LA Cha Cha Cha
The LA outpost of Mexico City’s Cha Cha Cha is finally open after a long build out (that also saw the removal of the great Peace Goddess mural by Shepard Fairey) and since it’s so close I’ve been able to go a few times.
1st Visit
Drinks
Some quick hitting notes clockwise from top left: the Blackberry Hibiscus Agua Fresca is a refreshing and tasty NA drink, the Cantarito is similar to a Paloma and quite good, while the Red Pepper Mezcal Negroni is very mezcal forward. Pretty standard across the board.
Guacamole Y Salsas
Guacomole is hard to mess up, though it’s very clear when it goes wrong. Thankfully, this is not a bad kind. It’s got some good chunks and a great sprinkling of salt. It doesn’t reach the heights of Bar Ama’s guacamole, but I’d be happy to order it again (spoiler alert: I do). On this first visit, split among three people, there weren’t enough chips to go around. The chips themselves are passable–clearly made in house–but also became a topic of conversation because they were quite interesting. Ultimately they are a guacamole and salsa delivery device, so the bar isn’t high, but again they weren’t bad either. The salsas are small but pack a punch.
Kale Salad
As forgettable as the name describes.
Chicharos de Sierra
The spring peas were nice, and it was tasty overall, but let’s be real it’s fried potatoes and aioli so you can’t go wrong.
Jitomate Tostada
This “melted” tomato tostada is perhaps my favorite thing on the menu. The tomatoes were, sweet, luscious, and super jammy with a great saltiness to it. It was a highlight and something I was eager to order again.
Hongos Taco
This mushroom taco was delcious, and maybe my favorite in recent memory–I definitely enjoyed it more than the Tacos 1986 mustroom taco.
Terraza Tostada
Cha Cha Cha might have something with their tostadas, because this one was fantastic as well. It’s a bit heavy on the aioli, but the fatty tuna was quality and the crispy fried cilantro and onion on top was subtly addicting. It’s something that I’d be happy to eat any night.
Pipian Rojo Con Pollo
Of the mains, the chicken was the best of the two. The red pipian sauce was a banger that I sopped up with the extra tortillas.
Pescado Cha Cha Cha
The fish was good–well cooked and a solid portion–but the seasoning got a bit lost and it needed some help from the lemon. It made for some good tacos though with crispy skin and leftover salsa.
Overall first impression: Cha Cha Cha is really a gorgeous space and that’s what you’ll first notice and take away. It felt like the return of the buzzy new LA restaurant in that way, with good energy and vibes. The main knock against it is exceptionally slow service (I’ll expand on this later because I did see it was a pattern after multiple visits, but wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt on a first visit). It’s also a bit pricier than some of the other higher end Mexican restaurants like Broken Spanish. So there are some trade offs–great ambiance and some good bites, but service could be more attentive and there is exceptional food elsewhere if you know where to look.
2nd Visit
This was a larger group dinner, so we spread out a bit more.
Guacamole and Chips
No salsa this time, but lots more chips. My friends and I agreed that the chips were weirdly interesting and kind of reminded us a bit of Fritos, but not in a bad way.
Jitomate Tostada
Told you I’d order this again. I can confirm that the first time wasn’t a fluke because this one might have been even better.
Monumento Tostada
Not quite as great as the Terraza, but Cha Cha Cha definitely puts together exceptional seafood tostadas.
Hongos Taco
The mushroom taco however fell off a bit from the first visit. It was still good and I’d recommend it as a vegetarian option, but for some reason just didn’t punch me in the mouth with umami like it did on the first visit.
Taco Line Up
We went heavy on the meat tacos, so here’s a power ranking:
- Asada
- Chorizo
- Pollo
Carnitas
We ended the meal sharing the carnitas, which after all the other food and drink ended up being about enough for all 6 of us to each scrape together a taco. It was fatty, delicious, and of the three large plates I’ve had the one I’d order again first.
3rd Visit
This time a friend and I walked in and snagged some seats at the bar. There was a new menu (updated for the season) but I’m not sure if it was changed for the tables as well since there were other differences such as the tacos and tostadas no longer being sectioned off.
Guacamole
Again, the chips became a topic of conversation (and there were a lot more of them so we never ran out). But really, how else would you start a meal than with an order of guacamole?
Ensalada de Jicama
Nice and light, and slightly more memorable than the Kale Salad. If you’re looking for some leafy green action, I’d order this one again over that.
Esparragos de Sierra
A similar construction to the spring pea dish we got on my first visit, but this time the asparagus was the star and the parsnips were just another way to deliver aioli.
Terraza Tostada
Super soft fatty tuna and a bit more aioli than probably necessary, but still a fantastic dish. A pattern I’ve noticed across the tostadas and vegetable dishes is a real knack for garnishes–Cha Cha Cha really puts together some fantastic toppings that take their dishes up a notch.
Taco de Asada & Taco de Hongos
Asada > Hongos. Not that the mushrooms were bad or forgettable (similar to the second visit), it’s just that beef was particularly great.
Vital stats:
812 E. 3rd St.
Reservations on OpenTable or reservations@chachacha.la
RIYL: A West Hollywood kind of restaurant but not in West Hollywood
