PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES

If you order a glass of sangría at Cha Cha’s (and I highly recommend that you do) you’re going to get a lot more than just Jesus juice and fruit. First, you’re going to get drunk, very drunk, because during happy hour, glasses of sangría are two for the price of one. Second, if you’re lucky, you’ll get a schlocky horror movie on the looming TV in the bar: nothing quite like taking your first sips while a sharp metal rod is rammed through Paris Hilton’s head. (Oops, House of Wax spoiler!) Third, you’ll most likely get a bartender who tells you crude stories in the most welcome of ways. This place sounds lowbrow, but it’s not. As a restaurant, Cha Cha’s has a beautiful paradoxical aesthetic. It’s decorated like a campy Caribbean wonderland, complete with tropical trees and bright colors, yet the menu offers classy Latin American dishes at moderate prices. Sangría is the perfect mascot for Cha Cha’s vibe: glamorous and a bit frumpy. When I ask the bartender if he’d reveal the recipe, he responds suspiciously, “I can tell you what’s in it, but not how much of each ingredient.” So, spiced rum, triple sec, brandy, boxed red Cabernet, frozen strawberries (which recently replaced brown sugar in the recipe) and fresh apples and oranges are compiled in five-gallon containers. The result is a full-bodied, fruity, not-too-sweet concoction that will make your head zing. It’s not as heavy as beer, not as intense as hard liquor—the perfect drink for late afternoons in late summer. And Cha Cha’s is the perfect place to drink it.

CHA CHA’S 762 PACIFIC AVE | LONG BEACH 90813 | 562.495.4242

Tags: cha cha's, house of wax, sangria, schlock