Came here around 9PM on a Sunday night during Memorial Day weekend. We waited about 7 minutes to get seated, but the place was definitely more packed than we expected. Waiters were nice and bathrooms were decently clean. Chips and guacamole were okay, although the chips seemed a bit stale and not as crunchy as I would've liked. Mushrooms were bomb! Flavorful and exactly what mushrooms would and should taste like. No surprises! The jerk chicken was interesting. I have never had jerk chicken before but I think it is a bit different than normal. It was still good. The rice is good too. Sangria was the best. Strong but delicious, highly recommend for a drink. Overall, I loved the vibe of this place. Festive, fun, and friendly. Wasn't a super cheap or expensive meal, and had a fun time. It's also open a lot later than many restaurants in the area. read more

Love this place! Getting here was a pain just like anything else deep in SF, if you aren't used to dealing with muni or don't like to spend 30 minutes finding parking. Came out for a birthday and now I have to contemplate how to come back. This place is so cute! Very fun, tropical décor. Food was tasty, especially the jerk chicken. We also ordered cerviche (a bit sour for me, but very fresh), paella (excellent), and some potato dish. Overall a very satisfying meal. read more

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Cha cha cha's is dead. I've been coming here since childhood & it was my favorite. Their "steak" was shredded and amazing ....I know food is more expensive but this is just sad :( read more

I love this place! They provide splendid dishes, their menu is decent, The chief cook in that place is a specialist, I love a lot eating all their dishes. The dishes are always of high qualtity, the attitude towards the customers is nice.I love this place! They provide splendid dishes, their menu is decent, The chief cook in that place is a specialist, I love a lot eating all their dishes. The dishes are always of high qualtity, the attitude towards the customers is nice. I frequently visit this restaurant and I not even once was discontended. I recommend it to all my friends I frequently visit this restaurant and I not even once was discontended. I recommend it to all my friends read more

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So I was kinda excited to check this spot out, be warned if you decide to come like any spot in Frisco the parking is a killer. Drove around a bit and found a spot down the block with a meter of course and it only allowed us to put in 55mins worth of $$. Thankfully the wait wasn't that long and we ordered everything right away since we expected a little bit of a wait for the food. We got some chicken wings for the appetizer, we all loved those I have to admit they were really off the bone tender. A little sweet and then a little kick at the end but not too much so it was a really good balance. I really wanted to try their Cuban Sandwich but was told they only serve it for lunch, what a bummer. So we got Vaca Frita, Ropa Vieja and Lechon Asado plates. It was surprising that the lechon and ropa vieja came with cabbage slaw instead of rice and beans. Ropa Vieja was ok missing a little bit of flavors but not bad. The lechon, ok one of my sister's couldn't eat this she's allergic to pork, the other loved it, and I told her of course you did it tasted like very good juicy carnitas! Mind you she doesn't particularly like Cuban food lol. The lechon at least to me was missing the sazon, they were juicy thought. Vaca Frita was ok, I liked the sides that came with it. So we also decided to take an Arroz con Pollo to go, man do I regret wasting that money. No sazon at all and the beans had sour cream I've never seen that with Cuban food but ok. Service was good but I couldn't believe they didn't have any Jupiña lol. read more

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I haven't been to this place since early 2000s. Food is still great and the vibe is still cool. I went during the day (lunch) but I remember the evenings were busiest. Food portions were a smaller than before. I remember their generous portions back in the day... the potatoes would be falling off the plate. Not anymore! I didn't have any sangria this time around but I remember the sangria would creep up on you and hit you late. You'd be eating and sipping on your sangria and all is good and then when you get up from your seat to use the bathroom . Whoa! That buzz hits you. Still a go to restaurant when you are in SF. A read more

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

A very good restaurant. I was happy to see that at least one of the 2 restaurants that I am aware of still survives post covid. I first discovered this place around 2011 or 12 I believe. I absolutely love the jerk chicken and rice . I have also tasted other dishes and none ever disappointed me but instead were delicious I recommend this place to anyone and the Sangria is to die for I will post a more in depth review the next time I attend this very welcoming restaurant I promise. You can't go wrong. read more

Phenomenal flavor. We ordered the ropa vieja, new potatoes, ceviche, and cajun shrimp. The shrimp was such a show-stealer that we ended up putting the sauce on everything. Service was fine, no complaints, and everything came very quickly despite them being busy. Will be coming back whenever I'm in town! read more

Food: Chicken wings Rice and Beans with sour cream Bread and butter: comes with all meals. Seemed fresh and shipped in from another store Everything was just okay, nothing was memorable. Drinks: ice tea Ambience: old school. Needs a good spring cleaning and possible update from the current decorations fading. You sit extremely close to other tables, which is fine, just watch your purse. Staff: lol. They are attentive, but not very friendly. They have a great location so many people coming in. They get people in and out. Parking: good luck, we lucked out with street parking across the street, which takes cards for the meter. Overall Experience: 3.5 read more

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

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Went here for a quick bite with a friend and loved the atmosphere and vibes! Pretty affordable for tapas in sf. We got the plantains, an empanada and the fried calamari and it came out to around $20 each after tip, very affordable! read more

Service was really attentive and prompt. The food was amazing! Everything we ordered was delicious and we ordered an assortment of dishes for the table. We had the chicken wings, calamari, lechon, fried beef, shrimp and plantains. The flavors were definitely unique and scrumptious. The cocktails were good, too. We'll definitely be back! read more

We went to Cha Cha Cha last evening and really enjoyed it. Their Ropa Vieja, Vaca Frita, Carne Asado, plantains and frijoles were all on point. As a Cuban American who grew up eating the best homemade dishes and eating at various Cuban and Latin American restaurants in S. Florida, this place hits the spot!! Service was a little slow - however, when you're food is this great and you have a restaurant full of patrons, it's bound to back up. Two thumbs up and a family's full belly approval. read more

My wife loves Cha Cha Cha and ate their often in her youth when she used to live in San Francisco. It sits on a busy corner in the bustling Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. This particular day we decided to Cha Cha Cha happened to be 4/20 so the Haight was busier than usual. We rolled(no pun intended) into the restaurant sometime after noon and we're seated right away. To start our meal off, we decided to have some sangria. After all, you can't Cha Cha Cha sober, right? The Mrs. and I love the idea of sharing small plates. We kept things pretty simple and started out with chips and guacamole. Then we moved on to the Cajun Shrimp and Paella Mixta. The shrimp was sauteed in a spicy cream sauce. The paella was packed full of fragrant rice with saffron and had mussels, fish, shrimp, calamari, scallops, chicken, and andouille sausage. The cream sauce on the Cajun Shrimp works really well with the paella. I know, putting sauce on paella is a sin, but we couldn't help it. Cha Cha Cha is well within walking distance of Golden Gate Park. There are also a lot of interesting shops in the Haight as well. read more

Cha Cha Cha - Cajun Shrimp with chips and guacamole. - Caribbean Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Five stars for my experience sitting at the bar...unfortunately cannot remember the bartender's name :( Had a couple great cocktails during happy hour- drink that tasted faintly reminiscent of a piña colada but not nearly as sweet, enjoyed their guac and spicy salsa, but chips were just ok. My friend and I had the added bonus of being taste testers to our fantastic bartender's concoctions: a mango margarita shot with tajin rim, something that tasted ljke a hunch punch with 3+ different liquors, and a michelada. Now I don't even like Bloody Marys or any drink with tomato juice...but that michelada was amazing! He nailed that a spicy and savory combo perfectly. Would love to go back and be lucky enough to have this bartender again! read more

I'm a huge paella fan so I'm always looking out for good paella spots. This place definitely won the cake for me! The seafood paella is absolutely delicious and they don't skimp out on the seafood either! Their portions are a pretty good size so you'll most likely end up with some leftovers to-go! The rest of the food was good as well, but the paella outshined them all. I cannot wait to be back for some more! read more

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I remember my cousins used to take us here after a day of sightseeing in the city and walking around Haight St., I have always raved about this place to my husband and even if yelp has alerted us that they have a low score with food safety, we still took the risk! I mean our guts are third world country level! What could possibly go wrong right? And I'm glad we did! We ordered the cha3 jerk chicken which even my picky toddler enjoyed nomnom-ing, a good sign! Ceviche, calamari and paella were all bomb! Paella was given with a hearty serving of seafoods! They hit the spot and we thought we deserved it after doing some serious cardio in california academy of sciences! Parking is a hit or miss but luckily we found a meter one right in front. And their sangria: cold, strong and refreshing! Perfect for a mother of 2 under 3 years old! The only reason I knocked out one star was that the nachos were stale and that the paella came late, we wee already done with the other 3 dishes, chitchatted, used the bathroom and only came when it seemed like we were going to cancel the order, but we didn't because it was worth the wait! We just had it to go and I ate it for my second dinner that same night! Yum! read more

$50 for a good portion of ceviche + chips, a bbq chicken quesadilla, a pitcher of sangria (4 cups worth), plus bread and butter as an appetizer. I was impressed. Plus, service was great! Good music, interesting decor, and cool ambiance. Definitely worth a visit! read more

Cha Cha Cha - Ceviche & sangria pitcher - Caribbean Near Me - San Francisco, California

The location is beautiful, and the food is plentiful! We ordered guacamole and chips, paella, and quesadillas. While there was a slight lack of seasoning or an extra kick missing in these dishes, they definitely satisfied our lunchtime cravings. The portions were larger than expected, and we might have skipped the appetizer to finish everything, but the leftovers were incredible, and we didn't regret trying all these great dishes. read more

First off. One word. SANGRIA. It's a must. So super delicious! Secondly, I plan to rave about our meal. 1. Fried potatoes- came out hot, crunchy on the outside, soft in the inside, dipped in chili aioli. So yum. 2. Steamed Mussels- dip your bread into that broth. IN LOVE 3. Paella Mixto- (Seafood paella) An absolute try. Seafood in every bite. Incredible flavor! They don't take reservations and on a Saturday, we decided to arrive right at opening. (5 pm). After circling around for parking a few times, we finally found a spot. Arrival: 5:22 pm. Restaurant was already packed!! [that tells you how much the spot is not only popular, but how good the food is!] We were told the wait for 2 would be 40 min. WOW!! However, there are a few spots in the bar where they serve food and luckily for us, there was an open spot. So glad we came here. I can't wait to come back and try: Ceviche & Sautéed Mushrooms (I had these previously years ago, and I recall them being soooooo good!) Cajun Shrimp Fried Platanos Bistec Encebollado read more

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Great food, reasonable price, great attentive service. I would definitely recommend this place. It's also very fun with the decor! I've eaten here many times and will again. read more

First time here, it was lovely. The food was delicious and the sangria is amazing. I forgot to take pictures of my food but it was yummy, chips n guac, the shrimp dish with sauce and the chicken one and we also had cheese quesadillas. Had to show vaccination card indoor and outdoor seating. read more

This place is slightly following Covid guidelines, I'm pretty confident their indoor dining was over 25% while we were in red tier. On the other hand, they have outdoor dining with each section that is private. The food was ample and great for sharing. Their chicken wings came out sizzling hot and had an amazing sauce. Their potatoes were a bit too large and was too much potato to season for my taste. Their jerk chicken is a must while you are here. read more

Cha Cha Cha - Fried New Potatoes Guacamole Cha3 Jerk Chicken Marinated Chicken Wings - Caribbean Near Me - San Francisco, California

Sometimes the hardest part about going to a new restaurant is knowing what's the best thing to order off the menu. Well thankfully that did not cause a problem during my first visit to Cha Cha Cha! While in San Francisco for a work trip my coworker brought a few of us to Cha Cha Cha for dinner after our first full work day. She had previously lived in San Fransicso and was dying to get some of their Cajun shrimp and sangria. Once we arrived we immediately ordered a pitcher of sangria and took a moment to look at the menu. After a short discussion we decided to go family style and order several dishes to share. I highly recommend doing this with their tapas because you'll want to try every thing! I can't even remember all we ordered, but everything amazing! The stand outs for me were the sangria, the calamari, and of course the Cajun shrimp. Do be aware that the Cajun shrimp dish is almost half sauce so you'll want to order extra bread. And I mean a lot of extra bread because people may look at you funny if you try to lick the skillet clean! Another stand out was the atmosphere of this place, with its dim lighting and funky Haight St. appropriate decor. This was definitely my favorite night of the trip and reminds me why I love this city so. read more

Cha Cha Cha - Be sure to order A LOT of extra bread with the Cajun Shrimp! - Caribbean Near Me - San Francisco, California

Been going to this place for years both the Haight and Mission locations. I love the food, atmosphere and drinks but I hate to say the last 2 times I have been to the Haight location and sat outside service was a bit slow... The last time I was here I had to essentially knock on the window to get a servers attention. Now for the good parts though, the food itself is really good and solid. My favorite being the cajun shrimp (sadly serving size has gotten a little smaller compared to years ago but that is just how it is these days for many places right? ), also the ceviche is always really good and fresh tasting to me. Also have to love the free bread which btw works great in the sauce from the shrimp. As for drinks I usually just get a nice beer or wine but everyone always talks about their sangria, which is really good don't get me wrong, but just a little $$$ for my liking. So overall the consistency of food and drinks are great at both but personally I prefer the Mission location for service. read more

The service was so good. Nicest waitstaff! The food was s'okay. Nothing super exciting or exceptional. I felt like the tortillas chips should be better not the type you get when you buy that giant bag at Costco. Really the thing that got me was the super dirty,smelly bathroom. The bathrooms in Golden Gate Park were cleaner. I mean come on. read more

Very interesting restaurant. Tasty food very authentic. I will stop by anytime I am in the neighborhood read more

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Food was fresh and delicious ! Service was terrific. Ambiance is better than it looks when you first walk in. Great spot

This is by far one of our favorite Cuban restaurants in SF. The seafood paella is our favorite, the guacamole is fresh, and it's one of those places that everything on the menu is delicious. Ambiance is colorful and vibrant with salsa or merengue beats in the background. read more

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

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Cha cha cha is a SF staple! This Cuban restaurant is in the quirky Height Ashbury neighborhood. I recently dined here for lunch after years of not coming here. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon and It was not crowded at all. Everything here is bomb. If you haven't tried plantains, you have to get them here. Another appetizer we got was the fried calamari. It was nice and crispy and went well with the two dipping sauces. The chicken wings are also really good. They come out piping hot and they are BIG wings. For our mains we ordered the cajun shrimp. Hint: dip the free bread they give you in that yummy creamy sauce! Lastly, we ordered the seafood paella. They do not skimp on the seafood in this dish! Make sure to order pitchers of sangria to go with your meal. Cha cha cha is a fun place to get dinner with group of friends or a date night. Service was amazing as well. read more

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I came for happy hour with a few friends. We had to order the sangria pitcher because it was only $28! It had a few servings for each of us. Now onto the food, we ordered the popular cajun shrimp, paella, calamari, and ceviche. The paella was my favorite out of these dishes, but it was pretty pricey for the amount of food we got. Same goes for the cajun shrimp, it was really yummy but there weren't that many shrimp in there.. definitely not enough to justify the high price tag! Food was pretty good, but overall you can probably find better prices elsewhere. It was also pretty crowded inside. read more

I absolutely love this Cuban restaurant the food is so flavorful and the portions are enough to share! The ambiance is fun and festive and the staff are extremely friendly and attentive! I got so excited to eat I forgot to take a picture first! My favorite dish is the Ropa Vieja and I love love love the plantains as you can see cause their almost gone lol! I also really enjoyed their chicken curry empanada! If your looking for some authentic Cuban food this definitely should be on your list!! Also ask for Julio he's amazing! read more

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

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My friend and I came in after a long-day of events and everything in the neighborhood was closed, except Cha Cha Cha! It was a great surprise. The restaurant was pretty darkly lit inside but the food came out quickly and the service was great. I have been to Cuba and have eaten many plates of Ropa Vieja before, so feel like I can judge it pretty fairly. The steak was a little chewier than I would have liked but otherwise had a nice flavor! The sides of rice and beans were very large but no flavor came out and grabbed me. I would say for the size alone this place deal - my friend and I shared our order. I would love to come back and try other plates and see what else they have to offer. read more

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

Beautiful ambiance, took my friend who loves plants to this spot and he absolutely adored it! We went on a week night and the vibes were really low key, highly recommend visiting when you're in SF read more

After drinking the evening away, I was hungry! Peter L wanted to go to a place I'd never been before, so after yelping places nearby, we decided on Cha Cha Cha for dinner. (I've been to the Mission location, but never the one on Haight.) We walked in on Thursday, November 17th around 9:45pm. The place was about half full, so we started off at a small round table as there were no booths avail. We later moved to a booth after one freed up as we ordered too much food to fit at our table. *Cajun Shrimp: sautéed in a spicy cream sauce ($13) *Paella Mixto: sautéed spanish rice with saffron, mussels, mixed fish, shrimp, calamari, chicken, andouille sausage & bay scallops ($17) *Lechon Asado: roasted leg of pork seasoned with adobe criollo served with yuca con mojo ($12.75) *Bistec Encebollado: bistro steak marinated in garlic, oregano & parsley served with caramelized onions & black beans ($13.50) *Cha3 Jerk Chicken: marinated chicken baked with habanero peppers, raisins, garlic & tomatoes served over white rice ($11) We actually started with a pitcher of Sangria. (I believe it was priced around $40? Maybe $30+?) I had quite a bit to drink before, so my recollection of this meal is a little hazy. I recall liking the steak and the paella. The steak was nice and meaty and the paella chock full of shellfish. Peter wanted the shrimp and I'm glad he ordered it. I adored the sauce! I spooned it on everything! Nice, creamy, and nutty. Yum! They also gave us some complimentary bread and butter. Good for dipping. Of course, I enjoyed the sangria. It definitely had a kick. Not sure if it was due to all the whiskey I drank earlier, but I thought it was rather strong. Great place to grab some tapas if you're in the area. I normally venture to the Mission, but it's nice to know there's a place closer to home. read more

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Delicious and great service! We were seated immediately outside (we had a dog). We ordered a pitcher of sangria and three dishes: jerk chicken, curry chicken empanada, and paella. Everything came out to us in about 10-15 minutes (as well as water for our dog!). The pitcher is a great deal - lots of sweet sangria for $20. We got the jerk chicken first - so delicious! Meat is so tender and the sauce is so flavorful. We could eat the gravy with the rice alone. The empanada came with some side salad of mixed greens - great flavor as well, but I think the jerk chicken had more flavor. The paella was great! Lots of tender seafood and flavorful rice. 10/10 recommend for flavorful food! read more

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Food are tasteless and not fresh . But the service is good. They should have a star for service .

I can't recommend this business, with the long wait times. Was a great restaurant at one time. read more

An old SF standard. Always get sangria and the warm spinach salad. Like an old pair of jeans. :)

Great for tapas. Great for main courses. Great for Sangria. Fun Ambience for dining in. Great for take out. Great value for the prices. read more

every time i come to san francisco- this is a necessary stop. give me some sangria. give me some cajun shrimp. and give me all the bread... that's all this girl needs. love the decor... love the vibe... forever a favorite! read more

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