Monsoon Cafe

I just took Monsoon's weekly Wednesday Salsa Class (8-9pm, $9) last night and I wanted to let those interested know that it is NOT for beginners! The class starts out very basic, but then you partner up & have to learn very long combinations based on the instructors' moves. It is ver difficult to see what is going on and almost impossible to get the footwork down unless you are a regular. If you are intermediate or advanced, this class is perfect for you!

Pros: Great Food, Easy Parking

Cons: Strange Servers, Advanced Salsa Class

Posted 07/21/05

Great food, great atmosphere, great drinks & great music. Only thing that wasn't perfect was the almost too fast service. It's the best Asian food I've had any where in whole USA. Sushi is great and their Monsoon roll is to die for. They also have great special fried rice and black cod. Drinks are potent and tasty. When we were there last they had this great R&B band that had a record deal and the place was packed. Even though we had to wait in line for few minutes it was well worth it since there was no cover charge and music was amazing.

Pros: Music, great food, great ambience

Posted 03/12/05

Everything at Monsoon is amzing. The decor alone should be worth anyone's time for a visit but the food is authentic, tasty and affordable. I saw Monsoon on TV show about best happy hour places in sothern California. Monsoon was voted as 7th best place but I think they should have been alot higher. They have the best Sushi & drink happy hour. I wasn't expecting this good quality food & drinks for $3.00 and $3.75. I would recommend fish roll, which has 3 different types of fish in a roll, scallop dynamite, calamari and potstickers. We also went back for diner since we were so impressed and they did not disappoint. It was one of the most fun diining experience we has with good food and great service by a waiter named "Matt". You can't go wrong with place.

Pros: Service, Happy hour, Food

Posted 03/12/05

I tried Monsoon based on Guide du Routard's review and it was fantastic. Food was superb, the waitress was sexy & friendly. I can't think of any Asian restaurant in Paris that would be comparable to this restaurant. The decor made me think that I was in southeast Asia not La La land, the food brought be back to my last trip to Vietnam and the sexy waiteress made me want to move to US (almost). I would recommend Vietnamese spring roll & Sushi for appetizers and shrimp rendang & fragrant duck for entrees. The Hawaiian sweet bread pudding was the perfect finishing touch to our meal. Who would have thought I would come to LA to have an Asian dining experience.

Pros: Every thing

Cons: Too far from Paris

Posted 03/05/05

Great place for drinks & happy hour. You won't last 3 rounds with these great drinks with polysian drinks. We came here for my friends 30th birthday party last year and now we just went back for my 30th. The food has gotten better & more interesting. The service was friendly but since they were busy as anything it was little slow. But the ambience, drinks & value more than made up for the slow service.

Pros: Great drinks, Ambience, Happy hour

Cons: some times slow servi

Posted 03/05/05

Was there on 1/22, enjoyed the music, food and people. However, the waitress was the most rude person I have ever encountered; if the place had not been crowded my party and I would have moved to another area.

Pros: food, music

Cons: service, over priced

Posted 02/02/05

I kept my husband surprise birthday party and had the worst experience.
Since we were a large group of 30 people, in order to make the reservation the restaurant made me
-Pre-pay for all my friends in advance
-Didnt want to collect cash or cards from anyone, said I had to pay upfront,collect the money from my friends
-Were most uncompromising,difficult and had a "didnt care a damn" attitude for the amount of business I got them.

The service sucked too. An incident which stands out was when one of my friends asked the server to get her some chocolate ice-cream while the desert was being served.In a pe-selected menu,ice-cream was included. The server said "Sorry, only 2 scoops were part of the contract and they've already been served"
I had paid around $40 per person for food excluding drinks in advance and didnt get value for money at all.

Cons: , Attitude, No value for money

Posted 01/24/05

the service can be quite annoying...but some of my favorite dishes are made here, so I keep going back. The music from the back can be loud, so be prepared...it won't be a quiet evening. But if you are up for yelling...the food can be very good. I LOVE the pepper noodles wtih shrimp.

Posted 10/20/04

The decor and atmosphere is quite intriguing and visually appealing to people. However, if you were seated upstairs, you have to take a long trek to get to the restrooms and also the exit of the restaurant. The food was mediocre and not all that exciting. The service was stuck-up and not very attentive. Didn't refill our water until at the end of the meal practically. I wouldn't really go there again.

Posted 07/21/04

The only thing good at Monsoon Cafe is the ambiance. Other than that, the service is horrible and the food is average. And if you have a large party, in our case...12, since the gratuity is included, don't count on getting good service.

Pros: Ambiance

Cons: , Average food

Posted 02/06/04

I first tried Monsoon because of work party. What remembered of the party was so good I had to go back several weeks later. This place is great. Better than what I remembered. The decor is right out of southeast Asia. The food is amazing. Their Monsoon roll is to die for and their shrimp rendang(sp???) is the best thing I have ever tasted. Their drink menu is fun and they have this contest to come with funnier and whittier drink description. If they use your description they will give you a gift certificate and your name appears next to the drink. I have summitted my own for "Dragon fly martini" which is " After few of these drinks you will be seeing substitles" but no word yet. I'm going on and on but what I'm saying is that this place is awsom.

Pros: Great drinks, Best food, Fun

Posted 11/11/03

This dining oasis in middle of Santa Monica's 3rd street promenade is amazing. I'm not a fan of any restaurants on 3rd street promenade. It seems like most are geared towards one time visitors so their food is bad and service is horribele. But Monsoon is a Oasis in middle of terrible restaurants. Their menu is interesting and the execution is fantastic. Their sushi is fresh, Korean BBQ beef cooked at the table is a treat, all their noodle dishes are to die for and service is friendly but not over bearing. Their sushi happy hour is best deal in town. When I was in last month to listen to the music in their lounge, they had half of Earth, wind & fire sitting in the band. It was amazing to listen to that quality music at such intimate setting.

Pros: Great foo, good service, great live music

Cons: Very popular

Posted 11/01/03

This place has a great atmosphere and great entertainment, but terrible service. We rented out the private dining room and enjoyed everything but the rude and slow service. The waitress gave attitude to our guests and did not make any attempt to be polite. On the other hand, the bouncers were actually very friendly and helpful. Definitely go to Monsoon to party and enjoy the live entertainment in a cool atmosphere. However, if you are looking for attentive service and a real noteworthy dining experience, then save your money and go someplace else.

Pros: Cool Atmosphere, Live Entertainment, Good Location

Cons: Rude Service, Mediocre Food

Posted 03/22/03

What at great catch nestled right here in the heart of Santa Monica. As many times as I've walked by, I never really walked into this amazing restaurant until just last week. The food is amazing...and fun because everything is serve family style so you get to taste a little bit of everything. And the ambiance, you just can't get a more comfortable place to go for a great meal. I will definitely be back and will recommend all my friends!!

Posted 11/01/02

My boyfriend took me here on our trip to Santa Monica! I LOVE this place! It was great fun...the decor was very unique and hip...definitely had a great feel and a lot of fun while eating at the sushi bar! Loved the cocktails and the yummy thai noodles...there's a lot of various asian cuisine to choose from! Make sure to make a reservation!

Posted 09/23/02

Where do these beautiful girls that go to Monsoon cafe hide out during the days. This place attracts the most beatiful girls in the west side for dinner and the music lounge. I think the hot female staff is the tops the L.A and I'm sure this has to be part of the reason for their popularity. The food is very reasonable and it's pretty amazing. The decore is right out of some Bali travel magazine and the service is casual but right on. I was hoping this would be my secret place but I knew it wouldn't last so I'm letting everyone know about this place.

Pros: Great food, Good looking girls, great music

Posted 09/13/02

My husband & I met several friends for dinner & music at Monsoon and it was great. The food was amazing and I love the family style. I got to taste 6~7 dishes and each dish was distinct and flavors were out of this world. The service was fast but very friendly. Monsoon's bussers were the best I have ever seen. They took care of our needs even before we realized we needed something and the our server "Joe" was very knowledgeble about the food & the wine list. The band we saw that night was R&B and the singer(Masta) was truely a entertainer. We are going to recommend this place to everyone

Pros: great food, friendly, Hip

Posted 08/29/02

I came to visit my brother who lives in L.A and he took me to this place. Food was authentic Asian food, made with good quality ingredients and the service was little fast for my taste but not over the top. The Jazz band "Black Rice" was great. I can't believe the quality of the band that plays at the lounge of a restaurant. By the amount of people there that night obviously the restaurant is doing quite well but I did not get that attitude that is usually present at successful place. Keep up the good work.

Pros: Great music, Good date spot, awsome drinks

Cons: crowded

Posted 08/29/02

For a very large restaurant they have managed to keep the look and feel cozy and warm. The food is absolutely A+. I suggest their popular green beens in peanut sauce and lettuce wraps. Full Sushi Bar, Upstairs another bar, with live music, great decor, resonably priced.

Pros: inexpensive, good parking, never too crowded

Posted 07/02/02

Check this place out on a Friday night... they serve a pretty good meal and upstairs in the back room, they have a tiki bar with live jazz. It's a great place for a few drinks and some great entertainment. Get there around 9 to get a good spot.

Posted 05/28/02

Go Monsoon Cafe! I was completely taken back from this place! The menu selection was great! Lots of variety! All the food was super fresh and large portions too, not to mention the atmosphere can't be beat! Definately add this to your list of places to eat in LA!

Pros: Fresh, Friendly, Great ambience

Cons: service

Posted 05/26/02