Cha Cha Chicken 1906 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405

"Faithful customer since 2000 - I’ve been coming here since high school for the last 23 years! I love this place. They have such delicious vegetarian options - my favorite are the veggie enchiladas - they come with rice & black beens and platanos. Love the Caribbean Latino vibe. Love this place and love that it continues to thrive. A must visit if you are in Santa Monica. Thank you Ricky for continuing your parents’ legacy!"

"I went here with my partner on a trip to Santa Monica beach and it has to be one of the most rememberable places we stumbled across. The people were lovely. The atmosphere was superb and the FOOD and DRINKS were amazing. I would totally recommend to anyone visiting. You feel right a home. Also the homemade ginger beer and pineapple and coconut lemonade Is a must try!"

"Food was amazing, the classic cha cha chicken was definitely the favourite . My girlfriend informs me that I inhaled the food and she didn’t see me breathe once. Take from that what you will. Service was friendly and fast Atmosphere is tacky but in a good way. Do yourself a favour and go here!"

"I would have loved to rank this higher but there was a couple issues I had first they asked if we wanted some chips and dip to snack while we waited for our people, he made it seem like it was on the house, but then when I went up for drinks they charged me for them. Ok I guess that's fine, but then we went up for food and they tried to charge me again. The food was really good, but took a long time to come to us, and they were not that busy. Lastly they were pretty expensive for a road side stand. All in all they were good, I'm glad we stopped, but it seemed like a singular experience"

"BYOB, 4% cash discount Ordered whole cha cha chicken HOT $40 (can feed 3-4 people), came with rice, cabbage, and plantains I liked all the sides (rice, cabbage, plantains)- they paired nicely The empanadas were OK, very much Cuban-Caribbean fusion, like the rest of the food. I think I prefer a traditional Jamaican patty (flaky) or a Mexican empanada (smooth) . The wrapper was different in a way i can’t really describe. I grew up having proper jerk chicken (charcoal grilled with browning, the works) and this is not that. It’s very sweet and not spicy, and not charcoal grilled. It has hints of mango or pineapple juice, falls off the bone which turns it into shredded chicken, but I do believe it uses some jerk dry seasoning. It leans heavily into the Cuban side. I think the best dish here would be the enchiladas."