Cha Cha Coconuts

This place is alright. We loved the live music outside. I got the chicken BLT with fries. It was bland and too much chicken. My husband got the fish platter and the Coconut Shrimp is SO GOOD. I wish I got that. Service was OK. Drinks seem like a great price, but they are tiny (maybe 10 or 12 oz?)

Don’t order the half Cuban! It’s on the menu, so I asked if I could order a half ham and cheese… all they have to do is cut the bread in half. Easy right? I guess not. They wouldn’t let me order it, and said I could only order a half Cuban because they make a whole sandwich, and then The rest sits around waiting for someone else to order the other half. That is from the waiter himself! I was shocked. I asked why they just don’t make a half sandwich? That would make sense right? «The cooks don’t do it that way.» Sounds like food poisoning waiting to happen. I won’t go back. I gave it two stars because it’s. Ice to sit outside, and the beer was good.

I actually enjoyed Cha Cha Coconut’s. It’s a fun atmosphere… kinda what I’d expect of a casual restaurant steps from the beach.
Their Calypso chicken wings are great. I was expecting something a bit exotic, but it’s pretty much a traditional buffalo sauce.
The Fried Caribbean Sweets are sweet potato fries. I wasn’t a fan of either sauce they were serves with.
For my entrée I had the surf and turf. I liked the shrimp and the plantains. The seasoning used on the kabobs overpowered the flavor of the beef. The rice and beans were standard fare.
I ordered the lava flow (virgin, of course) and it was delicious!!!

So I’ve been coming to this place ever since I was a kid. We used to love the atmosphere and the food. I was aware that it had been gradually slipping for years, but I hadn’t been down to the area since 2011.
After this last visit, it’s off of our list for dinner spots. Food was mediocre at best, my $ 8 margarita was served in a tiny plastic cup and was brutal. Our server was completely apathetic. The atmosphere was bizarrely lame, trashy, and somewhat depressing.
I really hope ownership either wakes up or sells it to someone who knows how to run a restaurant. Cha Cha’s is in the heart of St Armand’s Circle, it’s a prime location. Please get this place back to being fun again.

Despite some negative reviews along with the positive, we stopped in for lunch … Our server was Andy B. Extremely nice and professional guy. Anything we asked… The answer was «absolutely no problem» I had the fresh grouper sandwich which was excellent, and my girlfriend ordered a cheese quesadilla which she said was very good. Nice outdoor seating area, food great, excellent server. Nice-​bit great beer selection (try the local IPA VERY GOOD). Very good place for a good lunch… Tell Andy Greg and Betty from New York sent you!!!

Fantastic atmosphere and perfect for a day’s worth of walking and aquarium viewing. Located just off the roundabout you can grab a seat inside or out and also get a really nice drink for a decent price.
The server was friendly and knowledgeable. Me being a clumsy idiot spilled my beer and when she walked over i just ask for water and she replaced my beer at no extra charge. Didn’t have to wait long for food or check very courteous.
The food was excellent and even had a bit of a twist so not your typical bar food. The cuban sandwich i had was ok but wouldn’t get again, My sister in law had steak sandwich that was just amazing! There was something on the side they put that was cold but very refreshing some type of bean and vegetable.
Yay! I’m a fan. because they were different and everything you would want in restaurant. I’m not much for live music and he setup right next us very hard to have a conversation.

Outdoor seating was sunny and well done. Open air inside seating available too. Food was good and good sized for price. Coconut Shrimp were fried just right for me. Coke Products. People who posted negative reviews must work for competing restaurants near by which are many. This is a trendy «ritzy» shopping area and ALWAYS busy so parking will be hard to find.

Everything is good. Good food. And service was friendly and attentive.
We went to several places in the downtown area, this was the most friendly atmosphere, by far.

I love the peel & eat shrimp with remoulaud sauce. This is a friendly, casual place with a great vibe and location. Try the onion sticks in a cone, too. They come with 2 dipping sauces guaranteed to tickle your taste buds.

Cheap drinks served in small plastic cups with lots and lots of ice.
Maybe it was a bad day but my margarita had way to much sour mix. It was like drinking lime juice.
The waitress was nice and friendly, I could tell she was embarrassed to serve some of the stuff we ordered. With a little more effort, this place could actually be enjoyable. Can’t be that hard to make a decent margarita and a pile of nachos.
Great location in St. Armand’s Circle. So clean up and server decent drinks.

This restaurant is not on the water but it is in trendy St Armands Circle. Although there are a number of restaurants in the immediate area Cha Cha is more then competitively priced while serving the most Floridian/​Caribbean cuisine in the Circle. Steel drum entertainment was a plus.
Atmosphere 85 It all about the walking traffic and people watching
Service 75 It was busy
Food 85 More it what we liked then the pure quality
Value 85 Compared to the surrounding restaurants
Recommended if, and only if, you are looking to light Florida/​island are. Otherwise, we have eaten at several of the adjourning restaurants and they are more then fine.

Pretty average place. No wait at lunchtime so that was nice but food was pretty average. But it wasn’t too high priced for the area. All in all, the experience was pleasant. Good place to get in and out if you aren’t looking for the most gourmet food in town.

We had this place recommended to us by a City Parking Attendant at Lido Beach. We were not disappointed! Parking can be a real trick here but it was a cool weekday afternoon and we lucked out. Easy to find and a very pleasant walk brought us to Coconuts. Seating was both in and outside and we were lucky enough to grab a nice table outside. Décor is funky. The wait help was prompt, helpful and courteous. Both my Wife and I had the Seafood combo platter. Grouper bites, coconut shrimp, Island fries and coleslaw. It was terrific! We each had a beer and our lunch at St. Armand’s Circle was delightful. People watching at its best. On a hot summer day, it would have been even better.
Don’t miss Cha Cha Coconuts when in the Sarasota area.

What I love most about this place?
Outdoor seating.
Tropical island restaurant offers Cuban and other Caribbean fare.
No café con leche.
There were a few suggestions for a vegetarian meal – mainly, take any burger and stick a veggie patty in it instead.
I opted for vegetarian salad bowl. It was ok. Really liked the jalapeños in it. I asked for dressing on the side, but did not need it in the end.
Fun place with the right company, but I don’t think the star of this place is the food.

Fun colorful place with some Caribbean dishes. Not great but certainly ok. Nice live music. Some good island drinks.

Great place for a classic Cuban sandwich !!
The prices are good. Staff are always friendly.
Good place to watch your sports

Coconut shrimp was excellent, friendly service and plenty of outdoor seating. The piña colada was great. The one downside was they were missing several menu items and stated they haven’t served some for months. Need to update the menu.

If you’re looking for a quick, casual, cheap bite them this place will do. It’s your typical beach bar, with mixed tropical drinks and sandwiches, burgers, salad, etc. I recently had the pulled pork pressed sandwich here (under $ 10), it was OK. Nothing particular to rave about. not a lot of meat or flavour. The side of coleslaw was tiny, wish they would have provided more than just one of those tiny plastic side-​cups of it. Service was good, can’t complain there. No wifi, which as a tourist would’ve been helpful (although I did see it in the wifi network list). All in all, the experience was alright.

Bottom Line: it’s consistent and a good solid option in the Circle. All three of us cleaned our plates — so you could tell we enjoyed every bite! I know we’ll def go back.
We’ve been coming to LBK for vacation for years and we always go out one or two nights. The Circle has a lot of incredible dining options and most of them are on the $$$-$$$$ side. Cha Cha’s is one of the more affordable options.
It has outdoor seating and an open front so even when you sit inside it has an outside feel. The whole Caribbean theme is going on, from the decorations to the live music.
There was a table of 9 of us, 3 on my bill.
I had the blackened shrimp quesadilla — which is a repeat order for me so you know it’s good! My son had the Surf & Turf. It was a platter w steak and shrimp skewers. He said the steak was very tender. His gf had the Pork Chop Boonoonoo which was marinated and covered in mango chutney. They both got plantains and rice and beans as sides. My son and I each had 2 beers. Our bill was $ 70.
Our waitress had no problem handling a large table w split checks. She was knowledgable about the menu and even suggested an affordable, $ 3/​bottle Kalik Beer to us. She came back and asked how we liked the beer, she said that since she recommended it she wanted to make sure we were happy with it — nice customer service touch ;-)
I sampled some of the nachos my friend ordered and they were loaded! Also tried some wings and they were good too.
See you next year Cha Cha’s!

Filthy place. No wonder they put hand soap on the tables! Maybe they should try cleaning the place a lot better. The tile floors are quite dirty. The outdoor tables are concrete with mosaic tops, but the concrete is very porous. There is a layer of grease around the edges that could be years old. Who knows?
The Cuban sandwich we shared with just okay. Nothing special. The usual ham and roast pork on an average piece of toasted Cuban bread, with fries. Not very big.
Service was super slow. No water was brought to the table until the meal was over and then it had to be requested. Are they saving money on ice?
And they had the most annoying trivia game going on with the MC booming over a PA speaker at an inordinate volume. There are better options on St. Armand’s Circle, for sure.