw, felt lukewarm). We sent it back for more time. It was still moist when it returned (if this were a different kind of place I might expect a new plate, but I also don't like to waste food). The green herb sauce was tasty. We liked the plantains (which I've had in various places). The beans and rice were ok. Coconut flan--the sauce had a lot of shredded coconut in it. I think that was the extent of the coconut. It was ok, but I would have liked it better if the flan was flavored with coconut and not so much sauce. As we were finishing, a large table was being prepared for a party. The food overall seemed a bit bland, but I probably would try this place again. The service was fine for us. Now as far as the bill and prices: The HH items reflected the HH price, but the online menu, the paper takeout menu, the menu in the window, and the inside table menus had different prices. We were charged the prices on the paper takeout menu, which were higher than the table menus. I didn't see the differences until we were at the door. The menus need to be literally on the same page.
(3)Cianne M.
I absolutely love Cuban food, so it's such a shame that this Cha Cha Cha outlet sucks. Food is lame. People are lame. I've been here a handful of times with various people and the general consensus is always the same: one big fat Cuban MEH. The servers are not welcoming when you walk in. They just leer at you and actually seem angry for some strange reason. Not once have I ever seen any of them crack a slight smile. But whatever, food should be good, right? Uh, that would be a "no". Don't even go here thinking it can compare to the SF locations. Each time I go, I keep thinking it's got to be better than last time, but I've just been fooling myself. A lot of the dishes are bland. The rice is just not tasty. And the black beans and plantains that I normally crave? Bland! What is up with that?? The last straw was when I ordered a shrimp entrée and it came out of the kitchen literally 1 1/2 minutes after I ordered it. The funny thing is that they present the shrimp in a black cauldron to make it seem like it would be boiling hot. But it was lukewarm and an incredibly small serving size for the price. Based on the other reviews, it looks like you need to get jacked up on Sangria to like this place. I wouldn't even bother trying.
(2)denise c.
After reading so many good reviews, I have to admit I was very disappointed. I (and my 4 fellow diners) found the food to be average at best. Sangria was good, not great. We were there on a semi busy Thursday night and they were staffed with only 2 servers, leading to so so service. Also, one of the servers made a snide comment on the amount of food we were ordering. I won't be back. Dang! Really wanted to like this place.
(2)Rona m.
Great vibe, almost as fun as the Haight street location, but a great subsitute if you live on the Peninsula. The happy hour is a great deal (half pitcher of sangria, $7)
(4)Geomar R.
To put it simply, this place was mediocre at best...not a good first impression for someone who is trying out Cuban food for the first time. I went here with a bunch of coworkers for lunch. First off, the service was extremely slow. It took a long time for us to get seated and a good 10 minutes to finally order our food. My coworker recommended the Ropa Vieja, as a matter of fact, the whole party ordered it. The steak was the best part. It was full of flavor and very tender and not chewy. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the rice. It was completely flavorless and bland. I needed water to wash it down, but like I said, the service was too slow for them to refill our waters. I guess I will have to find another Cuban restaurant to fully experience this new cuisine to me. I recommend you do the same.
(3)Alexa D.
MAJORLY DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS PLACE!!! Eating here ruined my night, and started with the awful service. I have walked by Cha Cha Cha Cuba multiple times and my boyfriend and I finally decided we would give it a try. We walked in, read the "Please wait to be seated sign" and waited... and waited... and waited! One of the two waitresses chatting away behing the counter FINALLY noticed us and seated us. Still feeling optomistic, we ordered some our drinks and moved onto the menu. I ordered the Ceviche and my borfriend the Jerk Chicken. The food was 'decent', my ceviche tasted a bit 'off' (cant think of another way to describe it) and my boyfriend's chicken was very spicy but good. However, throughout our meal, we were completely ignored! My boyfriend literally had to stick his cup out in front of the waitress as she walked by to get her to bring him a refill. The We never got any napkins, never got the sugar I asked for to add to my iced tea, and the bolillo we got when we ordered was the most STALE piece of bread. It was tough, chewy, and a pain to tear apart even though it was already cut. It got to the point where our waitress SAT DOWN a few tables down with a group of ladies and was drinking and blabbing away. When we just couldnt take it anymore, I repeatedly looked and waved in her direction trying to get her attention for the bill. The other waitress saw me, and did absolutely nothing. Instead she walked over and conversed with them as well. I was obviously upset, and even the table of people next to us made a comment about how we were being ignored. Finally the bus boy happened to walk over to refill our water, and I gave him my card and asked him to pay the bill. I honestly didn't even care to see it, I just wanted to leave. He also had a hard time getting the waitress' attention for her to charge it! The bill was $30, I left no tip,and walked out. We never got a smile, "Have a good night", or even a "Thank you" from anyone. A few hours later, I spent the night looking pale, with a horrible stomach ache, feeling nauseus, and with a headache. Looking at the good reviews I might have just been unlucky, but I am definately not giving this place another shot. If you have $30 to spend, just cross the street and go watch a movie with some over priced snacks.
(1)Angelica P.
Great food and sangria! Had been here many times and pretty much have tasted almost all their menu. No disapointments so far.
(5)James K.
After a horrible experience with tapas at another place in Menlo Park (forgot the name but check my review), this place was a much better experience. First off, when I think of tapas, I think of small little items to taste. But make no mistake. The portions are like mini family style sides so have your appetite ready just in case. My girlfriend and I ordered the seafood paella, jerk chicken, crispy potatoes and one shredded beef dish. All of the dishes were hot, delicious and had plenty of flavor. The paella had seasoned rice, mussels, pieces of salmon etc. For the jerk chicken, you get two pieces and the sauce had good kick but the heat didn't seem to resonate on the actual chicken. Nonetheless, it was tasty. The shredded beef was probably my least favorite but it was still very good. It's just that the other dishes upstaged the beef. It came with Spanish rice, which gave it a nice touch. With all that beef and protein, we had to get the potatoes and boy were they good. Very very crispy, hot, and simply full of flavor and "to die for". 1 star deduction for the service. The food in itself came out very quick, so kudos right there. The deduction is based on our waiter doing the bare minimum. He never asked if everything was okay even once and we had to ask for water refills. We also had to ask for "to go" boxes and ask for the check. Basically, there wasn't much effort on his part. Even with that, the food holds up on it's own. It's fresh and it came out quick so I can't complain too much.
(4)BosCal S.
NOTHING like the ones in SF!! :( Greatly dissapointed. I knew they did not have a bar but was looking forward to the sangria (didn't like it!) The place was pretty much empty, our food was nowhere near as good as it is in the SF locations...nothing specific just...not as tasty...Music was too soft (I love reggae!) and overall was just dissapointed. They should have named this place something different so those of us who are looking for the real Cha Cha Cha experience won't be so dissapointed!
(2)Audrey C.
3 stars for the food and drink -1 star for the service We rolled in with a group of 8 fairly early on a weekend evening (we had made a reservation). After a few minutes waiting they seated us, but we only had 2 tables for all 8 of us and it was squished. The music was loud enough that hearing anyone who wasn't right next to you was really hard. Almost everything was slow, except maybe the sangria pitcher. The main dishes came pretty much one at a time over the course of 30 or 45 minutes... which really sucked since we weren't eating family style (too many food allergies/preferences). Someone's paella was given to us immediately before even any of the appetizer type of food came out, for instance. Meanwhile, when they did start putting dishes in front of people (instead of in the center of the table), it was almost always the wrong dish. Once, it was the wrong dish and they told us it was the right dish, and we didn't realize until the right dish came afterwards! Then my friend who had asked for no sour cream tried to give them the dish back and they kept pushing it on him so he finally just took it and scraped the sour cream off. Finally, the check took FOREVER, and then didn't come until we asked. We weren't asked about dessert at all. No one asked us whether our food was good or checked on us as the dishes were brought. The sangria was really tasty, and I personally liked my pork and sweet plantains - but not enough to make up for the service, squished table, and difficult to talk in atmosphere. I can usually forgive a few service blunders, but pretty much no part of the service was even decent. If you aren't in a hurry, and you don't have a big group - I could totally see going here. Maybe the service is better if the 18% gratuity isn't going to be automatically added to the check...
(2)Kristi D.
I would say this was just as good as the ones in SF and way less crowded! I am assuming it is the same ownership although the website is defunct and does not link up (fix that people!). :) PROS: + ambience - nice decor, good acoustics, cheerful, and fun + service - attentive and friendly + all the food was amazing, especially the cajun shrimp! + sangria + decent prices! CONS: - they do not take reservations for less than 6 people. We got there early enough where this wasn't an issue but still kind of an obstacle. - no working website to preview the menu and such.
(4)Veronica R.
Went there last night super tasty!!! there was a half hour wait for a table so we just took our to go, but the spicy shrimp and the chicken was amazing...
(4)Viv R.
My favorite restaurant. Not as busy as the ones in SF but sangria and food are the same.....happy hour tapas and drinks...what's not to love =)
(4)arlene d.
I came in last Friday since my bf hadn't had any Cuban food since being in Miami. We were seated right away. I must say that the ropa vieja was delicious!! The right amount of spices and the rice was awesome..it was yellow rice with olives which I love. My bf ordered the bistek encebollado which was awesome it came with yuca and the rice and beans mixed together I forget what cubans call it, I call it gallo pinto. We also had a side order of sweet plantains my favorite!! For dessert we had the coconut flan mmm...I will definitely be back!!
(4)John W.
Went in here for a tapas dinner. With a lot of people, I was able to try a lot of the menu. First I had the CEVICHE, which had bay scallops, shrimp & calamari marinated in spicy lime-serrano chile vinaigrette. Next, the CALAMAR FRITO ( Calamari to you Degos ;). Cooked perfectly, with a meaty consistency, wasn't just a mouth full of bread crumbs. I even thought the side sauce was an excellent lemon-garlic aioli that complemented perfectly. Next up, the BLACK MUSSELS. Prepared with garlic, tomatoes, saffron broth & fresh herbs. These were one of my favorites. This was a bit of surprise, because mussels don't typically get me very excited. After that I tasted the POLLO AL JERK, I thought it was a little dried out tasting but the seasoning sure woke it up. TOSTONES and YUCA FRITA were also enjoyed. On top of all this, I had two half entrees. First one, the BISTEK ENCEBOLLADO, grilled marinated sirloin steak topped with caramelized onions. Had a little kick and was slightly charred on the outside and tender inside. Finally, PAELLA DE MARISCOS, this was fantastic and a bit disturbing. You see, I liked it better then my (used to be) favorite here in the city. So now I'm search again for a better paella in San Francisco, but when down the peninsula, I am set. The price point value is good here too.
(4)Mas M.
I was so excited for cha 3 in my neck of the woods! I like the one in the city, so I gave this one a try. We were brought down to the bottom floor in the furthest corner of the place, and I had a bad feeling. I was right. The waiter was serving way too many tables, and our food was forgotten or we got the wrong thing. The food was pretty decent, not sure I'm going back.
(3)Liza S.
I hate to give this place 2 stars :( The food was awesome~! A+ Potatoes, Chicken, Warm Spinach salad will keep me coming back alone... The SERVICE SUCKS! We had a party of 14, so tip was included...Maybe that was why we had to ask for bread 11 times and get up to get any waiter 5 times. Mind you we were the ONLY people there at 3pm on a Saturday with 3 wait staff people... I mean really? Why is this so hard to do? Why do we have to keep getting our own water?? and Bread? Unfortunately, we will go back because none of the other locations can handle a big party due to space. So if someone from this establishment reads this PLEASE for the love of Cha Cha Cha, hire people who care about customers. I would have loved to leave a tip on top of the 18% they included, but not if we have to do all the work....
(2)Stacey B.
I heard such awesome things about this place I decided to try it. Ended up being the tables and seats were sticky and disgusting and even though the place wasnt crowded at all it took forever to get our food, which by the way they cooked till the shrimp died AGAIN. The sauces, rice, and beans are great, but the meats and veggies are awful and over cooked to the point of inedible, I will NEVER go here again, 2 stars for friendly and adorable waiters, sh*t, they didnt cook the food, right?
(2)Christian D.
Cha Cha Cha Cuban food review: Nice atmosphere, Nice decorations and props and good service (cause it was kinda empty) But overall the food wasn't quite all there. Lacked flavor, We ordered 2 separate chicken orders, both The Aroz con pollo and the Jerk Chicken, were flavorless and the jerk chicken was dry. The portion was good. The only thing that stood out was the beans with sour cream that came with the platines. (kinda sad if you think about it). Later Cha Cha cha! I would recommend you just keep on walking, because believe me when I say, you'll thank me.
(2)L A.
The place was pretty empty when the my friends went here. But I don't understand how the service is SOOOOOO doot da doo and slow. Like really slow, I don't know if all of them were high that night or something. The cha cha cha in the Mission is by far way better with a better atmosphere. What you should order: shrimp, mushrooms, potatoes... everything else can pass.
(3)Pamela R.
So I think that La Bodeguita Del Medio in Palo Alto is better, but overall I would go back here. Their hongos were the best thing that I ate and I would definitely order them again. The yucca was well cooked and the green salsa that came with it was good. I have definitely had better tostones as these were overfried and therefore a little dry. They were also kind of bland. . The ricotta spinach empanada was a little strong for me, but if you really like ricotta go for it. Not bad, but not the best that I have had either.
(3)Erika E.
So I came here about a year ago and had a horrible experience! Unfortunately I had to experience it all over again because my friend had her birthday here. I was hoping they had improved or made changes because of the bad review I posted previously and I saw several reviews before and after mine but nope they didn't change one bit! NEVER going there again even for a birthday, even of my life depended on it! They have such horrible service, the staff needs attitude adjustments and some simple customer service training! The food was horrible as well, still! We were all pretty unhappy. I only gave it two stars because the drinks were pretty decent. So I guess if you just want a drink, then it would fine to go here.. Other than that, just don't waste your time. So much for second chances!!!
(2)K F.
Good food, fun atmosphere. Plantains were perfect. Ceviche was cooked, not cured....okay, but not great. Ropa vieja had a lot of flavor, and the rice was surprisingly good.
(4)Tiffany L.
I really want to like this place. I was so excited that there finally a tapas place in San Mateo. But Cha Cha Cha Cuba was very disappointing. The vegetarian tapas are few and far in between; worst yet, they just lack flavor. The sangria was decent. We dislike the pushy servers who kept wanting to take our uneaten dishes away so they can clear our table. What is up with that?!
(1)R B.
Change your effin hours on yelp. It says you're open from 12noon to 9pm. Even happy hour starts at 3pm. I came by at 3:30pm all the way from the east bay and you were closed!
(1)Ghia G.
i've been to the Haight location once and I can say without a doubt that this location has so much more space and less wait time to get a table. Food selection is pretty much the same as the sister locations, my favorites being the Shrimp in Cajun Sauce and the rice/beans with sour cream. The sandwich/lunch portions are huge and we realized later we didn't need to buy so many tapas since we could have easily been filled by our sandwich. Everything on the menu looks so good though and we couldn't help but want a little bit of everything. Do yourself a favor and couple with a small group of people and share your plans. I really love the food choices around this area and the parking is very convenient. Reason for the 3 stars? They had 1 server on a Sunday afternoon and it was a long wait for every table to get their order in, get their drinks, get their food and any other requests they may have had. Don't get me wrong, the waiter handled it smoothly, but the restaurant should have been better staffed. I also wasn't too impressed with their sangrias since I really didn't get a lot of fruit/fruit-infused flavor. I think next time I'll ask for some ice to make it a big colder, but will be back when I get tired of the normal Bay Area go-to places.
(3)Katie L.
Food was great. Sangria very good. Service was great. Atmosphere charming. Great value. 5 of us shared 5 tapas and barely had room for dessert. Luckily we went for the tres leche cake anyway - delicious!
(4)Eddie I.
As soon as I walked in, I was impressed with the atmosphere and design of the place. Add a rooster and some sun and voila ! I usually would like to write a review after a few trips to a place cuz I can't order the entire menu. However, I'm bored, so might as well. Ordered some light delicacies to compliment the half pitcher of Sangria, wait a minute, they serve the Sangria without ice...I love it !....not watered down, perfect flavor with a light touch of fruit garnish, just the way I like it ! We had ceviche, calamares and plantains. The ceviche had all the main ingredients it should have and was very delicious, good portions for the price. Calamares was all fresh and deep fried to perfection, but the aoili was not garlicky enough, oreder a little vinegar instead. Plantains were superb, drizzled with some white sauce and for a $5 side dish, plenty to go around with if you have company. Overall, the place may not beat a Spanish tapas restaurant but I liked it ! Can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu...PAELLA ! They have no liquor license yet so the "mojitos" NADA !
(4)Michael H.
Slow service. Good food and good sangria. I'll be back, but better service would easily bump this up to a 4-star!
(3)JP's GIR- L.
MMMM This Cuban food is so delicious! We love the ceviche, black mussels, pollo al jerk, plantano & yuca frito, and the black beans and rice. Also can't miss out on the sangria. Both red an white are wonderful. The white is pretty sweet but tastes like juice! Love this place! We always do family style with the tapas which are about $7-10 each. Going for happy hour is a good deal $5 tapas and 1/2 off sangria. M-TH 5-6. If you get to the restaurant right when they open at 5 you won't have to wait to be seated. But even arriving at 5:30-6:00 there's usually a decent sized wait.
(5)Julie C.
Tried it twice and both times I left disappointed. Service is slow and food is "meh." I love tapas and really wanted to like this place, but I didn't enjoy any of the ones I tried, besides the papas bravas (although it's kind of hard to mess up potatoes). Sangria is pretty good though.
(2)Pooh C.
I've been here several times for dinner. The food is good, sangria is good, but service is terrible. The waiters all seem really rushed and not too friendly, and it can take a while to get served. The restaurant at dinner time is REALLY loud - don't bother to have a conversation loud - which may be great if you're stuck with a date you don't like much - but not so great if you're with friends, loved ones, etc. There are also waay too many tables for the size of the restaurant - which explains the noise and service - you feel like you're eating in a crowded cafeteria.
(3)Tiff W.
still good, flavorful and delicious, sangria is soooo good. chicken dish was done well. the plantain looked strange but tasted delicious!
(4)Daisy R.
OH MAN!! Another great taste of SF in the peninsula! If you go here I suggest the appetizers: the shrimp swimming in the pool of deliciousness, potatoes with the aioli OH cant forget the pitcher of Sangria! Great place for a girls night out since the bars are walking distance from Cha Cha Cha's.
(4)Matt M.
I went in specifically looking for a Cuban sandwich. Pork, ham, mayo, pickle, all pressed together on a great Cuban bread. The potatoes that came with it were seasoned perfectly! I will definitely be a repeat customer.
(4)J. S.
They were not busy when we went, but service was horrible. There were plenty of people working there but I don;t know what they were doing. Food was not so tasty, just really oily. Our calamari tasted like old grease. Sangria tasted like vinegar and yes, the ones who had the vinegar ended up with a horrible heartburn. Not going back, but I would try their other location.
(2)Alex W.
Food was either tasteless or overcooked. Waiters are friendly but they need new cooks.
(1)Claudia M.
Meh, the food was alright, the service was ok...probably might come again?
(3)Jesse T.
CHA CHA GAG is more like it! Microwaved empanadas, cheap red wine with fruit from Lucky's markdown basket was passed off as Sangria! Real Cubans would be embarrassed. Don't waste your money.
(1)Favi R.
I've been here multiple times already and the food and service is consistent. Food is always good (sauteed mushrooms, ropa, yuca frites, sangria) and service is always slow..but hey I get it they are usually busy...but please hire more servers!
(3)Madeline R.
The food was ok, average if that. But the service was atrocious. The restaurant wasn't busy, we arrived at 6pm so only about 5-7 tables had customers. We were finished eating around 6:35 but it took almost 1/2 an hour before we got our bill, after asking our server 3-4 times. Our server never actually brought the bill, another server brought it to us after we flagged him down since our server was unresponsive. Won't come here again.
(2)Shawn S.
I love this place! Their food is excellent and always fresh. The Lechon Asado is my favorite. Every time I go to the bay area I try and stop in. Always great!
(5)R L.
Dishes: Camarones Picante, Arroz con Pollo, Lechon, glass of sangria = $44 Camarones were not picante, just creamy bland. Arroz con Pollo was ok, not memorable for better or worse. I liked the lechon, it wasn't obviously special, but it was comforting somehow. Service was neglectful, borderline just plain bad. Very slow. For example, we had to wait about 25 minutes for bread after we ordered and only after asking twice. Water was never refilled. Typically, we had to wait to make requests, which of course was followed by a long wait. Oh, and when I asked one of the personnel what kind of paella the table next to me had, he said, "It's paella," and walked off.
(2)Mike C.
Been looking for some good ethnic food in the peninsula and came across this place on yelp. My wife really wanted to try some Cuban food so thought we would come in and try it out. The service is pretty good. The waiter introduced us to the food since it was the first time we ate Cuban. We ordered the snow crab cakes, the Paella di Mariscos, and a fish dish that I couldn't really remember the name of. Since it was the first time I ate Cuban food I don't really have a frame of reference to go by, but just going by pure taste, the food is pretty good. The place does get busy so the earlier you get there, the better. Parking also is a problem so getting there early is probably the smater thing to do. I would definitely go back to try some of the other dishes.
(4)Dennis S.
Calamar fritos, BBQ chicken quesadilla and a half pitcher of sangria for less than $20 bucks, is a deal that I can't pass up during happy hour. The flavorful sangria can really creep up on you so, I always order enough food to balance me out.
(4)Vanessa M.
Nothing like SF. The customer service is pretty bad too. Even when there is NO ONE else in the restaurant. Also, happy hour is from 3-5pm? Dumb. I wouldn't recommend this place.
(2)Patricia S.
I ate lunch here for the first time this week I just recently started working near by and was happy to find it. I was pleasently surprised the rice was the best I had had other then home made of course I had blk beans and rice and I had the yuca that was prepared perfectly the green sauce they served it with could have used a little more flavor I am looking forward to returning to try the Lechon and the sangria
(5)Victor C.
The sad part about this place is, we can't take the Sangria home! Damn! The pitcher was 3/4 full and we just left it! smh, next time, I'll be ready with my Coleman Canteen! FTW!
(4)