After a work conference, headed to Santa Monica for some R&R! A short walk away, through Yelp, found this pretty little gem. Walked right in and snagged a chicken enchilada and tostada combo! Sat on the patio and listened to reggae for a late solo lunch. Omg so good. I inhaled the enchilada, stuffed full of pulled chicken with a lovely citrusy spicy sauce that took me back to the island, mom. Don't sleep on the watermelon guava juice! So good! No alcohol but that's ok! Come here. Get some. Life is too short for boring food! Relax a moment and let the flavors take you on a little adventure. read more

Cha Cha Chicken - Chicken enchilada and tostada combo! So good! - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California

The atmosphere is a mix of Caribbean and Latin vibes, exactly like the cuisine! They have big lotería cards on the table tops with Virgin Island/Bahamas license plates and colorful details all over the restaurant. It's not overdone, the colors and details are just right :) We were greeted and helped promptly. Although it was our first time and we had many questions, the lady was patient and had all the answers. We got the coconut fried chicken (1/4) and the cha cha chicken (1/4). Bathroom is around the back. The covered outdoor eating area has total island vibes. I will be back any time I'm in the area. So delicious! read more

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This review is for an UberEats order. I rarely order delivery, but after failing at intermittent fasting, I had to order something. I work on Wilshire in Santa Monica, so I'm relatively close to Cha Cha Chicken. I appreciate that they used foil to keep the food warm, but there were no utensils included. Luckily, I had a fork at work. I ordered from Cha Cha Chicken specifically because I had a major chicken craving. I ordered the 1/4 Chicken with 2 Sides ($14.50) and chose the mixed mild and hot jerk sauce, which was quite nice. I think it leaned more towards mild, being sweeter than spicy, but I enjoyed it. It had a hint of spice, so I also ordered a small side of hot sauce ($1), which had a nice, smoky flavor without being overly hot. I'd definitely order this dish again, but next time I'd get 1/2 a chicken, as it wasn't very filling on its own. The dirty rice and beans were just okay, to be honest. Ordering rice and beans with plantains is a must when you order Caribbean food. The rice was a bit crunchy, almost undercooked, and the beans were hard, not tender at all. It could have been a bad batch. The plantains were excellent - I could have eaten a dozen! However, they were on the smaller side. I'm looking forward to visiting in person and trying some of their other dishes, especially the famous coconut fried chicken. read more

Cha Cha Chicken - 1/4 Chicken with 2 Sides $14.50 - UberEats Order - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Such a good little escape spot. The whole place has this ocean, getaway vibe with a nice breeze coming through, which made hanging out here feel effortless. The chicken was insanely juicy and flavorful. I went with the coconut breaded chicken and it hit perfectly, especially paired with the plantains. We also got a plate of chips to start, which was a solid move, and the smoothies were bomb and super refreshing. Service was great. The guy up front was really friendly and helpful and even jumped on video to welcome everyone into the shop, which was such a nice touch. The ambience really makes this place. Great location, relaxed coastal energy, and food that matches the vibe. One of those spots where you end up staying longer than you planned because you're just enjoying it. read more

Delicious food at a reasonable cost in a primetime location near Santa Monica beach! Watched the sunset and walked over for dinner - the Ropa Vieja was tender, spicy, and delicious! The Cha Cha chicken was flavorful and juicy to the bone. Rice and beans were decent and plaintains were decent. The coconut chicken is nothing special but the jerk sauce helps add flavor. It's BYOB with Caribbean music and vibes. Highly recommend Mango guava and cucumber mint juices! read more

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My daughter and I stopped in to Cha Cha Chicken after living in Los Angeles our entire lives and driving past it every day. I decided it was about time and I'm glad I did! I was very impressed by the colorful wall designs and the incredible service. I love that the owner, Elvira, stops by to ask how everything is. I could tell how much she cares about customer service which seems to be a bit of a lost art today. We ordered up at the counter and sat on the back patio. My daughter had the Cha Cha Chicken-oven roasted chicken with mildly spiced Jerk sauce with rice. The chicken was tender and flavorful and she really enjoyed it. I had the Mulato Cubano Sandwich with shredded chicken breast, cheese, lettuce, pickles, and mustard on a pressed Cuban baguette. The chicken was pull-apart tender. I also had a yummy grape soda. I'm so glad that we decided to stop in today. We will definitely be back to celebrate Cha Cha Chicken's 30th year in Santa Monica! read more

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4 stars for the ambiance, location to beach & great vibes! Absolutely love the location near the beach. Service was very quick. Order at the window & the food comes out fairly quick. There is only one bathroom, but the line moves quick and there is a changing table - huge win!!! Ordered the cheese quesadilla for my toddler. Pretty tasty. It usually comes with jerk chicken. I think I enjoyed the quesadilla more than my toddler. The jerk chicken enchiladas were pretty good. My husband inhaled his spicy enchiladas. They were SPICY! I could've used a pinch of salt or seasoning in my jerk chicken enchiladas. The plantains were great! We tried our friend's cha cha chicken. Pretty good & seasoned well!!! Would definitely go back and order the cha cha chicken. We also ordered the banana smoothie with chocolate. Excellent choice!!! Highly recommend!! read more

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This is hands down one of my favorite places to eat in Santa Monica. The space is cozy and outdoors, you can place your order at the register and the waitress will come out and give you the food. The restaurant is definitely self service vibes. They have a wide variety on the menu, my go to dish is the pepper shrimp with dirty rice and sweet plantains. The shrimp is cooked to perfection and the sauce is sweet with pieces of pineapple. The food is sooo good and totally worth checking out! read more

I used to love this place. Yesterday was gorgeous outside, so I thought that the Caribbean vibe would have been perfect. The food is under seasoned and overpriced. We ordered the spicy shrimp with black beans and rice. The sauce was a 4 out of 10 for flavor and 2/10 for spice. Almost couldn't even taste the sauce outside of a little sweetness from the pineapple or mango or whatever those bits were. There were only five medium sized shrimp in the dish. We also got a 1/4 chicken with the mango sauce. I would give that flavor of 2/10 and the chicken thigh was rubbery. (They did give us a different thigh when I brought it back.) We only pull about two small bites off of the leg. The quantity of protein there was ridiculously small. They filled the plate with about $.75 full of rice, beans, shredded cabbage, and plantains. Check was $55 and we left hungry and to go get another lunch. I hope this was an off day for them, but definitely won't be going back anytime in the future. read more

Such a tasty spot, and a great place to go with a group! You order at a window and each person takes a number to the table. Food comes out very quickly. I ordered the jerk chicken combo which came with an enchilada, tostada, and plantains. The tortillas were fine, but the chicken was so flavorful! The plantains were the perfect balance on the side. I felt the food wasn't quite balanced, because certain aspects were fairly plain and the chicken was very spiced. Over all, it was an enjoyable meal and I felt very satisfied after. The prices include a cash discount, so be prepared to pay a little more with a card. After tax and tip, my plate was $22. Parking was fairly easy since there are tons of meters down the block. read more

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Very cool shack vibes, felt like I was really transported to somewhere else. Portions are big. Tried 1/2 a chicken each of the cha cha chicken and coconut fried chicken. While good, I didn't think it was addicting enough to try again but it's a nice change of cuisine than most places in the Santa Monica area. The aquas frescas were truly refreshing I could taste 100% real fruit with no artificial flavoring. What stood out the most was the excellent service. Taking orders past their closing periods, despite customers giving them a hard time. They also didn't kick out people who were overstaying past closing either read more

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Drove by this place and was 100% taken in by the name and decor. Ordered the coconut fried chicken and it was fried to crispy, angelic perfection. It came with 2 sauces for dipping and I found myself cleaning those little cups not wanting to leave a single delicious drop behind. Rice and beans were light and fluffy with the rice cooked perfectly. Plantains were expertly fried and well caramelized. My friend got the black pepper shrimp and cleaned their plate as well. The worst part of the experience was having to decide what delicious thing I wanted to eat and not being able to try everything all at once. Absolutely going back so I can try the enchiladas. read more

Cha Cha Chicken - Heavenly coconut fried chicken and devilishly spiced shrimp - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Reminds me of my Papa and the food I grew up on. It taste good chicken is s a little dry but with the rice and beans its good. Wish the tostada was crunchy. The lemonade is delish. read more

Cha Cha Chicken - Jerk Chicken Tostadas - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Definitely a unique experience. The line was long. That's how I noticed this eatery in the first place. There is a lot of "chicken" on the menu, but there are other items, too, if you look. I had the salmon special and chicken gumbo soup. Both turned out better than I expected. read more

The first time we ordered the food was great and it came with wonderful sauces etc. The next order, no sauces, the food tasted like it had been cooked twice. Not so good. read more

Amazing food, lovely decor and seating area, reasonable prices for LA. Food came out within 5 minutes of ordering. We got the ropa vieja and the chicken enmoladas. UPDATE: Do not eat anything with Mole sauce if you are allergic to peanuts. We didn't know it had peanuts in it and had to ask two separate times to find out there are peanuts in the sauce (this information was only obtained by speaking in Spanish to the chef. the lady at the counter originally told us there were no peanuts in it the first time we asked, which is untrue) read more

Cha Cha Chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California

My friend and I stopped by for a quick last minute meal right before they closed at 8:30pm. Pretty solid and flavorful food and the outdoor patio was exactly what we wanted. Low-key & pretty. read more

Cha Cha Chicken - Jerk Combo - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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I had heard a lot about this place beforehand, and I think it didn't quite meet the expectations set out by others. I had a quarter of medium spice cha cha chicken and I thought it was pretty good, but the sides were just ok. Honestly, the basic chips and dip were the second best thing I ate. I did really enjoy the cantaloupe agua fresca. Service was great! Cashier was nice and food came out very quickly. No complaints here. The ambiance is unique. Felt fun for our casual group lunch, but I think it would've been a little more of a party vibe at dinner. Overall, solid experience but not quite as amazing as others had pitched it to me. read more

The decor was so bright, colorful and happy. I was so excited upon seeing this place on a road trip that I made a U turn back and took on the mission of finding parking (quite difficult in the area.) All to get some coconut fried chicken, jerk turkey burger, plantains and sweet potato fries... Not sure if it was worth it. Maybe my expectations were too high from living in 'Little Carribean'. It was nice to try this out but whoever the chef was, was not using enough seasoning/spices. read more

3.5/5 The ambiance and decor was the only thing that really sold me about Cha Cha. It gives off a cute bungalow vibe, but other than that the food was mid. I liked the pieces of coconut that were mixed into the batter, but the dish was lacking in spice. The corn was not sweet at all and tasted mushy. The pricing is also quite high for the portions they give. read more

Cha Cha Chicken - outdoor patio seating - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Taste was ok.I went here for lunch and it would be nice to place the price for dishes up on the posters in the restaurant.I did ask to see a menu due to being gluten free and they did have enough items on the menu that were gluten free, which was nice. The price on the menu handed to me and what I was charged was different though and I did mention that and it was unclear why but I just paid it as I wasn't given a clear explanation.Maybe due to inflation ‍.I would have expected a bit more in my plate for the $18.95 that I paid for.I ordered the Ropa Vieja read more

The food is delicious and the strawberry mint lemonade is to die for. The coconut fried chicken is always very tasty and served with black beans, rice, plantains, and purple cabbage cole slaw. Support your local family business.... Whenever I am in Santa Monica I go to this restaurant for some delicious food. The location is beautiful too...it is only a block away from the beach boardwalk and the views are beautiful. read more

Fun and flavorful spot! The jerk chicken is always tender with that perfect kick, and the coconut fried chicken is a must-try crispy, sweet, and addicting. The portions are big, the sauces are amazing, and the outdoor colorful setup just adds to the vibe. Service is friendly, the food comes out fast, and everything tastes super fresh. Great place for a casual, flavorful meal near the beach. read more

Sucks. Nice chicken Cuban sandwich really get bent go elsewhere Full size is a half size what a joke and rip off read more

Came here right after surfing at Santa Monica beach and loved the tropical, beachy ambiance of the restaurant. The chicken was cooked perfectly and was very tender and juicy. Order at the counter and then the food gets delivered to your table. Wide array of sides you can choose to come with the cha cha chicken platter, and they let me get fruit as one of the sides which was so refreshing. read more

Cha Cha Chicken - Cha cha chicken, chicken hash, coconut fried chicken - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Small and quaint! Excellent Food! My husband had the jerk chicken enchiladas and I had the black pepper shrimp. Both dishes were muy rico! The flavors were outstanding and portions were perfect. Highly recommend this gem!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ read more

I went here before going to Santa Monica Beach and ordered the Mulato Cubano Sandwich. I liked it a lot but felt that the price was a bit high for how big the sandwich was. There was plenty of seating and we were served not long after ordering. Overall I would definitely recommend this place if you're looking for some good quick food near Santa Monica. read more

Cha Cha Chicken - Mulato Cubano Sandwich - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Went to eat here for the first time after my sister recommended the spot. Always would pass it growing up but never bothered to venture in. We shared a Coconut Chicken plate, a Chocolate Banana Shake and the Cha Cha Chicken Mix Plate that had a mix of the spice levels of Jerk Chicken. I didn't really notice a difference on the levels of heat and didn't really prefer the chicken being 'wet' on the Cha Cha Plate. The Coconut Chicken Plate was good especially since the sauces were on the side and the shake was on point. Overall, the food wasn't above and beyond but enjoyable and satisfying. The ambiance of the place was quiet but it did get busy and I liked the deco. I would return to try everything else on the menu! read more

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My cha cha chicken looked really sad and there wasn't much flavor but it was very tender :( the shrimp empanada was like $6 but i only had like 3 chopped pieces of shrimp. The dipping sauces were bomb though! The service was great. The place was a bit chaotic for my crazy mind. i'd still come back and try something better on the menu! read more

Cha Cha Chicken - Cha cha chicken 1/4 - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Beautiful location, nice service, but the food has lost it. Been visiting here for years and it stood out as consistently good for being in a tourist zone. Iykyk. This last week we stopped in and the fish tacos were simply gross. They tasted like they got old fish sticks from the back of the fridge, slathered them with mayonnaise and put that in an unheated tortilla. The coleslaw was just as bad. The rice n beans bleh as well. These are California basics Fish tacos! How do you mess up fish tacos? The Cuban sandwich also has shrunk and barely has any flavor. Looking around for this time of summer SAMO should be packed but well "the national decline" is also affecting the once great Cha Cha Chicken. These folk know better. I hope for better times and a better Cha Cha Chicken. read more

This was a super fun spot to grab dinner. Very local and right in a neighborhood area. I also loved that this was a dog friendly establishment. You order outside. There was a super long line out the door and down the street. Popular place! They ran out of Spicy Jerk Chicken Wings so got Cha Cha Chicken with half mango half medium spice sauce on it. Rice/beans, and plaintains. The ambiance was so fun and the food was delish! I'll be coming back here again! read more

Wonderful food,service,and charming ambience The chicken melted on the fork. The restaurant has been at this location for a long time with great word of mouth. Parking -paid parking meter and limited parking in small lot. Yet lots of turn over so parking may not be a problem. It was my first time and I parked in front read more

Cha Cha Chicken - Jerk chicken Jerk Combo - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Not to happy with the coconut chicken last night. Severed unidentifiable pieces of chicken. Just three small pieces of plantains Very disappointed read more

Cha Cha Chicken is a local gem--colorful, casual, and bursting with flavor. This spot serves up some of the best Caribbean-style food in LA, just steps from the beach. The jerk chicken is a must (spicy, juicy, full of depth), but honestly, you can't go wrong with the coconut fried chicken or the Cha Cha combo plate if you're hungry. The outdoor patio is vibrant and relaxed, with mismatched tables and tropical vibes that make it feel like a mini vacation. It's BYOB, so bring your favorite drink and make it your own kind of party. Pro tip for first timers: The portions are big, so consider sharing if you're not starving--and come early or be prepared to wait a bit during peak hours. It's worth it. read more

We happened upon this place walking around Santa Monica. The building just stands out so much. It has the kitschy classic mid century l.a. vibe. We couldn't pass up the chance to try this brightly painted place. It's definitely a great after beach hangout. The gentleman behind the counter even let people know they could byob if they wanted run in their drinks. The menu is bigger than what you see on yelp, especially the drinks. We tried the cha cha chicken and the Cuban sandwich. The chicken was similar to a jerk chicken, served on the bone. I dipped plantains in the sauce. I'd recommend asking for sour cream because these plantains are suuuper sweet. The rice and peas were ok. The Cuban sandwich was made with chicken. This place is like Caribbean fusion so don't expect traditional. They kind of mix and match food from places around the Caribbean. You'll enjoy it more if you let go of ideas about authenticity. The chicken in the sandwich was deliciously spiced. I actually really enjoyed the flavors, but the bread got soggy and I hate soggy bread. The guy that took our order recommended a mix of agua frescas. These were delicious. We had melon with ginger lemonade and pina colada. You should definitely trust his recommendation. We enjoyed the drinks. All in all this is a fun place and definitely worth stopping in after a day at the beach. read more

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Had the jerk chicken. It tasted good but very bland for a jerk chicken. Sides were meh. Location was cute and fun. Loved the outdoor courtyard and the staff was polite. read more

Do you need an escape? This is it. It feels like a mini vacation to a tropical island. I always enjoy their watermelon juice and coconut chicken. read more

Super casual and a neat outdoor dining shed with Caribbean decor. Ordered cha cha chicken and fish taco. Both very yummy. Reasonable portion sizes and good value. Order at counter and they bring the food out. Super friendly and helpful staff. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by how yummy this place is! Their menu is quite extensive so I think it can fit a variety of peoples tastes buds. I got their Mole plate and subbed potatoes for plantains. Considering the area and everything you get, its a great deal! You order at the window, take a number and self seat. I wouldnt recommend this place for groups larger than 6. It really is just a quick service restaurant in a little shack. I will be coming again to try their other menu items for sure. Parking wise it can be a tricky thing but street parking should be just fine or walk from a parking lot. Overall a very tasty place and will come again! read more

Wow, this place ain't no joke. We parked nearby and wanted to try before going to the beach. The family is very sweet that works here. The enchiladas is a Top 3 winner so I tried the veggie version with a mango guava aqua Fresca! The jerk seasoning is on the tortilla on the enchilada. They are spicy but there is so much flavor. The restaurant is very colorful and fully outside with heaters and lights. Lots of Caribbean decor and great music. Was a great decision just a couple blocks from the beach read more

Cha Cha Chicken - Veggie Enchiladas - Caribbean Near Me - Santa Monica, California