I'm starting to believe I don't have sophisticated taste buds. Seems like a lot of people enjoy this place and we have had good meals in the past but I think the special feeling of this place has passed me by. I had pork chops on this most recent visit and was disappointed in the preparation. They were dry and I had to cut off the edges to just eat the middle. Even then, they were not moist and it was not enjoyable but they were busy and it would have delayed the others at my table if I sent it back for something else. Speaking of that, seems like they only have one server so if it's busy, you can see how someone could get pulled in too many directions. Hope you have a better experience that we did. Good luck! read more

This is honestly my favorite restaurant in El Segundo and in my top 5 of all time. The food here is consistently amazing (I've been here 10+ times) and so is the service, especially for the price! You can't go wrong with any of the seafood dishes - their fish is always top notch. Love this place! read more

This is such a great restaurant! I've been there twice and have zero motivation to order anything other than the amazing pork chops. This place is such a gem! Everything is amazing. I had the great bread and spread and also a great chopped salad. Please check this place out I know you'll love it. read more

Chef Hannes Restaurant - Pork chops with mashed potato and root vegetable - Seafood Near Me - El Segundo, California

Chef Hannes is a great place for a variety of foods!!! They have the most delicious Kale Salad on the planet. Chef Hannes is very accommodating and service is great! read more

Chef Hannes Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - El Segundo, California

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We hit up Chef Hannes on a recommendation from a neighbor. Great spot for dinner in old town El Segundo, which is always peaceful and fun... Great little strip of restaurants over there. I had the chicken Toscana... and the super wife had the braised ribs. All in all a nice time ! read more

Delicious food all the way around. The bread and spread is phenomenal. The main server is so knowledgeable and friendly even when she's slammed. Serving local beer and great wine. Wonderful desserts and atmosphere. read more

Came here on a Friday night around 7:30. There's plenty of street parking. I made reservations for our party of seven, no problems. The restaurant is pretty big. There is a main dining area, and then a second room adjoining it, a back room, and what looks like to be an outside patio area. Free bread, and garlic avocado pesto olive oil spread? was great. My Frutti di mare (seafood pasta, $13.95) was actually surprisingly good, and I have high pretty high standards after going to Italy. Unfortunately we were seated way in the back. I'm not sure why they had to stuff us all the way back there by ourselves, there was plenty of room in the other two dining rooms. The lighting was dim. No music. Very quiet. It seemed a little weird, even amongst our group of close friends. Thank goodness for Spotify. I was able to find a great "Italian Dining" Playlist. Who knew they had such a thing?? The waitresses were very polite, but something seemed a little off about them. They didn't seem to be very inviting and lacking that personable, warm feeling that good waiters/waitresses give off. The ambiance of this play definitely knocked down the score, of an otherwise solid Italian dinner. Overall, just a weird dining experience. Prior to this, all I really cared about was food quality....I didn't realize what a big part ambiance played in a dining experience until now. I'm not sure if I'd come back, or if I did, I'll definitely request to sit in the main dining room. read more

Chef Hannes Restaurant - frutti di mare pasta ($13.95) and complimentary bread with garlic, pesto spread - Seafood Near Me - El Segundo, California

Absolutely amazing! My husband and I came here for lunch. We were so impressed by the menu we had to order twice as much as we normally do. We started with the pumpkin soup and chopped salad. Both appetizers were very delicious! We ordered the arancini and we also split the special which was Carolina BBQ plate. I'm from the Carolinas and I have to say this was an amazing interpretation of the southern favorite. We will be coming here again very soon! Lastly, the Hibiscus tea was a favorite as well. read more

I've come to this restaurant once a month for the last several months as part of a monthly luncheon meeting. We have a large group of 12. The food is fantastic, fresh, and delicious. From the spring salad to the fresh bread with spicy tomato and pesto sauces, to the various dishes ordered by all of us. Everyone is always impressed by their dishes, salmon, chicken parmesan, gumbo, and fresh pasta to name a few. Deserts range from flourless chocolate cake with fresh raspberries, and creme brulee to a beautiful apple strudel. Chef Hannes always comes out and greets us and checks on how we are. I highly recommend this lovely small place with a personal touch in El Segundo. read more

I came in right as the restaurant opened and was the first customer. I sat down by myself as I was waiting for the boyfriend. I thought he was going to arrive in fifteen, but he ended up coming in a half hour later. Usually, I would feel a bit awkward sitting in an empty restaurant by myself for so long, but Chef Hannes made sure I felt right at home! He brought me a beverage and his bread and potato spread. He was really personable and friendly. He chatted me up for awhile and then let me read my book for the rest of the time. He told me to relax and that there was no rush at all. This was great. When it was time to order, I got the special scallops with spinach over pasta. The boyfriend got the short pasta with chicken sausage. We shared the smoked salmon carpaccio and the special pumpkin soup. I don't like smoked salmon, but I enjoyed the mild flavored fish we were served over the bed of spinach. The boyfriend ate it up hurriedly. The pumpkin soup was not at all as I expected. It was creamy, lemony, and nutty. At first I was taken aback, but then I really liked the taste. The boyfriend, who pretty much hates anything in the squash family, said that he could eat a whole bowl himself, so that's saying something. My pasta was light and delicious. The short pasta with sausage was a little spicy and much more flavorful. I would definitely order this on another visit. On the way out, I saw a bunch of little bread puddings in cups on the counter. I would have loved to try one, but I was too full. I'm sure we'll be back. :) read more

This is great little place for some classic food. The halibut was excellent and the pasta with Italian sausage was also very good. They have an extensive wine list and their house red is a great deal. The cheese strudel was awesome!!! Watch out its hot! read more

Out to lunch with a friend who recommended this place. Walked in and was immediately greeted by a nice gentleman with an accent. Sat and ordered. Food was great & service was excellent. My friend ordered the vegetables soup and tomato-eggplant soup. Both were fantastic. Then she had the chicken salad and I had the Lamb sandwich. Delicious! We also ordered the flourless chocolate cake and the lemon flavored bread pudding! I am hooked!!!! Try it for yourself! Happy customer and looking forward to returning... read more

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3.5stars for chicken Toscana , lamb sandwich and cheese strudel. The presentations is 4 stars. Chef Hannes is very nice. read more

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As I explained to the server, I am relocating to here-and visited the restaurant a month ago- but when I tried to find it again, wound up at all the other great Italian restaurants near downtown. Was happy to have figured their location out tonight. However, it got busy after I arrived, so my initial request for a glass of wine was forgotten. Then I had to ask for the specials. No worries - nothing out of the norm, I suppose. Until later, waiting a long time for the the $55 bill. No card I provided, including a debit card worked. The first attempt to pay apparently resulted in an errant $55K charge. I was told their system was down. Did u have cash she asked. I only had $20 cash. The server apologized for the issue. Instead of offering up - "sorry, our bad - see you next time" my option seemed to be to walk to an ATM, where I paid a fee to get cash from the same card the restaurant's equipment failed to be able to process. I had just come from work. So left my laptop backpack to go and get cash to close out my bill. My server had said she would accept half. I am not great at math, but can compute half of $55. To my surprise, she now said $40 would suffice. I had just been embarrassed by having to leave the restaurant and come back to pay. I felt people looking at me and was mortified. I paid the $40 and gathered my belongings and felt like I was doing the perp walk to the door. I have been staying a month with an AirBandB host, who has lived here for two decades. She too was taken aback by my experience. After recommending the restaurant. Bottom line. The food was ok. Caring for the customer experience was dismal. I am 67. I travel throughout the world. Dine out 65% of the time. Wanted this to be my Italian food go-to. But the perp walk cured me of that. Wonder how it played out for everyone else there tonight. Advice: bring patience and an equal amount of cash. Great food. But this experience drove a single star as I had already forgotten what I ate because of having to leave to find an ATM. read more

Always a treat to eat here... my go to for El Segundo! It's all about the lamb shank! read more

Chef Hannes Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - El Segundo, California

Chef Hannes was good in that dated-but-good neighborhood joint kinda of way. I actually enjoyed the server's no-nonsense attitude, but can see how it could rub other people the wrong way. She set a basket of bread down after I ordered along with an interesting potato/garlic/parsley concoction which I really enjoyed. Would have been better with a lot more garlic in there, but I still ate all of it. The meal itself was the Lamb shank and that was really good too. Lamb shank, meat falling off the bone, covered in red wine sauce, and mashed potatoes on the side. Also on the plate, for no real reason at all, some steamed baby carrots. The carrots had no flavor and didn't add anything to the meal, I think they were just there for some color. Like I said, the place definitely has those old school touches. Overall though I had a solid meal and wouldn't mind coming back again some day. read more

French Toast is excellent. Definitely will return for breakfast/brunch again. The waiter was pleasant,the restroom is stylish & clean. The art work is admirable as well. read more

Chef Hannes Restaurant - French Toast - Seafood Near Me - El Segundo, California

This local establishment seems like a survivor, probably because local residents enjoy its consistent good quality. We were treated well on a busy Saturday night, getting seated without reservations. We were served bread with an interesting potato/garlic/herb dipping sauce. My wife and I split meals because we aren't big eaters. So we shared a Caesar salad (big portions for each of us) and a scampi dish with root veggies. It was just the right amount for us and the dishes were very flavorful. We each sampled a nice bold red by the glass. The prices were reasonable, too. I'm not sure how to describe the cuisine since they menu offered Italian, Asian, and American dishes. read more

Decided to give Hannes a second or third try. Same results. Their is no chef on board here. Hannes is MIA. the pasta w sausage was dreadful- more like a soup than a pasta plate. The service was a C. Do yourself a favor and if you want good food, walk down Main Street to Jame Enoteca where you will enjoy 5 star food and service. Hannes is WASHED-up read more

I had walked by this little restaurant many times and wondered how it might be. It had always been quiet so I was not sure. I did decide to try it out with a friend the other day for a nice lunch to celebrate the final days of summer. We were greeted and taken care of by Chef Hanne himself. He was interested in creating a pleasant dining experience for us as he was very attentive but not overbearing. We started out with the soup. My friend had the spring pea soup and I had the tomato basil. We each agreed that we preferred the pea but the tomato was still pleasant. I think I was expecting fresh basil but tasted more dried herbs. It was still very pleasant but more rustic style with small chunks of onion etc. For my main I chose the pork chops. They were bone out and there were two so the portion was very generous. They were seasoned nicely and the chutney was tasty to accompany. The broccoli was a little soft for my taste. My friend enjoyed her sand dabs and the cauliflower rice was a nice change for the starch. Dessert was apple strudel and the special of the day, chocolate banana bread pudding. The bread pudding was very rich and the strudel was like a bite of Christmas with the traditional holiday spices to accompany the apples. Overall, we did enjoy our first visit to this little restaurant. read more

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The best most authentic Austrian cuisine and many wonderful specialities anywhere in Southern California! Chef Hannes is a real person and works magic and takes great pride in his culinary creations. He uses local farms and is an exceptional seasonal chef which is eco responsible and healthy for all. To really enjoy his creations i recommend eating in his bistro but his take-out is equally quality and delish! There is limited parking in front but parking is more available in back. Call ahead and find out what his specials are. This is a real find for the more educated pallet! Its Highly recommend for couples and adult parties. It's Casual dress dining with a high class faire. Romantic and Affordable but not a family diner. Well behaved children would be welcome but there is no kids menu. I recommend highly! A+++ read more

First timers, came because of a recommendation from a friend. Food was good, service leaves a lot to be desired. Our server was an older woman with glassses. She was very rushed when taking our order. She just asked us, "Do you know what you want?" I asked about the specials on the board and she rattled off 4 dishes in quick succession, of which did not include the sea bass. I ordered and she scampered away. Mean while, the nice gentleman server was slowly describing the sea bass to the table next to us. I had to chase our server down to inquire...she responded with, "Oh, the cook in the back just told me about it." Hmmm...sounds a little suspect but, ok. At the end of our meal, we were not offered dessert, just our check. I witnessed such polarizing service and can't help but not feel a bad taste in my mouth about this restaurant. We dined at 8 o'clock on Friday night, hardly close to closing time to warrant her rush. Chef Hannes, If you're reading this, I would strongly recommend coaching this server to slow down. Not sure I'll return. read more

Overall, great dinner. Easy parking on the street. We had reservations but didn't need them at 7pm on Saturday evening. Excellent dinner with the best grilled pork chop I've had in ages. Good friendly attention from the wait staff. Looking forward to going back in the near future! read more

Stopped by last night, while trying to patron local businesses that had just been able to reopen. We did not have a reservation but the restaurant was not full. The woman who greeted us made us feel that she was doing us a favor by seating us even though we had not reserved in advance. Once seated, we waited 10+ minutes for her to return to our table. Overall, we felt the service was extremely curt and unfriendly. When we decided to just stick with one round of drinks and an appetizer, she chided us for not ordering entrees, saying "We really don't do that here." We then watched her seat a family of 5 with no reservation in the same manner she had seated us. She made it clear from start to finish that we were an imposition. The real shame is we noticed another server that night who seemed very pleasant and welcoming. If we'd been with her, I'm sure the entire experience would have been better. The food we did have was good, and the general atmosphere seemed nice. But with the way this woman made us feel, we will never come back. read more

We moved to El segued & we are still looking for our favorite spot. Haven't been to lucky lately. So we went out for Valentines Day and we were very excited to try this place... We got there 10 min early, restaurant was kinda busy. We were sat in back and left alone for an extended period. The server was overwhelmed with the crowd but a sweet person. The food was great, I got salmon and my husband had the lamb. Everything would be perfect if the wait wasn't so long. read more

OMG. Went here based on comments from yelpers. It's a fusion of seafood, French and Italian. Were repeatedly told the chef is Austrian though. None of that matters - the food was wonderful as was the service. I had the spicy chicken with tomatoes and cucumbers along with a dinner salad. I know, it doesn't sound all that good but let me tell you, Wow! Glad we went. Highly recommend. read more

The quality of food for the price is fantastic The lamb osoboca is fantastic with farm to table veggies and killer mashed potatoes There steak on specials is fantastic. Best quality bang for your buck ever. read more

This review is long over due. I have been eating at Chef Hannes for years. Food is great. Service is friendly. Chef Hannes is usually there to make sure the dining experience is good. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu - sandwiches for lunch, pasta or steak for dinner, and the desserts are so good. read more

Chef Hannes Restaurant - Complimentary bread - Seafood Near Me - El Segundo, California

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it's a very small restaurant without a lot of space for lots of guests, I thought that the decor was interesting though, and I liked it. Some cool art on the walls and an interesting ambiance. The chef is very involved and greets people, which is nice. It's a little confusing to figure out what the theme or type of cuisine is at first. I liked it, but it could use a little improvement. read more

Excellent, excellent food. I had the special wild seabass ($22.95) with brown rice & steamed vegetables - melts in your mouth, it was exceptional, some of the best fish I've ever had. Parking isn't great, but it's a pretty little town and a nice walk in the evening. read more

Recommend by a friend and we followed up on the enthusiastic endorsement. Had wonderful dinners that actually stretched over three meals with the delicious leftovers. Every course was divine - husband had meatloaf and I had the pork chops. We were surprised at the end with flourless chocolate cake compliments of the chef when he heard I was gluten-free. I usually don't eat sugar either but I savored every bite. This is a new go to place and we will definitely be bringing friends! I have to mention the positive energy of the waitress who was handling the restaurant on her own that night - she did not miss a beat! You need reservations from 6:00 on - it was very busy when we left. read more

I usually come her about once a year. Our last visit was not my favorite. I had the the Pasta a la Trevi (angel hair with sun dried tomato, goat cheese and eggplant). The components were good, however, the pasta was overcooked - kind of congealed. It also has black olives not mentioned on the menu - but easy enough to pick out and dispose of (hate olives). My friend had the sand dabs - again OK, but nothing to write home about. We had the tomato and mozzarella to start - needed a bit of salt and the tomatoes weren't too tasty... Service was good and prices are reasonable - but something was missing. The decor is honestly a bit depressing. The walls are painted sort of a drab marble grey and decoded with painting for sale. Next time try Venetian plaster to get the marble effect on the wall... Parking is easy on Main Street or in the neighborhoods adjacent. read more

A gem of a restaurant, friendly service, nice atmosphere, flavors were delightful-and I had a bite of everyone's entrees in our group! I'll definitely be back! read more

A cute, quaint, very small bistro in downtown El Segundo. However, looks are somewhat deceiving as the service was extremely rude and unwelcoming and the food was just OK. It says "The Dining Car" on the outside of the restaurant - not sure what that has to do with the food. And the Chef pronounces his name "Hang-gas" but its spelled Hannes. It was our first time so we weren't sure where to wait to be seated because there wasn't a hostess and the wait-staff completely ignored us so we decided to head to the bar/register area which was very tight and cramped. There were only 2 seats so we waited there and were ignored again by the bartender/waitress who was a real cold fish with a sour puss and a bad attitude. You know something's wrong when you find yourself having to be overly nice and accommodating to the staff and no matter how nice you are, they still don't smile or treat you like a oh I don't know - maybe a paying customer!!! The Chef was dressed in regular clothes and was not doing the cooking. That should have been our first clue to go somewhere else. Instead he was opening a wine bottle at the bar where we were waiting. After a few minutes the "Chef" said hello and asked if we were waiting for a table. About 15 minutes later without being offered a glass of wine or a glass of water, a table opened up and we were seated by Chef Hannes but he never introduced himself or welcomed us to his restaurant and he never suggested any items for us to try or consider - I don't know, I found it a bit strange and rude. The food was good but not great. I thought the prices were reasonable but definitely NOT inexpensive as described here on Yelp. We each had a wonderful glass of Pinot Noir which saved the experience. read more

I enjoyed dining at this quaint restaurant located in downtown El Segundo. The layout is a bit unusual but it seems to work for the staff. Google maps directed me to park in the back therefore, my friend and I entered through the back door. It was a strange entrance, I felt like I was walking in to a private home. We walked up the stairs and realized it was the outdoor section of the restaurant. Once seated the waitress brought us water and bread with potato garlic spread...DELICIOUS!! I could of kept on eating that spread and fluffy bread...yum! I started off with an apple blue cheese vinaigrette salad. It was tasty and a good portion size. I'm not an olive fan so my only suggestion would be to trade my olives for grapes :) I ordered the Spaghetti al Frutti di Mare Pasta with shrimp, calamari, fresh herbs, garlic, tomatoes and white wine. I truly enjoyed the flavors and I even was brave enough to eat most of the octopus...and I'm no fan of octopus. The ingredients tasted fresh, specially the herbs. I went with creme brûlée for dessert and I'm glad I did because it was a perfectly smooth and creamy finish. The staff was very attentive and friendly. The place has a casual vibe and I felt relaxed. I would return...hopefully I get to meet Chef Hannes next time :D read more

First time coming here. We had a party of 9 for a Bday dinner and the staff and food was excellent! Stella on tap is always a plus but the food is the real star. Fresh and innovative dishes. We will definitely be back, highly recommend! read more

I came here with my husband and his parents a few weeks ago and we were SO disappointed! We have lived here in El Segundo for 7 years, a town I have absolutely fallen in love with, and have always meant to stop in to Chef Hannes. When we got a coupon from Restaurant.com, we decided to finally go. BIG MISTAKE! Not realizing they closed at 9pm (where other restaurants nearby close at 10pm), we walked in at 8:50pm. The waitress, Felicia , held up her arm to make it very clear she was looking at her watch, but told us to have a seat and she would check to see if the cooks haven't gone home yet. If it wasn't for our coupon, we would've left right then, but we decided to give it a try but order quickly. When another group of people walked in, all she did the rest of the evening was complain that she was "gonna be here for a while anyways, OBVIOUSLY, so take your time." That's when things got worse. First off, we ordered a bottle of wine. She brought out a bottle that wasn't what we ordered but said it was better than what we ordered. Weird. Next, my mother-in-law tried to order her entree 3 different times, but the waitress insisted we get our wine first, then she didn't have her booklet, then one other excuse I can't remember. By the time she was ready, she looked at my mother-in-law and asked what she would like to order. We all just laughed, quietly. Dinner was OK. The potato garlic spread with the bread was interesting, but enjoyable. The Spaghetti Al Frutti Di Mare was not the best pasta I've had... tho I enjoyed my in-laws pasta better than mine. Back to the service... By the end of our meals, she asked if we wanted dessert. We asked for the dessert menu. She brought us their creme brulee. Again, we laughed. She even stopped by one more time and asked "Do you WANT anything else, cuz we've got NOTHING left!" Ok, moving on... we asked for the bill, and here is when she went crazy!!! When looking over the bill, I didn't see our $25 coupon applied so when I asked her about it, she avidly circled her finger at the bottom of the check, which was blank, saying, "this is where the drinks should be... See? There's nothing there! You guys made out!" Ummmm, our bottle of wine that we originally ordered was $18, so does that make the one coffee we ordered more than $7??? After arguing with her about it SEVERAL times (now we were laughing AT her), we decided to cut our losses, pay the bill, and get the HECK outta there! Needless to say, we will NEVER go back. read more

5 stars means a lot. To be able to gain 5 stars a restaurant better knock your socks off, make you put them back on, just so they could knock your socks off again. That is what Chef Hannes does for me. I have been coming to Cheff Hannes for about 2 years now so this review will encompass all I have experienced. This is one of the most friendly establishments I have ever frequented. The Chef is especially wonderful. He talks to you, remembers you, and calls you princess. Well, he calls me princess! The patte is such a treat. When I first had it, I couldn't stop eating it. I have learned to pace myself though sometimes it proves to be difficult. During Christmas, I stopped in to Chef Hannes to pick up a quart of their patte for a potluck and they gave it to me for free! FREE! They make the bread fresh and gather the veggies from a local farmers market daily. Everything you eat is fresh! My fav dish is the Diablo Chicken and Shrimp pasta. Even if it is not on the menu - they will make it for you (pending they have the ingredients). A co worker once asked for fried chicken when there wasn't any fried chicken being offered. Voila, Chef Hannes came out with fried chicken. Doesn't that alone scream AWESOME!? The service is impeccable, the food will tickle your fancy, and the cannoli dessert will leave you begging for more. Unfortunately, there is no more cannoli to beg for. I continue to beg for it and it has been the only item not on the menu that they haven't brought back. Persistence is key. I will bug them until they do. I will win the battle to bring back the cannoli! read more

Chef Hannes consistently exceeds expectations all around. Touch of class and elegance in simple El Segundo. We are lucky to have this fine restaurant and chef in our community. read more

Quaint little bistro in DT El Segundo. You're greeted with bread and a avocado concoction once you are seated. It is quite tasty. We ordered the lamb osso bucco, salmon, and braised pork chop. For starters we shared a kale salad with pan seared scallops. The ingredients were fresh and dishes are not overly seasoned. It will not leave you feeling heavy for the rest of the work afternoon. It is portioned just right. The prices are above the average for lunches, but it's quality. The service is attentive and friendly. Street parking. read more