Cha Cha Cha: superb food, sub-par service

By Chris Ledermuller
Daily Forty-Niner
 
A few blocks removed from the trendy Pine Avenue scene in Downtown Long Beach, Cha Cha Cha aims for the same yuppie market.

For the most part, it has a strong arsenal.

First off, the place is fun. Since Cha Cha Cha serves Mexican and Caribbean cuisine, the restaurant's theme gels with the food. The building's exterior is painted in a cheerful blue and pink, and a bright, multicolored kaleidoscope covers walls, ceiling and floor from the bar to the bathrooms. The colors and shapes resemble Mexican murals.

Accentuating the dining experience, Cha Cha Cha offers great appetizers to start a meal. The quesadillas are great, but with the restaurant's prices and large entrée portions, only order the appetizers if stomachs are empty and wallets are brimming with cash. Also, the warm, crusty bread, with a smear of butter, is an adequately delicious starter.

The entrées themselves are terrific. The menu consists of a few Mexican mainstay dishes (tacos, fajitas, etc.) but dishes like jerk chicken from Jamaica and paella from Spain make for a diverse, well-rounded menu.

The paellas are especially delicious and highly recommended. Seafood, chicken and vegetarian versions are available, all served on a bed of mixed vegetables and rice paellas, as well as most other dishes, appear to come a la carte. Dinners include a plate of salad and fried plantains.

The chefs are very gifted. The foods only have the taste of their natural flavors along with strong hints of chili powder or cilantro. No items are salty or heavily greasy.

Cha Cha Cha also has a well-stocked bar with competent mixologists, and a margarita or daiquiri goes great with a dish.

Be warned, Cha Cha Cha is not cheap. Entrees range from $15 to $22 a person, and with an appetizer and booze, the bill can easily come to over $35 a person But even with the prices, the quality and quantity of the food is more than worth it.

Based on food and atmosphere, Cha Cha Cha would have earned a five out of five rating if the review ended here. However, then the service factor comes in.

The biggest flaw of Cha Cha Cha is the inattentive servers. Waitresses were nowhere to be found– and this was just during the slow times. As the dinner crowd rushed in around 7 p.m., service went even further downhill. Not only were servers swamped with orders, but most stayed in the kitchen for excessively long periods of time.

When patrons have to ask for their server several times– or in my case, actually get up and look for them– the restaurant seriously needs to focus on training.

All in all, the experience was average. Sure it has great food, but the lousy service is enough to knock 40 percent off the overall rating.

.Restaurant info

Cha Cha Cha
762 Pacific Ave.
Downtown

Hours: 11:30 a.m. ­ 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday
11:30 a.m. ­ 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Beer, wine and liquor served

Visa, MasterCard and American Express accepted

Rating is a 3 out of 5