A friend and I wanted to catch up and have dinner but we had no idea what kind of food we wanted to eat because we're both indecisive. My roommate suggested Cha Cha Cha. She always talked about it but I never got the chance to go there. I see it all the time when going to Haight. We found parking surprisingly fast, so if you drive there, expect a wait to find parking. We got here around 6pm, so all the shops around were closing but more people were coming to eat and go to the bars. If you take the 71 here, get off at McDonalds and Amoeba. We walked in and there were already a lot of people. It was really loud in there. We had the choice of sitting in a regular table and the bar area. We decided to eat at the bar because it was separate and not as loud. When we looked at the menu they have an assortment of dishes. They all sounded like they had some lime or spice or sweetness to them. We decided to get the Jerk Chicken, Lamb Chalupa, and Ceviche (a salad with an assortment of seafood). Their service was REALLY FAST. We ordered and about 5 minutes later, we got our food. We got the Ceviche first and it was really fresh and had a kick of LIMON! :) It had shrimp and i believe it was squid and scallops! We then got our Lamb Chalupa and Jerk Chicken. The Lamb Chalupa was basically lamb in sauce ontop of a crunch tortilla and cabbage on top. Really Really flavorful and good. The Jerk Chicken came with 3 chicken thighs and white rice. It was a bit spicy but really good with the white rice. All three of these dishes were enough for me and my friend. I recommend going here, the atmosphere is great. A bunch of people started showing up to the bar area and just mingling. They have fresh sangria which I couldnt try cause I am not 21 but it look delicious! If you want to try Carribean food, come here! read more

I think this place is okay. They have a different unique selection of food, however, the attention to the details could be better. In particular, I had a bad experience with the shrimp. I love shrimp. When i ordered the salad with shrimp, it didnt have any of the shrimps de-veined. GROSS. these were those big shrimps where you can totally see that line of poop show. I could not stomach it and asked them to take it back. surprisingly, they were really nice about it and brought out my new order. They even reduced the bill (I left them a fat tip for that) and left happy. Crowded, noisy and yuppie-central, not a bad place for lunch or dinner. read more

This tapas restaurant has great food, good atmosphere, and good service. While showing a friend around the city we ended up at this tapas bar in the Haight. We ended up ordering the fried calamari, chicken wings, chicken quesadillas, and spanish rice and black beans. Everything was tasty and I would recommend Cha Cha Cha to anyone. read more

I've been to the Mission Cha Cha Cha countless times; this was my first trip to the Haight venue. Nice, but I think the layout and atmosphere is better in the Mission. Food is quality at both. When at Cha Cha Cha I do not mess with a good thing; always get the Cajun Shrimp, Mussels and Paella. Make sure that you have lots of bread; sauce with the mussels and shrimp are fantastic. Either spot is great to drink and eat great food with friends. It didn't matter for us but the Haight Cha Cha Cha does not have a full bar. Sangria, wine and beer only. Beer selection is limited. Sangria is quite tasty. read more

Sangria is a must here!!! Shared a pitcher with the bf and was amazing.. we had Cajun Shrimp, Chipotle Glazed Wings and Spanish rice... All was very tasty! Decor of place is cute, ambiance is fun, you can totally tell people are feeling a bit tipsy.. Price was very reasonable, will definitely go again my next time visiting SF Good luck with parking tho! Enjoy read more

My friend and I came back from Spain and were crossing our fingers to find a good tapas place. Unfortunately, Cha Cha Cha didn't really live up to our expectations. cajun shrimp: pretty good but not out of this world. they give you like 4 shrimps (its a lot smaller than what it looks like in photos) potatoes: probably the better plate but i'm pretty meh about it also ceviche: OMG THE WORST! the seafood was NOT fresh! they tried masking it with a ton of lemon juice but even then it couldn't do the trick. luckily enough the server saw we barely touched it when he gave us our check so he took it off our bill altogether. sangria: not too bad. lotsa fruit! pretty good deal for a pitcher Overall just an okay experience. Maybe I was expecting too much and the 4 star yelp rating got me prematurely excited. On to the next! read more

Sangria, shrimp, empanadas. That's all you need to know. Service was excellent, decor is fun and lively. Go. You won't be disappointed. read more

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

Not terrible but not good. Below average for San francisco. There are so many other places you should go to if you're trying to eat in SF.

Great place to spend rainy San Francisco evening! We ordered the steamed mussels, Cajun shrimp, jerk chicken & ropa Viejo...everything was delicious! The mussels were served in a wine broth and were plump & juicy! We all used the crusty bread dip in the Cajun shrimp sauce. The jerk chicken was just the right blend of Caribbean spices. read more

Quite a nice place for dinner! Get in line early for a reservation else you will have to wait for a table for quite some time. They have table and bar seating. We went there on a Friday night for a dinner. Ordered their jerk chicken, chips and Guacamole, empanadas, Fried Platanos Maduros, Sauteed Mushrooms. Their jerk chicken wasn't spicy at all. Was tasty Enough but not spicy. Decent food , great ambience and an overall fun place. But not too exquisite in terms of food taste. Just a great place for dinner, good music and ambience! read more

Cha Cha Cha - Caribbean Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Gross. They're clearly paying for some reviews. Came years ago and seemed better. The shrimp was basically in cream and nothing else. Tasted like something my grandmother would order at a buffet in the 90s. Jerk chicken: over cooked and under spiced. Calamari, huge frozen tasteless rings. Best thing was the chips and guacamole read more

Have always had lunch tapas and sandwiches here. Had dinner here tonight with just the tapas menu and it was GREAT!! Our waiter,Jessie, was an absolute joy. Smiley , gregarious and just a plain, wonderful wait person. Water and bread came immediately. We ordered the roasted pork(to die for delicious), the calamari(great) and the Arroz con Pollo(delicious). Watching the other waiter though was sad. No smiles, moved like a robot and delivered the dishes by just shoving them onto the table. And he's been there 15 years. It's time for him to take a course in waiting on tables and smiling when taking orders and delivering the orders. A smile goes a LONG WAY!! Thank You Jessie for being such a wonderful waiter unlike the robot, smileless pony tailed one. read more

Oh my god...dining at ChaChaCha was one of the highlight of my SF trip last weekend. Tasty sweet plantain with sour cream and black beans, seafood paella and mussels consumed to your heart content and of course the Sangria is one of the best i've ever had. The restaurant decor is so very unique, definitely makes your eyes wonder around while waiting for food, i wish there is a restaurant similar in Boston...Oh well... read more

I was there with a few friends for an early dinner. The food is good but not amazing. The sangria was pretty good though. It is very tasty and fruity, hard to stop drinking it :) I got the NY Steak dish (Bistek Encebollado). The meat was tender and juicy which I liked a lot but it was also burned on one side. This dish comes with black beans, rice and buttered yuca. It is a lot of food. Each entree dish is enough to fill one's stomach. But we were very hungry so we also tried a couple of tapas. I love calamari and wanted to try that out. We also got the plantain tapas dish. The plantains are too greasy so I wouldn't recommend that but the calamari was ok. This place is always crowded and for some who don't have patience to get their food, waiting for 15 - 30 minutes might be annoying. It is a good place to go with friends. It seems like everyone enjoys their sangria a lot. I don't know if it would be as packed without the sangria since the food is just ok. read more

Nah nah nah. This was my first time here. Came here with a few of my girlfriends and was quite disappointed. I have heard of this place before and have been meaning to try it out. From the get go, everything went wrong. Apparently they forgot they sat us and we had to wait forever to get our waiter. I love the tapas style. The ability to order a lot of small dishes and taste a variety of different foods. I was simply not impressed by the shrimp or the qausadilla. Just bland and not worth the wait. Everything took forever, which sometimes is nice, but we were so hungry the wait just put us off. Maybe tapas wasnt the best idea, but it will take some serious convincing to come back here. read more

Tapas?! *one ear perks up* Caribbean?! *other ear perks up* Totally a fan! Damn, these are some legit Caribbean tapas. So glad my friend recommended this place while we were thrift shopping on Haight. SANGRIA: Pretty strong, yummy sangria with a good amount of fruit chunks. Quite impressed as I always appreciate non-watered/non-juiced down alcoholic drinks. Definitely a must-have here. LECHON ASADO, JERK CHICKEN, & FRIED PLATANOS MADUROS: All delicious, but favorite was the fried plantains. All were well-seasoned, juicy pork and overall deliciousness were being shared on each platters, woot woot. Jerk chicken was a bit difficult to eat/share because of all the bones, but it's Caribbean food! Jerk chicken is a must! PRICES: Anywhere from $5-$15 depending on if you get a tapa or raciones. Definitely worth a visit if you want some awesome food on a fun street! Overall, a very fun restaurant with good service, cool people and awesome food. My tummy sure was cha cha cha'ing after my food experience here. read more

I was always hesitant to try Cha Cha Cha for some reason but I'm glad I finally did. I went on a Saturday in the early evening RIGHT before the usualy rush came... I was not interested in waiting for an hour for a table! We got seated right away and ordered a pitcher of Sangria. I have to say, their Sangria is REALLY good and really strong! We also tried the fried calamari, platanos, chicken piallard.,,, Everything was soooo good and we got drunk in the process off the sangria! read more

I've been coming here since high school (over ten years), when it was all about the food. My friends and I always go with the calamari, cajun shrimp, and sauteed mushrooms -- all of which are hands-down delicious and usually the reason I go back. These days, I also go for the sangria. I don't know what they put in it, but it's the best sangria I've had. Or maybe I'm just biased because I love this place so much! Yes, it's crowded and loud, especially on weekend nights. But if you go for lunch, even sometimes on the weekends, it is possible to only have a short wait for a table and actually be able to hear your friends without having to shout. Love the decor, too. read more

I'm so SO CONFUSED??? Does anyone know what tapas are suppose to taste like???? The only way I think this place has gotten 4 stars is that I HAVE to believe that staff and/or invested interest has reviewed this place incessantly. This place was a sorry excuse for tapas or the like. It was all greasy bar food that could be found in any rinky dinky dive bar in the south. The fried calamari didn't even have a essence of squid. I get it.. its fried.. but its it just a vat of oil??? NO!! All the food tasted as if i was shooting down shots of oil (ie: sauteed mushrooms, shrimp, potato's). NEVER have I been to an authentic tapas bar that offered.... CHICKEN WINGS???!! I have no idea if this place just rides on the coattails of reviews past.... but it was seriously the most disappointing meal I've ever had. I should have recognized a sure sign-- a tapas bar that doesn't even list their potato's as "Patatas bravas"... ISN'T"T WORTH GOING TO!! read more

I really liked this place, would definitely go again, tapas and sangria where veryyyy good. I loved the music... were in SF can you listen to Cafe tacuba, aterciopelados and manu chau...all in the same bar, that was a huge plus since I'm from Venezuela and I get homesick from time to time. Tapas where really good, a bit pricy but hey, thats what tapas usually cost, and after all that sangria you really can't tell ;) Only reason why I didn't give it a 5 star is the waiting time, we where told 45 min. and we waited 1:30 hour or more to get a table, they have a bar where you can start drinking and wait but if you are only going for the food that would be a huge - read more

So what's up with the bar rules? If you're there to drink your regulated to the outskirts while the bar itself is reserved for those who order drinks? I was looking forward to tapas and getting some small plates so I could try a bunch of stuff. The tapas were more like big appetizer sized plates. One and a salad filled me up. The ceviche salad was just amazing. You could really taste all of the nice flavors. If it was just for that, I'd rate them the full 5 stars. But it is just not that simple. I ordered the steamed muscles. They were OK to average at best and not flavorful. They tasted more Italian-style than the Cuban/ Caribbean claim of this place. I'd give those just 2 stars. Another thing that kind of annoyed me about the menu is that there were definitely a lack of healthy options. It seemed that there were lots of heavy, cream sauces and fried foods -- not good for us on a diet. The service probably ranged between 2 and 3 stars. I sat at the bar, so the service was wildly changing as more people ordered food and drink. Sometimes she was very attentive and other times I was left waiting. Curiously, after she dropped off the bill and I whipped out my credit card, she disappeared for a spell. I guess I could've walked out and got a free meal. Next time I come back to SF, I just might have to get their ceviche again but there are so many better places to eat. read more

Came here for the first time on a whim while walking by the surrounding shops, my girlfriend and I got the Cubano with the side of green plantains and the arroz con polo and shared. The meat for both was so tender and flavorful it was dripping. We even brought home the last few plantain chips and dipping sauce. It was hard to not finish our leftovers in the car ride home. definitely worth giving a shot if you're looking for delicious and quick food. read more

I used to love this place, but it's gone downhill. I decided to give Cha Cha Cha's one more chance, because I had at one time really liked the place. I thought that maybe it became good again, but I was wrong. We got there when it opened for lunch, and although there were only four other customers (two at each at two tables), service was horrible. The waitress finally took our order, and then we waited... and waited... First she was outside, then back inside. She played with her hair, scratched her tattoo, and then started filling up bread baskets (no gloves, no washing her hands first - just grabbing bread pieces and dropping them in bread baskets). I found myself with no desire for the bread that she never even bothered to bring to our table, during our wait. For 10 minutes I saw some of our food up on the "warming" shelf. I looked for the waitress to ask her to go ahead and bring us what was ready, but she was nowhere in site. Another server ended up bringing us our food, and a basket of bread. (Yech!) The calamari was lukewarm, and the dipping sauce sub-par. The fried potatoes were overcooked (dark brown and dry) and not even hot. The aioli sauce (that I loved in the past) was bland and gooey on the top (refrigerator burn?) The two dishes were almost inedible. The plantains were good. But a half plate of plantains does not a lunch make. And at NO TIME did the waitress come by and ask how things were. The woman who had taken our order, never returned to our table until she brought us the bill. I can easily say I will not go back. The food was mediocre the time I went before this last time, but I really, really wanted to give them another chance. Sadly, now they are even worse. read more

so, I was looking foward to trying this restaruant despite the one hour wait. We went to the bar and had some of the famous sangria everyone raved about - it was great. Then when we were finally sat we literally waited 30minutes before a server came to our table!! Our moods lightened up once we recieved our new fried potatos and calamari tapas. Very yummy, it really hit the spot especially when we were starved from the long wait. Then when our entrees came... the sides dish of spanish rice and beans lacked flavor and salt. My steak was watered down with some tomato salsa that tasted like pure cilantro and no tomato. This was on the special menu btw. The other steak on the reg. menu was actually pretty decent but again the side dishes lacked flavor. Needless to say, come here if you just wanted tapas and sangria at the bar, otherwise you will be waiting for an undesirable meal and service. read more

This is why I moved to San Francisco! I love colorful and authentic places like this. The atmosphere in this fun Cuban eatery is happening (especially with the constant flow of delicious sangria) and the food is so tasty! I always bring out of towners to the location in the Haight (not a fan of Cha Cha Cha in the Mission). I feel like it gives them a great taste of SF... literally! But be aware, they don't take reservations so if you're looking to get a table on a Friday or Saturday night, expect a wait. Even seats at the bar have their own wait list. But trust me, it's still worth it! read more

This is our favorite place to eat in San Fran!! It is funky, so tasty, so hip and its in Haight Ashbury!! The Sangria is the best I have ever had in my life! I really like the way they make me feel.. The food is amazing!! We come from Colorado.. Get off the plane.. drop our stuff at our hotel in Union Square .. and be-line it baby for Cha Cha Cha's!! Love the alters all around the ceiling.. The waitstaff is always so nice, fun and inviting!! Go there ..you will love it!! Yesssss!! read more

Okay - let me first confess, I am a long-term patron. I love the food but I have to admit that it is getting stale. After a decade with few updates, I am feeling neglected. However, the bigger sin is the staffing. For years they had the "host" from hell but he got a new job downtown ( I see him there lugging around a laptop) and I rejoiced at the new "host". However, this guy is as rude, if not ruder, than the first host. I've seen him cross of the names of waiting patrons, insult them to their face and even saw him yell at a patron (who turned out to be deaf - thank you very much). I'm not sure how they hire these clowns (flunk a personality test?) but I am done. read more

Is there any possible way my review might bring this place down half a star? I was here once for a coworkers birthday party back in 2000, with a huge group of people, people who ate and drank sangria, laughed and made fun of eachother, then my coworker wanted to sleep with me, not much I remember after that... But yes, good time. I went there a second time, more recently... Sat at the bar... The bartender had no clue about their wines by the glass, my steak came out thin and burnt, crusty and tasteless, like they dipped the shit in asphalt before tossing it in a bed of piping hot ashy charcoals... The most tasteless meal I've had with a zin that might as well have been corked, brought out by a drunk, unprofessional staff who were too busy hookin' up the cool kids that work along the haight. Nothing like the hookup the first time. This place is dead to me. read more

Sangria and small plates would describe this place. Interesting ambiance and quite noisy. Decent bar and always busy. I would define this place as "there". Not great but not horrible. But it is kind of by the alembic so bonus points for that. read more

Too Loud! If you want to eat by yourself then the volume is fine, but if you want to speak to someone it is a real struggle. The person I was eating with was a well seasoned waitress herself - she said the wait staff themselves like the music loud so i guess at this establishment the customer comes 2nd on that. Everything was really great. I love decor and the general ambiance of the place. The service was great well. The only other improvement i can think of might be to bring out a warm bread roll instead of the standard room temperature bread roll. The Tapas dishes we shared were fantastic. read more

Four stars because the food is delicious. Just strange that the, menu prices in Yelp are quite different than the prices in the store. The Cajun shrimp is really good, and the bistec n onions. read more

Cha Cha Cha - Notice the prices are different than the actual menus prices when you get there - Caribbean Near Me - San Francisco, California

Another night at Cha Cha Chas, another night without dissapointment. With their delicious and ever consistent food, Cha Cha Chas is an all time favorite of my family, and my dad. Whos been going ever since Cha Cha Chas openned around 30 years ago! But more about the food, and Cha Cha Cha's delicous sauces, chicken, and their platanos. When going to Cha Cha Cha's I would highly reccomend the platanos(of course), their warming Chicken Paillard, and the patatos with aiole sauce. Although these dishes and their service were 5 stars as always, when going to Cha Cha Cha's I would reccomend asking your server to cook the calimari more, the cooks have a tendency to undercook them. But besides that fact, I would most definitely reccomend coming to Cha Cha Chas for anyone, local or tourists. Especially if your a fan of delicious sauces and great food! read more

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Evaluating some posts written here on Yelp, I decided to try some dishes this restaurant and I was very excited. My God! so disappointing..I don't know what the criterion that people have to evaluate a good food but I know that is not good here in the united states. Tasty food I mean! Ceviche was made with frozen fish, without sufficient seasoning, poorly cut. Tacos were industrialized and horrible! Quesadilla cold and I was trying to find the cheese but I couldn't , guacamole and salsa very weak tasty. Don't recommend. read more

My niece recommended the place to me and she way right when she said it was good. The food was great, it had a great atmosphere, and the staff is friendly and courteous. When we arrived we didn't have to wait for a table. The food come promptly and food presentation was prefect. Must try if your in the San Francisco area. read more

I la la loooove this place. Great food and vibe would highly recommend for a cool place to hang out with friends and catch up while drinking their famous sangria!! read more

I went here for a birthday and we had a group of 13. I don't know if I recommend it for big groups. The place is just so small and you are already jammed packed in their like sardines in a can. The nice thing was that there was some room in the bar area where we could drink sangria while we waited our long wait - as they had to wait for two big booths next to each other clear (and there were only about four of them in the place). The sangria was delicious but $21 for a pitcher might make you think twice about getting it. I definitely see where they make their money. The ambiance is cool but again so crowded you wouldn't want to be here if you were claustrophobic. The table I was sitting at ordered a bunch of different things so it was fun to taste everything. The potatoes were amazing! They serve it with some type of chipotle dip that melts in your mouth. The mushrooms soaked in sangria were also one of my favs. I ordered the Jamacian Jerk Chicken and it was as good as everyone says. The quesadilla was ok - nothing to write home about and I wasn't a fan of the fried bananas. Overall, I would come back here but not during peak hours. And for someone coming from outside the city it's kind of a pain to get to - unless you drive. read more

the food was good, but what the heck is the 4% SF healthy eating tax added to your bill?? not only that, but the server was really rude and slammed down our plates on the table and left. then when they served our food, the server accidentally dropped some of the food onto my friend and didn't even apologize! i don't care how good the cajun shrimp is, the service is the worst I've experienced in a long time, and it ruined the entire dining experience for me. thank goodness there's plenty of good restaurants on Haight to choose from. read more

My fried took me to lunch here, she used to love it. Our food was sitting on the counter of the kitchen waiting to be ran to our table, for about five minutes. Our waitress, a red headed young girl, very trendy, never had a smile on her face and seemed to hate her job here. The service is very slow and unorganized. Our bread was brought to us at the same time as our food, which makes no sense. As far as how the food tasted, it was pretty good; i suggest the fried plantains. Ambiance and decorations were amazing though. read more

all of the reviews for this place already speaks for itself! all i gotta say is order the cajun shrimp! its so delish dipping it with the bread. we scraped the plate clean!! enjoy it w/ a glass of sangria =) read more

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