Monsoon Cafe

I've been coming to Monsoon almost every Friday.. And I can honestly say I haven't grown tired of it at all.. Angela is the best server ever.. The food is great, the ambiance is perfect, and it's easy on the budget, too.. If you ever find yourself in the Promenade, don't look anywhere else to have lunch or dinner.. MONSOON IS THE PLACE!!! Pros: service, food, ambience Cons: none more

The lunch salads are great, and the prices are reasonable. Try sitting on the terrace in the sunlight and people watch. The service is usually fairly prompt, although the waiters do look a tad overworked. Definitely recommended... Pros: Great Ambience and Food Cons: Can't Think of Any more

I am a frequent guest at Monsoon (dining at least 5 times a month for the last two years) ... Why Do I Love It? * Angela, the best waitress in the world! Other than being very attentive to your needs, she has a smile that would brighten up any room and a kindness so contagious you want to keep coming back and ask for her table. * The calamari appetizer ... dipped in their secret yellow sauce ... YUMM! * Seabass is to die for! No additional words ... just go there and taste it! * The vibe ... its trendy, colorful and filled with young beautiful people. * Justin, the Restaurant Manager ... every time we are there, he takes the time to say HELLO! So if you are looking for a cool, hip and cozy place to take a date or just taste great food ... I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! more

New Year's Eve @ Monsoon-cafe- Blatant lies over the phone to entice our large party to book a NYE reservation CHECK! $20 Margarita CHECK! Bad service CHECK! Bad food CHECK ! Horrible management team CHECK! Writing this review to warn others about the horrible dinning experienced we endured on New Years Eve-PRICE LESS! more

This restaurant offers poor value for the money. In Santa Monica, there's much higher quality food to be found at hole in the wall places. I was disappointed at not only the mediocre quality of the food, but the poor service as well. The host and managers made no effort to accommodate their guests, and were unresponsive to phone calls and e-mails. Watch out for their receipt, we found it very deceptive that tip was added on top of the gratuity! Pros: Ambience Cons: Wait, Service, Food more

Do you get it? The cute college girl at the desk said 20 minutes wait and I counted 7 empty tables. I pointed that to her and she seemed she did not know what I was talking about. We sat at the sushi bar. This is a strange bar where you cannot order direct from the chef but you have to tell the waitress instead ! IFshe shows up ! Also the sushi preparers none of them is Japanese. Mostly Latinos and they know well what they are doing. That is IF the sushi gets to your table ! On busy days you may wait 30 minutes to get just to the miso soup. I live around the corner so for years I vist this place but yesterday was the worst I ve seen. Some months ago they had a nice lady manager her name something like Carrie or so, and the place was working like a clock. I was proud of it. Yesterday it was hell, service terrible, food arriving very late, and the drinks after the food ! Some young tall guy was standind in a corner looking and doing nothing. I was told he was the manager and I tried to avoid complain but make some suggestive remarks about the empty tables ( which by the way 5 of them still stayed empty all the time we were there ! And people waiting.......) and the delay of the food. He did not seem to care much. He said " I am sorry" and that is it. During the many years I went to Monsoon I ve seen good service and good management and also bad service and bad management. Now it is bad service with OK food, and I will be sorr5y to see it continue like this. more

It was my 36th birthday. I had rented the upstairs balcony for the evening for $250. The 20% gratuity was automatic but our 2 servers were rarely to be found when it came to needed new drinks or wondering why it took over an hour to get our dinner. Being a personal chef, my standard for food is high, as well, I am a commercial and corporate flight attendant and service is extremely important to me. The food quality was substandard.The Shrimp padthai was gummy,fried rice bland,teriyaki wings overcooked and tough. amongst many observations about the food. All I can say is thank goodness I ordered the sashimi! All of the decorative items for our table (items I had brought personally back from Thailand, orchid plants, candle holders were missing) I was able to find 1 orchid plant on the bar, but no one had a clue.I spoke with Maria,the general manager. She was argumentative, curt and dismissive. She would not do anything to resolve the items disappearing, or the very disappointing service or terrible food. She told me that any number of patrons could have made off with my "party favors", thinking the party had left. (It was obvious we were still there!) She said it was my fault to have the items disappear and that her staff simply would never do anything of the sort. That there would be no financial obligation from the restaurant to rectify the matter( or reimbursement or gift certificate of any kind ) and if I was lucky, when I came to the establishment again, she might comp me a round of drinks or an appetizer. Let me share with you that my party dropped over $1000. I find this absolutely unacceptable and that her establishment is not geared towards service in any way. I would recommend to NOT have your party here, NOT dine at this restaurant with any kind of expectation of receiving a timely or delicious meal and be prepared to deal with a general manager who will not care about you in any way, and will not be appreciative of your or your friends business. Pros: Nice ambiance Cons: Poor food quality, long wait for food(not that busy), service was lacking, management rude more

i came here w/a bunch of friends for a late night dinner, and it was bustling w/a young 30ish crowd of... more

Good sushi, most people complain about the service though. Great atmosphere. Bamboo everywhere! more

This amazing huge Asian restaurant has left me speechless. I have never seen a restaurant with this decoration and atmosphere... But aside from that we go to a dining place to eat. The menu has so many options that even my boyfriend who does not eat fish can find a great plate such as the orange chicken. I had a teriyaki salmon and it was awesome, the portions are really rich. We still manage to leave a little room for the flourless chocolate cake.... what can I say.... delicious!!!! Our server Angela was really helpful even she seemed to be really busy, we were helped by the busser, the runner, and even the manager ran our food. The service is great, the food is for far the best in the promenade, definitely will be back. Great restaurant!!!!!!!!!! more

I went to Monsoon a few months back because of its convenience being located on the 3rd Street Promenade. My boyfriend and I were asked to sit at the bar by the hostess who seemed completely clueless. After one hour of sitting there when being promised only a 15 minute wait. We approached her and she told us she forgot about us. When sitting down it took another 20 mins for the server to approach us. Once we got our food they gave us the wrong order and had to wait 20-30 more minutes for our proper entree. When asked for a drink refill we had to decline because the mojitos were so watered down. Worst experience ever! Recently I went back with some friends to just make sure it was an off night when I went and gave it another chance. Again our food order was wrong and the server was not friendly and very rude. My work ordered some take out last week and they gave us their older menu. When we got our food they neglected to call that they didn?t make the dishes and some of our clients just got soup. We called the restaurant and they said they had changed managers, chefs and that they don?t make it anymore. Everyone was upset and left hungry! Needless to say I do not recommend this place at all! Pros: Convenient being located on the 3rd Street Promenade Cons: SERVICE more

I went to Monsoon to me meet with my friends. We sat in the front bar area, we order Margaritas and a couple of apps. The atmosphere was great and our server was really helpful and attending. The chicken potstickers are delicious!!!! If you are looking for a place to have a great time and for sure great drinks, stop at Monsoon, It is great!!! Pros: Food and drinks Cons: I can't think of one more

I went to monsoon on thursday for lunch and i must admit, i had a fantastic experience. I don't know what everyone is complaining about. I had amazing service from kevin, the bartender/host/server (way to multi-task buddy). It was my first visit and was overwhelmed with choices, upon suggestions from kevin, i ordered the wonton tuna decker and the blackened ahi tuna. these were absolutely amazing! my girlfriend had the black cod which she loved. i will definitely be going back to monsoon again in the near future. =) Pros: ambience, customer service, FOOD Cons: no smoking on the patio more

To call the service indifferent would be a compliment. We ordered hot and sour soup, which was tasty but cold and sour upon arrival 20 minutes after ordering. Our "iced" tea had no ice, and we received none until we practically grabbed the waiter Matt (there was no way he was going to stop at our table). The upstairs where we sat was practically empty, so I can't figure out why he was in such a hurry to go stand around at the end of the hall. We never received our samosa appetizer, and when our entrees finally arrived and we told him (another 20 minutes later), he said "of course not". I'm not sure if this meant he didn't believe we ever ordered it, but instead of getting us one he just said "I'll make sure it doesn't show up on the bill." This leads me to suspect he never entered the order and it would make him look like a good guy to "remove" it from the bill instead of fixing the problem. He finally "checked" on us 30 minutes later, by then I had devoured the entrees which had arrived cold and just wanted to get the heck out of there. To top off a wonderful evening, both my wife and I had to race to a restroom within ten minutes of leaving the cafe. Do yourself a favor: there are lots of pretty restaurants; you don't need to subject yourself to this kind of abuse. Pros: nice decor Cons: horrible service, cold food more

On the very Popular 3rd Street Promenade lies a hidden gem! From the outside it appears as a small cafe with a patio but once you enter, WOW! You are transported into a totally different world of this great Pan-Asian Bistro. The decor is amazing which reminds you of the restaurant from "Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom!" But it does not end there. The food and drink are amazing. From the amazing Monsoon and Jalape?o Sushi Rolls, the Wonton Tuna Decker appetizer and the Sizzling Garlic Shrimp and Scallops entree to the vast selection of specialty drinks. The prices are unbeatable and the vibe is so great! If you get the chance to go in early, take advantage of their $4 dollar happy hour 7 DAYS A WEEK from 4 - 7!!!! The restaurant is very accomidating for large parties and the wait staff is great. The last time I was in their my waiter who went by the name "Employee 13" or something had my girlfriend and me in stitches. The whole place has a lot of character and full of characters which is a breath of fresh air for LA. Definitely going there next time I have friends in town. Also a great place to go before or after catching a movie. The bar is also a great place to catch a quick bite when you are dining solo. Highly reccomended!!! Pros: The great food and decor Cons: There is only 1 in LA!!! more

Great food and excellent service. Totally enjoyed myself and your quest will feel the same. Waiting for a table is quick, you'll be entertainment by much "eye-candy" while awaiting your table. Tao is well worth it. You will not be dissapointed. The food portions are huge, so arrive with an empty stomach and please save room for desert, which are absolutly decandet. A celebrity hot spot, a must go, you'll have a blast! Pros: Great Food, Staff and Managment are Awesome Cons: No heater on Patio more

This is my 3rd visit. The first time it went o/k but I was shocked at the waitress who while I got up from the bar to go to the restroom thru out my half full beer. When I came back and asked about it, she brought a fresh beer HALF FULL with attitude. She really showed no class on the part of management. I can afford my own beer, I felt they were making me out to look like a miser, The 2nd visit was very pleasent, a;though I did have reservations!! My third visit was a fiasco. I attempted to give them the benifit, that is was the early evening of January 1st 2007 and they were understaffed, but the attidude of the hostess Devon, was appauling. Although our server tried her best. We came with no reservations and she said it would take 30 minutes. She was cold rude and indifferent. After about 40 minutes she seated us and was total arongant and stuffy, If she could ingnore us more we would have to have been invisible. We asked her to warm up the place, everyone was cold and wearing jackets in the dining area. She ignored us and had even left the main door open causing a worse draft. When asking for the manager, Maria, Devon was even more obnoxious. Incidentially the Manager Maria never bothered to even show up. This snotty hostess Devon was so obnoxious, unfriendly and downright rude to my guests I will never go back again. The Manager Maria's indifference to speaking with us just further's this establishments attitude. Their are too many good restaurants that would appreciate my buisiness to put up with this type of attitude. The restaurant business is not just about the food, it's also about making the customer want to return. This is a great place for a one time meal.if your looling for a really hip looking place with good food. But forget about being made to feel any type of customer attention from management. Really too bad, it could really be a great place otherwise. Pros: Great food and good prices Cons: TOTALLY OBNOXIOUS HOSTESS AT THE TIME WE WERE THEIR more

Bad service, especially when considering that the restaurant wasn't even that busy on a 1:30 pm afternoon: - Brought only one set of menu for two of us - left one set of silverware for two of us - didn't even bring water to the table until I requested - I had to wave down a waiter to place our order - took over 20 min to get our food after placing the order - the waiter didn't even check with us to see is the food ok after it was delivered The sushi was below my expectation, I had much better sushi at other places at a cheaper price. The miso soup wasn't even hot (in temperature), lukewarm at best. I wouldn't not go back again. Considering that this place is Zagat rated and the prices of the food..I was expecting better food and service. Pros: None Cons: Bad service, over price food, lack value. more

The experience itself at the restaurant was absolutely horrible from the long wait time and a bartender ending up seating me. The waiter took about twenty minutes and had no idea what was on the menu or how to pronounce the items on the menu. To make matters worse, the wrong order came out. I could have made better sushi blindfolded than what came out. After the disgusting meal, the check takes about another 15 minutes to come. I ask two servers for my waiter or the check and they say "O.K." then proceeded to just stand around. I believe this is the first complaint I post on any website or in any form for service but such Disgustingly unacceptable service and food leads me to write this review. Pros: nothing Cons: everything more

There is one reason and one reason only that I go there, the scallop dynamite. This is what you should expect when dining at monsoon cafe, at minimum you will be greeted after ten minutes (I?ve sat for 15 once, I finally just went up to the bar). After you have your first drink don?t even think of expecting another, it would just be foolish. My advice, bring your own water so you don?t die of thirst. Bring cash and a calculator; you may never ever get your bill! With all that said ill still go for the happy hour dynamite, but I?ll have my water, cash, and very low expectations in tow. Pros: scallop dynamite Cons: everything else! more