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Categories: Tapas Bars, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
38 Fulton St WMon-Thu. 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Every time I've been here the food has been amazing! This is one of my favorite things about the west side of the state. You have to love a bit of spice to enjoy San Chez. (Bland people beware!). My eyes are always bigger than my stomach, but the desserts are worth it! This is a great place to come with a group, relaxed and they don't rush you out of there.
I was a bit suspicious of ordering a salad to share, I'm not a salad fan anyway, but I've had two of their salads both being very good and easy to share. Their food combinations are very imaginative. Both times our servers have been able to explain things to us, without us feeling like idiots.
A long overdue review. We went to San Chez on our 4 year anniversary last year based on multiple recommendations from friends. Never again. I was excited because San Chez features a vegan menu, so I thought we'd be getting some damn fine cuisine.
The first two plates were fine. A little on the oily side, but still tasty. The third plate rolled out, artichoke hearts with aoli, and I said to L "That looks like real mayonnaise." He, not believing such an item would be listed on a VEGAN menu, took a bite. It was, indeed, real mayonnaise. Needless to say, we were pissed, so we sent that plate and the remaining plates back and asked for the check.
The chef, who we could see from our seats, was pretty unapologetic (he said something to the tune of "Oh, you're right." when we pointed out mayo's un veganness). We then watched him yell at our poor server. She was nice enough, but only offered us a couple $5 coupons for our next visit. Nothing was offered to be comped, and it didn't really seem to be a concern to anyone that their vegan menu, wasn't.
What next visit? If you're a vegan, I'd steer clear of San Chez, unless you want to scrutinize and question every plate that comes out of the kitchen.
I wasn't all that impressed by the quality of the food. We tried quite a number of dishes, and none really stood out as being incredible or something you wouldn't get elsewhere, except maybe the eggplant. The prices were way high, $10 for a small plate? Yowzas. Sangria was ok, not great, and it took quite a while for our dishes to come even though there were only maybe two parties in the place.
It wasn;t awful, but it certainly wasn't worth the bill.
What's a Spanish tapas restaurant without sangria? So once we sat down, we ordered a pitcher between the two of us. Sadly the sangria was the first thing that disappointed me. There was way too much ice in the pitcher, the sangria wasn't as strong as it should be, and there were no fruits inside. Next we ordered one chicken paella and two tapas (ahi tuna and scallops/bacon). The paella was also a letdown, it wasn't too bad but definitely the worst paella I've ever had. It tasted like something I'd make out of the paella boxes at my local grocery store. It may have been either too dry or too bland. Now onto the tapas, they were surprising good! They didn't wow me like I had hoped for but considering how disappointing the sangria and paella were, tapas were enjoyable. If I had known about it earlier, we would have just ordered all tapas instead. Oh and I just have to add that whatever olive oil concoction they had to go with your bread, its delicious!
The atmosphere was nice, we were seated upstairs so it was somewhat quieter and we had a nice view of the whole restaurant. For some reason there were a lot of groups of girls there celebrating birthdays and bachelorette parties? Besides that the crowd was pretty much diverse in age, from babies to parents and even grandparents. I loved that since I don't see that often in the restaurants back home in DC. Service was very good and attentive. Our server Jessica seemed like she knew the menu very well, which was helpful to us in deciding what tapas to order.
Perhaps I had too high of an expectation from reading the previous reviews on yelp, to me this restaurant was just average. Since it was our first time visiting Grand Rapids, we thought it would be nice to check out a local favorite for dinner. Overall this isn't a bad tapas restaurant. I could definitely see why its a favorite. Its a good restaurant for first timers to experience Spanish style tapas. I enjoyed the tapas a bit, just won't recommend the paellas. Prices are like your typical tapas restaurant, perhaps slightly cheaper here at San Chez. The dishes are a good portion too so this place is a good deal!
Just attended a wedding reception there. The food was served cold, when we mentioned this to our server (who was stuffed into a dirty gold jacket) she just shrugged . after talking to other guest we confirmed it was not just our table that received cold food. San Chez seems to be flying on their past rep. They appear not to care about good service anymore.
This was one of our favorite "fancy" places. The food was somewhat avant garde for Grap and I remember the tapas being semi traditional spanish but also very tasty. Delicious!
Over priced, small portions, overrated sangria. I have been 4 times and never had a good experience. The last time I went for a birthday party I didn't even order food and that was my best trip there. Great place for hipsters, wear you sustainable clothing and you ironic glasses.
The 'Atun del Limon' was one of the most delicious and interesting platters I've ever had. Served on a warm bed of sautéed spinach, the cold and slightly seared tuna in combination with the lemon juice, olive oil, and spinach was an incredible experience. It was quite tiny for the price, especially if you're sharing with another person, but well worth it.
The atmosphere is enjoyable, I prefer to sit upstairs. It's the perfect place to order portions of a meal slowly and enjoy the evening. This was one of the most interesting dining experiences I've ever enjoyed. I would certainly recommend it to anyone.
For serving such small dishes, it sure is easy to eat too much here! Nearly everything I've had here is delicious and if I didn't like it, my friends sure did. I love taking other people here, especially people who aren't from town. The atmosphere is wonderful, no matter which side you sit on (though I do really love the upstairs). You can come in casual, business casual...formal is a little bit much, but my friends and I have done it before. The kid's menu is rather overpriced and unless you have very well behaved, adventurous children, I probably wouldn't bring kids (10 and under).
Dishes I think everyone should try:
1) Anything that sounds even slightly appetizing on the monthly list.
2) Fritos de Azul. I don't even like blue cheese, but these are absolutely the BEST thing I've ever tasted!
3) Atun del Limon. It is raw, chilled tuna, but if you don't mind that, this is very good. It mixes cold fish with warm spinach (and lemon). Mmmm...
4) Any of the duck or lamb dishes.
5) Crema Catalana - Basically a hazelnut creme brulee.
Saturday brunch. Bloody Mary's, pulled pork, falafel sandwiches, portuguese stew omelettes - we had it all. The falafel wrap was one of the best I've had. The falafel was delicately wrapped in a sturdy thin pita, it was not a smidge dry, and it didn't fall apart when I picked it up (I hate messy food) even though it was packed with ingredients.
The Portuguese stew omelette had a good flavor but was too watery to go well with eggs, and it wasn't appealing to look at (my friend needed a spoon to eat it since it had the consistency of a soup). The pulled pork sandwich had to be eaten with a fork but it was deliciously rich and robust with just the right spices.
We would have welcomed more attentive service, but other than that, I'd go back.
The extensive menu offers yumminess all over the place. You really can't go wrong. I think we went bonkers and ordered something like eight dishes and every one of them was fab.
Sangria wasn't all that, but hey, it was sangria. For good sangria try Dominick's in Ann Arbor or Cafe Iberico in Chicago (also fantastic tapas).
Service was a little spotty, but overall this joint is a worthy stop.
The last time I went to San Chez, I was greatly disappointed. The menu had been changed and the waiter convinced me to try a new cocktail. It was disgusting. They put way too much basil in it, it kept getting stuck in my straw and my drink began to glow green. San Chez was a better restaurant 10 years ago.
Lots of yummy tapas, although they rely waaaay too much on aioli (WHICH THEY ALL INSIST ON CALLING ALIOLI - WHICH IT IS NOT - AND WHICH MAKES ME STABBY ALL THE WAY FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA). Their sangria is pretty good, but overrated. I remember having a good mojito here.
It's a fun place to come with a few friends and share, though. 3.5 stars. Hmm, maybe 4? I'm on the fence. At any rate, I recommend it.
Oh, San Chez. You make me feel like the prettiest boy in the world...or at least the most satisfied one. Today I was loathing living in the Valley of the Sun for its near lack of tapas restaurants when I thought of you, me dear dear San Chez and I smiled.
This is quite possibly my favorite tapas place I've ever been to. Everything about it makes me happy. The restaurant is large enough that it can handle the crowds, the waitstaff is attentive and knowledgeable, to drinks are poured at a great strength and the food is spot on. Although it's been a while since I was last there, I fondly remember San Chez and hope I can persuade them to open a location in CenPho.
Another awesome thing about San Chez is their cookbook. I now can attempt to recreate my wonderful dining experience at home.
Went there for the first time back in 2000 for a pre-concert meal. I always recommend this place to people who are going out for a show in GR. It is walking distance from major venues and tapas are always a fun way to start the night. Not terribly pricey, but the bill can get high if you don't watch it.
Always stick to the tapas though, i've heard not so great things about the bigger entrees.
Parking is UNREASONABLY tough.
Awesome food, great atmosphere, friendly service, reasonable prices, and real chefs lurking around.
We like it so much, we're getting married there in a few months. And they've been great with THAT as well.
Here are the vegetarian foods that make my head spin:
empanadas de patatas
fritos de queso azul (these are the "crack bombs that Matt R references, and I concur)
fritos de arros
fattouch (salad)
esparragos en salsa romesco
patatas bravas con alioli
...that goat cheese thing with toasts
...and just about everything else
the food here is delicious, and I know it is tapas, but the portions seem a little tiny for the price. The sangria was good, but I wouldn't say that it measured up to the price. Colorful decor and environment. I sat right by the kitchen, so it was it was a little loud because i could hear all the noise from the cooks, but that I didn't mind :)
This review only pertains to the takeout service here.... I ate here last year and it was very good - in which I would probably have rated it four stars.
So, I called in and I ordered the seared tuna with mango cous cous, scallop and bacon skewers, and tres leche cake. They said it will take about 20 minutes. I get there and the first thing he said was the chef was really quick and your food was ready in five minutes... That translates to - your food is already cold. The scallop and bacon was excellent: SO GOOD!!! The seared tuna was actually smoked tuna, was not seared at all and then the cous cous was just so bad... Finally, the tres leches, because it was packed in another bag, I didn't know it came with ice cream - by the time I got to it, it all melted. The tres leche cake was really bad, the cake itself was bad, it wasn't soaked with milk, they just covered it with condensed milk - so bad!
I had been eating at San Chez for ten years before I decided to never return. This was a couple years ago...
Two friends and I went in for dinner, and our server, Ashley was RUDE. We asked for bread and water more than once before receiving it.
When we ordered dessert, she said that the seasonal berries, were blueberries, then brought a dessert with raspberries on top - without mention.
I ordered port for dessert and she said she would "bring it when I had finished the drink I was having with dinner."
The reason I won't return is not the declining quality of food over the years, or the rudest, most terrible service ever.
I wrote a letter to management about our experience, including a copy of the receipt, and all 3 of our contact information, and no one ever responded. Management not responding to a customer complaint is unforgivable.
MMMMM!!!!! I've had most (if not all) of the vegetarian tapas on the menu and I have yet to find something I didn't really, really love...
I look at my mother's yucca plant in the living room sometimes and I wonder if I can just tear it down and cook it up.
Oh. San Chez! It has it all as 5 star!
Great building, delicious tapas & desert, wonderful atmosphere, friendly professional service etc. etc.
One of the best in Michigan.
(Spanish native friend told me it is not that great, I still love this place.....)
about $70 or more for two with drinks
I can only begin this by saying I drove 1 hour to the nearest tapas place to visit San Chez. It was well worth it & I will do it again... soon.
The service is quick & helpful with the waiters giving you an explanation of every dish they place on your table. The restaurant is bright & lively & you can peek over to the kitchen where cooks are preparing these yummy dishes for you. Jen was a great server so look for her when you go.
We ordered sangria but it had a bit too much ice for my taste - order it with half the ice for a more tangy taste. Here's a run down the delicious dishes we had:
1. Aceitunas - assorted olives in oil. I recommend you get these with some kind of bread tapa & remember these olives have SEEDS so don't just bite into them. Suck out the seed!
2. Pan con queso manchego - the toasted bread with a tomato paste & a slice of manchego cheese on top was great (especially with the olives). I would also recommend the bread with the serrano ham on top - it's bound to be as good as this one!
3. The plantain platter has both tostones & platanitos maduros (fried & sweet plantains) which were great. The salsa was worth dipping your toston into it, but not the platanito.
4. The lamb with sausage mashed potato was delicious but a bit small to be considered an 'entree' it should also be classified as a tapa. The raspberry sauce is sweet & tangy with the soft lamb - my mouth is watering as I write.
5. The bistec de lomo was seared & medium rare so if you like a better cooked steak, you should specify. This steak is served in a blueberry sauce which is good - if you like blueberries...
6. Crema catalana is like creme brulee but the custard under the hard shell here was a bit bland for my taste - it wasn't sweet or hard enough.
7. Chocolate empanadas here are crispy & great drenched in raspberry sauce. I would pass on the dulce de leche ice cream though, it just didn't hit the spot here.
*If you're going for authenticity give the torta de Santiago a shot b.c it was described just like "the REAL Spanish thing."
It was just great... plain great, great, great!
One of downtown GR's strong spots. It's an old staple. I wonder if WGRD is still headquartered above this place?
I've had better in Chicago, but not by much. This place would definitely be on my list if I wanted to go on a nice date.
We have lived in Grand Rapids for 14 years now and when family and friends visit from out of state, we often take them to San Chez for dinner. For many years we were beyond thrilled with the restaurant's tapas and the service. In fact, we dined there so often, that one server became our "regular" server and always was able to recommend new things that we liked.
HOWEVER IN THE PAST THREE YEARS THINGS HAVE GONE DOWNHILL! Service seems to be spotty. Sometimes we've had Very good service and a couple times we've actually been upset and disgusted. Complaints to management were handled with "coupons" for free tapas in future visits on at least two occasions.
The switch to avoid trans-fat has changed the quality and taste of some of the dishes that we loved before. Apparently quite a few people must have complained as a few of the dishes from the old days have returned. With increasing costs, portions have gotten smaller, prices have gone up, and sometimes, ingredients are switched out to cheaper and less tasty items.
Frankly, the restaurant went from being our all-time favorite and weekly dinner out to a place that we only go to now several times a year. It's still enjoyable but not up to it's previous high standards. Sangria is okay, I've had better, but some of the beers are pretty good. Mixed drinks are fine.
Husband eats the same 6 tapas every time we go but my daughters (adults) and I tend to try new things. Sometimes it's great and other times, it's like "Ewwww-Not what I expected from the description". Would recommend that you avoid ANYTHING with bacon unless you like a big, fatty and undercooked chunk-close to raw and unappealing.
Atmosphere is pleasant, a bit noisy but upbeat. Deserts are usually very good. Tapas (for the most part) are as described. Several years ago this place would have gotten a glowing review and 5 stars. Not now, but I would still suggest that it's worth a try if you've never been there before.
This is the best place for tapas! I have been to one in Chicago, and has no comparison to San Chez! They have great service and the food is absolutely awesome! It's a bit pricey, but you pay for what you get. The place is always busy, so you know it's great food.
The tables are quite close to your neighbors, but the place is so small that they need to utilize every square inch of the place. They do have an upper level to dine as well, and is great for parties and get-togethers.
To anyone who hasn't been there or are from out of town, you need to try this place. Great food and is close to the night-life in downtown GR. This is one place I do miss since moving out of state!
My favorite GR restaurant, and a sign that there is hope for discerning tastes in this bustling and waddling metropolis of fast food and wet burritos.
Prices are very affordable, service is friendly, young and competent, and the atmosphere has long been on the forefront of the sometimes struggling downtown sense of edginess or at least willingness to buck the tried and true. Highlights for me are the seafood tapas: garlicky shrimp, deep fried calamari, and whatever fish they find room for one the menu (trout is always a good bet). Veggie options are good too, like the sauteed spinach salad with pine nuts and raisins. Less crazy about the heavier meat options -- sometimes they're good and other times you risk an off night.
This place is wonderful! I've only done tapas here but you just can't go wrong. That, and a pitcher of their house sangria (in either white or red) will have you there for hourse just chatting with good company and eating.
Highly recommended for a date (they have an upstairs that is not as busy) but get their early on the weekends cuase you will be waiting.
We ate here last night. This is some of the best food I've eaten in a long time. Our waitress was friendly and helpful in our decisions on what we wanted to eat. The potato empanadas were delicious. We also had the salad with the avocado-leek dressing which was wonderful. Throughout the evening we experienced some nice surprises. The manager stopped by our table and brought us some bruschetta that had tomatoes and strawberries in a wonderful balsemic dressing. Once we ordered dessert, the waitress brought us a small glass of wine to go with their flan and bread pudding. I can't say I've ever received such attention as I got at this restaurant. We loved it so much, we went back this morning for breakfast! It was delicious. It's nice here because many of the cooks come from the culinary school and they're allowed to express themselves in their individual dishes, so we as the customers reap the rewards (and probably sometimes the not so satisfying) of their learning. Many things on the menu come from culinary student's imaginations. Like the great salad we had which had hearts of palm and wild greens. The young man who waited on us in the morning gave us a tip to go to the art museum across the street where we marveled at all the display of Calders. I'd highly recommend this place to anyone who wants something different but delicious.
Of all the places I've eaten throughout the country, this is still my number one of all time favorite. I have never had a bad dish or bad service. My mouth is watering just thinking of the grilled articokes. I love everything about this place. I love it enough to marry it.
This is hands down my favorite restaurant. The atmosphere is really cool - it's kinda dark and really colorful. Their mixed sangria is really good! Get a pitcher!! Everything I've had there has been good. Definitely a great place to go for a date or with a group of friends. Try the camel one hump (coffee) for dessert! Yum!! Check out their menu from their website. http://www.sanchezbist.../.
Their sangria and fried yucca (with aoili) is all I would need on a desert island. I haven't been in years but I'll tell you what, that yucca dish stays in your bud memory forever, is it even on the menu anymore? Who cares, it's in my heart...
Great atmosphere, very darkish with colorful murals, etc. The food is awesome as well. The whole Tapas idea is just genius for people like me who always drool over what everyone else orders. This way you get to try everything! The have good Sangria and I think we had some Blue Cheese Balls or some ridiculously sinful thing like that. Deep fried blue cheese...seriously, they are like little crack bombs.
I have never been here for lunch, breakfast or brunch, but there dinner menu is amazing and I have never had a bad dish here. I especially love their artichoke hearts and home made aolie. It is a beautiful restaurant with beautiful food and you will savor every bite.
Always remember to make reservations on weekends!
A nice place to take a date or a bunch of friends. The menu is very large and the quality of the items understandably varies a little. I went with my vegetarian lady friend, and we loved three of the five items we tried. The other two were just ok. I like very much that you can just order a thing or two at a time, and sample a variety of items. I like the prices a little less. If it was a little less expensive, I would probably give it 5 stars.
When I lived in Lansing, we would frequently make the drive to GR to go to Sanchez, little did we know that we were being spoiled with the best tapa restaurant anywhere. Upon moving to San Francisco, we have used Yelp to find tapas only to realize that no one in the bay area has been exposed to a really great tapas restaurant. The menu is huge, so you can keep coming back and still find new things to try. The decor is very neat, and tries to pull in as much Spanish influence as possible. Service is very good. My fiance loves the crawfish tapa, so if you are in GR, and want a world class place to go, that also won't happen to break your bank, swing over. The only bad thing, is unless you live close by, when you go home, you will find yourself craving for some sweet Sanchez.
I was here this past New Year's Eve and although they closed too early for us (10 pm! not fair), we had a great meal with great service. I hadn't been here in about 4-5 years, so I indulged in some of my old favorites along with some new entries. We did have the chocolate raspberry cake mentioned by another reviewer, but were disappointed by the gelato (yuck). Oh, well - other than that, it was flawless (especially the "mixed" sangria combination of the white and red varieties . . . I may just have to fly back from SFO to have me some more of that!).
I moved to San Francisco, but I miss Sanchez. This is a great place to take a date, and the price is right. Stop going to ultra dutch restaurants like Russ's or the chain places on 28th street, and get some culture. Check this place out, don't forget to order the sangria or adessert both are awesome. I find the best way to eat at a tapas place is to tell the server you want X amount of tapas and have them choose all of them for you. It's fun.
San Chez is the first restaurant I went to in GR and it remains my favorite 5 years later. We found it after attending an event at the DeVos and I will never forget taking my first bite of salad. "UMmmMM" I said out loud, closing my eyes to focus more on the amazing taste that filled my mouth..."I think this is the best thing I have ever eaten!"
Then another dish came, then another, then another........and each time, the above experience was repeated. It was AMAZING
The bar is excellent: my husband and father love to get the "sherry flight"....the wait staff seem to know a lot about alcohol....
The only thing at all sub-par for me is the desserts. They tend to be good, not great.
The ambiance is amazing: I love the funky decor, and there is a second story which allows for extra seating. If you are a vegetarian, there are pleanty of options.
If you enjoy teeny tiny pieces of food on teeny tiny plates then this is your place! No but seriously, at most tapas restaurants, you have to order 6 or 7 tapas, otherwise you're gettin outta there and heading for the nearest 5-star Golden Arches. This place is different thought...sure tapas are meant to be basically apetizers, so inherently they're small portions. The tapas at this place were relatively large when compared to other tapas restaurants. More importantly, the tapas here were just about as good as I've had anywhere! We started off with the olives, then the pan caliente with tomato and manchego cheese. Then we had the maduros over tostones and the empanada's patato...as my "main course" I had the bistec de lomo which was made with some sort of blueberry demi-glaze (never heard of it, but it was pretty good). I marked this place down one star because the sangria was pretty crappy and I thought my steak would have had way more flavor had it been grilled rather than seared. Other than that though, a pretty good experience overall.
This is my favorite restaurant in Grand Rapids....by far. You have to try the seared ahi tuna with the mango sauce, bleu cheese fritters, plantains and the tira misu oh, and that spicy chocolate raspberry cake with the gelatto on the side...MmmMMmmm. Great sangria and mojitos too. The service is excellent. I always order a few things I can't live without and let my server bring me a few new fun things to try. Dining at SanChez is not just dinner, it's an experience :) Cheers! ~SQ~
Grand Rapids, MI
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Grand Rapids, MI
Category: Restaurants
Grand Rapids, MI
Category: British
Grand Rapids, MI
Category: Restaurants
Grand Rapids, MI
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
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