Sazon Latin Fusion

Hot Damn!!!
First off, I hear that Sazon Latin Fusion is in-​limboing to a new location, but this review will pertain to their original spot on Centinela and Washington. (I will definitely check out the new place once it opens!!)
I think a new spot would do them good though. When my friend and I visited, the place was deserted, and nobody ended up coming in the whole time we were there that evening. Quite unfortunate, but maybe a good catalyst for great opportunities to come. That location itself is marginal as far as today’s retail visibility and potential goes, so hopefully they can find a nice, dazzling locale to spread the Sazon love!
In any case, about the empanadas. Yes… the wonderful empanadas. I think these are not made fresh here, but rather are brought by the empanada fairy from empanada heaven. How else could they be sooooooo delicious??? Ok maybe they are made here, but they are definitely made right here. There’s no other way they could be so fresh, so light, so perfect. They have a sampler plate, so we ordered the spinach, the chicken, and the spinach mashed potatoes with cheese. Again, WOW! So flaky, so soft, and so yummy!!!
Some ceviche was next, quite good since everything was fresh. This was a great intro to the Sazon Chicken, which was super juicy, super flavorful, and perfectly matched with the red mole and sweet plantains. O-​M-​G-​G-​G
The roasted pollo rostizado was excellent as well, and the beans and rice that came with it were hot, fresh, and perfectly textured.
Of course once I start eating I can’t be stopped, so I ordered some flan.
Damn. Good. That’s all I have to say about that.
Pair all of this with some nice beer or red wine and it’s the perfectly satisfying meal that you have always longed for.
Anxiously awaiting the grand reopening, I’ll be one of the first in line!!!

Claudia makes the experience and the food!
It’s a inky hole in the wall but you deal directly with the chef and its in her blood.

If you miss your mom’s cooking and the whole warm family environment Sazon latin fusion is a place to be! food is amazing, prices are appopriate and service is super nice! :) Check it out, it will most definitely bring you back to your childhood! And DO NOT leave without having at least one flan (now, they have flavored flans-​i had strawberry flan and it was more then awesome!)
Highly recommend!

First and last time I step in there.
For starters the empanadas had 0 cheese, even after claimed to be spinach and cheese. The mojito was pure, and I mean pure juice with hints of mint. After those two things I really didn’t want to eat there anymore, but silly me, always spreading the benefit of the doubt around– another mistake. My dish got there, and can’t remember the name, but it was the tilapia with mango sauce and must I say that thing was as bland as water. The sauce, the sauce was three chunks of mango and the fish had no seasoning. Needless to say I would never go in there, even if it was free. Oh, and service was mediocre. Hate writing bad reviews but I really feel it must be said. The waitress smiled not once. Stay far from Sazon, because they have zero of it.

This review puts an end to me trying to eat in this place.
I have been trying to eat here for 3 times in the last 2 months and this is what happened:
attempt #1(on a thursday 7.30pm): I park on the curbside, get off my car open my GFs door we both go to the front door and realize it’s locked. place is completely empty, lights are off except for a dim light coming from the nearby kitchen. we knock gently at first, then we see people walking by the kitchen so we knock harder this time. the guys seem not to care and doesn’t even bother turning his head to us. we leave!
attempt#2(on a friday 8.00pm): I park in the back, walk with my friend all the way to the front entrance and guess what? place is all closed with a little note hand written on the door that reads some stupid excuse I can’t recall. we walk back to my car and leave!
attempt#3(yesterday, wednesday 6.45pm): read attempt#1
It might be bad luck but 3 times I think that’s impossible.
P. S. oh, did I mention don’t even bother giving them a call, noone will answer!

Surprisingly amazing.
The food was light and flavorful and not heavy like most cari-​mex-​Latin food can be. The service was 5 star with smiles and great conversation.
I met the chef and she was a sweet heart with a wonderful story to her journey in the kitchen and her reasons for the healthy flair.
I would go back and recommend for a different look on familiar Latin food.

This place is great.
The empanadas are amazing! Very wide range of dishes to choose from and the owner Claudia is an extremely sweet person.
Will definitely be coming back to try out more great dishes!

Four of us had a great dinner at Sazon. The pan-​South American menu has something for everyone — some Mexican, but also Peruvian, Argentinean, and Central American dishes or themes, as well as vegetarian variants such as the tostada. The meal started with a sampler of empanadas, and we all loved the flaky, light crust. The light touch carried on through the meal — none of the thick, heavy, greasy fare one associates with so many Mexican dishes, but delicate sauces, fresh tastes. The flavors come from seasonings, not butter or pork fat, so the cuisine is healthy and tastes good at the same time. We none of us felt stuffed after three courses, just as if we had been well fed.
The dishes. Well, the pollo Sazon is a knockout — a great riff on chicken mole without the heaviness that dish so often has. A Peruvian lomo saltado had flavorful, tender steak strips, boiled potato slices instead of the traditional french fries, and a tangy but not too heavy sauce that had a nice peppery and flowery zing. Excellent pescado tropical came very nicely plated, with a delicate sauce forming a painting on the plate. Everyone raved about the flan, which is rich, dense, and full of flavor. A bunch of picky eaters cleaned every plate that came to the table.
Wine list is not impressive, but they were totally welcoming about bringing our own, corkage = $ 10, which is pretty good these days.

3.5 stars
I had really high expectations for Sazon. I actually first came on a Monday night to a closed restaurant which raised my curiosity even more. Sadly, my expectations were not quite met. Don’t get me wrong, I am still a fan but there was something missing. In fact, this review is long overdue — about a year overdue. I guess I wasn’t inspired enough to write a review right away.
We tried the Empanadas, Ceviche, Pollo Espinaca and Lomo Saltado. They were all good not great. The Empandas were the best out of all of them. Service is friendly and the chef even stopped by to greet us. I would definitely come back to try the other entrees. The rest of their menu sounds too tempting to not give it another try.

Well, ever since Southpoint Argentine grill in WeHo closed down, my boyfriend and I have been searching for a place that has the best empanadas in LA. Sazon had made it on my list of candidates to take the title. When we arrived, we were the only customers in the entire restaurant and the waitress seemed very excited and anxious to have someone to serve. She remained enthusiastic and energetic throughout our entire meal; it was refreshing to be served by someone who was happy and eager to do so. We ordered the Empanadas plate, Bistek Encebollado, and the Monfongo de Pollo.
Empanadas plate–
The chicken empanada was full of flavor, perfectly crispy on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside. If I could have a do-​over, I would have ordered it with cheese, though.
The shrimp empanada was flavored nicely but I think the dish could have benefited by having fresh lime juice to squeeze on top, unless, of course, that would be untraditional of Latin culture (I have no idea).
The spinach mashed potatoes empanada was… different. Fried to perfection, yes, but once again I find myself thinking it could benefit from cheese or something else.
All in all, not bad. The chicken was by far the best, in my opinion, but the search for the best empanadas in LA still continues! If I ever return to Sazon, I don’t think I would order empanadas again.
Bistek Encebollado–
Oh my goodness! This is a winner. I’d come back just to have this dish, Unilocalers. The meat is succulent and flavorful, despite that it’s very thin. Topped with onions and paired with black beans and rice, (eat them all together at once), I can’t get enough! My boyfriend, who is Puerto Rican, said that his grandma makes it better. But for this American gal, I LOVED it!
Mofongo de Pollo–
This was delicious too! The dish came with two corn tortillas on the side. The chicken was tender and flavorful. The monfongo, (I think this is what the other part is called), was more subtle with it’s flavors, serving as a good backdrop for the chicken. Also, my Puerto Rican lover said that this dish was right on the money, so he was pleased.
The service alone was enough to make me come back. Our waitress was very sweet and upbeat, as I mentioned previously. At the end of our meal, the chef came out and asked us how the meal was. It was some of the best service I’ve ever received at a restaurant.

I had read about Sazon Latin Fusion in the LA Times some time ago, and I have had this place bookmarked for over a year. After picking up la familia at the airport around dinner time, I decided that tonight was the night to check it out.
On the southwest corner of Centinela and Washington, Sazon has a very narrow store front which masks a very deep restaurant that can probably accomodate about 50 people. We were greeted by the waitress/​hostess who had already set our table for 4 (we called for reservations). Reservations were not necessary this evening… we were the only table with people. (Apparently, last Sunday, they were packed. The restaurant industry is a tough one — you never know when your crowds will be there.)
Our waitress suggested one of their refreshing aguas frescas, and she brought samples for us to decide — coconut horchata (classic sweet and nutty rice milk), hibiscus agua fresca (floral and not very sweet) and lemon mint (awesome grassy, lemon flavor). All three were popular at our table, so we ordered one of each. I loved that Lemon Mint one!
We started with two arepas for the table, each of which were cut in half to share. They were delicate corn meal shells wrapped around monterey jack cheese, guacamole and cabbage, which were topped with crema and tomatoes. Yummy! Not at all heavy, the little corn meal shells were crisp without being overly greasy. I would definitely order this again.
For dinner, we ordered four dishes that I had read about from fellow Unilocalers:
Shrimp Mofongo — a wooden goblet arrives on a small plate filled with mashed plaintains (reportedly with bacon, but I think it gets lost in the mix) and shrimp (reportedly cooked in a white wine stew, which adds tremendous flavor, but it all gets soaked up by the plaintains) with two plaintain chips towering above. Despite the «stew» listed in the menu, this is not a very saucy dish, because the plaintains suck everything up. Regardless, it was delicious. And, it was fun to try something that was «latin» but not your usual mexican cuisine.
Sazon Chicken — this was a chicken breast on the bone stuffed with mashed plaintains and topped with mole sauce, which was served with black beans and white rice. For me, this was the least impressive dish. The mole sauce was quite sweet, and the top part of the chicken was a bit dry (which is a problem with stuffed poultry). Fortunately, for my table companion, it was wonderful, and she ate EVERY bite. Personally, I prefer more chiles in my mole for a smokier flavor.
Camarones en Salsa — some have criticized that the dishes are small here. I think that they are normal mortal proportions and, considering the quality of ingredients and the freshness, are reflected in the price. My $ 12.95 shrimp stew with white rice and black beans was as you would expect — about 1.25 cups of stew, a cup of black beans and 1.25 cups rice. I ordered it medium spicy, which was not too much (good for my table companions). There were about 10 medium shrimp cooked in a tomato broth with tomatoes, onions and cilantro. Delicious! I can live without white rice (boring), but I loved the black beans. Despite being a wee bit cold, they had TONS of flavor (I think her secret ingredient is basil).
Barbacoa Plate — Hunks of pork in a mole like barbeque sauce with black beans and white rice. Because she used a lean pork, this was knife and form barbeque. It was nice, because it was not at all greasy and was surprisingly light. I loved the barbeque sauce… I think I would have actually preferred this on the Sazon Chicken, because it had a smokier flavor.
For dessert, we ordered the famous flan. We were presented with a generous square and four forks. I would have preferred the flan served at room temperature. Alas, the health department would never allow a dessert like that to sit out. Despite being very cold, the flan was delicious and had a strong caramel flavor. Flan is not my most favorite dessert, but this was a good one. (And, DH did not leave any behind, so it was pretty good.)
After dinner, Claudia greeted us. As chef and owner, she shared with us the story of her parents meeting in Mexico and thanks us for coming to her «house» for dinner. A lovely experience. I would definitely recommend Sazon Latin Fusion for a true fusion experience that is best described as some place between your local Mexican restaurant and the Red O/​Border Grills of the world.

I’ve had the opportunity to spend a fair amount of time in various parts of Latin America and was really excited to try this place. The menu sounded good and the place seemed well reviewed. Sounded like a good start to me.
My wife and I decided to stop by on a Friday night at around 7:00 PM. Upon walking in, I was startled by the fact that we were the only two customers in the entire restaurant. Ok, maybe we were early I thought. I was also a bit surprised to hear what sounded like a quick bit of porn being played on a computer in a dark office next to the cash register. Very odd. Anyway, the waitress seemed to have dealt with the odd noise coming from the office and I we were already at the resturant so we might as well give the place a shot.
First we ordered the empanada platter. They were fairly decent. Not great but I thought they were pretty ok (I spent two months in Argentina, so the bar is a bit high). Next we sampled some luke warm water with fruit juice in it. I stuck with my beer.
On to the main course. We asked what was popular and what they recommended. My wife ordered something called a Mofongo (with chicken) and I ordered the Pollo Saltado. I’ll describe each myself, as what I got was quite different from the menu. Not in a good way.
The Mofongo tasted much like it sounds. It appears to be a plug of tasteless mush made from a medley of plantains, cardboard and goo that had all been crammed into a wooden cup. Plus, it smelled like wet gym socks and rotting wood. This was supposedly one of their marque dishes. It just made me feel bad for the plantains and who ever had to clean out the gooey stinky wooden cup. Yuck.
The Pollo Saltado was interesting. I’ve enjoyed various forms of chicken and rice all over Latin America. Most were quite good. In reference to all of these previous experiences, this one certainly caught my attention because it was terrible. It seems that the chef had cooked the chicken to perfection, then cooked it some more for good measure, and then a little bit more yet. Maybe it was reheated from a busier time? I had to order another beer just to choke this saw dust dry chicken down. Sorry Sazon, but if you screw up chicken, you won’t be around much longer.
After giving up on our dishes, we were offered desert, which was politely declined. I’ll note the we were still the only two people in the place. I really had been looking forward to this place, but ended up very disappointed. I won’t be back.

I came here because I’ve been on a Latin American food kick for the past year, so when I saw the LivingSocial deal, of course I bought it hoping it would introduce me to a good new restaurant.
Let me just say I could not stand to be here for more than 5 minutes. The first time I tried to come here (about a month ago), it was unexpectedly closed on a Saturday around noon, when they should have been open. This was my second attempt and the way we were treated was just shocking.
We were seated right away and when looking through the menu, the lady who I assume is the owner of the place overhears us talking about the LivingSocial deal. She comes over to acknowledge that we have the deal, and asks us, «Didnt you read the instructions on the deal?» We looked at each other not knowing what she was referring to, and she continues, «You did not read it. You should have made a reservation.» The place was clearly dead — there was only one other table occupied. I pointed out that the restaurant was not busy, so why? «Out of respect, and so I could have prepared…» Ok… this is a restaurant we are talking about.
Already feeling unwelcome, we continue to listen to her as we’re trying to decide what to order, «I hope that you will come back again, but you are probably cheap and you won’t come back.» WTF.
She asks the couple sitting at the next table who were already eating if they were «here for the deal» too, they said «no» and she turns back to us. Trying to ignore her insult, I said, «Is there anything you’d recommend? This is our first time here.» She said matter-​of-​factly, «Aren’t you going to try an empanada? That’s what put me on the map, the empanadas.» DUH I should have known that somehow, right?
«Uhhh can we have a minute?» She continues to stand at our table, says, «No, I will give you some free samples.» That’s when we told her politely that we are going to leave, and I’m glad we did.
I had a long day at work, left around 7pm all the way from the SFV to try this restaurant. The lady was clearly upset about the people with LivingSocial deals who were only one-​time customers, and took it out on us, which is completely unfair and unprofessional. Luckily there were good restaurants across the street and we ended up having a delicious meal NOT at Sazon Latin Fusion.

I will preface this review by saying that i did not eat at this restaurant. I also have never given out a 1-​star review before. So with that in mind, you know it has to be pretty bad.
Yesterday, I had a 7 p.m. reservation (confirmed over the phone the day before). I showed up at the restaurant around 6:40 and parked out front to make a phone call before I went in. While on the phone, I saw the following: two employees exiting the dark restaurant (no lights were on – not the sign, no light could be seen through the windows) and LOCK UP. Before i could get out of the car and ask what was going on, they got into their car and drove away. Hoping that I had merely mistaken what I saw, I got out of the car and went up to the door. It was locked and the «Sorry, we’re closed» was up. Funny! Their website and signage says that on Tuesdays their business hours are from 11 – 9! It was 6:45 p.m. and it was totally shut down.
At this point, another customer showed up. Needless to say, they also had called and made a reservation and was shocked to see the restaurant closed. We surmised that perhaps this had something to do with a LivingSocial deal we had all purchased nearing its expiration date and too many customers coming to redeem it in the last few days. This other customer and I even tried calling the restaurant – no answer and straight to voice mail. During this time, a couple more cars pulled up and asked if the place was open. No such luck, friends!
Honestly, I was really looking forward to trying this place. I drive by it every day on my way home from work and have seen it open. I can understand that there could have been an emergency or maybe even that the LivingSocial deal caused some unnecessary complications or inability to fulfill the deal. However, to not call or put any sort of notice as to why you are closed is just rude and a poor business practice. Fortunately, I was able to get a refund from LivingSocial based on the business’ inability to redeem the deal. Sadly, I have no intention of ever giving this place a second chance.

5 stars for the service and hospitality… unfortunately, only 3 stars for the food. Claudia, the owner/​chef is a wonderfully warm person and I hesitate to share my reviews about her food. I really like that she makes food that is «healthy». You won’t find food swimming in lard here! The empanadas were fantastic. However, the sazon chicken (supposedly one of the most popular dishes) was very dry. The mofongo was also dry, and lacked a depth of flavors. All my husband and I could taste were onions and plantains.
I really want this business to succeed. The sheer sweetness and kindness of Claudia and her staff should go far. I’ll give them another chance and hope it was just an off night for the chicken and mofongo.

I don’t know where to begin. Should I start with the awesome service or the delicious food. We’ll start with my first love… FOOD. After having this for dinner on Friday night, I seriously craved it the rest of the weekend. So much that we went back on Sunday night for dinner. Its awesome that the food is healthy. You don’t get delicious and healthy in the same sentence very often. The chef/​owner is about as amazing as it gets. She came by and recommended some of the dishes from the menu and even had some laughs with us. I love this place and its definitely going to be one of our regular spots… hmmmm I think I might even go tonight! :)
p. s. I almost forgot to mention the FLAN. I was a self proclaimed flan hater but I really really like this one. It was so smooth, almost like pudding and not that rubbery texture that turned me off in the first place.

Where do I start, they have great service that makes you feel right at home. The hostess is very well informed on the dishes. I gotta say some of the items on the menu are very unique and great. I wish I had the opportunity to try them all.
The best part was the capirotada (bread pudding) it was so good it almost beat my mom’s home made bread pudding. My only con is the portion sizes, make them bigger and I’ll give them 5 stars. Hispanic dishes are suppose to be big not mediocre sizes from Europe.
The prices are very reasonable and inexpensive. Plus the food was healthy or so I was told, I cannot believe something so rich in taste could be good for you.

Want to know what goes great with chicken?
Bananas!
That’s right, bananas!
Move over rice, dumplings, biscuits and waffles, chicken now has a new favorite sidekick.
On fathers day my girlfriend and I took her dad and her grandmother to Sazon Latin Fusion for an early dinner. Sazon, which is located in Culver City, about 30 yards from the famous bakery Hotcake Bakes, is a small Latin restaurant. In fact, we passed it twice before we spotted it on the corner of Washington Blvd. Sazon is a dark lit restaurant with only about 15 to 20 tables in the dining room. Their menu is some what unique because they take different cuisines from different Latin cultures and mix them together. On their menu it will list a dishes name and then next to it what countries inspired that dish. Some dishes say Mex-​Cuba or Peru-​Cuba or Mex-​Caribe. They also offer traditional Mexican dishes.
Right when we were seated we were given complimentary chips, two types of salsa and guacamole. The chips were super crunchy and had just the right amount of salt on them. The guacamole and both the red and green salsas were really tasty.
For appetizers we ordered the empanada platter and an order of platanos fritos (fried bananas). The empanada platter came with four empanadas that each had a different filling and were each cut in half. Our empanadas were filled with either chicken, picadillo, spinach mashed potatoes and cheese and spinach. The crust on all the empanadas was perfect. They were light and flaky and had a nice taste. Each filling was also wonderful but my favorite had to be the spinach mashed potatoes. Fried bananas are one of my favorite things to order when I’m at Latin restaurants and Sazon’s did not disappoint. They were fried perfectly and came with a delicious cream sauce.
Now I will list the dinners we each ordered and a brief description of them.
Me– Sazon Chicken — Chicken breast filled with a sweet plantain paste and covered in a red mole sauce, served with garlic white rice, black beans and tortillas.
GF– Chorizo con Papas — Chorizo sautéed with onions and potatoes, served with refried beans, red rice and tortillas.
GMA– Machaca Plate — Slowly cooked shredded beef in bay leaves, sautéed with bell peppers, onions and tomatoes, served with red rice, whole pinto beans and tortillas.
Dad– Barbacoa Plate — Chunks of pork marinated and cooked in a chile and BBQ sauce, served with white rice, black beans, cabbage and tortillas.
I did happen to try everyone’s entrées so I can personally say that everything we ordered was phenomenal but in order to keep this review somewhat short I will only go into great detail about my dish. First they take a big, juicy, tender piece of chicken breast, cut it in half and fill it with lots of sweet, mashed plantain bananas and then cover it in a slightly spicy mole sauce. Talk about a flavor explosion. This dish pretty much covered all the elements. It was sweet, savory and somewhat spicy all at the same time. I had never had a chicken dish like this before and I thought it was insanely delicious. The garlic white rice and the black beans were also incredible. To wash down my food I ordered their fresh squeezed honey dew melon juice. I had never had this type of juice before and I thought it was quite refreshing.
That day they were offering three different homemade desserts. Instead of trying just one we decided to order all three for the table to share. The desserts we received were flan, a cornmeal cake with a caramel sauce and a chocolate raisin bread pudding. Just like the rest of their food, their desserts were all wonderful.
The service and prices here were both fantastic. From the moment we walked in to the moment we left, our waitress made us feel right at home. She went into great detail about their menu, gave us suggestions on what we should try and what her favorite things were and she even told us what salsas went well with each entrée. She also always made sure our drinks were never half full and that we always had everything we needed. We also had the pleasure of meeting the owner before we left and she also turned out to be a very sweet and friendly woman. Our entire bill was less than $ 85 dollars, which was great considering the quality and quantity of amazing food we received.
If you’re ever in the Culver City area and feel like some delicious, unique Latin food then you have to check out Sazon. If you do go, make sure you order their Sazon chicken, it’s an insanely delicious dish.

Found this place off of
. I never would have known this place existed otherwise.
I came here and ordered the:
Mofongo de Pollo: Mashed green plantains with bacon and mojo topped with chicken stew and plantain chips. — This dish was kind of on the small side. I don’t really think I would get full on just this dish alone.
Barbacoa Plate — Pork served with rice, beans, mixed cabbage, onions, cilantro and tortillas — The plate didn’t look big. but by the time I finished eating, I was full! The rice was tasty and soft. just like the pork. I would definitly order this again.
Chips & Guacamole — REALLY GOOD. I couldn’t stop eating this.
Tostones — These were cute little banana chips. that didn’t taste like they were deep fried. It tasted healthy. so that’s a good thing. :)
Aquas Frescas (Pineapple) — Delicious. Not too sweet. There was also spinach mixed in with this. but it was blended so good you didn’t feel the leaves. Too bad we had to share this!

This place is truly a hidden gem that needs to be shouted about.
Tucked away in a drab corner of Culver City, Sazon emphasizes it’s healthy style latin cooking thru reduced salt and fat in a cozy little restaurant that exudes charm and class. Owner Claudia tries to meet and greet all of her customers whenever possible and it almost feels like you’re spending dinner at your friend’s home, being served by his mother or aunt, rather than a business.
I came primarily because they had pollo mofongo on the menu, which is a fried n mashed plantain specialty native to Puerto Rico, but Claudia makes an effort to bring a wide variety of dishes from across Mexico, Latin and South America for a menu that is tasty, eclectic yet very uniform in style n quality. Aside from the aforementioned Mofongo, my friends and I also shared some chicken mole and the cerviche, which were all excellent. We also had an array of Empanadas and other fried pastries to start and finished off with a variety of desserts whose names I cannot remember at the moment. Top this off with the fact Sazon is BYOB and for a modest $ 5 uncorking fee, you can have the wine you want with a fantastic and reasonably priced meal. Great for casual dinners or especially dates. This place is a must try and quite the gem for the westside.