Manchego

Took my Spanish exchange student (17 years old) here for dinner. She orders pulpos (octopus) and we both got manchego and jamón. The food was excellent. She felt that the flavors and taste were perfectly authentic to Spain. Service was very attentive — we must have had our water refilled 10 times. Loved the Spanish music…it was such a quaint little girls date!

A petite-rustic-Spain restaurant. Manchego is a cozy gem in Santa Monica that blends Spanish charm with a welcoming, neighborhood vibe. From the moment you step in, the ambiance strikes a perfect balance between intimate and lively — ideal for a date night or a small gathering of friend. The tapas menu is the star here, featuring a rotating selection of classic and inventive small plates. The bacon-wrapped dates and patatas bravas are consistent favorites, while the imported manchego cheese (of course) adds a rich, authentic flavor to multiple dishes. The wine list leans heavily toward Spanish and Californian varieties, with helpful staff who are more than happy to recommend pairings. What sets Manchego apart is the attention to detail — not just in the food, but in the service. The staff are attentive without hovering, and genuinely seem to enjoy helping guests explore the menu. Pricing is reasonable given the quality and location, especially during happy hour from 5:00pm to 6:30pm. Highly recommended for lovers of tapas, wine, and relaxed sophistication. I am just not sure of the live music time, but it was offered here too.

Love this spot. Service top knotch. Favorite dishes include short rib, Branzino, bacon Mac and cheese, garlic shrimp and octopus.

Fine Spanish tapas are served in European portion, not mega sized American portion. Hence, every dish has been well prepared and will meet your expectation. The place is spacious with outdoor dining halls in the front and back of the restaurant. They do not serve kids menu, but the potion is agreeable.

Really had a great experience here. The food was DELICIOUS. For some reason, Spanish tapas aren't as popular as other cuisines in the States, but after visiting Spain a few years ago, I came to realize they are one of the top cuisines in the world. And when I recently tried Manchego hoping to recapture the tasty experience I had in Spain, I was not disappointed!!

The service was exceptional. The food was exceptional. The recommended wine was wonderful. We had such a lovely time here when we met some friends for happy hour that we made plans to return within a few weeks. This place--the food and service and lovely outdoor patio--is a gem.

This is a decent Tapas restaurant. Most dishes were good, including the meat and cheese plate. The churros and shrimp were excellent. In my opinion, the paella is not worth it, as I found it overly salty and not particularly nuanced in flavor or contents. Service was very good, though parking nearby can be a pain.

A little pricey for what you get, but everything was really good. Small tapas dishes to share, that you get maybe 1-2 bites of each (between 2 people). Top it off with wine, and you’ve got a fantastic meal here. Great date spot or cozy, quiet, dark-ish spot to chat (we went as 2 gals)! Service was really attentive and professional

I recently had dinner at Manchego, and it was an exceptional experience. This super cute spot is perfect for a date or a night out with friends. We indulged in their delicious sangria, patatas bravas, and croquettes, all of which were superb. The meat and cheese charcuterie plate was also delightful. The service was fantastic, and the ambiance was amazing, adding to the overall charm of the evening. We sat outside on a lovely breezy LA night, which made the experience even more delightful. Manchego is definitely a place I'd highly recommend for a memorable dining experience.

Extremely over priced for what you get. Some of the plates are comically small (like 3 bites of food for $18). That might be fine, but the food just isn't good. For the price there are plenty of other spots nearby that are far better dining experiences. No wonder this place had so many open reservations.

Every dish I've ever tasted from Manchego is 10/10. Many popular restaurants today are carried by a couple of very good dishes with the rest of their offering being mediocre... but that's not the case at Manchego... every single thing you eat here is AMAZING! Short ribs, patatas bravas, fig tostada, salads, flourless chocolate cake... and more. Come here, you will not regret it

A little pricey for what you get, but everything was really good. Small tapas dishes to share, that you get maybe 1-2 bites of each (between 2 people). Top it off with wine, and you've got a fantastic meal here. Great date spot or cozy, quiet, dark-ish spot to chat (we went as 2 gals)! Service was really attentive and professional

This is a cozy Spanish tapas spot in Santa Monica. Parking is mostly street parking and there was a good amount on a Saturday evening. Reservations are recommended even though you can find one the day of or at the last minute. We went around 5:30pm which is in time for happy hour, which ends at 6:30pm. We tried the sangria (both white and red wine variants) which are solid for $8. We also got the Gambas (spicy garlic shrimp), Pulpo Gallego (grilled Galician octopus), jamon wrapped dates with Spanish goat cheese, short rib with crispy polenta, braised beef empanadas, flan de yeye, and churros. The spicy garlic shrimp is excellent and should be a staple of what to order here - fresh and flavorful and the sauce is good not just for the shrimp but also for other dishes. The octopus is chewy and grilled nicely. It comes with potatoes, so it's actually a pretty substantial dish. The jamon wrapped dates are sweet and creamy, very rich and filling. Short rib is good, a bit dry for my liking but the sauce kind of makes it fine. The flan de yeye is on the sweeter side and subtly creamy. The churros are good with the cola cao Spanish chocolate sauce. Service here is good as water refills are present and food is delivered in a timely manner. Overall, this is a solid tapas spot, and the price is fair for a higher end restaurant.

The food was delicious and even better when it's from the happy hour menu. Happy hour ends at 6:30pm, which gives enough time to end work and make it to the restaurant. We found street parking and sat at the patio. The patio was comfortable and the staff were attentive. Pretty good experience

Been wanting to try this for a while! Tapas restaurant in downtown SM. We started with the goat cheese and fig tostada which was to die for. So so so good. Then we got the pork belly which unfortunately wasn't our fav, the sauce was a bit too sweet and kinda off putting i think. the brussels were some of the best i've ever had, had mushrooms and bacon in it YUM. Lamb meatballs with red sauce and tzatziki were delicious. And then we ended with some grilled pulpo over potatoes that I was super excited for but the texture was a bit too chewy, may have been overdone. The menu is huge so I would definitely go back to try some more items!

Great option for bottomless brunch, happy hour or date night in the Santa Monica / Venice area! Food was delicious - really enjoyed the stuffed dates, the branzino, the goat cheese toast, everything was so tasty. All food is tapas style - so it's a great place to go with a group of friends & get to try as many dishes as possible! Got the bottomless sangria & mimosas - which were all delicious as well. Service was so kind & attentive & catered to all of our needs, allergies, food preferences & otherwise! Ambiance allows for a casual atmosphere in a small restaurant on Main St., elegant but not over the top! Would absolutely come back another time to try more dishes & bring friends visiting the area.

We found this cute spot while visiting the area last week. We ate outside and enjoyed live music. The tapas we had were all delicious. Aside from the octopus and goat cheese toast, we also tried the garlic shrimp and empanadas. Dishes came out in a timely manner. Our server was attentive and friendly. We didn't actually enter the restaurant so I'm not sure what the ambiance is inside. Overall, I'd recommend this spot!

I love Manchego! I've been looking for a great Tapas spot and felt so fortunate to find it in Manchego. Quality food, excellent service. Great ambiance!

Easily the best dinner (among several) that we had on a recent vacation. We were seated promptly and assisted with recommendations. Sadly they'd run out of the short ribs, but the beef empanadas were tasty and filling. We shared and enjoyed goat cheese and fig tostados and another plate (which escapes my memory at the moment) and capped dinner off with flan. Highly recommend - and Spanish beer is fine as well!

Great place for tapas. We had great service. A group of us sat outside for a friends birthday and really enjoyed all the waiters recommendations. I'd say the covered dates were by far my favorite. And the branzino was also equally a favorite!

My recent visit to Manchego left me with mixed feelings. The restaurant was abuzz with activity, and I was grateful for having made reservations in advance. The seating options at Manchego are diverse, ranging from outdoor and indoor to semi-outdoor with a tent-like roof at the back of the restaurant. The addition of space heaters added a cozy touch to the ambiance. The restaurant exudes a comfortable and intimate vibe, making it an ideal spot for a romantic dinner or a small gathering. However, it may not be the most suitable choice for larger groups due to the limited space. Our server, Min, provided us with recommendations for both dishes and wine. I opted for the charcuterie, which offered a selection of meat and cheese. Unfortunately, I found the choices to be somewhat limited, and the quality of the cheese and meats fell short of expectations. The absence of olives in the charcuterie platter was a disappointment. The pork belly dish was overly sweet and slightly dry, while the tomato salad failed to make a lasting impression. The deviled eggs were satisfactory, but unremarkable, and the risotto lacked moisture and flavor. Upon receiving the bill, I couldn't help but feel a bit let down by the pricing in comparison to the quality of the dishes. Nonetheless, the restaurant's ambiance was charming, and both Min and the hostess extended a warm and welcoming demeanor. The only drawback was the limited parking options, as the restaurant solely relies on street parking.

First time here. I'm out of the house a lot right now because of a weird situation and I'm hitting some of the happy hours and I just happened to come to this place for the first time, it looked interesting. I asked to go to the back patio and it was quite a delightful surprise. There's a rain fall feature that's beautiful I felt instantly relaxed because of hearing the water and seeing the beauty of the lights on the water and the plants The red wine that I had was delicious and I had a simple salad that consisted of two different types of tomatoes and avocado, garlic and cucumber those are three of my favorite things and it had a cherry vinegar on it that was really nice with olive oil. I also decided to try the pork belly as it was also on the happy hour menu and I thought I would need a little bit of protein and fat along with the salad.. everything was great. The server that I had was very nice. It was a great experience to relax. Doing a stressful time I hope to come back here with friends they have a nice front patio on the street and a beautiful dining room inside

Cute ambience with a touch of old school charm and service was great. Some dishes were really good like the beef empanadas and brussel sprouts. Others were good but slightly lacking in flavor imo, such as the octopus, hanger steak, and truffle mac. Churro dessert was very good even though I don't even love churros.

Tapas spot on Main Street. Came here for a Valentine's dinner and they had live music out in the heated patio. Service was especially slow (but our waiter was nice), but the bright side is that you can have an especially leisurely meal. Reservations can be made online in advance. We ordered the mushroom croquettes, Catalan chicken, tortilla española, jamon wrapped dates, and mac and cheese with bacon. The dishes were good but the best were the dates and the mad and cheese. The tortilla española came with a salsa and an aioli on the side but the aioli did taste sour (I think one of the ingredients used was past its shelf life). Other than that, it's a good spot for an intimate dinner or date night.

Certainly worth a visit. Everything was absolutely fantastic. If you're looking for a variety of flavors with small plates, Manchego is the place for you. Our party of two ordered several plates to share: 1. Short Ribs, Crispy polenta 2. Garlic Shrimp 3. Beef Empanadas 4. Brussels Sprouts 5. Sangria, white As I said, everything was delicious. My personal favorite was the Brussels Sprouts. Such incredible flavors coming from the spices and the bacon/cheese give it some extra flavor and crunch. Empanadas were full of that savory flavor, and the chichuri was on point. Short ribs were a different, but good. I thought the Shrimp was pretty standard, like spices, garlic, butter. I actually prefer white sangria over red. Service was fast and friendly. I suggest making a reservation if you're planning to have dinner here. They were white busy for a Wednesday evening. Some street parking at the meters. They also have a large parking lot behind the restaurant. Looks like it's a public lot and pay to park.

Ambience: They really nailed this. I'm not sure what it is, but when you walk into this restaurant, it smells like Europe (and not like the negative immediate thought of bad BO lol). Love the cozy interior, but have to say that the chairs were not the most comfortable. If they are trying to encourage customers to leave after an hour or an hour and a half or so, the chairs help with that lol. Service: I forget who our waitress was, but she was always on the go! As soon as she took the order, she was off and running! It made it a little tricky when we had a second question, and she is definitely not a waitress who was eager to make conversation with the people at the table. The host was really kind and even knelt down to listen to my question, when I had one. Food: we were really lucky to get there with 15 minutes of happy hour time lol. My sister got the white sangria, and it tasted pretty awful. The red sangria was digestible, but I've had so much better! It just didn't taste fresh. I would expect more from a Spanish restaurant. Thankfully, the tomato and avocado and cucumber salad was spot on! Also loved the garlic shrimp, and dipping the little pieces of bread into the sauce is a must! Both of those dishes had a kick to them, and I definitely recommend! We also ordered the mushroom croquettes, which were pretty decent. We also ordered the Catalan chicken and the brussels sprouts. Honestly, those dishes tasted flavorless; I probably would not order them again. I may come here again for happy hour dishes, but overall, I was not as impressed as I would've liked to be.

Still a good 4 star place! Service was nice, food is good. Portion size is small and prices is a bit high. Came here recently for dinner one night. Still a cute little restaurant with white table cloth and traditional Spanish ambiance. We ordered several tapas to share. Food is good, just very pricey. Very traditional Spanish tapas, old school style. Service was good for the most part, slightly uptight. Parking was easy on the street.

Had a terrific backup anniversary dinner at this place. The space definitely looks the part of a Spanish tapas house. The host and wait staff are very welcoming and convivial. Try: 1. The Charcuterie Platter - The idiazabal and chorizo soria were great 2. Spinach croquetas - fantastic 3. Jamon wrapped dates 4. Tortilla Espanola - very authentic 5. Patatas Bravas Skip: 1. Deviled Eggs - nothing special The place would get a full 5 if the paella had a anything approximating a socarrat. All the flavor profiles are there, just missing the toasted component. Will definitely be back! Thanks for saving our anniversary dinner.

Went on a stroll and randomly stopped here. Glad we found this gem. It reminded me of Spain! We sat outside by the warm heater. The service was great, although the wrong wine was bought out we still had good service. The Mac and Cheese with bacon was DELICIOUSNESS! This place was definitely a great find. We also ordered the garlic shrimp and it was tasteful.

Had a lovely time here on Thursday night for a bday celebration! I was excited for authentic Spanish tapas and Manchego did mot disappoint :) We were seated inside which is pretty small and intimate. you will be able to hear the conversations of nearby diners verry easily. Our server Melvin was awesome! so attentive and kind. we got the mac and manchego, patatas, beef empanadas, brussel sprouts, and deviled eggs. everything was great but the patatas were a standout. they were perfectly fried and came super hot. the brussel sprouts were interesting. it was mostly individual fried leaves instead of whole sprouts, and the bacon was chopped up while the mushrooms werent. while the manchego tied everything together, it definitely felt a little more haphazard than the other well thought out dishes. they also don't have cocktails which was a bummer but we got a glass of sangria and it was great! the lack of cocktail drinks also kept out bill under 100 overall we had a great time and im excited to come back!

This spot just checks all the boxes. Plain and simple. Delicious food and drinks priced perfectly. We had about 5 different plates (this place is tapas style) and it was all stellar. The branzino was insane, was not expecting the whole fish at the price point. Servers were nicer than the usual Santa Monica experience, which was great considering this place is right on Main Street. Cute place with a cozy yet elegant vibe. Recommend getting a reservation to secure your seating of choice because it is a pretty small place (last minute reservations are usually available). HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Manchego, please keep up the good work and don't ever change! *heart emoji*

On a Wednesday night in August, we got a table for 2 outside with just a few minutes' wait. $89.79 total for 2 drinks, 2 happy hour tapas, and 2 regular tapas. * Happy Hour Goat Cheese & Dried Fig Tostado ($9) - 3 stars The tostado was stale, and this seemed to be more of a dessert. * Happy Hour Gambas (spicy garlic shrimp, $13) - 3 stars I found the shrimp to be quite rubbery. I expected them to be more charred and was disappointed by the texture. * Jamon Wrapped Dates ($15.50) - 3.5 stars Enjoyed the contrast between the jamon and the cheese. However I hoped for more crisp on the jamon, it was a little soft. * Beet Burrata Salad ($15.50) - 4 stars Lovely very soft burrata (and not so stretchy as others I've had). The pistachio dust was a nice touch for added texture.

Great place for spanish tapas! It was my first time here and will not be my last. Some stand out dishes were: Mac and cheese (you gotta get this), bacon wrapped dates, and the brussel sprouts. Service was excellent. We mentioned we were celebrating an anniversary and they kindly seated us in a beautiful romantic corner booth. They even comped our delicious flan dessert! As you can see, the moody ambience made for dim photos but made for a romantic vibe. Will be back to try the rest of their extensive tapas menu!

Superlative continental ambiençe and interesting, attentive, and friendly staff made for an evening that'll be long remembered. Uncommonly elevated tapas. Aioli without peer! Profoundly satisfying café con leche. Live Segovia outside FTW. * The membrillo (quince paste) braised pork belly with marcona almonds is perfect. * The goat cheese and dried fig tostado rocked our taste buds. This is the kind of place that you plan on revisiting on the next trip but wind up back the next night.

11/10!!!!!!!!!!! From walking in to being seated to getting our drink orders everyone was incredible. It was such an intimate restaurant, great place to catch up with friends and eat amazing food. We came for a date night and honestly it was amazing. From every bite, everything tasted delicious. The Brussel sprouts were a highlight as well as the fig tostada and steak. Please try this place for a date night or two friends getting dinner you will not be disappointed!!!!

I came here with a friend to check out their happy hour on a Friday, the times for their happy hour are nice it runs until 6:30! They also have sangria for $8, which was honestly too sweet. We ordered a lot of different tapas mostly from the happy hour menu. The prices weren't awful either, we paid $40 a person to split all the food and each got a sangria. I have ranked the items we got below: 1. Goat cheese and dried fig tostada: by far our favorite item we got, perfect flavor combo and was on the happy hour menu! 2. Truffle Mac n cheese (no bacon): also on the happy hour menu, was pretty good, not the best Mac n cheese I've ever had but pretty good. 3. Burrata, beet salad: pretty good but again not a standout, I kinda thought for the price there should be more burrata. 4. Pork belly: on the happy hour menu but honestly not good at all. It was very tough and honestly at times hard to cut through. Among the worst pork belly I've had in years. 5. Mushroom croquets: on the happy hour menu, completely flavorless. They needed more flavor, like they were really missing an additional something even with the sauce. The staff was all very nice and the restaurant itself had a cute little patio, but honestly I wouldn't necessarily return. I could see other food and drinks being better, the top two were honestly pretty good but the bad ones were just not very good at all. So I'm assuming we might have just ordered the wrong things?

Shout out David that was in front. After dining I asked him if some local spots on where to stay when traveling in tv and he was more than helpful recommending places and taking his time in explaining. That's an asset to an establishment in my eyes.

Got seatedright away and were given a table rather than a booth as we requested in our reservation. Tried 6 great small plates filled with flavor and delicious sauce accompaniments. Very attentive staff that had good knowledge of the menu. Good selection of spanish wines to go with the tapas and a small but well portioned and perfectly sweet desert selection. Made a great stop for a romantic dinner with the wife.

We took our daughter here for her birthday. I made a reservation in advance, specifically requesting a cozy table. We were pleasantly surprised that we had the best table in the house. It was perfect! The ambiance was above what I expected. The waitress welcomed us so graciously and wished my daughter a happy birthday. She then spent time talking to her, making her feel special. That was a wonderful first impression of the restaurant. After visiting Spain, we had a benchmark to compare this restaurant against. If you're unfamiliar with this type of restaurant, you typically order several dishes, which everyone shares. (Keep this in mind when reading a review that states the servings are too small.) Traditionally, each dish is by far not enough for a meal. We ordered six from the menu, which was perfect for three people. We had two orders of the fried patatas with garlic aioli, spicy roasted red pepper, and feta sauce (because my daughter loved them so much she wanted another); tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, garlic, and vinagre de jerez; lamb meatballs, tzatziki, and pomodoro; short ribs, crispy polenta; and hanger steak, roasted fingerling potatoes. All the dishes were delicious. However, I found the meatballs to be so-so until I added more sauce. Our favorites were the patatas and short ribs. I almost forgot to mention that the red sangria was really good. Our daughter thanked us several times for taking her to this restaurant; it was her first experience at a Spanish tapas restaurant, and it left a lasting impression. I highly recommend this restaurant, as I feel it was very authentic, the service was great, the food was good, and the restaurant was elegant and cozy.

I've been here a few times and the food is consistently pretty good. Pretty is pretty convenient if you can find street parking or there's an ample public lot in the back. First time I was here, there was only outdoor seating (due to Covid) and we sat out front on the makeshift sidewalk patio. Most recently, we sat in the back of the restaurant in their enclosed open roof patio, which was a little nicer. It's not too big of a restaurant but they utilize all the space to the max. The service was great, the waitstaff was helpful...appropriately attentive without being intrusive. The portions are meant to be shared, so we got a good sampling of items, goat cheese with dried fig tostada (a touch too sweet IMO and I have a sweet tooth), Brussel sprouts with manchego/mushroom/bacon (excellent!), jambon wrapped dates w goat cheese (a great combo of savory and sweet), Pulpogallego with grilled Galician octopus (my favorite), the short ribs with crispy polenta (just a little dry).

Amazing tapas! Everything we've ordered was wonderful whether it was octopus or finger foods like croquetas. Food portion is a bit small for its price, but we caught the tail end of happy hour so we were able to order at least half of what we wanted on the happy hour menu, including the sangrias! This would be a great place to come with a bigger group, but I would definitely make a reservation since the restaurant isn't that big. Parking in the area is slightly easier than the rest of Santa Monica since it's on the other side of the highway from the promenade, but we still had to walk a couple blocks from the street parking spot that we found.

Exceptionally underwhelming food. Menu seemed to have okay enough options to choose from, but the quality of food and the flavors were absolutely awful. We tried this place twice, only to give it a second chance and try other items on the menu. Unfortunately, both times were equally bad. Their papas bravas are bland..fried potatoes and mayo. Spanish omelette & fig crostini were both very unpleasant and didn't seem fresh. Brussel sprouts weren't even sprouts but just deep fried brussel leaves, really strange and really greasy, just a bowl of deep fried leaves. Beet salad was quite okay, especially considering the rest of the dishes. Shrimp was very bland, zero flavor. Service was pleasant and friendly. Atmosphere inside the restaurant is quite pleasant, and interior decor is nice. The outdoor seating area is quite large but there is good amount of traffic passing by so I wouldn't recommend the outdoor seating. Won't return and don't recommend for anything more than a glass of wine.

A cute little place for Spanish tapas. The place has a romantic European feel and the service was really friendly, about average in speed. We tried their sangria and red wine, both delicious albeit strong for me (I'm pretty lightweight). For tapas, we ordered the jamon dates (goat cheese was too strong imo), octopus (good in flavor, cooked well), risotto (strangely reminded me of Kraft Mac n cheese?), lamb meatballs (tender, juicy, flavorful) and the shisito peppers (somehow the best dish haha- spicy, citrusy, refreshing) food was pretty good overall, but if ur not super into cheese (like me) maybe skip out on this one.

Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22 © Spanish tapas & wine on Main St in Santa Monica! Tempranillo at its best and a spread of small plates to munch on, from Gran Vía, Madrid to Main Street, Santa Monica with love, what could be better on Tuesday night in late November; pleasant cozy ambience inside and outside, heaters are on, impeccable service, come on in! Romaine salad with avocado, tomatoes, anchovy olives, shredded Manchego cheese, fresh & delicious start. Glazed pork belly with toasted marcona almonds that simply melts once it touches your taste buds! Pork belly, hahaha go belly up over it!:-)) I ordered seconds believe it or not! David our server, thank you for recommending the mushroom croquetas with jalapeño sauce, and garlic gambas, mildly spicy garlic shrimp served in Jus with slices of toasted bread, so good! A glass of Spanish Tempranillo, some tapas, perfetto! Goat cheese & fig tostado, a savory heaven rivaling dolce treats, I'm not kidding you friends, you have to get these little warm, toasted, amazing bites! Tortilla Española, a Spanish omelette wedges with pats of butter & spicy sauce, Mmm! For Dulce, a creamy & fluffy Panna Cotta! And Spanish Sangria, of course! You'll thank me later, go for it :-) Great wine & a glass of Spanish Cava, to end the night with bubbles at Manchego, Santa Monica's best kept secret since they opened in 2007, I highly recommend! Bien dicho y buen provecho! Well said & bon Appétit! *Se tropieza mi cabeza porque va usted sin dormir Voy mejor al botellón, a la Pandorga, al Torreón No son horas, señora, eso mismo digo yo Entre litros y petas en el Parque de Gasset My head stumbles because you go without sleep I better go to the bottle, to the Pandorga, to the Torreón It's not hours, ma'am, that's what I say Between liters and petas in Gasset Park [ Review #734 with 11 pics on Dec 13, 2022 ] Spanish Tempranillo, superb wine! @Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22 Romaine Salad~Avo~Tomato~Anchoa Olives~Manchego! @Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22 Mushroom Croquetas! @Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22 Membrillo Glazed Pork belly, Marcona almonds @Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22 Goat Cheese & Dried Fig Tostado! Fantastic! @Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22 Gambas! Spicy garlic shrimp Mmm! @Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22 Tortilla Española, Spanish omelette! @Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22 Panna Cotta! Creamy & fluffy heavenly nice! @Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22 David our kind server! @Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22 A glass of Sangria! @Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22 Spanish Cava! Bubbles to your health! @Manchego Santa Monica CA Tue 11/29/22

Some decent dishes (patatas bravas, mushroom croquettes), but pulpo and gambas were lacking in flavor. A bit overpriced for the food

Manchego is a restaurant on Main Street the restaurant row in Santa Monica. Park in the lot behind the building, and pay at the parking station, as street meter parking is scarce. This restaurant offers foods and wines which is influenced by the owners travels to Spain. The restaurant has been here a precovid and had survived. Indoor and outdoor seating available, as with most restaurants in the westside, it's dog friendly too. Last Saturday, after watching a series of FIFA soccer football games, I forced myself to go out and have a light brunch. Manchego patio was busy and crowded by I spotted a couple of tables. The host resembled a younger version of actor Neil Patrick Harris, in a suit. Cordial Nice and accommodating sat Me immediately and even provided a bowl of H20 for my furbaby Fendi. The menu offered foods with Spanish, Mediterranean and popular WLA foods: avocado toast and quinoa. It was a my first here and ordered: wines from Spain, manchego cheese plate, deviled eggs and romaine salad topped with shredded manchego cheese. To be in the know...Manchego cheese is sheep's milk and whether it originated from Manchego Spain or is debatable. Years back, after reading Cervantes' Don Quixote Man of La Mancha, and it's famous windmills, I was compelled to include Spain in my global travels. Manchego cheese was popularized in Cuenca a small town between Manfred and Barcelona. Cuenca has many Art galleries and restaurants and the first time I tasted manchego cheese. To bring back memories of my trips in the towns in Spain, I was excited to try the foods here. A little wine tasting is always a fun start. The manchego cheese platter was simple but lovely: manchego cheese and banquet slices, mini cornichon pickles, fig spread and marcona almonds. The deviled eggs were nice presented with edible flowers and micro greens, but the Spanish olives made it a tad too salty, had to remove the Spanish olives to enjoy the eggs in its delicate taste. The romaine salad was similar to a Cesar without anchovies but had the salty Spanish olives, avocado and shredded young, not aged manchego cheese, which was fresh and delicious. Every dish paired well with the wines. Despite, the Spanish influence in the menu offerings, I could not find the foods here comparable to a tapas experience I had in Spain that I was hoping for, but a nice try. It would be nice if they had Spanish guitar music playing in the patio to add to the Spanish vibe. Throughout Spain, smoked meats and fish are hugh, as well as paella and neither were offered here :( but only three cured meats. 'Tapas ' are small plates of foods, like smaller versions of any dish for a couple of bites. Many restaurants in Spain offer tapas, perfect to sample many menu foods, the ideal way to do 'bar hopping!' The restaurant occupies a vintage building that's been earthquake safe upgraded according to a posted sign. Inside, the decor is simple, not fancy, very casual and welcoming. Service from the host Matthew, waitress Carolina and the staff were nice and very accommodating to Me and my furbaby, propels the rating to a 4star. Maybe the other menu foods, will bring back thoughts of splendid Spain, but if you haven't been, you must go, Go to Manchego!

Lovely restaurant on Main Street. Great service. Our waitress was attentive but not overbearing. The food was great. For tapas the portions were larger than I expected. I would say each dish could have served 3 people. Everything we tried was fantastic. I recommend sitting on the back patio. It's enclosed & they have heat lamps. I didn't see a valet but I had no problem finding street parking.

Ambience: Small, intimate, with a dim atmosphere and loud. Still great for a night out. **Jamon Wrapped Dates (5/5) - Honestly, the star of the show. Very delicious, the goat cheese is perfection. Hangar Steak (5/5) - Cooked very nicely, juicy and tender. Decent portion for 2-3 as well. Cured Meat & Cheese (4/5) - Rosemary Goat Cheese is a must-try! A great shareable option. Jamon serrano is a must. Mushroom Croquetas (4/5) - Dense, but very flavorful and the aoili sauce it comes with is delicious. Risotto (3/5) - Slightly underwhelming, but is definitely quality-made. Fried Patatas (3/5) - The aoili and feta sauce make this dish stand out. Very addicting to pick at. Make sure to get a RESERVATION in advance. It's a small bustling place, quite perfect for a dinner with friend(s). Either street parking or parking lot a few blocks down. Pleasantly surprised with price-to-portions. :)

My date and I were expecting really good service and delicious food, but we realized the reviews are mostly just hype! We sat down excited to try their popular tapas dishes. When greeted upon by the server, he immediately rushed us. I chose the first wine he recommended, then asked for a moment to decide on our food; BUT he nodded and rudely responded, "Sorry, you have to choose your food now." I've lived 33 years and in different countries... And I've never been so rushed at a restaurant my entire life. Good lord! To top off the bad service, the food wasn't the most impressive either. Food should be more important than good service right? Unfortunately not. As I write this review, the rib eye still reminds me of dog food, I said it. Dog food!!!! HOWEVER..... the garlic shrimp was actually quite tasty! I'm so glad my date ordered that, and on the spot. So there's one good thing about my experience at Manchego. I can see why other yelpers say the ambiance is a plus. It was dark and the music playing on the speakers was decent. But we did have to use our phone flashlight to see the menu. All in all, I would rate this business a 6/10... if I'm being nice.

Went there for happy hour but the HH options were so great. Ended up ordering from the regular menu instead. House red was good. I think it was a Tempranillo. Flan dessert was really good. Will definitely come back.

Hubby and I came here to sample their HH menu and were impressed by both the service and food. House Red - 5/5 Surprisingly good for the cheap price. We each got 2 glasses! Deviled Eggs - 5/5 Generally not a fan of olives but when paired with the deviled eggs, it was actually good! Spinach & Mushroom Croquetas - 4/5 We preferred the spinach croquetas over the mushroom. Goat Cheese & Dried Fig Tostado - 5/5 Nothing to dislike about this delicious tapa! Tortilla Espanola (Spanish Omelette) - 5/5 Pretty good Gambas (Spicy Garlic Shrimp) - 3/5 I'm not a huge fan of shrimp but these were well prepared and I ended up chomping down on 3 pieces. Wish the bread that came along with the shrimp was toasted. Membrillo Glazed Pork Belly - 5/5 Probably the best thing here! Get this! Churros - 5/5 Mmmm! Service - 5/5 Our server was extremely nice, efficient and knowledgeable. She came around to take last minute HH orders and didn't rush us at all. The only thing about dining here in the winter is that they keep the door wide open so we sat there freezing in the center of the room. They DID turn off the ceiling fan though so that was something. It wasn't until HH was over that they closed the door (I'm assuming they didn't want to freeze the patrons paying full price for their meal. Hah!).

I love this restaurant so much. Live music at night, small indoor/ outdoor dining, and the servers are lovely. The dishes are small and I think it's best to go with a few people to try as many dishes as you can. If you want some greens loved the TOMATOES, CUCUMBER, AVOCADO, GARLIC, VINAGRE DE JEREZ SALAD. Dishes that I was obsessed with; MUSHROOM CROQUETAS, JAMON WRAPPED DATES W/ SPANISH GOAT CHEESE, MAC & MANCHEGO CHEESE, FRIED PATATAS, HANGER STEAK, and the BRANZINO. For dessert, who doesn't love a good CHURRO? ENJOY! PS: There is a public parking lot not far from the restaurant, but I was able to find street parking.

I had high hopes for this tapas place, but unfortunately, my experience was quite disappointing. From the moment we were seated, things started to go downhill. The first thing the server asked was whether we wanted sparkling or flat water. I opted for flat, but despite asking three times, the water didn't arrive until after our food was served. It's puzzling why they even asked if they weren't going to bring it promptly. Service was another issue. Our server checked on us just once throughout our meal, yet he was constantly hovering over other tables, asking if they needed anything. It felt like we were being neglected. The food itself was mediocre at best. The pork belly was overcooked to the point where the meat was hard, and the sauce lacked flavor. The dates with goat cheese had an imbalanced amount of cheese, which threw off the dish. For the prices they charge, I expected much better quality. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this place and certainly won't be visiting again. There are better options out there for tapas.

Our Thanksgiving staycation in MDR brought us to this cozy little tapas place Manchego the day before Thanksgiving. They have Happy Hour daily from 5 to 6:30 pm and plenty of street parking available during the week (I think it is free anytime after 6 pm). Cute decor and perfect for date night! Our server was Jennifer and service was exceptional from her, and the rest of the staff. We ordered some of their super delicious HH tapas options that included: Gambas, membrillo-glazed pork belly, romaine salad with lemon oil and goat cheese with dried fig tostada. We also ordered the following from the regular menu: fried patatas with garlic aioli, jamon-wrapped dates with spanish goat cheese and brussel sprouts with bacon, manchego, mushroom and what tasted like a balsamic soy vinaigrette(?). We enjoyed almost everything but will skip the fig tostada and the churro con chocolate next time. Everything else we would defo order again. The jamon-wrapped dates and fried patatas with garlic aioli were heavenly! Cannot wait for the next time.

Cute for a date night. Good happy hour prices. REALLY strong Sangria - beware (or don't lol). Honestly when I first read the menu I was not impressed by the uniqueness of the offerings, but everything was done so well! Really great for tapas. The indoor seating is limited, but they do have an outdoor patio. Service was attentive without being overbearing. Bacon-wrapped dates are a must.

Really cute little restaurant tucked into Main Street in Santa Monica. I went here for a date night with my wife, and it was a great experience. They have a nice fenced off outdoor patio right on the street, with a really beautiful set up and very attentive wait staff. There is a nice yelp check in offer, at least at the time we went, for a free drink which they honored and gave a decent pour! We made reservations for 5 PM, right when the doors opened, and they slowly filled up as the night went on. I would suggest making reservations for sure. The food was so good, and this is truly a place that I wish we could just ask for one of everything on the menu. We did go during happy hour, which allowed us to grab a bunch of dishes that were a tiny bit cheaper. I usually say this about any five-star experience, but we didn't really have a bad dish. I'll list my favorites in order if helpful, but try a mixture. Short rib crispy polenta Croquettes, we had mushroom Goat cheese and fig Tomato, Cucumber salad Pork belly. The flavor was amazing, the dish was a little overcooked. All in all a great experience, very personable and helpful weight staff, and a perfect atmosphere for a date night. We will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu!

Have been meaning to go to this place for a while, and glad I finally made time to go! The small tapas made it easy to try out different parts of the menu, and the dinner vibes were really cute for a date/friend gathering! Manchego is a small tapas restaurant with great service and ambiance (especially for indoor seating), I recommend going during happy hour (5-6.30pm) to maximize your experience! Pretty small portions (purposely) and a large selection of good food. 2-3 tapas per person should be good for sharing. mac & cheese - imo best dish of the night, really good balance of flavors and **one of the best mac and cheese ive had** gambas - also pretty good, especially if balanced with the dates as it is sweeter ‍ jamon wrapped dates - sweeter than expected, texture of cheese in the middle makes it a bit mushy but melts in your mouth ‍ membrillo glazed pork belly - ngl a bit dry, but quite crispy and overall on the sweeter side jamon serrano - good cured ham! could be broken apart a bit though chorizo - pretty good, i liked it paired with the idiazabal a lot short ribs - ribs itself was standard, but crispy polenta was really good and complemented textures well! fried patatas - pretty standard, could be a bit more flavorful but the others really liked it churros - pretty good! decent for the happy hour price