Cha-Cha-Cha, San Francisco

Delicious cuisine from the Caribbean, Cuba and South America. Check out the roasted potatoes and the calimari! Food is ordered tapas style, to be shared with everyone at the table. Thus, the more people you bring, the more tasty tidbits you get to try.

And hey -- go for the sangria as well -- deeeelicious. They don't take reservations and it seems there's always a wait. If you can wait inside, you can forget about waiting while you down a pitcher or two of the sangria. Mmmm

A combo of Carabian–Cajun–Mexican joint that goes the tapas route and always has Sangria flowing non stop. Lively and fun with really good food. Cool bar attatched.

They don’t take reservations – plan to wait – plan to drink.

Perpetually packed and wildly decorated, this Haight institution is widely regarded as the best Caribbean cafe in the city.
With sangria this good, hip young locals don't seem to mind the three-pitcher wait for a table on weekends.

Favorite Dish: The eclectic menu has its deepest roots in the Spanish Caribbean, with added influences from far-flung locales like Africa, Spain, Louisiana and Brazil. Be sure to check the specials board for the outstanding fish tapas, usually served with fresh fruit salsa. Other stellar offerings include mussels with saffron sauce, and potatoes, shrimp, plantains and calamari; skip the steak.

1 more image

Our last meal in San Francisco was at Cha Cha Cha in Haight Ashbury for lunch on Monday, there were quite a few people there for lunch, the reviews on Yelp suggest that there can be quite a wait on the weekends and they don't take reservations. I'm sure the vibe is quite different for dinner than lunch, we had a nice quiet meal with extremely quick service, it sounds like it is much more boisterous for the weekend dinner crowd. The decor is best described as voodoo, black walls, lots of religious items on shelfs around the dining room. There is a bar where you can order some sangria if you are headed for a long wait.

Favorite Dish: We ordered two tapas, fried platanos madros, tropical sweet fried bananas with black beans & sour cream ($6.25) and pork quesadilla with salsa, guacamole, & sour cream ($6.75) and a Cuban sandwich ($8.75) to split. All of it was very good, I would say 1 1/2-2 tapas per person as the portion sizes were fairly large on the tapas. After rereading the reviews on Yelp, I'm sorry I didn't try the Cajun shrimp or the sangria, apparently the two MUST orders at this place. And the calamari, jerk chicken and chicken wings alll looked really good when they passed by our table, maybe next time!

Lunch for the two of us was $29 with tax.

This mostly Caribbean restaurant has many mouth watering small plate options. The location is in the Haight and is easy to get to. We showed up about an hour before dinner and were told that we could come back when they re-opened for dinner. We killed an hour over at Amoeba Records less than 1 block away. I am so glad we decided to go back because it was well worth the wait! The restaurant has a very warm inviting feeling that puts you in a relaxed mood. I would eat at Cha Cha Cha all the time if I lived in San Francisco. I really hope that they will still be around next time I travel there.

Favorite Dish: When we visited last year at dinner time everyone seemed to have a carafe of Sangria on their table. Sangria wasn't really my thing but my salmon meal was one of the best I've had in my life. My husband tried a seafood dish in a rich coconut sauce that was also equally if not more wonderful than mine. I could eat those dishes over and over again.

3 more images

This is a place I visit often. I have only come here for dinner but I hear they are open for lunch too. I like the atmosphere here and the music and the food is excellent. I love the house Sangria as well. The down side is that there is always a line to get in here. We usually end up relaxing at the bar drinking sangria until they call our table. I think I should venture out more and try out other places. But you know when something is good and by going there you cant go wrong? Well that how I feel about this place. It more fun when you come with friends.

This is a Carribean style restaurant - the food is amazing, i'ts not the cheapest you can get but worth every penny. If you're on your own (which i was the second time) you can sit up at the bar and eat there. And the atmosphere is just excellent, would thorougly recommend it.

Cha Cha Cha is a Haight St. staple. The food is consistently good and pretty much every night of the week it's busy, busy, busy. The portions are also a decent size for tapas. And if you take a peek on the wall you can catch a glimpse of an authentic Santeria alter.

Favorite Dish: Well the potatoes are to die for and a must. They are lightly fried and come served with this amazing spicy, creamy sauce.