Coco Noche
Categories: Chocolatiers and Shops, Asian Fusion, Sandwiches, Wine Bars, Caterers, Korean, Tapas Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Manhattan Beach1140 Highland Ave
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 (310) 545-4925
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: No
44 reviews
Neighborhood: Hermosa Beach
"Went there on a Friday night instead of Fleming's and I was sooo glad. It took me three tries to find the place since I was looking on the…" read more »
26 Reviews for Coco Noche
I like this place and the atmosphere was nice. This is a good idea for the South Bay and I'm glad I finally got to try it. The cheese platter is what I recommend.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
If I'm ever sad, give me a glass of wine and a piece of chocolate ...and the world is right again! Being that I'm that crazy about these two indulgences , I can't tell you how excited I was to try this place.... but I was a little confused when I got there. They have a broad selection of wine and serve decadent desserts, diverse chocolates, imported cheese and fruit platters , fondue, and.... Korean "Tapas"??? Huh? Like Chandra S. said below, there is just so much potential but I personally, don't think that it's been fully realized. Seems like they are just trying to do too much with this place and have kinda lost themselves along the way. My advice to them would be to go back to basics.
Having said that, it's still an excellent place to go for an after dinner date or even on a low key evening with the girls. Order the chocolate and wine- very rich and flavorful chocolates with exotic tastes (goji berry, almond sea salt, and even smoked bacon!) paired with a variety of fragrant, full-bodied wines. Sinfully delicious! It's a fun experience but if you're starving, best to look elsewhere.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
The concept is good and offerings are tasty, but the execution is a bit flawed. The store in the middle of the eating area is awkward, it should be separate. Way too bright for a chocolate and wine tasting cafe. That said, the variety of wine and chocolate available is delectable. Prices are fair. Great place to stop after dinner or in lieu of a crazy bar. The wine tastings come on these sweet decorative "trees" that hold the glasses. If you're unsure what to get, order the paired wine and chocolate sampler - 3 of each! I'll go back.
Good desserts. Good decor. Service has been iffy. Nice to have something like this in M.B. for when you're looking to extend the evening just a little bit and want to wind it down from a packed restaurant experience.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
there were a lot of items on the menu i didnt get to try, like the mandu sampler plate and the bibim bap. i did have the cheese and cracker platter and the chocolate fondue. both were just eh, tasted like something i could've whipped up at home. the chocolate for the fondue was a from a bar, i saw them prepare it. the cheeses were good but something i could've bought from whole foods or trader joes.
i WILL however come back to try some of the korean tapas and the wine. so this place will definitely get a second chance =]
the woman at the front table was very accommodating even though we didn't have reservations. she called us on our cellphone to let us know they had a vacant table, even though it was near closing time.
we only wanted to go there for dessert and it was quite the chocolate experience. i ordered the chocolate and wine tasting with 7 medallions of chocolate varying from dark chocolate to milk chocolate and paired with different red wines. spectacular!
this would be an interesting place to go on a first date because of the small dining area and intimate atmosphere. i saw another yelper complain about the cold room and brightly lit room but that wasn't what we experienced at all. strange! we had candlelight and dimmed lights - that and red wine + chocolates made for a great late night dessert experience.
parking is difficult unless you are willing to circle around the neighborhood streets looking for a vacant spot.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
I like this place, but I do think it could be so much better. The wine list is good - and it is growing. It seems like each time I go back it's just a tad bit bigger. The chocolate is amazing, so many different kinds to choose from. The food is so-so. There isn't a huge food menu, but there are a couple of items that are good.
The service has been hit-or-miss for me. Sometimes it's fabulous and the wait staff is nice and attentive. Other times I've been there, it's been incredibly slow with the server not knowing much about the wines.
With a little work, this place could be a great place. The ambiance is slightly lacking. I agree with Chandra - get some music in there - nothing loud, just something! And maybe warm it up a bit with more candles, etc. And, expand the menu a bit.
But, it is a good place. If you're looking for a nice place to go for wine and chocolate, this is it! It's a great place to go with the girls!
Cute place. Nice ambience. Good selection of wine and food. I was excited and surprised to see lots of Korean dishes. We ordered the chicken skewers, the bulgogi w/ lettuce, and bibim bap. The portions were pretty small and as was to be expected, not truly authentic Korean food. Yes, I am a little bit biased as I am Korean and have access to some great Korean cooking, but anyone who has gone to a Korean restaurant would probably agree with me. Food was still pretty good though, not fantastic, but good. We started with a split bottle of an Italian sparkling wine, and anything bubbly makes me happy. We each got a flight which includes three different tastings. We shared the chocolate fondue for dessert and that was good...I mean, is melted chocolate ever bad?
Ok, so the food and wine were good, the company was fantastic, but the service was BAD. Really bad. First off, it took forever for someone to take our orders. Then the waitress came back TWICE to ask us what we ordered. Then it took ages to get the food, and one of the dishes came out cold. Service was slow, slow, slow....which would have been understandable if the restaurant was at all busy or crowded. But it wasn't, not in the least. When we arrived, there was only one other party there and another one came in later. Three tables of diners and 3 waitstaff...I don't think it's too much to expect better service. Our waitress was apologetic everytime we had to ask for something, but I would've preferred less apologies and more attention.
One of my dinnermates pointed out that using black dinner napkins is not always a great idea. Especially when "black" is actually "dingy gray."
All that being said, the place is very cute, food and wine is good, so I'll probably come back and hope that it was just an off night for the waitstaff. I'd like to go on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday when they have special flights of wine and tapas specials.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Sooooooooooooo much potential. The menu, the wine...the possible girls nights out. This place could be the "IT" girls night out spot. The food and the wine are fabulous. The atmosphere...blah. I picture plush lounge style couches, dim lighting, great music...
Instead it was cold inside (the AC was on), there were just cold stiff chairs, and it was brightly lit with no music. It was our first time trying Coco Noche and I kind of expected the serving staff to be more energetic offering up advice on what to try, favorites on the menu, pretty much some advice about the very unique menu of chocolates, Asian food and Interesting wines. We kind of winged it with no help from the staff and each tried a different "flight" of wine, chocolate fondue and a salad. Food was satisfying !!!
Try it with your girlfriends but wear a sweater.
I haven't seen so much chocolate on a menu in my life. And the wine flights were amazing. Who knew that Koreans could do wine and chocolate as well as bbq and kimchi? The take-out fridge made this place feel casual, but our group was butted up in the corner by the window and it felt a little more like a formal dinner. This combo makes it perfect for dinner for two on one night and small networking events on another. I just had the appetizers and they were light. Tasty, but not going to fill you up.
Hmm, Korean tapas, there's a new one.
Tapas is one of those food types that is getting out of control. Just recently I went to a French restaurant and there was a tapas menu and now today we go to a wine and tapas bar with Korean small plates. Is it just me or is this confusing?
Overall I really enjoyed our time here. The service was fantastic. The gals working here are super sweet, helpful and just really add to a very pleasant nibbling experience. The flights are pretty diverse and cover a wide range of varietals and the pours are quite generous. (Nothing worse than a wimpy wine flight). They also serve their flights in these cool rod iron wine trees that are pretty damn awesome and get a table of 7 wine drinking girls and it is a beautiful sea of stems and smiles to be certain :)
Now for the "tapas." I thought the food was good. But I have to say that for the price, they could stand to add a little more food onto their small plates. I realize it's tapas, but they are priced like full meals and even though we ordered a bunch of stuff, we all left hungry. The cheese platter was slim, but in fairness to them, I am rarely blown away at the amount of cheese you get for the green in most restaurants. The better deal was the Seoul Platter that gave you a taste of Maandu, Paa jun, Ahi-tuna and the Basil chicken on wonton crisps. All were very tasty, but again, for $22, we were all still pretty hungry. Maybe for one person it would be enough.
As for the chocolate yumminess. The Barcelona almond & sea salt
chocolate was really tasty and while I didn't get to try the Green Tea
macha tea chocolate, it seemed like a big hit with the girls. What I did try and enjoy was the chocolate fondue and most notably the buttery pound cake. Very good times. I also liked that they served little saucers full of chocolate to enjoy while we sipped our wine.
And so the wrap up...
Would I go back? Not likely, BUT only because I live in Studio City and this place is in Manhattan Beach and it took us forever to get there with the 405 traffic. If I lived closer, then yes I would eat before I went and then I would order wine and chocolate and skip the tapas.
Would I recommend it to someone? Sure, just don't go starving and definitely go with the flights.
Is there anything I would change? Yes, basically add a little more bang for the buck and I think they will really have something as it's in a great location and there are many many pluses with only a few small tweaks needed. End of the day, I think it's a definite 3.5, but I'll give em 4 for now. Enjoy!
People thought this was:
Useful (15)
Funny (3)
Cool (9)
I can't think of a better way to wile away a Saturday afternoon with a few Yelp ladies, flights of wine, chocolate and great food.
This place is gorgeous and the service impeccible and the quality of the food was really good.
However I do have a few comments. Not gripes, per se, but rather observations......
What's up with calling this place a Tapas restaurant? I was expecting Spanish nibblets and such but was confronted with fried wontons and bulgogi dishes- you know Korean cuisine- which I ain't complaining, but Tapas it was not. I guess the only tapas characteristic was the very small portions of food, which leads to my next observation.....
For the price, the food was less than substantial. It was like we ate appetizers and then went straight for dessert. The cheese and fruit plate was lacking cheese and you guessed it, fruit. I've seen more cheese between my toes and more fruit at a Republican gun rally.
I left hungrier than when I came in.
Overall, a fine day spent with old and new friends and to be fair, this place really deserves 3.5 stars.
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Funny (7)
Cool (3)
I second Diana N, Stephy, Jenny J, and Marisa.
Overall and very positive experience. The ladies that served us were so sweet and accommodating...the food was very good...BUT so small. When I read the word platter on a menu, I think PLATTER. But not so much, the portions were very small. It didn't feel like a fine dining location, it was clean and sterile feeling...but still nice. So platters costing 22 bucks and having only enough food on it for half a person kind of threw me off.
The selection in wines was plentiful, and not too overwhelming. The flights came out in a metal tier...which was really cool. When they came out immediately on of the girls exclaimed, "I want one." So cute.
The fellowship was excellent...us girls got together and shared stories of past Yelp events (if you know what I mean.. ;) )
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Cool (3)
This place is really cute...definitely a good date place. I stuck to the wine, desert and the non korean tapas (being korean, i couldnt justify the price for the korean tapas). The cake and wine were excellent and the staff was really friendly. You feel at home there.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Cool (1)
This was a great place for a light snack out with the girls...I say light snack because of what the other girls said- The 'tapas' (no spanish food here!!) though very tasty, were small bites for big bucks.
like the others said, good service and beautiful decor.
The wine was the reason we went here and what a fun time it was to order flights and pass em around. Before you knew it our table of girls turned into giggly red faced happy folk ready to skip out and grab some lunch!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (3)
Cool (3)
A new wine bar in Manhattan Beach? Great! A wine and chocolate bar? Even better! A wine and chocolate bar with delicious tapas and plates? Need I say more?
An extensive list of both foreign and California wines! Wine flights served on decorative, artistic pieces. Wine and chocolate pairings! Port flights! A menu of ooey, gooey gourmet chocolates and caramels.
Oh my God, I'm in heaven!
AND, if you enjoyed your experience, you can buy the wine by the bottle (with a 15% discount) and chocolate after you've tasted it all.
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Funny (2)
Cool (4)
Ok. Ok. I have to admit my prejudice here....my boyfriend took me here for our first date some nine months ago and we're still together and I'm giddily in love with him - so yes this is a great date place!
There is a wonderful wine selection but also, and most importantly, a woooooonderful chocolate selection. I suggest you ask the server to explain the different chocolates to you and then make a varied selection - you will not be disappointed!
As for the food - meh. I credit my opinion of the food at Coco Noche to my nerves....I was experiencing some first-date jitters so I didn't have much of an appetite for the tapas and nothing appealed to me that much, except for the man sitting across from me.
Three stars for introducing me to the BF and for the wine and chocolate. No stars for the food.
People thought this was:
Cool (2)
I'll be honest, the chocolate at this place is phenomenal. You absolutely must let the waitress explain to you the different eccentricities of the chocolates and where they come from to really get your pallete motivated. I do regret not having tried the fondue, but I had my eyes on this girl sitting across from me and I was admittedly distracted.
I did NOT expect this place to be a Korean tapas restaurant. Doesn't seem to make any sense at all. I tried 2 dishes, I honestly can't remember what they were, but they were un-flattering. The wine and champagne selection is nice and it's a great place to go for after dinner drinks and desert, but don't go there hungry. Unless you want to fill up on amazing (and pricey) chocolate.
3 stars for the memory of my first date there.
- 3 stars for the korean tapas food
+ 4 stars for the chocolate.
People thought this was:
Cool (2)
The Good:
- A fun day out with some amazing girls... enjoying wine and giggling the hours away!
- Great location, right in the heart of Manhattan Beach, surrounded by good shopping with a short walk to and the beach
- The staff is really sweet and eager to help out with anything. They even brought out some little plates of chocolates for us to nibble on while tasting our flights.
- The cheese, dessert and chocolate platters are yummy. An awesome compliment to whatever wine flight you choose.
- A large selection of wine flights to suit any mood at fairly reasonable prices.
The not-so-Good:
- I was starving, I mean st-aaah-arving when I arrived, thinking that I was going to chow down on some menu items. Ummmm, there wasn't much to chow on. Nibble was more like it. And $22 for a platter of four tiny slices of cheese and about 10 little pieces of fruit is a no-no in my book.
- Lacking a selection of higher-end wine. A lot of the wine here I could find at my local Trader Joes. I'm not knocking TJs as I frequent them for wine, but I would like to see a little more quality on the menu.
Tip:
Eat an hour before you arrive, so you can enjoy a wine flight and share a cheese or dessert plate with one other person. More than one person per plate leaves you with less than a nibble.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (2)
I have been driving by Coco Noche every day since it opened admiring its clean contemporary decor and dreaming of the wine, chocolate and tapas that lie inside waiting to entertain my pallet. I finally made it into Coco Noche last night with a couple friends for MARTINI MONDAYS.
We were seated in the middle of the small restaurant which I thought might become awkward since it's such a tiny space, but as the place got packed I realized that the set up and placement of tables works. True, the tables are close, but they're not intrusive and an intimate environment can be maintained for all parties regardless of proximity to other patrons. The perfectly dimmed soothing lighting and the comfort of the smoothly upholstered leather chairs give this place a cozy yet classy feel.
I like the idea that the $5 Martini Monday goes all day instead of having silly set hours like happy hours when most of us with regular jobs can't make it. There were an array of various martini flavors available like tangerine, tomato basil, chocolate, espresso ...etc
Coco Noche isn't like other wine bars that have been popping up all over where you sit at counters or on couches sipping your wine and maybe some cheeses. We had a proper table and we ordered three tapas to accompany our martinis. We had the crispy Korean potstickers, the ahi tuna served on crispy wontons with wasabi creme and mangos and the zucchini potato cakes. I liked the potstickers the best.
I think I'll be returning to give the wine/cheese/chocolate side of this place a whirl. The staff was friendly and helpful and didn't rush us. They also carry a line of products from a store in Napa Valley and small gifts. Coco Noche is a great addition to this area of Manhattan Beach.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (3)
I'm not a wine drinker so this review is solely based on the perspective of not just a single sweet tooth but sweet teeth! : D
The sommelier told us she always looks out for new desserts so I believe the menu changes. She told us the desserts she picks are sometimes flown in. (The key lime dessert and chocolate dessert we picked flew in from SF just that morning! It was plated artfully & beautifully and tasted even better than it looked! The key lime dessert was stellar!)
The place is quite tiny but very cute and nicely decorated. Prices are typical of a place just 1 block away from the beach. Parking can be a pain but there's a lot with meters just around the corner.
I've been meaning to try their tapas martini happy hour special with friends and will have to try their non-sweet foods soon too...
: )
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I'm confused.....
this is supposed to be a wine and tapas/chocolate bar but yet the only things on the menu are Korean food (for food)..not real tapas.
went here Saturday afternoon for a nice drunken time with my yelp ladies. we enjoyed various flights of reds and whites and also tasted some small sides of Korean pancakes, dumplings and wontons.
the food itself was interesting, but it doesn't really go well with the wines. i would've preferred actual tapas.
the chocolate on the other hand was VERY interesting. their was salty chocolates (i KNOW!!) curried chocolates, chocolate fondue (served with a side of vanilla bean pound cake, pretzels, apples, and bananas) dark chocolates....all very delicious.
i must say the company i was with made up for the fact the food was okay...and the service was exceptional!!!! our server was so nice and polite and let us return wines we didn't like and checked up on us constantly.
would i go back?? maybe if i was bored on a weekday afternoon....
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I tried some chocolate and wine here and I was very happy.
The food is delicious and the large offering of wines is unique. Try one of the many available wine flights to try three different wines in a category of your choosing - you're bound to find something new that tickles your taste buds. The Bul go-ghi, ahi-tuna, and cheese and fruit platter were all very good. Great for dates, close friends, and small families.
love the ambiance and love the desserts from all over the world!
I visited this place because I was told that they served chocolate and wine, so you will understand my surprise when the menu also had Korean tapas. Hmmm...Ok. But I was game, I love Korean food! The only catch was I was STARVING like I hadn't eaten in a week. Nothing against Coco Noche (which means chocolate night. Ok, I'm still confused) because anyone who has had small plates otherwise known as tapas knows that unless you order 3-4 plates for yourself its not gonna fill you up. No worries I will fill the hole in my stomach with WINE and CHOCOLATE. There goes my diet. The food was good, not great but it really hit the spot. I had the wine flight of vigonier and also the wine and chocolate tasting that was great. They had really interesting combinations of chocolate like dark choco with sea salt, choco and curry, and choco and green tea. Very rich, perfectly paired with the wine. This spot would be a really great place to date your sweetie pie because we all know how sexy wine and chocolate is.
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Funny (1)
Cool (3)
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Wine and Revelry
Wine bars, chocolate, decadent goodies; it's all…
Hot and New
- Ronin Izakaya Bistro
49 reviews
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
- Angel City Drive-In
14 reviews
Neighborhood: Downtown
- Guelaguetza Restaurant
47 reviews
Los Angeles, CA
- Lou
82 reviews
Neighborhood: Mid Wilshire
- La Cachette Restaurant
37 reviews
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
