17th Street Cafe

03/18/09

disappointment

by kenbrody1 at Citysearch

we order take out and attempted to use kcrw discount which cashier refused for "take out" trying to blame it on

kcrw. owner jack also tried blaming "no discount on take out" on kcrw also when in fact it was jack behind this policy and not really kcrw.

order also was screwed up and food was okay but pricy for what it is.

ken

• Pros: good sweet potatoes
• Cons: attitude of owner and mistakes by cashier and overpriced

08/14/08

shameful attitude

by bikermice at Citysearch

I have been a frequent customer at this restaurant for many years.. . but will be no longer. Often, I order food for delivery from the restaurant (LA BITES delivers.) This evening, I ordered a Chinese Chicken Salad. When it arrived, it had no dressing...oh well, mistakes will happen. When I phoned the restaurant, they refused to take responsibility (despite telling me that the order called for the dressing to be "mixed into" the salad). They attempted to blame it on the delivery service, despite the fact that the salad came in 17th St. Cafe's bags and packaging. I can live without the salad... and I can live without the cost of the salad. But I really can't handle a restaurant that won't take responsibility for their mistakes and do the right thing. Thumbs down to 17th Street Cafe for having no class. If they need fifteen bucks for a salad they provided which was not edible, business must not be very good.

• Pros: food is good
• Cons: restaurant has no class....exceedingly poor service.

02/13/08

Great for breakfast & lunch!

by SouthOCNettie at Citysearch

I've had several fun breakfasts with friends there. We all enjoyed the food. And dipping into the muffin basket is yummy and addictive! I always have the egg-white omelet with tomatoes and it 's always fluffy and perfect. We also go often for lunch too. The sweet potato fries are to-die-for! I always order them with the seared ahi salad (but you have to tell them to go very light on the pan if you want the ahi more sushi style) or the chopped vegetable salad, which is also delicious. The salads are huge portions and I can never finish a whole plate.

I've only had one bad experience there. I bragged about the food once to a friend of mine who went to culinary school, so we went for lunch. Unfortunately, her salmon was waaaaay overdone--dry and gross. I was pretty embarrassed after having raved so much about it. But overall, I'd still recommend it. As a matter of fact, I'm going there today for lunch!

10/09/07

RUDE SERVICE

by kat7_dup at Citysearch

I will never go to this place again. The waitress was so rude is was embarrassing. Then she vanished and we had to go up to the register to ask for our bill. The salad was o.k., but not worth the worst service you can imagine.

• Pros: NOTHING
• Cons: SERVICE

07/04/07

Just average

by alishadawn33 at Citysearch

It was average food and I was hoping and expecting a lot more. I went with a few friends for breakfast mid-week. It wasn't crowded and we got a table right away. It looked cute and atmosphere was fun, but food wasn't much to write home about.

I got blueberry pancakes and they were regular pancakes with a huge pile of warm blueberries on top, I was hoping for actual blueberry pancakes. My friends got belgium waffles with strawberries on top that looked amazing (much more appetizing than mine) but tasted a little overdone and hard. Another friend got the wheat pancakes with cinnamon apples on top. It wasn't actual apples on top, It basically had apple sauce on top of them. It all tasted ok, but overall was disappointing and not what we expected.

On a bright note, the Hawaiian Portuguese sausage was really tasty and enjoyable. But on the whole it was average and not a special place I would visit for a fun breakfast with friends.

• Pros: location, price was good for breakfast
• Cons: quality of food, pancakes

02/05/07

FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD PLACE

by littlemermaid9 at Citysearch

I adore 17th street. It's our go-to place, we eat there all the time. The food is reasonably priced and delicious. As long as you're not going for brunch on the weekends (which is SO yummy) you can almost always just walk in and get a table. We're friends with all the staff now, who have always been very friendly. I've never been dissapointed with anything I've ordered there. I love the Cafe Bruschetta and the Toasted Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad. Their wine list is great, try the Martini Cabernet, it's my Dad's favorite. The whole place is very spread out and relatively quiet which I love. Also, yes, there is a paring lot in back, but if it's full try driving down 17th or 16th street. I've never had a problem with parking. Try 17th street, you'll love it!

• Pros: Food, Ambience, Staff
• Cons: Should take reservations for brunch

01/05/07

Expensive!

by daflower at Citysearch

Not recommended for dinner.

I went with a friend and we figured it would be fun to splurge a little on dinner. We had heard some good things about their breakfast, but for dinner, the entrees were pretty pricey for a "cafe." We both stuck to water and each spent in the upper $20's. We tried a couple of their daily specials and weren't impressed at all. The chicken was overcooked and dry and the pasta was just ordinary.

Parking was tough and we found a spot in the alley which we're still not sure if we were legally parked.

The crowd was pretty old, not the 20/30's we expected. There were a lot of people in the 40's and families with kids.

• Pros: cute area, people watching
• Cons: dinner, price, parking

Healthy, hearty meals fuel shoppers on Santa Monica's ritzy Montana Avenue.

by Contributor at Citysearch

In Short
This friendly neighborhood cafe is nestled among the boutiques and galleries of this upscale shopping strip. Inside, exposed ceiling beams create a light, airy atmosphere. An eclectic mix of locals drop by for the Californian fare, embellished with Italian, Mediterranean and Mexican flavors. Menu highlights include a grilled vegetable tostada, chicken and mushroom pasta, and the specialty side dish--crispy sweet-potato fries. Salads, pastas, pizzas and entrees are served in large portions.

02/19/06

they are busy and they know it

by adri79 at Citysearch

After having sampled a variety of breakfast places in the area, this one was recommended to us. Three of us went for Sunday brunch, expecting something at least a little special. Very disappointing. The best thing was the Hawaiian Portuguese sausage, but I doubt they make them there. None of the egg dishes (all 3 got eggs) had what seemed like 2 eggs in them. Breakfast potatoes were OK, but nothing came with toast. Overall, plates seemed a little sparse for the money (almost $9 per). Muffins were served for the table instead of toast, not very good. Worst of all, and main reason for writing this, was the tomato, basil and mozzarella omelet. It was tough, had what appeared to be a single slice of cheese and more tomatoes than made sense. One top of that, almost no flavor.

• Pros: nice place
• Cons: food

05/09/05

Nice, quaint but roomy

by poptartsgurl at Citysearch

The atmosphere was nice and quaint, but there was plenty of seating. The staff was super nice and very attentive. I never had an empty cup of coffee or water. The food was very delicious. The only con is that the price is a bit high, but considering the trendiness of the Montana area, it's expected. I got the Croissant French Toast (good, but since it's dipped and cooked in batter, the flakiness of the croissant is not present), and eggs/bacon as a side. With my coffee, my breakfast came out to almost $20 (not including tip).

• Pros: Food, Seating, Service
• Cons: Price