Cha Cha Chicken — Restaurant in Santa Monica

My friends and I have been wanting to try this place for a while. We took a trip to the beach, and figured it was finally the right time to see what this place was all about.

The setting is pretty interesting. The ambiance is great, and is worth and extra half-star if I was able to give it. The back seating area closest to the entrance is made to look tropical, and they do a great job with all the lighting and decorations! I would definitely come back if only for the setting.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the food. Mind you, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the food. It's just that we agreed that there wasn't anything we would go out of our way to get again.

1/2 Order Cha-Cha-Chicken (hot): We like spice. there is no going around that. We asked for hot and explicitly asked for the chicken to be extra spicy. When we got it, it was smoking and looked SO delicious. The seasoning was great, but not exactly to our liking. It had a sweet tinge along with the classic Jamaican spices, which may or may not be to our tastes. In any case, I recommend it trying it at least once. If you like it, awesome! If not, then at least you're not asking what could have been.

Spicy Jerked Wings (12 pc): This was arguably better than the main dish above, just from the added flavor of the sauce. We asked for extra sweet mango sauce, and I thought it was tasteful! The chicken in both dishes was very tender and cooked nicely, absolutely no complaints there.

Mango Guava Juice: Underwhelming. They pulled that out as soon as we ordered it at the front, which can be taken the wrong way in terms of freshness. I could taste to mango and guava flavor, but it left quite a bit to be desired. The word lackluster comes to mind when I think about their drink, maybe I'm using it incorrectly; oh well. I don't recommend it.

Overall, a very pleasant experience! the food wasn't too bad, and the environment is such that you want to enjoy it with your friends and loved ones. And hey, you got the beautiful Pacific only a short walk away. So what's the harm, go try it out and have...

There is street parking right in front if you are lucky enough to get a spot, if not there seems to be more street parking further down and maybe a parking lot near by not really sure since I lucked out and got a spot in front. Metered of course, it is California.

The place itself is interesting, you order then find your own table is you can find a spot. It is BYOB, so you can bring you own alcoholic beverges. They charge you $0.50 for a cup, but I guess you can bring your own cup if you choose to. There seems to typcially be a line in front to order. There are a ton of options to choose from.

I got the Coconut Fried Chicken, Jerk Chicken Enchilida, Spinach and Chicken Quesadilla, with Fried Polenta, Black Beans, Dirty Rice, and Spicy Cuban Fries and a Chicken Empanada. The Spicy Cuban fries are really spicy to me, but good if you find a piece with not so much seasonging. The best thing hands down was the Coconut Fried Chicken, very cripsy! It's not very coconuty for those who don't enjoy coconut. The rice and beans were typical but cooked well. The quesadilla was good as well but not the best thing there. I was not a fan of the Jerk Chicken, but it was good to try it. I got the side order of the enchilida to try.

The service was good, not much service though, they just deliver your food to your table after you order with utensils and plates if you ask. The water is self serve a round the corner from the Order window. Seating seems to be limited however at this location.

I would return and recommend the Coconut...

Laidback Caribbean joint with outdoor dining area and byob policy. They’re open for dine-in as well as takeout during coronavirus. You can use the “Order for Me” app to get 15% off your first order (the pick up window is right next to the order line and the food was ready in less than 20 minutes).

It’s still byob if you dine in. Some of the tables are blocked off for social distancing and masks are required. The parking lot to the side is for employees only, but there’s metered street parking available ($2/hour). No free parking and it’s pretty busy so just park in the first spot you see (or walk!).

We chose the cha cha chicken half chicken that was marinated in mix sauce, and it wasn’t spicy. I would order the hot one instead next time. It comes with your choice of two sides, but black beans & rice and plantains are the way to go. For the coconut fried chicken, the pieces were on the smaller side but the coconut chicken batter was crispy and had a robust coconut flavor. The spicy fries were cut potato rounds and weren’t spicy, but they’re good dipped into the jerk sauce. They do take credit card and currently bathrooms aren’t available.

Overall the atmosphere is laid back and a good place to vibe by the beach. Bring your own liquor since the closest one is on Main St (~0.4 miles away) and you definitely want to eat your food while it’s fresh out of...