Manchego

This review is based on a first time experience that was limited to brunch, so I cannot evaluate the quality of what looked like a great dinner and lunch tapas menu. Instead, my wife and I came across Manchego while desperately searching for a late breakfast, so we both had different versions of omelettes. The meal was adequate (the flash fried potatoes were the highlight), but our extremely basic beverage orders were a lowlight.
First of all, café con leche is not on the menu, and when I asked for one the server was baffled. Ok, fair enough. He asked if I wanted a latte instead, so I said yes. What arrived was a tall mug of warm milk with, at best, the mildest dash of coffee. Not super.
Then, my wife (a non-​drinker with a alcohol allergy) ordered a glass of orange juice. Pretty simple, right? Yeah, no. She was served a glass of orange liquid that wasn’t just loaded with pulp (which would’ve been fine), but it was prepared in a way that my wife said tasted like it had been filled with carbonated water. She didn’t like it, but decided not to complain. That is, until she started to turn beet red. I tried it and immediately said «they served you a mimosa.» We summoned the server and told him what he’s brought us. He denied it, but went to check with the bartender. He came back and maintained that it wasn’t mixed with alcohol but was instead the last OJ from the bottle and had been stored next to the stove (?). Despite his protestations, I know what I sipped, and my now ruby red faced wife clearly know what was what.
Anyway, cute place, with a nice looking menu, but the omelettes were average and the beverage experience was among the worst I’d ever had (but kudos to the restaurant for at least comping the drinks).

Yummy Spanish/​Catalan style food. Great flavors, great service, fair prices. Don’t expect as much variety as in a traditional tapas bar, but everything they offer is home made and well executed.
Highly recommend for a casual business lunch.

Perfecta. Absolute perfection. As a devotee of tapas and well used to the disappointment of a restaurant having overreached and missed the mark this place kills it. Everything was perfecta. Taste, presentation, selection, range, all excellent.
It’s difficult to chose a favorite among the tapas but the highest recommendations must go to the meatballs and the brussels sprouts dishes.
Also notable, the ambience is warm, there is a friendly buzz that is on the romantic rather than platonic side of the scale. The service was very good, attentive and helpful and not overbearing. We enjoyed a hearty red thanks to the waiter’s recommendation.
This is our new favorite occasion place. It rises to the challenge of tapas with elegance and humor and it’s well worth the price of the bill at the end of the evening.

We came here for lunch for the first time and found it to be such a cute, quaint place that played such good music. Our waiter was super nice and accommodating as we had our little one with us that day. We ordered the grilled octopus, empanadas, brussel sprouts, and the lamb chops. Everything was delicious! I especially like the grilled octopus. We will be sure to come back when we’re in the area to try the other dishes. If you like Spanish tapas, I totally recommend this place!

Cute patio, romantic/​friendly bistro setting, servers are professional and kind, and the tapas ingredients are high quality. Tasty cured meats, and I particularly like the octopus dish.

I loved the food! Couldn’t stop eating even after I was full. The Brussels, the beer salad, baby kale, and octopus were all so delicious (we were trying to eat on the healthy side). The only complaint I have is that it was so dimly lit that I could hardly see a thing.
I highly recommend it for a romantic date as everything is made for sharing. The portions are much larger than typical tapas so don’t go over board when ordering. Just order a couple things and see if you need more. They are very quick to bring the food out.

Food was great, our server James was amazing (definitely went the extra mile), and the ambiance and music were also spot on! Even with our big group and a busy crowd. Will be coming back soon.

Amazing. I was very impressed with this place
It’s a cute little spot. I like the way it is decorated, it fits the mood.
Service was great
The FOOD was the star of the show:
*Cheese & Charcuterie Plate — had a few choices, definitely was a great start to the meal
*Crispy prosciutto tostado, burrata cheese and fig jam — this was hands down my favorite of the night. It was a great balance of different flavors
*Paella Croquetas — This was not bad. I probably would not order it again though. I don’t know if I got an unlucky batch, but I didn’t really see any seafood, only rice. Going to try the spinach ones next time
*Brussel Sprouts — very good! A little on the salty side though
*Hanger Steak — I really enjoyed this. No complaints!
*CHURROS — I love me some churros, and this was a great way to end a yummy dinner
Oh, and get the Sangria! I’m just warning you, I’m not sure what they put in there, but it will definitely sneak up on you!
Can’t wait to go back :)

Soooo good!
We had a family dinner at Manchego last night to celebrate my niece’s college graduation. Three generations all selected & shared excellent tapas. Ages 16 to age 80 of happy diners
Do not miss the grilled octopus — totally remindful of Spain with perfect char & tenderness.
Setting and staff were charming.

After visiting Spain last year, I’ve really had a craving for Spanish food. I’ve tried a few places, but Manchego is really the best I’ve had so far.
Located in Santa Monica, it isn’t the easiest to find, but the inside is nicely designed and the décor really helps make the place.
But what really gets me going back is the food. Their bravas papas are really close to if not better than some of the places I had in Barcelona. They have a good selection of wines, meats, and cheeses. They even have el jamon iberico! Granted it isn’t the cheapest, but neither is grabbing a flight to go get some.
Their brussell sprouts have been great every time, and pork belly and skirt steak as well. I definitely need to go back to try some other dishes.

Loved loved loved this place! Great location on Main St so there’s
Public Parking lots. There’s a gorgeous backyard that’s enclosed and dark/​romantic/​vibey that was perfect for our girls night. I’d come here on a date and the delicious tapas sized plates are perfect for trying new things and sharing. Check in for a free glass of cava too.

Delicious food and great ambience. Quaint setting, great for a date, and they have a secret little outdoor patio in the back that you must request to be setting on otherwise you’d never know it was there.
We shared a few tapas.
1. The Brussel sprouts, bacon and mushroom salad — one of the best I’ve ever tried. I love my Brussel sprouts nice and crispy and I don’t think they could have been cooked any better.
2. Spinach croquetas — superb! Crispy outside and the inside practically melts in your mouth.
3. Mushroom croquetas — just as amazing! Incredible flavor.
4. Goat cheese and fig tostado — not necessarily memorable, but a nice addition to our other foods
5. Catalan chicken — good but not great. Interesting mixture of flavors.
Their sangria was on the sour side, and I usually prefer it a bit sweeter, but they have a great $ 15 bottomless sangria deal on weekend brunch!

YUM YUM YUM. I’m not usually one to repeat myself with restaurants in LA, but I see myself coming here over and over again. The food was unbelievable, the service was great and the ambiance was perfect.
We ordered approximately 7 tapas amongst four of us, which was the perfect amount. True to the tapas philosophy, they brought out each dish as it was prepared, but we were never waiting for the next dish. My favorite was the manchego mac and cheese, the baby kale pomegranate salad, and the patatas bravas.
One bottle of wine between the table was a perfect way to accompany the meal.
I was unintentionally high maintenance that day, so I have to give a few shoutouts. The lovely hostess who reseated us when the table by the open door was too cold and our waiter who gave me a bandaid for my heels since my flats had given me a blister. Thanks, guys!
I can’t wait to come back here :)

Great food at an appropriate price. It’s a tiny restaurant which gives it a very cozy atmosphere at a prime location in Santa Monica. Everything we ordered was delicious, especially the Churros con Chocolate for dessert. Yum!

Read a great review here over the weekend and decided to go when hubby was out of town to do a little recon.
Went for happy hour on Sunday. I had a wonderful meal. Started with the charcuterie board which was delicious and had plenty of meats. I also had the grilled octopus. Smoky, tender and fresh. I enjoyed the poema caca sparkling wine which made for a perfect meal.
The ambience was small, romantic but not cluttered. The service was absolutely great even though I was alone. I never felt rushed or ignored.
I can’t wait to take hubby there.

Went here last Friday. Excellent date place, small so call and make a reservation. At in the back area which has nice ambiance. Food was very tasty and most of the tapas has flavors you don’t normally see. The Manchengo Mac & Cheese was good as was the Pulp (Octopus), Beef/​Albondigas and shishito peppers. Pair it with some Sangria or Wine and you won’t be disappointed.

The service was friendly but slow and a bit inattentive. Enough that we considered going and getting pizza across the street but when the first tapas came out they were so fantastic we stayed for a full meal. Romantic sort of ambiance and even with slow service I would totally go back for the food.

Manchengo is a beautiful restaurant that sits in Santa Monica a few blocks away from the beach. Overall I had a great experience from the moment I walked in the door. People were friendly, nice and the food was great!

I really like how this place is upscale, trendy, has tapas food, and has a big section of tapas for vegetarians that were actually tasty!
I came here with my sister and a couple friends and was really impressed. The wine is delicious and they give tastes, if needed, so that was helpful.
We ordered the following items:
–goat cheese and fig toastados — didn’t try… don’t like goat cheese
–blistered shishito peppers — interesting but not super amazing
–baby kale salad — pretty good
–beet salad — pretty good
–manchego mac and cheese — tasty but filling (as mac ‘n cheese should be)
–braised lamb empanada — no comment cuz I didn’t try it; presentation was good
–baked pulo — didn’t try
–2 orders of croquetas de espinacas — yummy and creamy
–croquetas de mushroom — tasty
Overall, I liked how many veg options there are; that was a plus. I didn’t feel super satisfied after eating and I thought the flavors could have been a littler more flavorful… maybe it’s cuz I just ate the veg options? But even still, flavors should be great for all entrees regardless of veg or meat… so we got two orders of the spinach croquetas but overall I liked the ambiance. Service was great, though.
The wine selection is nice here, too. I ordered a glass of red wine (can’t remember which) and it paired well with the food and on its own. I also liked how they gave free tastings before you ordered a glass. We also got a free glass of champagne for checking in through Unilocal.
I’m glad I came here. And I’m glad they again cater to vegetarians :)

What a lovely little Spanish restaurant! My friend was looking for a place to have a small birthday dinner and I had heard good things and suggested Manchego. We were a group of 5, it’s an intimate place, we had the biggest table.
It seems like a great place for date; the ambiance is sexy (so is the food. And the waiters!). It’s dark, and cozy and layout of the table makes it feel private.
The service was impeccable and the food was delicious. We ordered lots and lots of dishes and a few Sangrias. Some of the highlights included:
grilled octopus, a real stunner on the plate and cooked perfectly.
potatas brava– fried potatoes with 2 amazing sauces, I could have had them all to myself!
Macnchego Mac and cheese — an omg moment
Ham wrapped dates — wonderful
There were probably 6 more dishes and all very tasty. Plus, the menu is well suited for diets of all types. At our table, we had 2 vegetarians and one gluten free. There was something for everyone.
Sometimes I think tapas can be expensive because you have to order multiple dishes. But at the end, the bill was very reasonable.
I will be back… hopefully with a hot date next time!

My first time to the new bigger location! I went for my birthday dinner and it couldn’t have been a more wonderful experience. The service was just great, our server was so helpful and sweet with all of our questions. We were dining with a vegan, a diary free and I’m gluten free — they were totally accommodating for all of us :) all the tapas we tried were excellent, my favorite being the bacon wrapped dates stuffed with Spanish goat cheese– holy smokes delish. Thank you everyone at Manchego for making my bday dinner a perfect night!

3 ½ stars…
I came here with a group of 5 of us, made reservations ahead of time and they were able to sit us on time. The menu is tapas style so it’s great to come here if you want to come and share different plates and try a little bit of everything.
We ordered a few plates including the goat cheese and fig tostado, brussel sprouts, bacon wrapped dates, albondigas, grilled octopus, garlic shrimp and hanger steak. All were good but my favorite was the brussel sprouts which I was surprised since it was more of a appetizer plate.
The services was amazing! He was very attentive and answered a couple of questions that we had about the food. The restaurant has a very intimate and romantic vibe to it so it is nice if you come here with your partner rather than a big group of friends since that is when it gets loud. Other than that I would come here again but I would try other things since there are a lot of options in the menu.

Definitely one of the best restaurants on the Westside. You can’t go wrong with what you order here. The ambience and style is super refined as well, and it’s priced way less than similar restaurants in the area (like Fork in the Road).
I just wish they still had their stand at the Farmer’s Market. That was my Sunday breakfast.

Came here last night for a GNO and was blown away. The restaurant is small & intimate with dim lighting and just a few tables. There’s no clear sign outside so look for the bull on the front window!
We didn’t have a reservation, but they sat us relatively quickly and in a quiet corner booth. The whole table started off with glasses of the red sangria which was deliciously sweet. They even ended up bringing us all our third glasses on the house! Great customer service overall.
As for food, EVERYTHING was amazing but the highlights were the pork belly (so crispy mmm), the Brussels sprouts w/​bacon, the braised short rib empanadas, and the goat cheese stuffed dates wrapped in ham. It’s tapas style, so the four of us split 6 plates & had plenty to go around.
I’m already excited to return and try more!

Very delicious tapas, vibe is great, service is excellent. Needed 4x more bread and slightly bigger portions. Let’s be either consistently have either 5 per plate, or reduce the big sticker prices a little. Otherwise, only the ones with deep pockets can really enjoy all the good food, or it would have to be a special occasion type thing. I was so hungry even after trying 7 items.
Overall, the tapas tasted super amazing! Try all if you can. I can’t say why were my favorites because they were all so good.

My new favorite brunch place! Bottomless mimosas/​red or white sangrias for $ 14, all of which were delicious and well made. Service was wonderful and the food was delicious. We had the truffle mac and cheese, short rib empanadas, and charcuterie. The mac and cheese was good (could have had a little more truffle). The short rib empanadas were packed with meat and paired with light, complementary sauces. We had the rosemary goat cheese, which paired well with the pickles and jam they had on the board. I’m surprised it wasn’t busier on a Sunday! Can’t wait to try the other dishes next time.

Cute little tapas place. The inside is pretty small, but cozy – good for dates.
Enjoyed the food a lot. We had a charcuterie plate with a few different meats and cheeses which were all good, however for me the standout was the homemade garlic sauce they served with it – delicious!
We also tried the beet and burrata salad, hangar steak, meatballs, and ham wrapped dates, all of which were very good.
The service was very good, our waitress was very attentive and offered a good wine recommendation.
Not the most mind blowing tapas I’ve ever had, but good enough that I would definitely return.

This place is a really small but cute restaurant serving up some really good Spanish tapas.
Everything we ordered was excellent.
The garlic shrimp was served hot and in a really delicious spicy sauce. Definitely recommend this one.
Jamon wrapped dates were SO good. Perfectly sweet and savory and creamy. Definitely recommend this one too.
The cheese and meat boards were also excellent and perfect for sharing with wine.
Hanger steak with mashed potato was also quite tasty. Well seasoned and cooked like we asked. The mashed potato was also seasoned well and really creamy.
Crispy prosciutto tostado and the goat cheese and fig tostado were amazing. The flavor combinations in both dishes were super yum.
Meatballs were also really tasty and juicy but if you don’t like cumin or curry-​like flavored dishes, maybe skip this one. Lucky for me, I love it so I really enjoyed this one.
Brussel sprouts and mushroom dish was interesting. It was really vinegary which I enjoyed but I guess I was expecting whole Brussel sprouts? Also, the dish taste kind of burnt. Maybe skip this one.
Octopus was actually really good. I don’t normally enjoy eating squid or octopus but it was cooked well not too chewy and flavor was on point.
Mac and cheese… I feel any time I order Mac and cheese my expectations are really high. I just feel it’s hard to make it bad. Kind of like fries. You can’t mess up. Now, I’m not saying that they messed up but it just wasn’t that good which makes me really sad. Overall just bland and I wish it wasn’t so watery. I was expecting gooey melty goodness but it was whatever.
Desserts were flan and churro. Flan was perfect. Exactly the consistency I love in flan which is not airy but perfectly smooth and creamy. Churros were served with chocolate dipping sauce which brought me back to when I was in Spain. Both really enjoyable.
Server knew the menu and was very attentive. Even with a couple dishes that weren’t my favorite, this place gets 5-​stars for food and service. Highly recommend this place.

5 stars for service
2 stars for food
Came here to celebrate a birthday and it happened to be happy hour as well, yipee! There were only about 7 items on happy hour and the house red/​white wine and sangria are $ 6. Ordering wine is a must for me when eating Spanish tapas so I definitely recommend the house red. It was fruit forward and served cold as reds are served in Spain. When it came to the food, I’m not sure if it was an off night for me but I only somewhat liked half the items we ordered. Those items were the: goat cheese and fig tostado ($ 8), crispy prosciutto tostado ($ 8), jamon wrapped dates ($ 9), brussel sprouts ($ 10), and the hanger steak ($ 15). Surprisingly, the brussel sprouts were the main highlight of the night. The honey vinaigrette tasted amazing combined with the saltiness of the bacon.
The marginal items that I wasn’t impressed with were: albondigas/​meatballs ($ 13), grilled octopus ($ 15) — way too chewy, calamari en su tinta/​squid stewed in ink sauce ($ 13) — tasted like canned squid, gambas al ajillo/​garlic shrimp ($ 14) — item brought out didn’t look like the photos on Unilocal and it was lacking a citrusy flavor, croquetas de espinacas ($ 8), and the boquerones/​anchovies ($ 10) — I personally have hated anchovy as a kid but I decided to give it a shot. I remember why I hated it so much… Super fishy and way too oily! I literally couldn’t take one bite without spitting the rest out on my napkin. But if fishy and oily is your thing, go ahead and order it.
Although I wasn’t blown away by the food, the service was out of this world. Our server, TJ (I think) was wonderful and very accommodating. I never had to ask for my water to be refilled and clean plates were distributed at least 3 times. The ambiance here is very chill and romantic as well, great for date night. The experience was great but I won’t be coming back for the simple fact that none of the food really tickled my fancy.

Intimate ambiance and quick service plus great food — this place is a must try!
We were quickly seated and had wonderful service and all food was serviced quickly and hot. Some dishes were amazing and some were just good. Disappointed the short rib empanadas and mushroom croquets were sold out.
— COD croquets ⁴⁄₅
— truffle Mac and cheese ⁵⁄₅ AMAZING!!!
— fig and goats cheese tostadas ⁵⁄₅
— short rib and polenta ⁴⁄₅
— garlic shrimp ³⁄₅
— jambon and dates ³⁄₅
With tapas you’re not going to please everyone with every dish but each dish was good in its own way, fresh, hot and flavorful. Visiting from NY I was very satisfied.

One of my favorite Tapas bars on the westside. Everything is good at Manchego. Take your friends, take your date. Share everything! The sangria is excellent. My friends and I went for dinner friday night and ordered just about everything we could. Even in the heat we enjoyed ourselves!
My favorite things to order: Kale Salad, Manchego Mac n Cheese, Brussel sprouts
The Mushroom croquette is better than the spinach.
Short rib empenadas are really good.
Steak with the mashed potatoes make a good meal.

Came here for a birthday last night and the ambiance was perfect. Our server was super nice and knowledgeable. We had some questions and the wine and she brought out 3 diff ones for us to sample, we went with the Kronos. We ordered a mix of plates but the ones that stood out were the empanadas, meatballs, fig and goat geese and the Mac and cheese. The first Mac was a bit bland so we told our server and she took it back right away. The manager made it a point to come by and apologize and offered us free sangrias (score). We didn’t even ask for another one but the server brought out a second Mac and it was amazing. They also gave us free Champagne for my birthday. I’d def recommend trying this place, for the yummy Spanish tapas and wine but what’ll bring me back is def the amazing service. Top notch!
First time here! :)

Had a great time!
Ordered short rib empanadas, octo, calamari, spinach croquettes, Boquerones, and a bottle of wine. Great experience, good was amazing, and our server Lindsay was phenomenal!
Atmosphere and ambience makes you feel romantic!