Reviews for Tangata Restaurant in Santa Ana, CA

We were so disappointed in our lunch at Tangata today. We have eaten at Tangata before COVID and loved it. The service today was... very friendly but the food was terrible. I strongly suggest you eat BEFORE going to the Bowers Museum and avoid Tangata. Read more

Excellent chicken sandwich on Ciabatta with Avocado. My friend asked for an off menu coffee drink and they were happy to oblige.... The greens from the salad were fresh and tasty. Service was excellent! Read more

Yummy Chicken Ceasar Salad Clean tables and chairs.. Yummy adult dole whip with Vodka..

I have enjoyed the many Patina Brand restaurants I have visited in LA, OC, and NY. As a result I was looking forward to dining... at Tangata when we visited the Bowers Museum. I tried to make a reservation, but was unable to get a good time, so we decidedto walk in. The Maitre D said it would be 15 minutes for a table, so we wander around the gift shop while we wait. Not anunreasonable wait because they were busy, even though there were lots of empty tables. We were seated approximately 20 minuteslater. The restaurant is lovely. All tables have flowers. The lights are all designed like ribbons. There is a view of theopen kitchen. We all ordered sandwiches, which should have been quick. I mean they didn't have to go out to catch the tunafish. We waited longer for the food than we did for our table, over half an hour. I realize the restaurant was busy, but itwas a long wait, especially since we were hungry. At one point we were all staring longingly at the kitchen, watching for aglimpse of our food, and the Maitre D passed by and said with a smile, "Just a few more minutes" Finally the food arrived. Itwas good, don't get me wrong, but was it worth $16? No, I don't think so. I think it was overpriced for what we got. A coupleother things bothered me. They add on a 3% "administrative charge to the bill to cover the cost of doing business, and is notintended to be a tip, gratuity, or service charge for the benefit of employees. No portion of this admin charge is distributedto employees. What the hell? Shouldn't the cost of the food you order be enough to cover the cost of doing business? Why isthere an additional fee? Also, I paid with a gift card. They would not allow me to tip using my gift card. Just about everyrestaurant allows you to leave the tip on the gift card. My final issue was when I looked under the table when I got up toleave. The floor was dirty, with food on the ground. It was not my mess, and I didn't see it when I Read more

Food at its finest! I was very delighted with the food. I had a New York Strip and it was very yummy! Along with its Gorgonzola... cheese on top! I love their menu, it was a bit limited yet you have plenty of choices. Nice staff too. Read more

We were staying at the Westin next door and looked for a good restaurant. I was in the mood for a great steak and so based on... reviews came here. My wife and I had prawn appetizer, very good, 4 large ones. My wife had a Wedge salad that was closer to halfa lettuce head and I had a Caesar with plenty of anchovies. We both had a New York Strip, bone on with gorganzola cheese on topand mushroom sauce, we were delighted. Read more

After spending the morning and early afternoon looking at the exhibits in the Bower's museum, we decided to try the restaurant.... What a treat. There is a slightly limited menu with a current special lobster addition to their normal selections. We did notsee any soft drinks (soda) so my husband joined me with a berry ice tea. Very good.... Read more

I came here on a lunch date on a beautiful sunny day, and it was a good experience. Our waitress was really nice and very... friendly. She was very attentive and catered to our every need. Tangata is operated under the Patina Group, which does all thecatering for Bowers Museum weddings. As such, you can expect the food to be of a high quality caliber. My date and Iordered: 1) blue crab cake - perfectly breaded and fried on the outside, but very soft and savory on the inside 2) Barramundifish - very delicious fish that was not overcooked 3) spinach ravioli - one of my favorite dishes, this was light and savoryall at the same time...very delightful 4) pear crostata - light dessert, but I think they got their ice cream ratio all wrong(should be more ice ceam!! haha) Read more