Cobi's,

2104 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405

"Came here for a friends birthday and had a mixed experience due to multiple server mistakes. The decor and vibe a stunning - we sat in the garden and it was lovely. At first our server (I think her name was Chica) was super friendly. 3 of our table got the set menu and the other 2 (me included) have dietary restrictions so we just got an entree each. She confirmed with us (twice!!) that I was vegetarian and my friend gluten free. My entree came and seemed fishy. I asked her if there was oyster sauce in it and she said shrimp paste. we said I was vegetarian twice, why is there fish paste? She then blamed it on us for not specifically ordering the dish vegetarian, even though we had confirmed with her at least twice that I was veggie and my friend GF. So that ruined the vibe. Then they forgot to give my friends the last dish of their menu ( the branzino) and that’s the dish they were most excited about. They took it off the bill and then my entree too which was nice of the manager. I would give this place another try (maybe brunch) but if the service is the same then I won’t come back sadly."

"Excellent place for brunch! The outdoor garden patio is so lovely, and there are space heaters to warm up the chillier Santa Monica mornings. The service is super attentive and friendly. The food is great too - our faves were the cabbage salad with chicken and the congee."

"Cobi's is one of the most enjoyable meals I have had in sometime. While you will see all the southeast Asian cuisine staples, every dish feels like a fresh take. Portions are perfect for sharing or solo dining experiences. While everything I tried was great (prawns, short rib, roti, beef rendang) the Nasi Goreng with pork belly was the star of the show. Did I mention they play reggae all night?"

"I love southeast Asian cuisine, it's a good restaurant, very pretty. But, in this case it's mostly what comes after the but that matters, it was way too noisy, we couldn't hear each other. We are in our 30s and I've never noticed that elsewhere. The food was spicy but not necessarily the one with the spice meter on them. So not really sure what that was about. The waitress was a bit pushy and because it was so loud was not happy to repeat herself. I would recommend the curry puffs, would highlight how spicy the dumplings and the dall were. The nasi Goreng was a lot of rice and not much else. Overall was happy to try it. Will probably come again or maybe order from here. Just won't rush back!"