nice, quirky & good food. i found side street cafe almost by accident, driving around one day looking for a place to feed the kids that wasn't the usual fastfoodplace. ok, i'd have done in-n-out, but they were jammed packed in costa mesa. and i really did want something different.
i spotted the cafe's sign in the strip mall area along harbor blvd, along with people sitting out front eating. eventually, i'll upload a photo -- but the cafe sits back from the big busy street, and the frontage road kind of makes a pedestrian zone. so you can sit outside and sort of people watch.
thefoodwas great and plentiful. i had a chicken salad with this great lime sauce, mandarin oranges, cheese, yummy. oh, peppers and onions. i mention them because others like them, but i'm not a big fan. sure, nice to have the flavoring of them in the salad, but actually eat them. nah.
point is, great salad. like so much that i've had it each time i've gone back.
boys, they love the pancakes. you can get breakfast any time of day, so that's what they dive into.
i've also had the burgers, part of one at least when i split with the kids, and they were yummy. the grilled cheese is very nice too.
there's plenty more on the menu, and i can't wait to explore it all. if i can get away from the salad, that is.
another thing is that drinks are served in these old jars, big ones like for holding jam. quirky and cool, especially if you're like me and love a big glass of diet coke.
inside used to have all this strange stuff on the walls, newspaper clippings, street signs -- but that's all gone, so a bit of the atmosphere as. outside, there are a few tables.
prices are great -- expect to wait, however, at busy times. but you might get in faster than they say.