Cha Cha Cha

INCREDIBLE!. Cha Cha Cha is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the city. It's absolutely delicious. It's a tapas bar, so it's best to order a bunch of tapas and share them. The cajun shrimp is to DIE for -- the sauce is incredible and meant to be dipped in with the bread they provide. It's unreal.

The sauteed mushrooms are outstanding as well, as are the plantains with black beans. Everything I have ever had here has been incredible.

Their sangria is homemade and very strong -- comes in pitchers and glasses.

The ambiance of the restaurant is fresh and fun.

Cha Cha Cha does NOT take reservations and i've never been when it hasn't been packed. Get their early, put your name in, and walk around Haight St! It's an incredible experience.…

Sangria, sangria, sangria!. Really 3.5 stars, but we can't do that yet. I've been going here since I've been able to legally drink. When I was younger it was okay and fun as my young palette didn't know any better. Now as an older, hopefully more sophisticated diner, I still like the place but I know that there is better food out there, tapas-wise.

Now that I've vented on that issue, here is how the place is: restaurant itself has a fun vibe. Brick walls, wooden lining over the brick, tables wrapped in floral tablecloths (super bright), a long huge bar, small bar area.............Christmas lights everywhere.........

Our server was great, she was quick, the food came out within 5 minutes of ordering ( and every table in the place was taken), and she was on top of keeping our water pitcher filled, and our sangria pitcher filled. She checked in constantly, and left us alone when we still needed time to think.

We ordered the sauteed mushrooms, fried plantains, fried calamari, Cajun shrimp, fried potatoes, warm spinach salad, and mussels. All of it was good, but none of it sensational. The fried plantains were probably my favorite. They were crispy and yummy and had the little bit of banana flavor you expect but when sitting in the black bean mixture, there is an unexpected pleasant taste. my boyfriend's favorite dish were the sauteed mushrooms. The calamari, was good and the fried potatoes were basically home fries with an aoli sauce, I think it was the same one that came with the calamari. The Cajun shrimp was good but the sauce that it came in was even better! We couldn't stop wanting to dip our french bread into the creamy sauce, it was so yummy. (French bread and butter comes with the table.) The mussels were flavorful and the broth it was in came with lots of tomatoes and onions and other veggies. The warm spinach salad was great but the best part was the warm bacon which I felt like they skimped on. There were maybe 5 pieces of bacon in the salad, which was pretty large. But the warm spinach was good, and I normally am not a veggie eater.

Anyway, the sangria was easy going down, so easy in fact that we drank 4 pitchers in almost no time and before we knew it we were drunk...............................The first pitcher didn't come with any sliced fruit almost but the rest did so that was probably a fluke. Also with each pitcher of sangria, came a mini pitcher of ice. The ice was needed, as warm sangria doesn't taste good, so we had to keep on asking for more mini pitchers of ice.

It was a fun night, everyone had fun, the food was good, and the sangria did the trick to give everyone a good buzz. I still like the place for good food, sangria and as a great place to hang out with friends but I'm not expecting 5 star food when I come here.…

Great food and atmosphere. Went on a Saturday night and did have to wait an hour but it was worth it. Sangria was good and helped past the time. There was four of us and five tapa dishes were more than enough. Chickenwings were delicious. Calamari tasty and the shrimp with I forgot what sauce

Sauce was so good we used the bread to finish sauce. Kitchen did not need to wash that plate.…

Haight St is Cha Cha Cha-ing its way past the bar scene. With crowds of people outside and standing room only within, Cha Cha Chas has become the most popular restaurant on Haight St. While other restaurants only offer seating and food, Cha Cha Chas bar serves Sangria almost more popular than their Mediterranean menu.

?I?ve been coming here for 10 or 12 years and there is just such a San Francisco vibe here,? said Matthew Allred, restaurant manager in South San Francisco, ?plus the Sangria is amazing!?

While patrons eagerly await their table, they are ushered into the bar area where the center is an ice filled pit with glass buckets of Sangria made on site. Half empty pitchers adorn the tables between the bright red and zebra painted atmosphere. Mediterranean music bumps in the background. Walking past every other bar on the Haight, it is clear that this is the busiest of all and yet no liquor is served, only beer and Sangria.

?I?ve worked here for 23 years,? said Christina Schubeck, ?and it?s always been this busy?crazy busy.?

?Normally I like to go bar hopping but this place is honestly the best bar you could ask for?I?m staying,? said Heather Vega, first time patron of Cha Cha Chas and student at San Francisco State.

Cajun shrimp and calamari are just a few of the things that create Cha Cha Chas menu.Guitars hang on the walls and angels watch over the Sangria bar while customers ignore the norm of the bar scene for something completely unique.

?Everybody is different here,? said Kimberly Guess, a 43 year old massage therapist, ?and we love the sangria!?

The draw back for the normal bar crowd is that Cha Cha Chas still holds only restaurant hours, closing at 11pm on weekends and 10pm on weekdays.

?It?d be nice if they were open later but honestly, who cares? This is such an eclectic barrage of craziness,? Vega said, while gesturing to the crowd and wall decorations, ?any time in this place is a good time.…