San Marino Cafe & Marketplace - San Marino, California

Philip V. W.

Still one of my favorite neighborhood cafes and have been coming back for years. I discovered this gem on a bike ride & it was love at first sight, then at first bite. The sandwiches and the lemonade are the showstoppers but everything is fabulous.

Christy E.

2024 Update:

Service was friendly, and I still very much enjoyed my quiche and lavender latte. But the $25 marketplace panino was totally a ripoff…

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We came on a Sunday during lunch time, and it was already packed. Not gonna lie, that immediately gave me a good feeling about this place. I assumed that the food must be good.

We opted for two drinks (one iced latte, one peach oolong iced tea) a breakfast burrito (added ham), a scoop salad, an acai bowl, and a bowl of chili to share. All pretty good. Breakfast burrito was flavorful, veggies were fresh and crisp! And omg I loved their homemade vinaigrette salad dressing. I plan to go back and see if they will sell a bottle to me. So good! Acai bowl was also delish. I enjoyed the meal. The only complaint would be the drinks, they were kinda watered down. They didn't have much flavor.

Downside? Service was good and bad.

We loved the lady who took our order, she was sweet and friendly. We ordered to go, and she told us it would take about 20 ish mins. She even suggested we could either check out the area or have a seat outside while waiting. She was a sweetheart. Very accommodating. However, when we went back to collect the food, the server who handed the food to us, she seemed a bit absent-minded. She repeated the items that we ordered, and she still FORGOT our bowl of chili. :"(( not to mention when she handed over our food, I said thank you and she walked away without a response.

All in all, I like this place. Even though everything was on the pricy side, I enjoyed the food. Would recommend to my girlfriends!

Cynthia

I have no idea how I've lived in the area my whole life and just recently ordered here. Sadly, I didn't get to take a picture of my food to show here, but it's because it was that good! My experience was great, from the friendly customer service to the fresh and yummy food. (It was interesting to see some of the reviews here of people commenting about the customer service, but I have honestly not experienced this at all. Although I've only ordered takeout, I would like to go in for dine in to see what the experience is like).

The food I've tried so far is the curry chicken/sandwich, which is a 10 out of 10, the tuna, chicken, and egg salad all individual as well as on a sandwich which has lettuce, fresh tomatoes, and mayo.

Price wise, it is a little pricey and in these times I know spending $15-$25 on a single sandwich or sandwich and coffee is a lot, but I would consider this a treat for yourself when you can or coming for a special breakfast or lunch woth a friend or family member.

regis K.

A cute and folksy little cafe in a beautiful city of San Mariano where the famous Huntington Library is located. I love the vibes and charm of this Main Street where most of the local good shops and restaurants congregate.

We have been dining in the neighboring Julianne restaurant, but never been here. We met a friend for lunch and glad to have a chance to experience their friendly service and the good food.

We ordered our food first and then the waiter brought our food to us later. There are several tables outdoor. During lunch time, it’s hard to find a table. Most people are here for take out orders.

The restaurant has very good salad selections. My wife and I ordered their San Marino salmon salad and their marketplace salad. Both tasted delicious. The vinaigrette dressings were so good that mixed well with the chicken and the salmon. I saw the menu offered many other deli salads as well.

Although we didn’t have a chance to try their sandwiches and paninis, our friend told us that they are very good. Will definitely try them next time.

With the excellent and friendly service, I don’t have any gripes about this place except with the wait for our food. We had to wait around half an hour before our food came out.

Parking is main on the street in front of the restaurant.

Ying L.

Great cafe in a popular part of town. Friendly quick service with quality drinks and food. Has outdoor patio and indoor seating. Tried their lentil soup (very savory and satisfying!) and their spicy chai latte (not too sweet or spicy, a good blend). Great place to relax and chat, definitely recommend!

Karen C. (.

I'd give this place 5 stars for food -- always like the food here, especially the quiche and the sandwiches, and the seating outside. Service in the past has always been good.

However, recent service is a 2. When I was there last Saturday, it took forever for someone to bring our drinks after our lunches arrived. When I mentioned we had drinks, as well as sandwiches, when a young woman brought our food, she said, "Yeah, the drinks are taking a long time." We ordered lemonade and an Arnold Palmer -- presumably sandwiches take longer to make than pouring ice tea and lemonade into cups. It was an odd response.

Finally, after about 15 minutes, I got up to go get them myself and saw they were sitting on the counter - behind the person who had brought our sandwiches and another male employee with whom she was chatting and laughing. I stood there and was ignored. When I finally asked, "May I have our drinks?" she said, "Just a sec" in an irritated tone and went to help someone else who had just walked up to the register.

Finally, a third employee - who was very nice when she took our order earlier - saw me and handed them to me. The ice was half-melted.

I have no idea what that was all about; however, I will stay away for awhile until there's employee turnover.

Also, I learned it's a good idea to just order your food to go - -that way you get everything at once, food and drinks, and can still find a table outside. Definitely go for the food!

J C.

Ecstatic that my friend found this place and shared it with me. Although I'm not normally in this neighborhood, I will come back just to eat here. I very much enjoyed the Figgy Piggy Panini with salad that I had and am looking forward to trying their other sandwiches. Street parking can be a little difficult depending on the time of day you come, but they do have a small lot right behind. As their name states, marketplace, they also carry a selection of spices and wines for sale. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but they have a full coffee bar. A lot more outdoor seating than indoor seating and a single, shared gender bathroom.

Goar M.

Nice little place for breakfast or lunch. My panini was tasty, super classic. The double coffee cups were gigantic and the coffee was really good. The muffin was just ok. There are several other drinks in the fridge and assorted pastries. Thery also offer a variety of salads for lunch and sandwiches that looked amazing. The price was ok. Service was right.