Social Paella

Last night Social Paella catered my wife’s 50^th birthday party and they did an amazing job. Jesus and Roman not only cooked two mouth watering paellas and delicious tapas, but they also represented their country and culture very well. My wife is from Spain and she said they are the real deal. Don’t hesitate to hire Social Paella for your next event. You will not be disappointed.

Yesterday I enjoyed a paella like I haven’t tasted since I moved from Spain. Both my hosts and family went for a paella with seafood, and we found all the taste of the Mediterranean Sea here in LA. Not only it looks like a Spanish paella but it tasted like a Spanish one, and all the expected ingredients were there without any concession to the fake paellas sometimes are cooked with either sausage or Tabasco. Only the purest and the finest products along with both an accurate and a kind explanation of the reasons to find them there, made an original experience I would love to repeat. The rice was perfectly cooked in my friends’ yard in a sunny day which moved the entire house into Valencia, Spain for some hours. I cannot but recommend these two kind and professional guys to cook for you in case you are looking for an innovative experience. Iñaki Gomez

Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to an event where the guys from Social Paella, prepared a delicious dinner. The menu consisted of some simple and delicious tapas and the main course was their specialty: Paella. They had two varieties: Seafood and Chicken. Both were exquisite. The taste, texture and exquisite aroma were equal or better than some of the excellent paellas that I tried in Spain where I lived some years. I’m proud of make a gorgeous Paella that all my friends praise but last night I had to get closer to the chef to ask his secrets.
I’m a lover of Spanish food and I have tried to find a quality Paella in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, so far, this is by far the best. The ingredients are excellent and original from Spain: rice pump, quality saffron, ñoras and even a bean that is the first time that I see here. Congratulations for cook the best Paella of L.A. and the surrounding area.
Anoche tuve la suerte de ser invitado a un evento donde los chicos de Social Paella, prepararon una deliciosa cena. El menú constaba de algunas tapas sencillas y deliciosas y el plato fuerte era su especialidad: Paella. Tenían dos variedades, una de mariscos y otra de pollo. Ambas estaban exquisitas. El sabor, la textura y el exquisito aroma eran iguales o mejores a algunas de las excelentes paellas que probé en España donde viví algunos años. Me precio de hacer una magnífica Paella que todos mis amigos elogian pero anoche tuve que acercarme al chef para preguntarle sus secretos. Soy un amante de la comida Española y he intentado encontrar una Paella de calidad en Los Angeles y sus alrededores, hasta ahora, esta es de lejos la mejor. Los ingredientes son excelentes y originales de España: arroz bomba, azafrán de calidad, ñoras y hasta una habas que es la primera vez que veo aquí. Felicitaciones por hacer la mejor Paella de L.A. y los alrededores.

It is the same as the ones you can get by the beach in Valencia and surroundings… best Paella in town. THey are very personable and fun!

A few fambam recently visited another Spanish restaurant in Los Angeles and enjoyed all that they had to offer.
La meva encantadora dona was celebrating her birthday and wanted the same cuisine but for a larger group of family so the restaurant was out of the question. She found Social Paella who does catering and visited them for a food tasting. She loved it!!!
We ordered seafood and squid paella, chorizo al vino tinto, variety of Spanish cheeses and Jamon Serrano for a family party of 20 to be cooked and served at our home. My wife and I were a tad bit concerned as all in attendance «think» they are food critiques. =) Truth be told, my wife and her 8 siblings are used to the same cuisine as lovingly served by their father who passed away years ago. It would seem that Social Paella would have an insurmountable task of delighting their palates. In case the food critiques were not satisfied, we asked Social Paella if they would be willing to do a show and tell so that all could walk away with at least knowing how the food is prepared and cooked. They were more than willing to do so!
Jesus and Roman arrived on the arranged day and immediately started to set up. There were a few attendees gathered that did not waste time asking questions. All of which were answered by the Spanish duo. Minutes later, the whole lot were gathered around and just pitching questions. It turned out to be quite the cooking show. Towards the end, questions turned into acquiring secret recipes and ingredients along with plying the duo with some wine. The cooking show was a success!
On to dinner and the most awaited food comments. To our delight, ALL comments were on the positive side — adjectives were thrown about and plans were made to replicate. Everybody enjoyed the food, the night and the company — Social Paella included.
Many many thanks to Jesus and Roman!!! Please accept our most tasteful appreciation.
On a side note, Social Paella kept in touch from the time we made our food selection all the way up to the time they were en-​route. Chef uniforms were also a good touch.

My boyfriend and I hosted a holiday party for 30 people on our patio and we asked Social Paella to cater it. We only gave them a week’s notice, but they came through for us!!! Jesus, Ricky, and Roman are fanatastic. We ordered one chicken and one seafood paella. The food was delicious and our guests were impressed by how they prepared the paella in front of us. The kids, who had never tried paella before, loved it! The price is extremely competitve (especially for an on-​site catered event) and the customer service can’t be beat. I highly recommend Social Paella for any event.

Social Paella catered our wedding and did an absolutely outstanding job. We have really high standards for food, and have tasted and cooked LOTS of paella before, but theirs was truly some of the best we’ve ever had. I really can’t say enough good things about them.
The whole team is incredibly professional, attentive and super friendly during the event while cooking. They helped us plan for the number of people we had, helped us with barstaff, and were super low-​stress.
Most of all, the food speaks for itself, and was truly one of the highlights of the night. This crew does it right and I can’t wait to find an excuse to put on an event so that I can hire them again.

We found Jesus and Social Paella here on Unilocal,and I had to come back to share with others how great of an experience we had with them.
We had a nice sit-​down party for 30 adults in our back yard, and Social Paella was the hit of the party. It was a delicious meal, and Jesus and his partner were incredibly kind, respectful, and fun to have there as well. We will definitely use them again.

Such a great idea for a social gathering or event. It definitely brought me back to the smells and flavors of the Paella I had for my birthday dinner on our trip to Madrid. So delicious, fun, and a great social experience of bringing people together.

Jesus is a dear and lovely man with a passion for Paella! What a treat to find this unique caterer for a kid/​adult party. We chose 3 kinds for our group of about 30 adults and 15 kids — chicken, veggie and black squid seafood. I assumed that the seafood would be the least popular — but everyone loved that one the best. Something magical happens when Paella is done right — the rice sticks together perfectly, the spices are subtle but present, and the veggies and meats are not dried out.
We didn’t get to have the cooking of the paella in house but chose delivery. When the trays started to cool off, we used chafing racks and burners (you can buy them at Smart and Final).
We ordered too much for sure, so we are freezing some and gave some to our guests to take home. A great change to the expected party food. A huge hit!

Social Paella is delightful and ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would eat here again!!!
They are mostly a catering team as a lot of users here have pointed out. But I was able to catch them at Tested L.A. which is a test kitchen that a lot of people who run food trucks and startup restaurants rent to try out their menu items.
I tried the seafood and the chicken paella and it was amazing. I really liked everything about it. Texture, taste and even the crispy slightly burned outer shell of the rice (on purpose i believe!)
Too bad my friends from spain were not able to make as I wanted to see if it was on par with what they had from back home. I was able to meet Jesus the chef /​owner (?) as we sort of message each other on instagram when I would bug them when they would do an event again. We spoke a little bit about football as he was a big Atletico Madrid follower and the team that I follow have a good relationship with them because of some transfers that happened recently.
I miss it a lot and looking forward to eating here again when I catch them!

I can’t praise then enough.
Hired them for a dinner party for 30 people. The food was first-​rate (I lived in Madrid for a year), the sight of the paella cooking was delightful, the attitude of the chef’s was sunny.
A perfect job.

I loved my experience at the Social Paella, I went with 4 of my girlfriends and have to say all the dishes we ordered were solid. The Pan tomaquet was the best I’ve had (including in Spain) and the paellas and black rices were incredible, you get them in individual paelleras so you can get in every dish the crispy bottom rice. It was BYOW so that’s always amazing… I wanted to go again but I guess they are not doing the pop up at testedLA anymore, I really hope they get a new place very soon as this is the best Spanish food in LA.

Such a nice place. Since you get there you can feel like you’re in Spain. The food is amazing and home made. The costumer service is really good and the best of this place is that you can bring your own drink.
I went ⁴⁄₅ times and I can’t get tired of this food. I’ll be coming back soon.
It’s always a good experience.

What a wonderful experience! They arrived right on time and my event was all the way in Upland, Ca. They were so friendly and so professional! They set up their station outside and after they cleaned up you would have never even noticed that they were cooking for 2 hours. Not a drop of grease or a crumb on the ground! The food was delicious, needless to say! I can’t wait to hire them again!

They are mostly a catering company, however if they don’t have any events scheduled on Fridays they rent a kitchen space on 3329 Division St., Los Angeles, 90 065. Prices for the paella start at 12 dollars for the chicken paella which is amazing, by the way. I have never used their catering services, so my reviews are based on my visits at the address stated above. Make sure to follow them on Instagram @Socialpaella
Charcuterie plate– $ 8– ⁵⁄₅ — Variety of Spanish Premium cured meats Chorizo, jamón Serrano, chorizo blanco (salchichon), lomo. One cannot go wrong for the price. I always start the night off with this appetizer.
Tortilla Española– $ 6– ⁵⁄₅ — I’m not from Spain, but i would describe it as a potato and egg pie without the crust. It is surprisingly light, yet filling. Order one and split it between 2 people. You can always order more.
Paella– They come in individual paella pans. They usually have 3 options vegetarian, chicken and seafood. Sometimes they do have specials, which is arroz negro. Arroz negro is squid ink rice with seafood.
Now onto the good part.
Chicken Paella– $ 12– ⁵⁄₅ — The chicken comes out juicy and tender, talking to Chef Jesus, he talks about how it is very hard to find good chicken in the States. In Spain, he was used to chicken that was raised in the open. We all know that is very hard to find chicken like that in Los Angeles.
Seafood Paella– $ i forget the price– ⁵⁄₅ I believe it comes with squid, clams and shrimp. I switch off between this one and the chicken.
Squid Paella– $ 13– 5÷5− It is very hard to find squid ink anything. Usually it has to be a very high end restaurant. One cannot go wrong for a dish that is served for 13 bucks. It comes with shrimp.
I have been recommending this Social Paella to all my friends.

Tortilla espanola was yummy. Came with sauce that I couldn’t immediately identify, and didn’t have any strong characteristics that over powered the tortilla.
This time around I had the chicken paella… and I am glad to report, that it was made with dark meat. I think I would have to take away a star if they had breast meat in the pan. That cut would not have survived the high heat and long cooking time without it getting dry and overcooked.
I think I like the chicken over the seafood version.
Everything paired well with the Wente Cab I brought.

I run into this business by chance. Being from Spain, I did not think I was going to be really impressed by its paella. When I learned the owner and chef was from Spain, my hopes rose a little. OMG! When I tried it I really could not believe it. It is exactly like back home.
They cook amazing food, and it is incredibly affordable for paellas that are made individually and to order.
I liked it so much that I asked him to cater for a party at home. He came with a great display of really professional equipment and an incredibly natural and friendly disposition. They cooked two paellas right in front of everyone and explained and chatted to guests about the process. I also ordered some tapas that were also good.
I truly loved it! Highly recommended if you want to eat true Spanish paella.

I wish I could rate Social Paella more than 5 Stars.
Jesus and his crew were AMAZING! They catered my engagement party this weekend (about 100 guests). I wanted to do something different for our party and started looking for a caterer who could serve authentic Spanish cuisine. I found Social Paella and contacted Jesus (the owner). He suggested I come to the farmers market to try his food before I booked him. We were not disappointed.
We booked him for October 18. In the months leading up to the party, he stayed in touch about the menu and ideas he had. He and his crew arrived the day of exactly when they said they were. The set up, prepared the tapas and was ready to serve as guests arrived. The presentation was beautiful. He also helped me get bartenders that were wonderful. Tapas were passed by servers and they also had more set out on a table. My guests were very impressed… we served spanish tortillas, jamon and melon, grilled shrimp, several types of meats and cheeses, mushroom empanadas (must try!) and fresh baked bread. He also brought his amazing Red and White Sangrias… they were absolutely amazing.
As they prepared the 3 different paellas, my guests were able to see how labor intensive, but truly beautiful it is to make. Jesus also arranged for Spanish musicians and a group of flamenco dancers. The show was beyond anything I could have imagined. Every person Jesus brought to my home were professional, personable and made every guest feel special.
When the Paella was ready, my guests couldn’t stop raving about how delis it was. We had the seafood paella, the meat (chicken and beef) paella, and vegetarian paella. I can’t decide which was my favorite. They were delicious! The servings were generous and there was plenty of food left over (I was shocked because I know my friends and family are big eaters!).
Jesus, you are amazing. Thank you for making our engagement party so very special. I would recommend Social Paella to anyone who wants an unforgettable meal. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will post pics ASAP

I encounter Social Paella at the Old Town Pasadena Farmer’s Market on Sundays though you can also cater with them. They are a showy stand, with three paella pans going at the same time. The smells coming from the pans are alluring and it’s mesmerizing to watch the simmering rice in broth.
We purchased a large size ($ 11) of the pork rib and chicken paella, which comes with one tender pork rib, a few pieces of chicken, green and red peppers, green beans, and fava beans with a saffron hued rice. Was it delicious? Yes! The rice was less crunchy than I expected and less saffron tasting, but all the flavors had melded together and the meats were tender. It’s just that the portion is quite small. A large is the size of a small square takeout container and a small is served on a paper tray. They make a good product but I can’t afford it!

I really wanted to love this place. I saw that the old town farmers market had a stand selling paella and other Spanish food and I was so excited to check it out. Sadly the excitement ended there. Waiting in line to order, the woman taking orders seemed extremely overwhelmed with 6 people in line. When I got my order I was severely unimpressed with the size of the portion compared to the price I paid. A small container of paella is $ 6 and it’s about a handful of food. The large portion is in fact what you would consider a small.
I would have been able to overlook this if the paella was amazing but sadly, it wasn’t. It was overcooked for sure. The only thing that saved it was the bright spritz of lemon I squeezed into it.
Being that I recently went to Valencia, Spain, the birthplace of paella, I’d like to think I have a great point of reference as to what paella should taste like.
Overall it was not bad but for the price it wasn’t great.
The good thing is that they atleast gave me a few shrimp and one clam for my $ 6.
The grilled shrimp I got was good and was fairly priced at $ 3 a skewer. It had 4 shrimp on it and was layed out on a piece of bread with aioli.
Being that it’s hard to find Spanish food, I can see the appeal but I would save your money for a different place.