Quite a stylish Spanish tapas restaurant in the heart of the bustling Cumming City Center. I was in town on a quick work trip and found myself right around the corner from here when hunger struck around lunch time. I took to Yelp and found Santa Maria right down the block. The location, awesome reviews, and photos made it a no-brainer. My lunch companion and I decided to share the queso fundito and shrimp empanadas and both were great. The queso fundito came with roasted corn and a garlic toast while the shrimp empanadas were plated on top of a bed of salad. The empanadas were a nice size and I would totally order these just for myself for lunch. I added a shrimp tempura taco to round out my meal. It was juicy, a bit spicy because of the jalapeno mayo, and overall a nice way to end my meal. I'll wrap this up by congratulating them on landing a spot on Yelp's Best New Restaurants list for 2025. Only 100 businesses in the ENTIRE country get on the list - so this is huge. Based on my experience, well deserved. Definitely give them a visit soon! read more

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I had the shrimp taco and the fried fish taco with jalapeño mayo, both $7 each. They were very good, although the jalapeño mayo was a little spicy for my taste. The cauliflower appetizer was a hit with everyone and the portion was huge. I personally would have preferred it to be cooked a little less, as it was quite soft. The patatas bravas were decent. The tres leches cake was excellent and came as a generous slice. The milk was served on the side, which we poured over the cake. We shared it among six people, and it was just enough to satisfy our sweet tooth. Our server was very friendly, and the restaurant itself is really cute. Around 7pm on Saturday evening, just as we were leaving, a man and woman started performing live music with vocals and guitar. We were on our way to the Lou Sobh Amphitheater (just a quick walk over) to see a cover band, which made for a fun night out. This whole area in Cumming is a great place to hang out. read more

A fantastic menu with some very traditional and authentic dishes. We all decide to go with the Tapas as we could try more dishes. What hits you first is the very high energy and amazing entertainment with the fire dancers and the cool decor with awesome murals and stylish trimmings. Very precise servers bring out such delicious food with amazing precision. After some tasty libations it was time to experience these delectable dishes. First up was the AREPA REINA PEPIADA. A Chicken salad with aioli cilantro and avocado. Very smooth and bigger than I expected. This was followed with some, oh so tender and tasty PICANHA A LA PARRILLA. A prime coulotte steak with chimichurri. The PULPO ESPAÑOL O was totally fabulous. A Marinated grilled Octopus with purple corn grits, yellow sauce and olive aioli. It looked to pretty to eat but those sauces were so yum. We finished up with some melt in your mouth QUESADILLA SANTA MARIA. Roasted corn and red pepper, caramelized onion, cilantro, chipotle, aloli and mozzarella with sides of guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo. Definitely the hit of the table. Don't let the Santa Maria set sail without experiencing this top notch eating establishment. read more

Tortilla soup - served very warm with fresh avocado on top which is always my favorite! Full of flavor and a hint of heat.The Elote was some of the best I've had and the white sangria and margarita, SO refreshing. No band this time, but there was an amazing dancer going around the tables *with fire* !!! Entertainment was 10/10 and the energy in the restaurant is so lively and fun. Staff was fantastic offering very attentive service. read more

Santa María | Spanish Tapas Restaurant in Cumming GA - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Cumming, Georgia

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Our server Alessandra was amazing! We really enjoyed her suggestions with the Tuna Tostada and Alaskan Halibut. We were not crazy about the fajitas although they are stunning in the display. Panna Cotta was our dessert (which was creamy and delicious) as they were out of Tres Leches. The dining room is nice and with an outside the near the live music stage. read more

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Best tasting food, beautiful presentation, lovely atmosphere and nice staff! All the elements of a perfect evening out! If you check them out on Taco Tuesday, know tacos are half price. It will get you hooked to go back for tacos on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday! read more

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We were here on a work trip and decided to try Santa Maria, and I'm so glad we did. Our server was knowledgeable, and attentive. Inside it had a moody low key vibe with great music playing live but not too loud. As for the food, it was heaven on a plate. I got all 5 different oysters they had, the tuna, and the BEST clam chowder I have ever had!! My friend got the pear salad and a shrimp taco and she said it was all so good. We had churros which were out of this world, I didn't even know they could be that good. The tiramisu tres leche cake was good too but I'd get the churros next time. read more

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My family and I went to santa maria for Mother's Day dinner. I had read good things and the tapas menu was appealing to us. But sadly, it was an awful experience. The music was so loud it was distressing. Both my sons, who are concert goers, were questioning why the music was so loud. There were other families there for Mother's Day and I could see the glazed expressions on many faces. I asked the waitress if they had many complaints about the sound level. She said, yes, but when there were more people they had to have the music louder! (????????) I checked the decibel level on my iphone. It was 89.1. Here is a bit of info about decibel levels and damage to hearing. "Sounds at or above 85 dBA are considered dangerous and can cause permanent hearing loss over time, with risk increasing as volume and exposure time rise. Safe listening levels are \(\le \) 70 dB, while sounds over 120 dB (like sirens or concerts) can cause immediate harm. For every 3 dB increase above 85 dB, safe exposure time is cut in half." Well, be aware. I had my earbuds on muting, but the level was still alarming. Conversation was not an option. Cannot recommend Santa Maria and definitely will not go back. read more

This is my 2nd time eating here and it was just a good as the first time!! The decor is nice, good music (not too loud), our waitress was amazing and so was the food!! The calamari was great and I can't remember the name of the other dish but it was fried seafood and mussels and the taste was sensational!! A def goto when I'm in the area and I will be back read more

Santa María | Spanish Tapas Restaurant in Cumming GA - Fried seafood with mussels - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Cumming, Georgia

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It was our first time there for lunch, we had high hopes as it was recommended by friends, first thing I noticed was tacky heart ballon's and roses hanging from the lamps, I assume for Valentine's Day, but it was March 1st! well, when our food came out there were things missing, we were told 5 times it was on its way, meanwhile the food we had was going cold, didn't taste great, very greasy, The place was almost empty, so I can't understand why we got such bad service In the end I got up and left, I had it, my husband paid $70 for an incomplete order, small appetizer and no alcohol, we had sparkling water A lady who I assumed was one of the owners was very rude to my husband as he was paying the check, which in my opinion they should have compt Crappy restaurant, don't bother, read more

Overpriced and mid-food. We had 5 managers stop by to check on us and we were only there 20 minutes which felt a little much. I'm sure it's okay with a group when you want tapas but we weren't impressed. read more

I recently visited this restaurant and, unfortunately, the experience was really disappointing. Both our server, Christian, and the host, Carla, were rude, dismissive, and seemed short and unknowledgeable. It completely ruined the experience from start to finish. For the prices this place charges, I expected a lot more--professionalism and a welcoming attitude--but neither was delivered. Honestly, the entire visit felt off because of the staff. Overall, with Christian and Carla both being unhelpful and unpleasant, I wouldn't say this experience was worth it. read more

Santa Maria is an amazing place it's a beautiful restaurant the service is 5 star and the food was amazing. It all started with our sever Seriana forgive me if I miss spelled her name but she was an excellent severe she explained the menu and the daily specials. And then one of the manger's stop at out table and asked about our experience so far before we got our dinner and that's what I call attention to detail. I ordered the pork belly appetizer to start and it was delicious. I had the ceviche D Costa and it was amazing I love Ceviche and this was one of the best I have ever had. My wife had the Empanadas and she loved them as well. A must try restaurant and we we be regulars. Thank you Santa Maria read more

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Terribly disappointing for the price. Tiny portions. Everything overpriced and not very good.

Where do I start.... from the moment we were greeted at the door, to our server Karla making awesome recommendations for cocktails, appetizers and dinner options were fanominal. Service, food execution, table touch follow-up by Force everything was a 10! If you haven't been here yet, you're missing out on a stellar perfect night out for any occasion! read more

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What a great new addition to Cumming City Center!! We stopped in for a date night on a Friday and were able to secure reservations a few hours prior. Our table was ready as soon as we arrived and the server came shortly after. We wanted to order half of the menu but settled on the tuna tostada, the avocado stuffed with ceviche, the chicken arepa, the salad with mango and strawberries, and the paella. When I say everything was amazing, I mean it! After spending some time in Spain this summer I must say this was the best stateside meal I've had since that trip. I think my top 2 dishes were the tuna tostada and the mango/strawberry salad, although literally everything was delicious. We cannot wait to go back! read more

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What an amazing meal and experience! Food: 5 out of 5- an absolutely delicious meal. We started with a half dozen of fresh oysters and they wet amazing (forgot to take a pic) / then we had Oysters Parmesan, The Mexican Basket, the Pirrnah Steak and the Churasca Steak. All were delicious and one of the best meals we have had lately. Ambiance: the restaurant was busy and there were musicians playing great music and a dancer, interacting with the diners, and teaching people to dance. It was fun and lively. Service: our waitress was very attentive, educated us on the menu and very helpful Price: reasonable priced for the amazing food. For 3 people, 4 cocktails, 2 tapas, 1 entree and oysters, plus tip, it was approx $200 Bathroom: clean and spacious Parking: park behind the restaurant- plenty of parking We will definitely be back! read more

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Great Food and drinks, real surprise for area Fire dancer is very nice touch to ambiance. read more

My husband and I went for lunch on a Monday- the service was amazing. The food was incredible, we were so full when we left. read more

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***FOOD: second visit - love that there's now a tapas place nearby without having to go to the perimeter. Very good tapas. PATATAS BRAVAS - a little bland would've been nice if I had a tiny bit of spice sauce with it; PULPO ESPANOL - love that it was a big piece of octopus biggest, I've ever seen really, good was tender and grilled well; TACO PORK - Very good, loved the tender pork; TACO FISH TEMPURA - very good tasty; RIBEYE - not good, very fatty piece of meat, half the piece of meat was basically fat, not worth it for $38; GAMBAS AL AJILLO - Shrimp was cooked perfectly, but the sauce was a little bizarre as it was creamy not your typical tapa shrimp; CHURROS - round churro very very good, would be better if they had chocolate and actually came in sticks easier to eat ***COST (OUT OF 4$) $$ came to $150 with tip ***DÉCOR: cool contemporary with flourishes of Spanish decor, lots of parking ***SERVICE: our server was friendly attentive and good, filled our water regularly. Our food came fairly quickly, and it was hot. ***RECOMMEND: YES HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Will definitely be back for more things on the menu to try. read more

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Food is fresh with a great variety to choose from. Lots of interesting drinks. I recommend a tamarind cocktail, but the straight up margarita is pretty darn good. read more

An absolutely lovely evening. We came in on a Monday evening for our 24th wedding anniversary. The hostess was extremely pleasant and guided us to a great table right away. Our waitress was phenomenal, upon hearing it was our first time visiting she happily gave us the run down. We had the pork belly appetizer and the elotes out first and they were both top notch. I had an oyster flight of their top 3 and they were all amazing. My wife had the halibut and I had the ribeye and they were both amazing. Then the bill came out much lower than I had expected. It wasn't cheap but for the quality of the food and service we received it was definitely a deal. Also beautifully decorated, we can't wait to come back! read more

Santa María | Spanish Tapas Restaurant in Cumming GA - Elotes - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Cumming, Georgia

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We had to stop here for a night cap last night.We hung out at the bar.Our bartender Gary was top notch! We also met his assistant Nick who was a sweetheart. This venue has a Great ambiance, the staff were absolutely fantastic. All smiles! We did order food to go a few days ago and it was delicious! The concept is Spanish, Mexican, and Peruvian food with a gastronomy twist! I have never seen a concept like this before! I highly recommend it! They also have their own parking lot which makes things a lot easier vs other venues at The Cumming City Center! read more

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We tried this restaurant hoping it would be satisfactory so in the future with the warm weather coming up we could walk in the area after dining there. But the food and service were so disappointing that we would never go back, not mentioning how overpriced the menu is for the low quality. I ordered a beer and after over 5-10 minutes It arrived with no glass. On my second beer I found out that I was served non- alcoholic beers. The restaurant unlike other Mexican restaurants does not serve any chips and salsa and no bread service either. We ordered a shrimp with a creamy sauce for appetizer. We ate the shrimp but we had a bowl of soup like sauce that we didn't know what to do with, no spoons and no bread. When we started our appetizers the main course arrived! Which is unusual. The branzino dish was absolutely tasteless with a weird sauce made with coconut cream. The paella was ok, not the best. The rice was tasty but the seafood was all overcooked. The mussels were so chewy we couldn't eat them. The fajita was the worst one we have ever had. The beef was tough and chewy. The chicken was hard and the shrimp with the bacon wrap was inedible. We called the manager and informed him of our issues but he apologized and walked away. That is when we decided to walk away and don't ever look back! read more

So many outstanding options and great people make this one of my favorite places to eat for lunch and dinner. Shrimp tacos, taco macho, and many more inexpensive lunch options. Dinner is truly outstanding. You got to go! read more

To start- this place is beautiful. The inside is dimly light and the furniture and decor is great. I have been here before for drinks and oysters during the summer and sat at the bar, but I never tried dinner here. I invited 5 of my girlfriends and made a reservation for 7pm Friday. I made the reservation early in the week because I had heard this place gets busy. We roll in at about 7:03 and I let them know we are here and have a reservation. They let me know it will be a few minutes which is fine. It is not 7:20pm and we are seated. A little frustrating when you have a reservation. I ordered the Mexican basket for the table which was delicious! Most of us ordered tacos for our main meal and the shrimp tacos came with this jalapeño aioli on it and OMG (SPICY) and I mean REALLY spicy. All of our mouths on fire. And I usually love spicy!! So just be careful with the jalapeño aioli! I got a shrimp tacos and for some reason the shrimps were breaded (I'm gluten free) so I asked the waitress if this was their normal shrimp taco (because it said GF on the menu) and she said no and sent it back. I waited a long time for my correct taco and my friends were already done eating. So that was also frustrating. We all started with cosmopolitans for drinks and then moved to dirty martinis. Whoever was behind the bar must have forgotten to dump out the vermouth because we could distinctly taste it (ew). I think we were over it at that point and just chugged it and left. But this place has alot of potential and I'm not sure if this was just an off night or what- but I definitely want to give it another chance! I'll update my review when I go back. read more

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Amazing food and so many Gluten Free Choices! They save clearly marked menu and knowledgeable wait staff read more

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Oh no! I had such a disappointing experience with the food. The pulpo I ordered was clearly not fresh the base it was served on had a strange, unpleasant smell. I gave the server honest feedback but nothing was done. He just came back and said, "That's how it smells," which was surprising. Even the ceviche was a letdown. Honestly, I'm not sure how a place can continue like this, you can't serve stale food to people. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone the only redeeming quality was the ambiance. It was very disappointing that they didn't even make the effort to rectify it. Eclipse de Luna is the best choice I would say in and around here in the area. read more

Santa María | Spanish Tapas Restaurant in Cumming GA - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Cumming, Georgia

Decor nice and foods were good. it is a bit loud to my taste, but my daughter loved. We tried grilled octopus, sea bass, Tuna tartar and a few tacos and Tuna tartar was the best out of all. Our server was approachable. It is nice to have outside dining and We will be back for girls night out ! read more

Santa María | Spanish Tapas Restaurant in Cumming GA - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Cumming, Georgia

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Let me start by saying that I have been to Santa Maria restaurant about 8 times. I feel the service is good, and the staff is friendly. The food is very tasty. The only dish that I did not like is their Spanish tortilla. It didn't have enough eggs! Their up-charge for Doordash is crazy and it makes no sense. read more

The Spanish ambiance was perfect for a Sunday evening out loved the music! The food was outstanding, and every tapa and entree was full of flavor. The presentation was amazing, and the Ribeye is a must-try full of flavor. The menu offered a variety options we had a little bite of everything and was taken care of by Spencer who gave us great service ! Will be coming back for more. read more

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I'll start with the good. Service is attentive and friendly and the atmosphere is open and lively. There seem to be a lot of regulars that really enjoy the vibe as the servers greeted a lot of the guests with recognition which I like. Not sure what is going on here with the food. The menu is huge but everything we ate tasted about the same. The pork belly was fine but how can pork belly be bad. The grilled cauliflower was not at all grilled except for the grill marks on one side. It was just a soft giant hunk of steamed cauliflower in a sauce. The queso fundido was cheese so I mean fine. The pulpo was extremely underwhelming, not fresh and with grey grits which tasted like grits but look terrible. The Pichana was overcooked and with an underwhelming chimichurri that tasted like most everything else bland. I guess I am a food snob and didn't expect too much more from Cumming cuisine but don't need to go back. :( read more

Great food! I wanted to try another restaurant here at City Center and I'm glad I did. My mom and I decided on Santa Maria. The Ceviche was on the spicy side but the mango gives it a nice balance with the smoothness of the avocado. Very delicious. I did not want octopus and was able to do just shrimp. One day I will be brave, but not today. The Mole was my moms dish and I know when she stops talking to eat, it is good. She let me have one small small piece of chicken. If you are looking for a regular fajitas dish, this will not be it. It's better. Peppers, carrots, potatoes, green beans, onions, mushrooms, chicken, shrimp wrapped in bacon, steak, rice and beans. I feel like Im missing something. And no, I couldn't eat it all! Both dishes were served with blue corn tortillas. Delicious! Server was great and she offered menu suggestions. The GM, Oscar, stopped by our table chat and asked if we needed anything. My only complaint and it's not at the fault of the restaurant but the mic for the band periodically would make a very high pitched sound. It was awful the entire restaurant would go silent. When it's time to pay they will bring you the POS and you can tap or swipe your card at the table. All in all, a good time was had and I will def be back. read more

Our server Force took time to explain popular items on the menu. We loved everything we ordered: all 3 kinds of oysters, ceviche on avocado, and grilled octopus with purple grits. Everything was delicious and delicately seasoned. Our tiramisu tres leches with a cup espresso was an excellent finish to an amazing meal! read more

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Bad bunny played, we danced Our server was a W I loved my food and a nice environment Sigma read more

Santa María | Spanish Tapas Restaurant in Cumming GA - Patatas Bravas Costillas ahumadas Tostada Atún - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Cumming, Georgia

This place is a gift to this area. I have now been 3 times for special dinners/dates. The atmosphere and service is good but the food and drinks are so amazing. Everything on the menu is incredible. read more

The food was great! We had the pork skewer for an app. Those potato thins on top were amazing... I want more! Our meals were the salmon and the sea bass. Both were amazing! The sea bass was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I think the salmon was my fav though. The onions underneath were fantastic. The orange sauce on the sea bass didn't really have a flavor to me. They are definitely still working out some kinda with service. So be patient if you do come. And MAKE A RESERVATION. They had to turn people away tonight who did not have one. read more

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The biggest complaint is the inability for the staff to communicate in English. We could not get a simple answer about the wine list, it took 20 minutes of miscommunication from a server and manager just to get our first glass of wine. I ordered the sea bass which was overcooked, missing the turnip purée, garlic chips and olive sauce. They forgot to serve the oysters as an appetizer. and to top it off, onlibe the sea bass is $36, in restaurant menu was $39 and they charged me $49!!!!! we did get price reduced to $39, but it was not worth $20! bad experience! read more

Amazing food and incredible service. All dishes were on point! The drink menu is also extensive and they are made well. read more

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Amazing restaurant! Food is excellent!! The manager Maricela took care of me and made sure my experience was awesome! Price were very fair and I definitely recommend this restaurant l!! read more