User Reviews for Santa Monica Restaurants

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18th Street Coffee House
Sep 10, 2008 by Brendan from Ann Arbor

Overall Rating: 1
Food:[7] • Service:[1] • Atmosphere:[7]

• Great decor and outdoor seating.
• An extremely rude employee.

“I have been coming to this cafe for years and I always order food and coffee (my trips rage from $10-30 per several hours I spend writing there). However, today a pasty, sandy-haired employee asked if my wife and I had ordered drinks because apparently they have had a rash of unpaying squatters. I told him we had ordered drinks and had since bused our own tables, but he shot us a hesitant look and sarcastically said "what ever you say". To make a long story short I told him we probably won't give our business to the cafe anymore and he said well if for some reason we do return he will probably say the same thing. It was close to the rudest customer service I've ever experienced (and I worked at a coffee shop for several years so I understand the pressures of business to make sure people buy things but he approached us as if we re vagrants).”

Santa Monica Bistro
Apr 6, 2007 by zen from santa monica, ca

Overall Rating: 8
Food:[9] • Service:[10] • Atmosphere:[10]

• Ambiance is super, staff friendly, the place is open yet romantic, lots of windows to the famous Santa Monica blvd.
• None at the moment.

“The place is beautiful, low romantic lutes, piano entertainment every night, nice small bar, nice table setting. Families eating there, senior citizens, group of women for night out, so with the men and their buddies, etc. Every one looked happy and satisfied. We were! The prices were incredibly affordable and the food is super. The Italian fare, the desert, the wine list. I will come back again with my friends.”

Josie's Restaurant
Nov 16, 2006 by Elise from Los Angeles

Overall Rating: 5
Food:[6] • Service:[9] • Atmosphere:[5]

• Good service, good duck.
• Stuffy overpriced in a cheap way.

“Five of my dearest friends went to Josie¿s for a birthday celebration. The atmosphere was stuffy the martinis should be $12 not $15, the wine pour seemed a little cheap. The service was great, the duck was excellent (very rich food) my rib eye was tough my friends chicken was great. It was 8:20 wed evening and the prefix menu had run out. (I was bummed with that). I¿ve always liked my crème Brule' warm or at room temp not cold and the ginger cake was so hard I needed a knife to cut it. Last but not least my coffee was Luke warm. If this place had more inviting warmth I might return but there are too many good restaurant's to return to or try.”

Sizzler
Oct 18, 2006 by shannon from wisconson

Overall Rating: 10
Food:[10] • Service:[10] • Atmosphere:[10]

• Loved the salad bar.
• Need more pasta on salad bar.

“The salad bar had a good lunch special $4.99 with a purchase of beverage, the salad bar was great, loved the chicken wings and onion rings, never had squash soup before, it was very good, but the broccoli soup was to die for. Very good melons good variety and very fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Spumoni Italian Restaurant
Aug 1, 2006 by Clara from Santa Monica

Overall Rating: 1
Food:[1] • Service:[6] • Atmosphere:[6]

• The bread.
• THE FOOD

“It's been the worst Italian food that I've ever try!!!!!!! ”

18th Street Coffee House
Jul 22, 2006 by Mike from Santa Monica

Overall Rating: 4
Food:[6] • Service:[3] • Atmosphere:[4]

• Nice installations.
• Allowed diaper changing in open view on coffee table. Allows dogs in shop.

“Diaper changing in front view of everybody. And on top of a coffee table. Need I say more. Totally disappointed that the on looking staff did not say anything to the inconsiderate parent. Staff in general did not distinguish themselves. Has lots of potential but not my cup tea (or coffee). Oh by the way, this place allows pets into the eating area too. Maybe its time to call the Health Dept.”

2 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Cha Cha Chicken
Jun 14, 2006 by Cate from St. Paul

Overall Rating: 9
Food:[10] • Service:[9] • Atmosphere:[8]

• Good food, good food, and good food.
• May be a bit too risky for some many hot/eccentric spices.

“Cha Cha Chicken may not appear to be a "big deal" from the exterior, but after your first bite of their unique and ethnic food- you'll be sold. This is a great place to visit if your taste buds are feeling risky: you'll be able to taste everything from exotic spices to plantain. Cha Cha Chicken also is perfect for occasions including casual dinners out with the family. If you are in the Santa Monica area and want to escape from the overwhelming amount of chains and burger joints, check out Cha Cha Chicken! I highly recommend it.”

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ivy At The Shore
Nov 11, 2005 by Chris from Coronado

Overall Rating: 6
Food:[6] • Service:[9] • Atmosphere:[7]

• Beautiful building, worth taking a look
• Terrible food and service, overpriced.

“We stopped by as we had heard so much about the establishment. The lunch was very expensive, well over $100 with one glass of wine each. The service was horrible. The food was mediocre to very bad. I had a pork chop that supposedly came with beans. It did come with beans, 16 of them. The pork was overcooked and tough. While eating we were seated near a station where the the chefs were apparently changing shifts. The new chef came in and picked his knife bag off of the floor and placed it on a cutting board where he rummaged through it, placed it back on the floor, and then picked it up again and one more placed it on the work counter where he proceeded to begin chopping food. Within our view was a young woman at another station, not connected to the kitchen. She was working with a soft chocolate mousse like mixture and was pouring the chocolate into glasses, but mostly missing and getting it all over her hands and wrists, with the excess dripping back into the main bowl. By the time the food came our appetite was all but gone. Our wait staff forgot my oysters, got the main course wrong, held the plates against the front of her shirt and brought the wrong wine. The dessert was Profiteroles, a cream puff pasrty filled with ice cream and covered with a chocolate sauce. It was an insult to the classic French dessert. The pastry was tiny, soggy and pale in color. It barely had more than a tablespoon of ice cream in it and the chocolate sauce was thin, almost watery chocolate with no taste whatsoever. I have had this dessert many times in France and this was not even a close match. The food was terible even without all the additional negatives. We then went to their cook supply store which was an advertisement for viking appliances. Apparantly that manufacturer supplies the school with free goods for the school and then features their product. We had a Viking range and had it thrown out after 2 years as it was so dysfunctional. This was the only bad experience we had in the Napa Valley. It seems the school is compromising quality for money, a sad state for such a well known school.”

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Chinois
Dec 21, 2004 by Brett K . from Ridgefield, CT

Overall Rating: 8
Food:[10] • Service:[10] • Atmosphere:[8]

• Excellent fusion food, fun atmosphere
• Can be noisy and crowded due to limited space

“Chinois is a trendy Santa Monica restaurant right on Main street. Food selection was pretty good, however there was nothing really suitable for kids. We ate at the hotel on a Thursday evening in the middle of December and the place was absolutely packed. Luckily, they did take reservations so we were seated quickly. Parking is limited in this area of town, but valet is available curbside. The restaurant is quite small and they definitely pack them in. This creates a loud eating environment. We tried a variety of dishes -- all Wolfgang Puck specialties. Overall, the food was above average. The duck was a little chewy, but the lobster dish was delicious. I would recommend ordering a variety of dishes to sample if you are in a group setting rather than ordering specific meals.”

2 of 2 people found this review helpful.