Tangata Restaurant

Nice restaurant attached to the Bowers museum. Good food. Turkey Club sandwich with fries and an added House Salad was plenty to split for two for lunch.

Absolutely 5 stars!!! The food was beautiful, fresh & delicious. My server, Jorge went the extra mile and adjusted for my requests. He was fast, professional and offered suggestions for places to see in Santa Ana. It was worth driving here just for lunch and his service! I had the 1/2 sandwich and salad (swapped sourdough for rye and added Manchengo cheese to salad). A glass of ABC Pinot Noir, then an amazing dessert of Banana Tres Leches with an Earl Grey tea. Everything was DELICIOUS!!!

I have enjoyed the many Patina Brand restaurants I have visited in LA, OC, and NY. As a result I was looking forward to dining at Tangata when we visited the Bowers Museum. I tried to make a reservation, but was unable to get a good time, so we decided to walk in. The Maitre D said it would be 15 minutes for a table, so we wander around the gift shop while we wait. Not an unreasonable wait because they were busy, even though there were lots of empty tables. We were seated approximately 20 minutes later. The restaurant is lovely. All tables have flowers. The lights are all designed like ribbons. There is a view of the open kitchen. We all ordered sandwiches, which should have been quick. I mean they didn't have to go out to catch the tuna fish. We waited longer for the food than we did for our table, over half an hour. I realize the restaurant was busy, but it was a long wait, especially since we were hungry. At one point we were all staring longingly at the kitchen, watching for a glimpse of our food, and the Maitre D passed by and said with a smile, "Just a few more minutes" Finally the food arrived. It was good, don't get me wrong, but was it worth $16? No, I don't think so. I think it was overpriced for what we got. A couple other things bothered me. They add on a 3% "administrative charge to the bill to cover the cost of doing business, and is not intended to be a tip, gratuity, or service charge for the benefit of employees. No portion of this admin charge is distributed to employees. What the hell? Shouldn't the cost of the food you order be enough to cover the cost of doing business? Why is there an additional fee? Also, I paid with a gift card. They would not allow me to tip using my gift card. Just about every restaurant allows you to leave the tip on the gift card. My final issue was when I looked under the table when I got up to leave. The floor was dirty, with food on the ground. It was not my mess, and I didn't see it when I sat down. I expected more at this restaurant. Patina Restaurants are all high quality, and while they are not inexpensive, I have never felt that I wasn't getting a good value for my money. Today, at Tangata, I cannot say that. I was disappointed in the restaurant, the service, and the cleanliness. I realize that it is the only game in town, the only restaurant in the museum, but next time, I will eat elsewhere before or after I visit the museum.

Menu terribly limited. My hamburger was well done when asked for medium. No cash accepted but no notice of said policy. Very disappointed.

Excellent chicken sandwich on Ciabatta with Avocado. My friend asked for an off menu coffee drink and they were happy to oblige. The greens from the salad were fresh and tasty. Service was excellent!

After spending the morning and early afternoon looking at the exhibits in the Bower's museum, we decided to try the restaurant. What a treat. There is a slightly limited menu with a current special lobster addition to their normal selections. We did not see any soft drinks (soda) so my husband joined me with a berry ice tea. Very good....

We were staying at the Westin next door and looked for a good restaurant. I was in the mood for a great steak and so based on reviews came here. My wife and I had prawn appetizer, very good, 4 large ones. My wife had a Wedge salad that was closer to half a lettuce head and I had a Caesar with plenty of anchovies. We both had a New York Strip, bone on with gorganzola cheese on top and mushroom sauce, we were delighted.

Food at its finest! I was very delighted with the food. I had a New York Strip and it was very yummy! Along with its Gorgonzola cheese on top! I love their menu, it was a bit limited yet you have plenty of choices. Nice staff too.

Hubs, kiddo and I decided to eat lunch here a bit before noon on a Friday after browsing the Bowers Museum. I was a bit hesitant as it's kind of a foo foo restaurant and spending $$$ for lunch wasn't in the plan, but hubs thought it'd be nice to have a quiet family meal time as we haven't done that in a while. As mentioned above, this is located in the Bowers Museum, on the immediate left when entering (the store is on the right, admissions counter straight ahead). The restaurant was still empty except for one couple sitting down. More people started to come in past noon though. Kiddo and I ordered the mocktails, the grapfruit juice ($7) and pineapple juice ($7). We ordered the tuna melt ($20), the burger ($22) with bacon (+$3), and the dip ($22). The tuna melt was pretty good. The sourdough was nicely toasted all over (love sourdough), and the added tomatoes gave the tuna and cheddar a refreshing touch. The dip was good as well - not loaded, but enough ribeye and subtle horseradish. The au jus had a nice meat flavor, but was salty for me (hubs was fine with it). Sadly, the burger was lacking in sauce. Menu says it has dijonaise in it, but I think they forgot it because it was dry. Kiddo was eating it and she didn't say anything until she was already halfway done, so I told her to just use ketchup. Their fries were actually good. As for their mocktails, I'd say skip it. The grapefruit one wasn't sweet at all (kiddo hated it), and reminded me of a greyhound. The pineapple one, which she chose, wasn't as sweet as she thought it'd be so wasn't thrilled either. It reminded me of a pineapple ginger mojito (without the mint). I guess it's literally a "mock"-tail, lol. Might as well pay double to get an actual alcoholic drink. Our meal was good to okay, but our server was very nice and attentive, and if this supports the museum, then it was worth it (I'm assuming it supports the museum?).

My friend and I had lunch in there before our lecture at the Bowers Museum yesterday and we were not disappointed. You walk in and are greeted and seated at a table . We had reservations but we're not needed . The tables look beautiful with white table clothes. Later in the day they put out fresh flowers on each table . We were given a paper menu with a limited menu to choose from which keeps food fresh - on the back side is all liquor as they had the bar open full bar . Prices are average - $15-$25 for giant fresh salads that the Kardashians would love - as well as fresh sandwiches and hamburgers and soup and wraps. Could have been more but I didn't get to see it as my friend ordered for us both - 1/2 sandwich and cup soup which was Turkey and soup of day was potato with bacon and cheese it was delicious. I didn't get to take any pics today I was so bummed but take it from me it was great and I would order again . Bread was toasted and bacon was on sandwich- we held the Aioli sauce and onions . Well this is a great place to stop for a bite before a lecture or while visiting the Bowers Museum. I give it a 5 for food - 3 for noise it was very loud can't hear your friends talk - 5 for service . Oh and a 5 for the best parking attendant in the world !!

My friend and I went to Tangata Restaurant after visiting the Bower's Museum exhibit of Hokusai. This was our second visit to Tangata. The food was both times amazing. Everything we ate was beautifully presented, and really delicious. The dessert were also amazing. Jorge, our server was exceptional. Both visits we found him very kind, attentive, and personable. He really adds to the warm atmosphere. I highly recommend this restaurante. Ask for Jorge's area. He'll take great care of you.

so much to say! This place was fantastic for a company luncheon after the Bowers Museum tour. Carlos Lara and his team were attentive to every request I made weeks in advance. Even on Carlos vacation, he made calls and sent emails to meet our lunch request. This may sound funny but everything matters for a company lunch. Final touches are everything and timing is critical with a bunch of hungry staff. The hors d'oeuvres made the first entrance, plated nicely on wood serving boards. Those pickled vegies had the perfect mix of vinegar. The olives and cauliflower went well with my cosmo! Don't get it twisted, the carrots and cucumbers were not left behind. Let me tell you about the Ahi tuna wraps, they made their appearance and the crown went a little wild. One special guest never tasted ahi tuna before but the avocado made it tempting. He had a few to start. Winning! Let's not dismiss the chicken empanadas. Crunchy and tasty! The flavors were perfect and the size were just right. We had 15 guest, every one had their own special request for the main course. I had the Mancheco salad and the vinaigrette was perfect, not to much nor too little on the salad. The apples and walnuts were just right. My Angus patty burger with cheddar cheese was flavorful. I had to cut the burger in half. Others guest had salmon and one special guest had a Vegan plate. He was a very happy camper to say the least. I appreciate the efforts to make the company luncheon a success. Food is everything but customer service is key. BTW: the pictures tell the story Thank you Carlos and team! Job executed nicely!

The salad was really delicious. They could have a few more vegetarian options methinks. The manager was very friendly and our server Corey (who was super rushed off his feet) was just wonderful. Always smiling and courteous even when he had barely two minutes. The restaurant really needs to hire more than the three people I saw serving so many!

Went here during my boyfriend and I's visit to the Bower's Museum for the Disney Archive Exhibit. The cashier that took our order was pretty chill and I was excited to try out the pulled pork from the menu items listed. We were able to sit anywhere we wanted without worrying too much about social distancing since the tables were spread out in the dining room. There was only one other couple and a guy dining, so we ended up near the back corner of the dining room. Didn't have to wait too long for our food since the other two sets of customers had already been served. The pulled pork was pretty good and I liked the buttered corn. The coleslaw was pretty decent and complimented the pulled pork well. Overall, a good experience.

I came here with my Mom and Aunts after we toured the Bowers Museum. We had a reservation so they made us a table and we took our seats near the front of the restaurant. Service here was alright, we did have trouble getting our waiter's attention a few times. After browsing the menu for a bit we ordered our entrees. I got their cheeseburger since it sounded really good. I got it cooked medium. All our food came out at the same time. My burger was alright. The bun was a bit hard and my burger was overcooked, but I still ate pretty much all of it. The fries were cooked and seasoned well. It was an ok burger. Lastly we had some dessert. It was my Aunt's birthday so we got her birthday dessert and then we ordered their Golden Empress which is like a fancy tropical fruit moose. The Golden Empress was really delicious and refreshing. I liked the little cubes of mango on the side. We had a nice lunch here after a fun day at the museum.

Tangata offered a pleasant brunch perfectly sandwiched between the morning opening of the new Guo Pei: Couture Beyond exhibit and an afternoon talk featuring the designer. I enjoyed the Muscovy duck salad in Tangata's airy modern space, efficient service, and complimentary validation of the museum's $6 parking fee (and arrived in perfect time to snag a third-row center seat for the talk!). AMBIENCE (4/5) Patina Group's on-site museum restaurant, Tangata delivers Pacific Rim-inspired salads, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees in a skylit indoor space with tabletop dining and a small bar as well as an outdoor courtyard. Sculpted red rose lighting and vases of fresh crimson-and-purple flowers added welcoming touches to the dining room. FOOD (4/5) Muscovy duck salad: Yum! Not a big salad fan but absolutely enjoyed the savory shredded duck confit atop a bed of beautiful rose-and-white endive, baby artichoke, lettuce, sweet orange segments, candied walnuts, and champagne vinaigrette. Shrimp and polenta: good but the tiniest portions ever - three shrimp and three tiny corn cakes drizzled with sauce. More of a light appetizer which is great if you're dieting and less great if you're expecting a hearty Southern entree. Macchiato: espresso with a dash of frothy milk in a petite espresso cup. A bit steep for $4.50. SERVICE (4/5) Reservations recommended. I was a little taken aback when the host communicated a 15-minute wait amidst several open tables and bar seats, but the restaurant staff may've been overwhelmed from Guo Pei's opening day festivities. Once I was seated, the waiter came right away - and food literally arrived within 5 minutes of ordering (likely pre-assembled, which was perfect given that there was a short 30-minute window before the theater opened for the talk).

Ate here today with my Grandmother and had a lovely experience. It wasn't too busy and the waiter was very nice and attentive. We both had a salad (bottom of photo: Spinach salad with chicken, candied walnuts, blue cheese, pears, and a vinaigrette. Top of photo: A house Caesar special with salmon) and lime margaritas (yum! Very tangy). Both delicious and a generous size. The best was the Panna Cotta dessert special with pears, mint leaves, chocolate shavings, and malted milk. Our waiter gave us the recommendation and he was 1000% correct! We devoured it!! Thank you for a lovely lunch!

One of the positive things I can say about Tangata is that it's conveniently located inside the Bowers Museum and seated my large party of 16. Here's where the real fun begins: Tangata Burger with Fries $17: I ordered my meat medium rare and it arrived medium, another person ordered medium rare and it arrived well done. Another guest ordered a salad instead of the fries and still got the fries. The fries are these hard sticks of potato. No fun. None of us wanted to return the food because service was incredibly and painfully SLOW. Garlic Noodles with Salmon $23: Several people in the party ordered this, but only two managed to receive salmon while the others received steak. Again, we didn't want to return the food because we had another appointment in an hour and feared we would miss it while waiting for the food which took an hour to receive! Machego Salad: average Service: SLOW and dismissive. Not only did it take the waiter 30 minutes to take our order, but it took another 30 minutes to get the food. Additionally, I asked for two glasses of water and the waiter refused my request because he said there wasn't enough room on the table. WHAT! The person next to me ordered a hot water and a cold water with lemon and the person across from me ordered a coffee and cold water, but I was refused two plain waters? Did I mention service was SLOW and that I was afraid of NEVER getting a water refill. Noise Level: Very LOUD....maybe that's why our waiter couldn't get our orders right. Climate: I had the air conditioning (in winter) blowing right on my table. Dessert: Creme Brulee - good, Apple Tart - average, Vanilla Ice Cream - average. Eat here if you must, but don't say I didn't warn you.

I stopped by when visiting the Bower museum it is the great place and good services. The foods are very delicious. We'll come back again.

I went here a few weeks ago when the Disney exhibit was opening- that was great, by the way! I decided to have lunch at the Bowers Museum's restaurant. It was a little pricey, but the food was very tasty, well presented, and the service was pretty fast. I found the Cobb salad to be very good and large, with the dressing mixed in already, and then I sprung for dessert, which was a nice treat! Someone at the table next to me got a sorbet for dessert and it looked huge and so brightly colored! Maybe try that next time!

I have to respectfully disagree with "Lisa G from Costa Mesa" here. Alphonso was a wonderful host, took our reservation over the phone with grace and confidence, even though he is clearly over-worked!! This restaurant is exceptional in every way. We had a wonderful time, the Caesar salad with sockeye salmon was truly exceptional, and the chicken club sando was great! We are looking forward to the new innovate brunch options in September!

Relaxing atmosphere. Excellent service. Very tasty food. We shared a salad - plenty for both; then we each had the salmon. then we shared a crème Brule desert. Wish we had taken photo's; but weren't expecting to report about such a great meal in such a convenient spot! What a great addition to an afternoon strolling thru the museum! Thanks to the staff; was a great lunch on our 15th anniversary.

Lovely setting. Food is reliably good. Caesar salad is one of the best. Love popping into the museum and/or gift shop before or after lunch. Also the small nearby spa is really nice - La Montanya is the name I believe.

I think 3 stars is a fair average for this restaurant. I too am giving it 3 stars but it's a good 3 stars and I'll continue to eat here when I'm at the museum. It's located inside the Bower's museum and has a beautiful interior. If you eat here bring your parking ticket and they'll validate it. You pay for parking up front so just show the validation and you'll get your money back. Issue is I always feel like a sucker when I do this since eating here solo with tip is usually over $30 just so I can get my $6 back. I've been here I'd say 4 times and a few times when it was the previous restaurant. 2 times have been great, 2 times have sucked. Their Katsu sandwich which I had a few weeks ago while visiting the Medieval Armor exhibit was delicious but it's served with a sad flavorless salad. For the price they should include some fries or a more thought out salad. I also started with their excellent garlic soup. On a previous visit I had their "Spicy Thai Beef Salad". Truly the most flavorless boring salad I've ever had, a theme for their salads. Don't order salads here. Zero spiciness, zero flavor, just boring. I've had a few other hits and misses here but I can't recall what they were. Since I'm usually dining by myself here I like to sit at the bar. The bartender is always the same guy and he's friendly and efficient. My biggest issue and one reason I can never go above 3 stars is their 3% surcharge they add to the menu which literally says it's just for "the cost of doing business" and it doesn't go to any of the staff. How about you just increase the menu by 3%? Manage your price points correctly instead of putting a stupid fee on there which in the end only hurts the wait staff. I ended up tipping 3% less than I normally would because of this fee.

Food and drinks were overpriced for what you got. Was still hungry after my $30 lunch. Food was ok but nothing overly wowing. Menu choices are limited. Service was very slow and not friendly or happy at all. Really seemed like the people working there hated their jobs. Host was very rude and arrogant. Acted like he was doing us a favor seating our party of 8. Refused to sit us together so we were in 2 tables of 4. After paying a $250 lunch bill, we tried to use only one table after 2 in our party left and the host got super snippy and told us to move the chairs back. I would not spend one more dime in this restaurant. They were not kind to us and most certainly did not appreciate our business.

Food looked good but ... Snippy host at the reception desk said "Do you have a reservation?". Sorry we can't seat you without a reservation come back in an hour??? This is with 7 open tables. So we asked to make a reservation "Sorry we don't make same day reservations"??? Asked to talk to the manager to which the Millennial kid says "I am the manager". He did everything he could to kill our desire to ever eat there or see the museum.

This restaurant has seen the sign of the times. It use to be a good sit down restaurant with decent food, but now it has turned into a fast food sandwich place. The sandwiches were poor quality and tasteless. It was served with stale chips and some type of crackers that tasted old and disgusting.

Had lunch here on a sunday at noon. It was packed! But thats always a good sign for a restaurant- Carlos was our waiter and he was very, very good. Even though the restaurant was busy, he took the time to answer all our questions without rushing us. He was attentive and extremely friendly. The food was delicious- we ordered smoked salmon eggs benedict, a seasonal salad, and a dish called "dragon of huanghai" (perfectly cooked seabass on a bed of black rice, with curry sauce) The only downside to our experience was how long the food took to arrive. I think it took nearly 40 minutes to get those 3 dishes out. I hope they find a way to get the food out to customers faster because that would be the cherry on top. Otherwise, the great service and delicious food was enough for us to plan our next visit!

Very limited menu, but the asparagus soup was visually beautiful and enjoyable (though it tasted nothing like asparagus) and the crab cakes were properly crispy. Menu doesn't offer much value for money but it was all tasty. Service was overwhelmed with the holiday rush and we didn't see our server for the entire meal, but she apologized for her lack of attention. We appreciated that she was aware of her inattention and understood the holiday rush.

Had to say, this was pretty good. I usually stir away from restaurants within museums. The price is usually higher than normal and food is mediocre. I stand wrong. It was actually pretty good. They have recently renovated the restaurant, so it's nicely lit with open sky light and windows to the veranda. Quite refreshing. It was raining of course, so we saw the palm trees swaying, the rain drops falling onto the clear glass that sits 10ft above us. We had ordered the chicken and pork egg rolls. My least favorite. Nice presentation, but the texture inside was a little too mushy for me, coming from an asian background. I don't know about the banana ketcup that is spread underneath it. I didn't care for it. Who eats eggrolls with ketchup anyway...let alone banana ketchup. I have ordered the salmon entree, which was beautifully plated. It was almost like salmon in a soup! But I liked it, I can just spoon some of the broth over the salmon and the nicely al dente vegetables. Don't drink it though!!! It was quite salty to me, unless you love sodium. =) My friend ordered the skirt steak entree. It was nicely plated as well. I never like skirt steak, but I stole a bite and it was quite tender and flavorful. It was paired with kimchee cabbage, so basically an American entree infused with Korean flavor. I wouldn't mind coming back for another go, if I was doing another tour at the museum.

We have had many great meals here in prior years, but Covid has apparently made Tangata retreat back to low quality, no service dining experience. We all ordered hamburgers and were so very disappointed. Dry, flavorless and definitely not worth the price. Fries were marginal. The alternative cream of carrot soup was good, but did not make up for the bad experience. Order at the counter and then pick up your food and buss your table. One of us called it "convention food." Come on Patina, you can do better. On a side note the Jade and Gold exhibit at Bowers was fabulous.

We have always loved the food here as well as the service. The tuna melt had a unique flavor. Well no more. I think COVID has taken its toll. I've ordered it three times now hoping and hoping but it's still boring. There is a new chef and we have expressed our dissatisfaction but to no avail. The fries are still good. Our most recent visit this week was even more disappointing. The salad was a few pieces of lettuce and at least a third of it was brown on the edges. This is sad. It's so convenient when visiting the museum but I think we are giving up and not coming back.

So I came to the Bowers museum to attend the cherry blossom festival (which ironically didn't have any), but found that my boyfriend and I arrived too early. Since both of us did not eat yet and we didn't want to lose our princess parking, we naturally decided to try our luck and eat here. Upon scanning the menu, everything seemed fancy shmancy and kinda highly priced. My boyfriend and I decided to both get the Frida Kahlo Prie Fixe since it seemed like the best value. The 3 courses included lima bean soup, gnocchi and short ribs covered in salsa verde, and a panna cotta sort of dessert. As soon as we placed our order, the soup came out shortly. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was really good and the texture was creamy and smooth. I imagined the soup to be grainy for some reason, but it wasn't at all. On to the main entree (if you can even call it that)... it was tiny!! I literally said out loud, "What is this?? A meal for ants??" Served on a big plate was 4 gnocchi, 3 or 4 equally small pieces of short rib, and topped with green salsa and some ricotta cheese. It was a beautiful presentation and it was actually very delicious, but the portion was so off. I liked that it was a sort of Italian and Mexican fusion. The gnocchi tasted like it was made from masa instead of the traditional potato that is typically used. The short rib was tender and the combination of the ricotta and the salsa verde was magical. It was truly a unique dish. I was just mad that they gave so little! The last course was a lightly coffee flavored panna cotta topped with whipped cream, crunchy chocolate cookie balls, and caramel corn. I also enjoyed this very much as it wasn't too sweet or decadent. It was so creamy and was the perfect way to end the meal. Considering that the entire Prie Fixe meal was $24, I think it was slightly overpriced for the amount you get. Yes, it is a three course meal, but can you even call it a meal if the entree only consisted of 4 small gnocchi?? Overall, I thought the food was great, but prices are so off from where they should be. TL;DR: Cute little spot to eat when visiting the Bowers Museum. Great unique food, but overpriced for the amount you get.

Great food well prepared and presented. Super service by personable staff. The hours are limited to lunch, but it's location inside the Bowers Museum makes it a convenient meeting spot.

Disappointed! This place has been completely changed from fine dining to comtemporary setting, so is the menu; this is the chef's creation - "hamburger of the month" looks like:

SO DISAPPOINTED as i had friends who were taking me out for birthday lunch and the service was terrible! The waitress totally forgot about us after first interaction and we waited 35 mins for her return to bring out champagne and dessert! Ended up having to find a manager and just paid for entrees because we were late to see an exhibit. Received an offhand apology but the lunch celebration was ruined.

We loved the architecture, the food and the service st this lovely restaurant! The good was amazing, and the menu was varied with choices for everyone. The setting is beautiful. A very enjoyable experience!

I have enjoyed the many Patina Brand restaurants I have visited in LA, OC, and NY. As a result I was looking forward to dining at Tangata when we visited the Bowers Museum. I tried to make a reservation, but was unable to get a good time, so we decided to walk in. The Maitre D said it would be 15 minutes for a table, so we wander around the gift shop while we wait. Not an unreasonable wait because they were busy, even thought there were lots of empty tables. We were seated approximately 20 minutes later. The restaurant is lovely. All tables have flowers. The lights are all designed like ribbons. There is a view of the open kitchen. We all ordered sandwiches, which should have been quick. I mean they didn't have to go out to catch the tuna fish. We waited longer for the food than we did for our table, over half an hour. I realize the restaurant was busy, but it was a long wait, especially since we were hungry. At one point we were all staring longingly at the kitchen, watching for a glimpse of our food, and the Maitre D passed by and said with a smile, "Just a few more minutes" Finally the food arrived. It was good, don't get me wrong, but was it worth $16? No, I don't think so. I think it was overpriced for what we got. A couple other things bothered me. They add on a 3% "administrative charge to the bill to cover the cost of doing business, and is not intended to be a tip, gratuity, or service charge for the benefit of employees. No portion of this admin charge is distributed to employees. What the hell? Shouldn't the cost of the food you order be enough to cover the cost of doing business? Why is there an additional fee? Also, I paid with a gift card. They would not allow me to tip using my gift card. Just about every restaurant allows you to leave the tip on the gift card. My final issue was when I looked under the table when I got up to leave. The floor was dirty, with food on the ground. It was not my mess, and I didn't see it when I sat down. I expected more at this restaurant. Patina Restaurants are all high quality, and while they are not inexpensive, I have never felt that I wasn't getting a good value for my money. Today, at Tangata, I cannot say that. I was disappointed in the restaurant, the service, and the cleanliness. I realize that it is the only game in town, the only restaurant in the museum, but next time, I will eat elsewhere before or after I visit the museum.

We had a great time and the waitstaff was awesome. We all ordered the same dish though, so there was no "taste testing" of other dishes! We were highly recommended THE DRAGON OF HUÁNGHAI ... Barramundi seabass, forbidden black rice, roasted fennel, coconut curry sauce, crispy rainbow carrots, and pea tendril at $23. Unfortunately, they were out of Sea Bass and Coho was substituted and was described as a white fish which it was NOT! The dish was very good but the flavors of the rice and coconut curry sauce were so delicate, they could not be enjoyed as fully with the stronger tasting Coho. With that being said, every plate was devoured! The highlight were the desserts which were THE GOLDEN EMPRESS which was comprised of Meyer lemon mousse, caramel chantilly, sesame coconut crisp at $11, ICE CREAM SUDAE with Brown butter cornbread, crumble, blackberries at $8 and the KEY LIME CHEESECAKE with Strawberry sauce at $9. The cheesecake was absolutely outstanding though the strawberry sauce was apparently substituted for a mango looking sauce instead. The inside restaurant has a modern open lunch spot type feel and the dining chairs are super comfortable. I wished it had a little better fine dining feel for the cost of our lunch and our bread basket cloth looked dirty. Overall it was a success and look forward to going again. Oh! The cappuccino was amazing!

Let me start off with the positive aspects of Tangata. The restaurant (more like cafe) is gorgeous; beautiful decor and exquisite linens and cutlery. They have a full bar and a decent selection of items on their menu. IF weather permits, try to sit outside on the terrace. The day we went, the weather was perfect and it was gorgeous to dine al fresco! We had the lamb burger on a brioche bun and it was fantastic; worth the drive to enjoy again. Of course it's inside the Bowers Museum which is a magnificent collection of artifacts and history. Now the dreaded "misses." We wanted to enjoy a quick lunch before the museum visit; we walked in and was greeted by a very unfriendly maitre d' who snidely asked, "Do you have a reservation?" I responded, "Do we need one on a Thursday afternoon for lunch!?" Apparently yes. He begrudgingly sat us outside (I guess if you are a lowlife, reservationless peasant, they sit you outdoors.) Worked out nicely because it was a glorious warm day and we had a lovely view of the gardens. Our server was kind and we got our meal very fast; however, the tomato soup I ordered was cold. I'm torn if I would return or not. For sure I will make a reservation next time. I think this place it kind of hit or miss--hopefully next time it will be more of a hit.

Yep, still love it. Love the decor, love the service, love the view looking out onto the beautiful garden and I especially love the food. This is the salmon salad I tried last weekend. A definite winner!

Tangata is a hidden gem in Santa Ana at Bowers Museum! The service is always impeccable, the food is spectacular, and the decor is always on point. I love that they have a seasonal menu and this time just happens to be lobster and rosé. I absolutely love this place for a good lunch.

I was torn one whether to give this place 3 or 4 stars, but opted for the latter. This restaurant is much better quality than what you typically get at a museum, though still has something lacking, especially for the price tag. First off, this restaurant has really nice clean decor. Really nice atmosphere to enjoy a meal (they also have a patio to enjoy your meal outdoors). They continually change out things like their iced teas, soup of the days, and gelatos. Our waiter didn't seem to know what was going on as he had to keep coming back to correct himself. I ended up with the carrot lemongrass soup and steak salad. The soup was actually really good and "refreshing" if soup can be that. The steak salad was light and didn't have to much dressing (which I like) but the steak was way overdone. The highlight of my meal was the strawberry Panna cotta. It was really delicious and I could eat it over and over again. Overall, this place is solid stop for a meal before you head into the museum. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but as it is a convenient stop for the museum, you might as well do lunch.

Like the location inside interesting museum and friendly attention from maitre de Joey. Sorry to say would not have guessed it is a Swedish name/theme. Liked the omelette and potatoes plus excellent sorbets (blood orange, coconut and mango) for dessert. Saw a JFK exhibit so mother in law had crab cake and JFKs favorite clam chowder. Wife had tasty French fries and fried egg sandwich. They also liked the creme brûlée. Thankfully got a very nice museum visit without needing to put up with weak food service.

I had lunch here with a friend today. It was dreadful. We shared both a salad & a tuna panini. The bread on the sandwich was COLD as were the French fries. The salad tasted fine but was minuscule. I had tap water, my friend ice tea. The bill including tip totaled $47! A lot of money for a mediocre lunch.

I remember dining at Tangata ages ago and writing a review. It looks like they may have revamped their fine dining menu into something more contemporary. Their prices are about the same. My friends and I had just finished marching in the Women's March - OC when we decided to leave DTSA for a restaurant that wasn't too busy. We walked towards the Bowers where Tangata is located. Upon arrival, the hostess said that she could not seat the party of 5 ahead of us, despite the dining room being empty at 11:30 am. I guess you need reservations if you want to dine here. I saw that there were empty seats at the bar so I told my friend to head over there. We shuffled some bar stools around, thanks to the women at the bar and had a seat. I had a glass of Chardonnay which was listed at $11 on the menu but came up as $10 on the bill. I also ordered the Jidori chicken wrap ($16) with sweet potato fries. It's weird that they put a piece of pickled ginger on top of my sweet potato fries as garnish. It doesn't belong and it doesn't add to the dish. My friends opted for soup and salad, which they seemed to enjoy. My chicken wrap came out rather quickly and it was full of chicken, red quinoa, arugula, and dressing. It was pretty tasty but nothing special. Our bartender kept disappearing on us so it was hard to get his attention. Once we paid, we immediately left. Tangata was just okay in my book.

My wife and I came here for Valentines dinner. The atmosphere is very classy. The food was the excellent. We had good service and no complaints. There are a lot of mediocre reviews. I say try it and make up your own mind. We are very happy with our experience. The wine paring was spot on. Happy to see a full house.

This is an awesome place for lunch. The setting is elegant and overlooks an open courtyard / garden. There is often events so you there might be a lot going on but the restaurant is quiet on the inside. There is also outdoor seating if you don't mind noise that might be from an event. The food is good. The flavors go well with each other and the bar tender makes good mocktails if you don't drink. The service is also really good. For the price I would definitely give this place 5 stars. Though the food isn't out of this world you get a great dining experience for a decent price.

Everything in this restaurant is "dirty." The chair has crumbles and the table has highlighter ink on it. The balance of the food is terrible. The spoon for the desert was also dirty. Sweet potato fries were the only thing that was good in this restaurant which was a side menu for the burgers and sandwiches.

Class act! The food is beautifully exhibited and is as delicious as is looks. I have had lunch here a number of times and have never been disappointed. We had Easter Brunch here today and it was wonderful. It was a buffet setting with a very nice variety of food. DELICIOUS! There were six of us - the service and atmosphere were as as awesome as the food.

All the elements that make a restaurant five stars are found at Tangata. Firstly, the food is superb. Today at brunch there was a lobster theme. They had three dishes, each paired with a rose wine. All beautifully presented and delicious. Secondly, the service is outstanding. Our server Jeff was professional, really cheerful, and knowledgeable about the menu. Thirdly, the decor is modern, tasteful and spotlessly clean. There is a classy upscale vibe here. Fourth comes location. This restaurant is attached to a wonderful local museum so it is a great destination. And finally comes overall management. Shane is a great manager. He is involved in everything from menu planning, to presentation to service. I was here for my birthday brunch and he went out of his way to make sure everything was perfect. I have enjoyed every meal I have had here. It is especially nice to sit outside in the museum courtyard and dine al fresco. Tangata is also great choice for a classy business lunch too. Sunday brunch here is lovely and after a leisurely meal you can then go enjoy the museum. Also there are two poke-stops and a poke gym here! Highly recommend.

The food: Well...the salad was awesome! The mezze platter was meh...so-so. How can you screw up tzatziki? The babaghanoush could use improvement as well. Disappointing was the margarita - paid $ 12 for water, tons of ice, and a splash of lemon...Tequila! Tequila! Wherefore art thou? (And not even served in a margarita glass).

I love Tangata but they let us down today. We went for OC Restaurant week and arrived half an hour after opening. The hostess had us wait a while at the stand so she could finish a phone conversation. There were other people working but not one table of patrons inside yet. Preparations were being made for a special event on the patio. We were seated after waiting a couple minutes. We ordered the Restaurant Week menu and after another long wait received the first course. My friend had the fennel and I had the soup. Both were good. The soup had a lot of flavor and was blazing hot. In the mean time, people started coming in. We saw our waitress less and less. I think she was also helping the private party outside. By the time we finally got our entree we were wondering if we would have enough time to see the exhibit for which we had come. We both had the salmon and it was a very small piece (about 2" wide) on top of an heirloom bean salad. Lima beans, squash, black beans. The salad part was way over-salted and it wasn't cold but it wasn't hot either. Not sure if it was supposed to be room temp or what. The fish was hot and didn't work well with the oversalted room temp beans. We ended up cutting up the fish and mixing it all together in an attempt to tone down the salt on the salad. Next we waited and waited and finally got dessert. My friend ordered the salted pot de creme and I had the fruit crisp. Hers was just ok. It's basically a caramel pudding but it was more fluffy than rich. Eh. I had asked what fruit was in the fruit crisp and was told apples, nectarines and some raisins. It was a nice portion but it was not cooked. I saw two raisins and the rest of the fruit was apples, a couple of different varieties. They were sliced whisper thin but still they were not cooked. It was as if they thought they could slice them extremely thin and cook the tart super fast. But it was that sort of soggy, not crunchy apple. Not a nice soft cooked apple. It hardly had any flavor to it except around the edges of the dish. We each took a couple of small tastes and just left it behind. The waitress came by and asked how we liked it and I told her it wasn't very good. I said it isn't cooked. She said she was sorry and made a face but didn't do anything with it. She didn't take it away or offer to send the manager or take anything off the bill. We then sat and waited more and were watching the clock as we were now at an hour and a half for lunch. We had purposely ordered the restaurant week menu. I was thinking they would be turning these dishes out quickly. But many tables that came in after us had already come and gone. We finally got our check and waited and waited some more. No one ever came to pick it up and we were paying cash and needed change. I saw the manager ringing a bill at the register so I finally took our bill over to him. I said, Excuse me could you please ring this for us? We are concerned we won't have enough time to see the exhibit. He asked if I needed any change. No, I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Nothing. I've been to this restaurant many times and never had an experience like this. The food has always been good and the service attentive. The waitress today was pleasant when we saw her but we had to wait way too long for lunch. It was busy but not crazy busy. We were the first table seated of the day. It was dead when we arrived and we ordered as soon as the waitress brought us our drinks. But still it dragged on and the food was not great. Lastly, we paid six bucks to park in the lot. The attendant told us that if we got our stub stamped in the restaurant after dining our parking payment would be refunded. So we got our ticket validated. But when we went to the car, the attendant had packed up her stand and was gone. Lame. And I had just renewed my membership today. :(

The food was just okay - no better or worse than you can get at a thousand other places. The service was really bad but what capped it off for me was that they add a 3% surcharge to your bill. They call it an 'administrative charge to cover the cost of doing business'. What crap! That is what proper pricing is all about - cover the cost of doing business and make a profit. This is analogous to your cell phone or cable company adding additional 'fees, tariffs, and surcharges' just to pad the bill and make more money. As if the place is not already outrageously expensive for what you get. If I sound a little pissed about it, I am.

My daughters and I came to have a quick lunch at Tangata. I was very please to see our food coming out fast, we even had time for dessert. Being in the industry for over 26 years I could tell Tangata is a pride for the Bowers Museum. Management was attentive, the younger gentleman could be seen interacting with guest. Our server Hector was polite and professional. I am coming back for sure.

I had high expectations especially because this restaurant is located inside the Bowers Museum and because the food was so overpriced. Service started off great, but then really took a decline. I had to get up twice, once to ask for the check and twice to get my change back. I didn't mind too much the first time, but considering that they never came by to ask us anything, I was slightly bothered that the table next to us was serviced and before I could ask the waiter was gone and we weren't even acknowledged. Overall, the food is great. I had a tuna melt with sweet potato fries (those were actually kind of bland, I recommend the sea salt fries instead), and my brother ordered a classic burger. He really enjoyed it, very tasty.

Enjoyable lunch during our visit to the museum. The service was great during this mid-week visit. We enjoyed the chicken salad. Highly recommended.