Tapas Restaurants near Santa Monica, CA

“Honestly could not have had a more perfect experience. The food was excellent: the arugula salad, rabano crudo, patatas bravas, steak and chocolate mousse is what we ordered. Not one off thing on the menu. Atmosphere is nice, soft, warm lighting that contrasts but plays well with the pink art-deco/salon adjacent style.

Staff was excellent, everyone from the bartender to the owner. Welcoming, attentive, warm… this place understands hospitality!“

“Great food and service. This place never disappoints.“

“Fantastic meal! As good or better than the old days.“

“This is the first time I have ever been to one of the Bacari locations. This one, in Sherman Oaks, is excellent. My daughter, Lauren, picked this restaurant. I was surprised, because Lauren usually picks out more expensive restaurants.

Bacari is a tapas type restaurant. The prices are reasonable because the portions, and the plates, are small. They recommended ordering three plates per person.

We ordered one plate for each of us and a Margarita pizza to share. The pizza was excellent. I had the Bacari burger. It was amazing. My wife had sea bass, and our daughter had a filet. We all enjoyed our meals.

Service was prompt, friendly, and efficient. In this restaurant, they bring out each plate as it's ready. That encourages people to share and socialize.

The restaurant was quite noisy inside. They have a nice little courtyard with outdoor seating. It was slightly less noisy in the outdoor courtyard.

For people who want to lose weight and still have delicious meals, I recommend Bacari Sherman Oaks.“

“We had an awesome date night at Amour WeHo. We started with caviar, escargot, and frog legs. We followed that with the burger and a Caesar salad with lobster. We enjoyed a nice bottle of wine with our dinner. The service was outstanding. All of the staff was great. This was our first visit and we are so happy that we found this place. We will be back soon.“

“The creamy pasta is my favorite.“

“Great Food, Disappointing Service — A Missed Opportunity

Saltie Girl has a well-earned reputation for exceptional food, and in that regard, it delivered. Every dish that came out of the kitchen was flavorful and beautifully presented — the oysters, in particular, were a standout.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the service.

After ordering a bottle of wine, it took over 20 minutes for our server to return, only to inform us that the manager would be retrieving the wine. Another 10 minutes passed before she reappeared — not with the wine we ordered, but with a different, more expensive bottle. Rather than apologizing for the mix-up or offering it at the original price as a courtesy, the switch was presented matter-of-factly. A gesture of goodwill here would have gone a long way.

To make matters worse, our oyster order was mishandled — not once, but twice — with incorrect counts and missing varieties. For a restaurant that charges premium prices, these details matter. Guests expect not only excellent food, but also attentive, polished service to match.

In the end, the meal was delicious, but the experience left a bitter aftertaste. I truly hope management takes this feedback seriously and invests in training their staff. As much as I enjoyed the food, I won’t be returning until the service rises to the level of the kitchen. Dining here should feel seamless — not like a constant series of corrections.“

“I highly recommend the avocado butter for brunch! It is beyond delicious. We had women’s brunch event for church at their location and the service was impeccable. The food was great. Give this place a try. I will be coming back for dinner“

“What a fantastic dining experience! We were so well taken care of, and the food was amazeballs! Definitely top of my list as my new favorite seafood restaurant. Elijah, the bartender was awesome and Katie went out of the way to make sure we had a lovely time. What an evening… I highly recommend this place.“

“The food is phenomenal!! Everything is amazing“

“Been here 3 times now and have never been disappointed. Food is always delicious, staff super friendly, and the portions are generous (very sharable). Usually get the Patita with the Kare Kare, but tried the Pork Belly Burrito this time. One of the best burritos I’ve had in my life. They really care about quality here and the effort shows.“

“I cannot say enough of the five star service Ernesto provided. We were waiting for the shuttle to take us to the airport. It was 10 mins late, then 15 mins late. I asked the gentleman at the front desk to inquire but he was not helpful at all. Just said he will be there. I expressed my concern that we had an international flight to catch. I was so frustrated by this front desk man's customer service I told my husband we should call an Uber. Meanwhile we already paid for the hotel shuttle. Ernesto overheard my frustration. Called the bus to find out it wouldn't be coming there was an issue. He refunded us for our shuttle we paid for and also paid for our Uber. It was Four Seasons customer service, over and beyond exceeded our expectations! You should be so lucky to have a person like Ernesto. The other gentleman needs to go back to learning customer service skills and hospitality! Go Ernesto!“

“Great food as usual and every time we come we have an excellent service. Love coming here!!!!“

“they have an excellent selection of wine here & for a bar, their food dishes were impressive. the tater tots were crisp, the crab fettuccine was fresh, and the bread that came with the burrata was perfectly toasted. i was pleasantly surprised & would love to come back again!“

“I love this place! The food is fantastic! And I’m a regular for a reason 😉“

“We enjoyed everything about our meal from start to finish.“

“The drinks are good and friendly people. Great vibes!“

“Everything that I oder was tested good. And nice servers.“

“Great food and service (Amanda did a great job), I love their double r 20 oz cowboy’s rib eye and I like the ambiance it is very cozy.“

“autentic italian restaurant !! délicius food... enjoi 😉“

“We celebrated a friend's birthday here and discovered a neighborhood gem! Sushi was fresh and delicious, the rolls were exceptionally good and the izakaya menu was very tasty and fun to explore with generous portions. With such a varied menu, we want to return and try more. Service was kindly and attentive and the atmosphere is very welcoming and serene. It's that rare place where any one can feel comfortable dining, solo, couples or groups. Prices are reasonable, and the happy hour is great! Thank you Hamakaze for a good night of fun and happy eating.“

“Very nice place. The food was good, atmosphere was good, although the number of booths was limited with the remainder being hard seats. They did have a good beer selection. Although one of my beers was sour, but they replaced it with no issue. Overall I would return“

“Overall a nice stay: friendly staff, nice updated facilities, free ♿️ valet👌-3 to 4 blocks from beach. Very expensive at $500 per night, used the 2 $10 free tickets at bar for 2 drinks and still owed $8.36. This was the host hotel and stayed 2 nights Fri/Sat July 22-23, 2022, with hamburger & soup in room, total $1100. T.“

“Great wine different flights to sample. You can even buy bottles“

“We loved the authentic noodles and warm hospitality. Our lovely server also recommended me to drink the Tenth degree ginjo instead of regular sake, which I liked a lot.“

“Traditional Japanese izekaya. Daily specials. A definite must try.“

“A place to chill a lonely evening over a glass of brewed beer, or sit with friends for a basketball game. Once in a while.“

“心の居酒屋です🏮 モツなべなど　博多メニュー充実“

“this place has great drinks, good food and an awesome vibe! I just love how it's hidden too. So clean and the staff is so nice. I will definitely be back!“

“While the ramen is quite good, try their other non-ramen offerings. Katsu curry rice is very good here (katsu pork was prepared perfectly and curry flavorful) as well as their gyudon (beef over rice). Service as fast, friendly and attentive and the dining area was very clean. Value for the meal is excellent especially for West LA! Cannot recommend enough!“

“I was looking for vegetarian Japanese curry along with a larger Japanese menu and found this gem! We ordered a variety of foods - starters, salads, curry, sushi, and desserts. Everything was fresh and delicious. The service was exceptional. Next time, I’d make a reservation!

Vegetarian options: Vegetarian curry was awesome! They also have vegetarian rolls.“

“Good breakfast burrito. I added steak and it came with sauces on the side and included chips. Everything tasted great. The burrito is a good option to split between two meals, decently heavy, and good flavor especially with the green salsa or the chipotle sauce. Kinda pricey came out to $18, but if splitting it with another person or into 2 meals, not a bad option.“

“Beautiful view, great service and nice selection of drinks“

“These Burgers are bomb, the service is great, drinks a ++, and the icing on the cake is the gentleman playing all genres of music, on his guitar, AMAZING talent! Live music makes a whole bunch of difference!“

“I haven't been able to try this restaurant since it reopened and I had just the time to do so today. All the dim sum was great, just no BBQ pork buns 😂. The dumplings were thin skinned and tender and tasted similar to what I had in China and the waiters were friendly!“

“Kai is an amazing chef. The food is flavorful and everything that you need. He has an a lovely variety of selections. The environment is inviting and positive. The staff is courteous, professional and friendly. The music is just what you need to enjoy a day or night out with your friends, colleagues, family, etc. I'm definitely coming back!!“

“Food is great, i liked the short rib fried rice, the beans as side, the three cup chicken . Food arrived quick and the server was very kind and professional.
I was disappointed because of some kid’s nostopping screaming, i think the restaurant manager should have kindly said something to the kid’s parents because it s very annoying for the other guests.

Parking: Big parking lot“