Cha Cha Sushi — Restaurant in San Jose

Oh my, this place is absolutely amazing! If you're a sushi purist (snob) or want a traditional sushi experience, this probably isn't the place for you. But if you want a unique melt-in-your-mouth experience, Cha Cha is the place for you!

Their special rolls prove that you can't go wrong if you go big with your rolls and add in some frying and baking. Take my personal favorite, the Alaskan Crispy, a deep fried salmon and cream cheese roll topped with wasabi mayo, unagi sauce and tobiko. As a piece melts in my mouth, my arteries cry out in pain as they are slowly clogged with a rich mixture of cream cheese and salmon. Worth it! Alyce really enjoys their baked rolls which both start out life as a simple California Roll: the Lion King adds tender baked salmon, and the Ocean Side adds succulent baked scallops. Even rolls that I did not particularly fall in love with, like the spicy tuna-based Sparky, are delicious. The Sparky actually ranked very highly with my dining partners and I totally did not regret having three pieces of it!

On my most recent visit, we gave the dessert menu a try and just when I was convinced Cha Cha could only provide an amazing experience via their sushi rolls, I was proven wrong. The vanilla tempura ice cream, covered in a thick pie-like crust with a dollop of whipped cream was absolutely delicious. The tempura ice cream can also comfortably feed four as it is a nicely sized breaded ball cut into four pieces. The menu should aptly rename the green tea ice cream to Goblet of Green Tea Ice Cream as it was served in a giant goblet and fed four of us with some left to spare. The mochi ice cream (one order cut into four pieces) is also above average. Do note that they drizzle chocolate sauce on all their dessert items. We have had some waiters ask and some not, but if you're not a fan of chocolate like me or don't want chocolate distracting your taste buds, just ask for them to not put chocolate on your dessert items!

They are wildly popular and busy, and they don't take reservations -- so expect a bit of a wait even if you come on a weekday. Two people can usually get seated within 15 minutes, especially if you don't mind sitting at the sushi bar. I have found coming with four people is the way to go for maximizing the amount of rolls you get to try as most rolls come cut into eight pieces. Expect a slightly longer wait if your party is larger, especially if you want a table. That said, whether we have had to wait 30 minutes or an hour, once we're seated and eating no one seems to mention the wait ever again!

The restaurant is clean, well-maintained and the service is great. The rolls come out ridiculously fast even when the place is packed -- so if you had to wait a while to be seated, do not fret as your wait will be quickly rewarded. The complimentary spicy mussels and green tea add a nice touch to an already amazing and ridiculously economical experience. Rolls range in price but average around $10 per roll.

If you love your friends and family, bring them here. You owe it to them. And for being such a good person, you will be...

This place is the bomb diggity.

Such a drive for me to go here, but for good sushi, worth it :) The restaurant is pretty small with bar seating and a couple of tables. If you have a large party, I would expect the wait to be pretty long since most of the tables are for parties of 2-4. Around dinner time, expect a pretty long wait (~45 minutes on average) and you can't call in to put your name down, you have to be there in person.

Luckily for me, I came around 8:30pm and the wait for two people wasn't bad, so I got seated in about 10 minutes. This place is different, instead of your usual edamame appetizer, Cha Cha gives you complimentary mussel appetizer that had spicy salsa on top! The mussel was delicious, the salsa gave it flavor and it had a nice kick to it.

Looking at their menu is overwhelming, they have so many choices! IF you love ROLLS, then this place is great for you (: Their selections of rolls is impressive and the prices are pretty darn good for a sushi restaurant!

Favorites:

ASSORTED SASHIMI APPETIZER: $10. Not bad for sashimi! It came with 2 pieces of tuna, salmon, halibut, and yellowtail. The fish was fresh and the portion was good. My favorite was definitely the salmon (it had a nice rich fatty taste to it)

BRANDON ROLL: $ 14 dollars of YUMMMMY! This is one my favorite rolls ever. It comes with sooooooo much mixed fish! The sauce they had on the fish gave the fish a nice sweet savory taste, I couldn't stop eating it! They also put rice crackers on it, to give it a nice crunch. The roll was very refreshing and filling. Definitely a MUST when you go here.

LUNCH COMBINATIONS: MY GOD, i've hit the jackpot. This is a load of food but so worth it and sooooo good. If only I can get this everyday :/ sigh

Highly recommend if you're in the area and looking for a bang for your buck...

Received so many high praises nd people raving about this place, plus my own experience for eating here a couple of times before I could really give a good review...so let me Cha Cha dancing to what I have to say.

Small yet quaint, I feel welcomed by the chef and hostesses each time I've gone here. Hard to seat a large party, so be aware to come before the rush.

Free complimentary mussels!! Yes, you have no need to pay for the free dish given to you. Unhappy, I'm allergic to mussels but that won't bring my rating down. My friends have enjoyed it very much. Which lets me know that their tummies were grateful to eat something good before we had placed our own orders.

Their menu is pretty extensive with photos of their special rolls along with a description. You'll come to find that most of their rolls are delicious!! I highly recommend to order the CHA CHA Poki salad. Lettuce, cubed tuna, seaweed and a light dressing of sweetness that rolls at the tip of your tongue making you hunger for more. At least that's how I felt. =)

My favorite special rolls:

White Tiger Lion King Roll Highway 87 (by far....my most favorite because I LOVE spicy tuna) Red Dragon Hawaiian Poki (definitely give this a try) Siso-Siso

Most of their items are priced on a CHEAP scale. Don't forget to leave room for the free green tea ice cream. Indeed! I said FREE. So you're saving yourself some pocket change. Be happy! You can come back again for more rolls...CHA CHA your...