Square One Dining

07/31/09

Good Food- Recommend Take Out

by suncia11

Working at one of the nearby hospitals, Square One has long been a favorite to order out from, for breakfast and lunch. The brioche french toast is a favorite, as is the beet salad, and anything with the delicious Nueske bacon. Today, with some time to spare, i brought an out of town visitor to lunch. In reading past reviews, I'm happy to say there is no longer a plague of flies. I was less happy with the friendly wait staff. We sat for 20+ minutes, finally flagging someone to ask if we could order. Another 25 minutes passed, watching food arrive at tables seated long after us, asked if where ours might be? When it arrived, it had clearly been ready long before the bus boy was tapped to bring it. It was an interesting to contrast the difference between eating in and taking out- the food was fresher and nearer the correct temperature range with take out. After bringing my check in the cute little bucket up myself, i left with the resolution to forgo the misery, and simply phone in future orders. For those of you who found the food less than stellar, try the take out option. Our staff seems to be happy, and I must say there was a significant difference to recommend it- on many levels.

• Pros: Good breakfasts, delicious bacon, diverse menu
• Cons: Nonexistent, but friendly service

04/27/09

Awful pancakes

by swimologist

I consider a "good" breakfast restaurant one that gets the basic beginner fare right. Namely, French toast, pancakes, waffles. If you can't do that right, much less charge 9$ for 3 pancakes without toppings, you need help. The pancakes I had APR 25 were made from a cheap mix. I could have gotten better pancakes at IHop.

Try Marston's in Pasadena. Way better.

• Pros: anything not sweet is probably okay
• Cons: I know the pancakes sucked. God help us with the French Toas

01/03/09

Best French Toast Ever?

by spimeco

Everything on the menu is stellar. The [brioche] french toast will be in your dreams for weeks. My lady prefers the egg sandwich. Coffee/espresso is above average.

• Pros: Pure deliciousness, good service
• Cons: Zero

11/24/08

Stellar bacon, Cake-Of-The-Day, Homemade pickles .. always leave me wanting more.

by franimal

Having spent years in hipster dining in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I am delighted to see such a star in L.A. Everytime I visit L.A. this place is a must. Where do I begin? Cake-Of-The-Day - let's start there. Whoever is the pastry chef here has got their thing down, specifically variance, freshness, chocolate, and some actual spice on certain days (ie. cayenne, or the like).

Start with the home-made pickles, choose a bacon dish or just take the bacon as a side (bacon being from a local farm), consider the baked eggs - they are excellent. And finish with the Cake-Of-The-Day obviously - you will not find yourself disappointed.

The only thing missing are Bloody Marys. No matter - for breakfast, this place is pretty close to perfection on a budget.

• Pros: Pickles, Dessert, Bacon
• Cons: No Bloody Marys .. yet

08/18/08

ZZZZzzzzzzzz SPLAT!!

by Silverlakian

Bring a fly swatter....

After reading about it for a while, I dragged a friend there--twice. The comment about the flies is correct: both inside and outside the place is SWARMING. That's an easy problem to fix, however, compared to the bland menu. I felt like I had a cold both times. Dull... flavorless... unimaginative.... dull.... And the trendy crowd with their squalling trendy kids was still shoveling it in...

Try Alcove instead...

• Pros: No waiting now!! Killing flies keeps kids entertained!!
• Cons: Food is ordinary at BEST and that whole Biblical pestilence thing...

08/15/08

:( ...Now I'm not so sure...

by metaldog1970

After coming to this place for a year now, and telling a million people about it, I went for breakfast a couple times about week ago and was extremely disappointed. Both times.

There were all these flies that they tried to control by one tiny Venus Fly Trap on the windowsill. But really, they were a total nuisance and after seeing them land on silverware on empty tables, I felt disgusted.

Both times, my dishes came out cold - not timed well with my dining companions which came out warm. I ordered a pressed egg sandwich one day and it was not only cool but runny on the inside - not a good combination and it didn't feel safe to eat. It seemed that they were pretty busy so maybe they have a new crew working? I heard that the original owner left and it's new owners...could this be the issue? Because all the times I came previously were exceptional experiences. I hope these were isolated events and at some point, I will try them again, but I've had to be honest to other people about my recent experiences.

The coffee is good though....

• Pros: friendly staff, great location with (usually) easy parking, pretty fast service
• Cons: flies! food is not timed well

05/22/08

Okay food, slow service

by foodie114

The food is alright here, it wasn't anything special. I ordered a breakfast skillet, which was okay. The food also took forever to get to our table. I looked at other people's food and it looked better than mine, I don't know, maybe it depends on what you order?

• Cons: Slow service, food was okay

05/04/08

Perfect Sunday Breakfast!

by marenandtony

What a perfect sunday breakfast, both food and service were impeccable. My husband and I sat outside on the patio, started with a delicious soy latte with thick and creamy foam, fresh squeezed OJ. We were tempted to get the french toast as we kept seeing big gooey syrupy plates go by but we opted for eggs instead. I had the egg sandwich with arugula, tomatoes and aioli between 5 grain seeded bread. The quality of ingredients is very high and vibe at Square One sweet. We will definitely be back.

• Pros: Quality of Food, service, vibe
• Cons: Parking

03/15/08

Fresh clean food

by aylsworth

I know clean is a weird way to explain food, but somehow it seems like the right word for Square One. They don't overdo it with unnecessary flavors, everything is simply done... and oh so tasty. I've had the beet salad which was great (although I'd prefer goat to blue cheese), the breakfast sandwich is also super tasty. Glad to have Square One in the neighborhood. Service is super fast, but as this place grows in popularity the wait becomes longer! I just wish they were open for dinner too.

• Pros: Casual setting, great food, outdoor seating
• Cons: Can't think of any!

12/27/07

great hidden gem near silverlake

by fullofflav2

went there with some gal pals and had a wonderful brunch. i ordered the beet salad which was wonderful. everyone enjoyed their food and the place was very quaint.

• Pros: food and outdoor patio