Gabi James - Spanish restaurant in Redondo Beach - 1810 S Catalina Ave, USA

This was one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in the South Bay! We went here as a SECOND choice for my wife’s birthday (my first choice is closed until October) but had fantastic experience! There were 5 of us for dinner. Although all plates on the menu are “sharing” size, we were all stuffed by the time we left. Among the highlights of the items we ordered, Pan Peche was outstanding, jamon wrapped dated w/ blue cheese, risotto balls, butchers block and the skirt steak were all outstanding. We were eating everything so quickly, i barely had time to take pics!!😂 Our server was pleasant and accommodating. The only thing I was taken slightly aback of was the corkage fee on the 3rd bottle. $25 for the first two bottles, $50 for the 3rd… ehh, I get it. Alcohol is the way restaurants stay in business. We chose to sit outside, and since one of our party had to stay home with a sick kid, our table size seemed to shrink and it was a little crowded for 5 people, but otherwise we enjoyed the atmosphere. Everyone in our party agreed they would be back again!

As native Europeans we love this place, the food and quality of the ingredients that are used are great. They have a great cocktail and wine selection. Food comes out as it is ready so keep this in mind when ordering the food as neither the kitchen or waiting staff pays attention to this. Last time they literally were talking food away to make space on the table, which is not very European. First time we had dinner on the outside patio which is very nice in the Redondo Beach atmosphere, last time we were seating inside which at first sight looked great but it felt a little more cantina style and very noisy. But as I said we love this place and the food!

Delicious food and tantalizing cocktails. I really enjoyed the espresso martini, which was an aromatic delight. Great atmosphere with outdoor seating and exceptionally friendly and helpful waitstaff.

Gabi James is so amazing! We showed up just as they opened and were greeted by the incredible staff. The menu was hard to select from, but we settled on the Oxe Tail Hash and Spanish breakfast sandwich as well as the papas verdes and everything was so good. The place was very quiet when we showed up and the staff was super helpful and attentive. I can't wait to come back and try the rest of the menu.

If you enjoy great flavor, small plates and sharing with your friends, Gabi James is a no-miss destination for good food and a congenial atmosphere. This small restaurant in Redondo Beach knocked it out of the park for a pre-New Year event. To be honest, we love the idea of grazing on small plates, so we were predisposed to liking this. And the restaurant does have more conventional larger plates, but our group of four devoured 8 small plates without feeling rushed and without a real miss on the food. Our server suggested that about 2 plates per person was a good start, and it was indeed. Now we are an adventurous lot, so bear in mind that we like big flavor. The Octopus with Fennel was amazing and out of this world. If we had tried it first we would have ordered two, and believe me, it was enough for all of us. I can see this as a great sit at the bar and share one dish for Nancy and me. Once a week. Seriously. The turkey meat balls, potato Croquettes and roasted mushrooms (with an egg underneath) were all great choices. The croquettes we a crunchy bite with dreamy mased potato center, don't under estimate them. Charred asparigus with panko coated egg was a treat. The shrimp were lovely juicy and well done, although compated to the others a little bland. The crispy calimari were fine, not the best but fine, and the sause was delightful. The general vibe of the restaurant is good. It has a somewhat industrial tone, and the booths and chairs were fine, but not all that comfortable. Service was good and unrushed, which is great, many small plate restaurants seem to think getting you out is the main goal of service, not so much here. Thank you, tip your server accordingly. I am sure we will be back.

Food here was great. Service was also great. A bit on the pricey side. One thing that bothered me is that when we ordered the paella, I did not want chorizo. I do not eat pork. When I asked if we can substitute it for something else, the server replied no. For the price that I’m paying, at least a substitution would’ve been appreciated. Moving on to the appetizers. The Harissa honey eggplant was crispy and delicious. The tortilla was really good with the sauce it comes with. The calamari was great, although I thought the sauce just tasted spicy and barely had any flavor to it. It was still enjoyable. The olives were really good. The complimentary sparkling water is a fantastic choice. I haven’t seen any other restaurants serve complimentary sparkling water. The shrimp was fantastic, full of flavor with the grilled sourdough bread. Now, the star dish, the Paella. It was full of flavor. The portion was great but once again, if only I got a substitution instead of the chorizo it would have been a home run. Finally, the churros were crunchy and airy. The chocolate that comes with the churros was top quality. The cinnamon pear bread pudding was alright, kind of mushy and smelled like eggs. Would recommend this place.

1st time here and everything we had was delicious. These small, medium and large size dishes are made for sharing and we tried the pork belly with blue cheese, lamb chops and paella. Then churros for dessert. Everything was very well put together and I can't wait to return to try more items. The room was nice a cozy, the staff attentive and friendly. Back in this area and had to visit this place again and it's even better than I remember. Found other gems like Blood Sausage, the peppercorn cream sauce, bread pudding with raspberry sauce and the creme caramel... Just place just doesn't stop!

Very good experience. Food was delicious. We had brunch. Service was great. The acoustics sucked though. Place was about half full at 12:30pm but we still had to shout to hear each other. The food made it worth it though. I'll definitely be going back.