San Chez A Tapas Bistro

i have been a fan of san chez for 15 years now. wow! i have tried many of the new restaurants in the downtown area and there is no doubt.....san chez is still the best. don't let construction or anything else stand in your way of enjoying the city's best restaurant. i also have gotten to know dan gendler; owner throughout the years along with some of the past and present staff. dan is a really great guy. he cares about not only the happiness of his customers but his staff as well. I LOVE THIS PLACE! Pros: everything! Cons: over the top waiters/waitresses more

The decor was exciting and made me feel like I was somewhere special. That is until the food came. The Lamb Chorizo meatballs were bland, the Moroccan Shrimp was overdone with what tasted like generic Cajun spice and the eggplant and goat cheese was just blah. It was like all the ingredients were out of tune. I've heard good things about this place so maybe it was just an off night? Pros: Friendly waitress, kept my diet cokes coming Cons: Disappointing Cuisine more

We adore the tapas at San Chez, simply put, the food is the best in West Michigan in my opinion. That being said, on the majority of our visits, we have been graced with spectacular, friendly servers, however, not always. On the occassions we chose to bring our children (or friends with children) we were treated like we were a big inconvienence. On one occassion, the hostess acted very put out when we would not leave our stroller at the front door. We had twin babies asleep in a side by side, and we planned on pulling the stroller up to the table. She said that strollers ""weren't allowed"". I asked if she was willing to send a manager to back her up, and did she expect us to eat our dinner with baby's on our lap?? It was a bit rediculous, and if it weren't for the other great visits and wonderful food, would would not have returned. Pros: Incredible food, an awesome mix of flavors Cons: Inconsistent service, not always kid friendly more

The great tapas (lamb...mushroom...calamari) were mitigated by our political-opinion spewing (really!) server. If this kid paid as much attention to refilling water glasses as he did to his polemic, uninvited comments (ranging from his negative vews of the art on the wall to Michigan politics) it would have been a dining home run. Unfortunately, our relationship was an economic one (i.e. we were paying money for the experience), rather than simply being acquaintances on a city bus. Our server's tres' chic political correctness was simply tedious, rather than incindiary. As for us, we'll exercise our small part in dining's efficient market by not returning. I feel sorry that the chef's wonderful tapas were sent forth in the manner we experienced. Pros: Creative, fresh food Cons: Service? You're kidding?! more

My husband and I went there because it seemed like a great environment, but boy were we WRONG. When we arrived it was not that busy, but the waitress set us on a side table on a corner next to some sort of closet, the waitress never came to our table. After about 15 minutes my husband went to the bar where the hostess was chatting with the bartender. We asked to be moved to one of the many empty tables near the windows, and asked for a waitress. We waited another 20 minutes, of all the waitresses on the floor NOT ONE ever came to our table to offer water, menus or just check up on us. We left after almost 40 minutes and WILL NEVER EVER go back again. Pros: AVOID Cons: Horrible Service OVERALL more

I lived in GR for 5 years and San Chez was (and still is) my favorite restaurant. I compare all Tapas (and most restaurants) to this place and I have had Tapas everywhere. I live in North Carolina now and there is a bit of a Tapas restaurant craze, unfortunately no-one has got it right. San Chez set the standard for me in taste, ambiance, service and quality. You can't help but enjoy yourself. Pros: Food, service, ambiance, location, quality, creativity more

We chose San Chez for my husband's birthday based on referrals from friends, we tried it and it has now become our favorite place. It's even kid friendly, we have a 11 and a 4 year old. They have wonderful art all over and the restrooms are clean and decorated rather funky. I felt very comfortable during our whole experience. more

What a delightful place! The food was superb: soup, tapas & dessert - ALL were incredibly good! San Chez IS a real treat for your tastebuds. In addition to the great food, we found the service to be quick AND helpful with the menu & the atmosphere [music] was totally in sync with a Santana concert we went to see afterwards! Coincidence? I don't think so! A perfect evening, thanks San Chez! Pros: wonderful food, great service Cons: VERY popular more