Fine.. I'm not sure what else to say. I wasn't expecting much and my expectations were met. I came into the water gardens for an interview at lunch time and decided to look for a sandwich or salad before I had to jet back off to work. Walked in here because it was honestly the first thing I found and it looked quick, which it was by the way. I was served in a very timely fashion which is good if you are in a rush to get back to the office. Will say though the cashiers seem really unfriendly. Don't even ask "how are you?" before blurting out, "what can I get for you?" Oh well! What could you possibly expect from an office building cafe? Anyways I grabbed a caprese sandwich. It was a nice size for the hefty $9.25 price tag. The ingredients were fresh though. Big thick slices of mozzarella and tomato which I appreciated. If I do end up getting hired and returning to the building I'll likely be brown bagging it though. read more

City Kitchen Express - Caprese Sandwich - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Found a bug in my salad. I'm pregnant and this just absolutely mortified me. I showed them and asked for a refund which they did no questions asked and were remorseful. The staff here is great which is why I am giving it 2 stars. I wouldn't have posted, however, seeing that previous customers also complained about bugs in their salads, I think management needs a wake up call. You're charging $11 for a basic chicken Caesar salad, there is no excuse to cut corners. You are putting lives at risk. read more

City Kitchen Express - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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I had three bites of their veggie quesadilla before my stomach started to feel weird. I chalked it up as being morning gas, and kept eating. By the time I was half way done, my stomach was cramping so bad. Like each bite got so much worse. I opened up the quesadilla and some of the veggies, like the mushrooms and bell pepper, looked like they were pushed beyond their expiration date. I threw the rest away right then and there. But still pretty sure I got some type of mild food poisoning because the rest of the work day, I was in and out of the bathroom. It's sad because it tasted pretty good (the only reason for the 2 stars), but I don't trust this place. read more

The only thing I always get here is the shrimp salad which has avocado, bacon, and shrimp it in with romaine lettuce and their fit breakfast which is pre-frozen, but then grilled scrambled egg patties and sausage patties. I am pretty sure the sausage patties are frozen too. :( The breakfast is $3.50 without any carbs so I was going there a lot, but now that I know it's frozen, I'm not as thrilled. However, I still go back for their salad constantly If I was doing carbs, I would so try their pretzel bread sandwich. read more

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Wandered around the Water Garden area for a little bit in search of this place. A co-worker of mine mentioned a cafe like place inside one of the buildings that had pretzel bread and freshly made potato chips. City Kitchen Express is located in the building closest to 26th Street. Everything is pretty straightforward there. You can try one of their specials, or make your own sandwich or salad. I got their special once, The Indiana Jones. It was DELICIOUS. The ingredients are fresh and your food is made to order. The chicken was full of flavor. I went back again today and made my own sandwich with: Pretzel Bread Smoked Turkey Provolone Cheese Mixed Greens Onions Cucumbers Mustard It was SO YUMMY. The pretzel bread has the perfect amount of salt on it and was soft. It didn't taste like it had been sitting around for days. And again, everything tasted fresh and I couldn't get enough. This may be my new go-to sandwich spot when I'm at work. The sandwich plus chips comes out to about $9. Totes worth it. read more

Located inside the Water Gardens, City Kitchen Express is the perfect lunch spot for anyone who works nearby. I pick up lunch here at least twice a week, so it's safe to say that I've tried a lot of their menu items, and I'm a huge fan. Their menu is pretty straightforward: don't forget to check out the specials on the board behind the cash register! The create-your-own sandwiches allow you to customize your meal however you'd like, but no matter what you get, I recommend the pretzel bread. It is outstanding! And I know what you're thinking...but it's not too salty and it's perfectly soft. I also love the Senorita Salad with BBQ chicken, avocado, and the cilantro-ranch dressing (among many other delicious fix-ins). In addition to everything on their menu, they also make their own potato chips, which pair well with any sandwich or salad. While the space isn't much, there's plenty of room to wait for your order and the service is quick so they'll have you in and out of there in no time. The workers are always friendly and helpful as well! I remember one time I ordered a salad and they were out of avocado so they gave me extra chicken instead for free. That being said, City Kitchen Express is my go-to for lunch in the Water Gardens and the beautiful outdoor seating doesn't hurt either. read more

Came in after running into the bank today. Never been, smelled good. Ordered an iced mocha and a turkey sandwich. Brought it back to my office, ate half and when I was going to eat the second half I went to remove some of the excessive lettuce and found a sizable bug! I'm not the type of person to take to yelp before I try to resolve the problem directly with the owner first. So I called. I used cash for my transaction so I wasn't looking for a refund, I really just wanted to inform them of my incident. They offered for me to come back and they would remake it, which I declined... I really had lost not only my appetite but my trust that this is a clean cafe. I told them that they could refund my co worker who paid for a salad with a credit card since she was so grossed out that she threw her food away too. They agreed and asked me to send a photo to their email. I sent the photo and the owner called me. The owner was defensive, unprofessional and at one point attempted to tell me to complain to their produce company, NOT THEM. Are you kidding me? This is when I began to raise my voice, prompting her to talk over me and scoff multiple times. She told me she wasn't going to refund my co worker because they used different lettuce for her salad than the lettuce I found the bug in. I couldn't believe it. After arguing a bit more she agreed to refund my co workers card for the amount of my sandwhich (not the amount of her salad...$2 difference mind you...also wasnt asking for a refund for BOTH meals). She then hung up on me. She called me back within 1 minute and told me that she was not going to refund the card and that I needed to come in to collect my $10. I explained I work far away and was not going to go out of my way for $10. She insisted she wants to "meet me", I dont know if this was some weird threat or what she meant by that but I declined. She laughed and talked over me until I eventually hung up on her. I cannot believe the unprofessionalism I experienced with this woman. If she truly is the owner I would be shocked. read more

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I happen to work in the same building as City Kitchen. I go here more so for convenience, but now I don't even know if I could recommend that. The food is overpriced for what it is, and recently the quality and consistency have been on a decline. I used to get the turkey chili or soup of the day whenever I was in a rush or pressed for the time. I'm not sure what changed, but whatever they served my last couple of visits tasted too sweet for soups that are supposed to be savory. Today I ordered a sandwich and soup, which ended up totaling $17 and change before tip. I didn't order a lettuce sandwich, but that's what I got. The lettuce to meat/ other ingredient ratio was so imbalanced. The tomato basil soup used to taste amazing. Today it was bland, and I guess they gave up on the basil altogether. What happened City Kitchen? read more

City Kitchen Express - Roast beef sandwich and tomato soup from City Kitchen... stingy with the roast beef, generous with the lettuce!! *Heavy sigh* - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Monica, California

city kitch express iced coffee i get undressed breakfast is the best read more

I work in the same building as this eatery and today I bought a blueberry muffin. I looked at the muffin and there was clearly mold on it. When I brought it back the cashier told me that it wasn't mold it was just the blueberry. It was clearly fuzzy and green, which is mold. She asked if I wanted a refund, and I said yes. She gave me back only $3.00 when I was charge $3.30. Terrible food and customer service. read more

Family owned and operated. Good thing too! The breakfast croissant is the bomb bigotry!!!!! Get that for $4.95, smells bomb, tastes bomb, you might even skip lunch, lol! read more

I'm glad I finally found this little gem near my work. My boss took me here once for a quick lunch and I fully enjoyed their sandwich. I usually always get their specials - something about reading the entire sandwich menu or making your own just sounds exhausting AND their specials are always really good. Not TOO cheap, but it won't blast a hole in your wallet. Service is fast, but since it's basically a wonderfully convenient eatery in a business park ... the line can get LONG during peak business hours. Sandwiches are regular sized - nothing HUGE, but nothing too small. Pretzel buns are DELICIOUS and their chipotle mayo is one of my fave condiments. But I have to say .. the BEST part about this place? They're most definitely Star Wars fans :) They usually name their specials after Star Wars characters so if you're a Star Wars geek like me ... you'll find the small joy in this :) read more

I really like this place and so do my coworkers. Surprisingly, LA doesnt offer many chop-chop salad joints - so I was thrilled to find one so close to work. Everything is made to order and yummy, so I have no complaints - I am literally getting what I asked for! Also - soups are delish and cheap. A small one is $2.11 including tax. As far as salad prices - again, you are getting what you order. When CPK half salads are now like $8 or more ... this actually seems fair, if not a deal. read more

When I'm in Santa Monica, I work out of an office in The Water Garden, and this (and Mrs. Winston's) are the places I go for lunch. I just love this place. My coworkers who are at The Water Garden every day are less enthusiastic, but the City Kitchen Express staff (led by the Huang family) has won me over. The people are so, so, so nice! And their iced tea is friggin' addictive. One note: This is a grab and go place - there's nowhere to sit - except as the several outdoor tables that The Water Garden offers. So, just a tip. My favorite salad is the Mediterranean (add grilled chicken). It's always dressed perfectly, and has the perfect combination of items (hearts of palm, olives, tomato, feta, etc.) So good. The sandwiches are good, too, but can add up quickly if you do add-ons, so choose wisely. I just have to reiterate. The people - so nice! I can't help but want to hug them. (And some of cute, young, hoodie-sporting dudes from other Water Garden offices who end up here at lunchtime, too). read more

I got the Tri-tip steak sandwich and it was pretty good. Decent size, decent price (9 bucks out the door), and good taste. Small line when I went around 1. If you work at the Water Garden, seems like a good bet if you don't want a Subway sandwich or to venture out to the food trucks. Heard the salads were small. Also, liked the quirky design of the place. Star Wars memoribilia, postcards from across the world, and K-pop videos... read more

I don't think it's as bad as Michelle M. makes it out to be but I've only been here once. I built my own sandwich with multi-grain bread which was really really soft....i loved it, salami which was thinly sliced and they gave a lot of meat, and fixings. I also loved their chips! They're similar to kettle chips. I like being able to make anything my tummy desires. The sandwich with chips was $7.50. read more

City Kitchen Express has new management. They have a daily special that doesn't carry the sticker shock of other menu items. They sell more stuff now like bottled drinks and chips. The line moves faster and the quality is more consistent. Congrats on earning back a star, and getting off The Boycott List, CKE. read more

Basically they help people they like and have no order. They hook up their friends, food is slowly getting more and more sloppy. It takes forever to make you a simple sandwich while the whole time they are putting others first. Unfortunately I work in the building but prob gonna stop going as of today. read more

About the nicest people on the planet, full of love and great cheer, breakfast, lunch and snack time. The quality of the food is amazing, the service fast, and it is a pleasure going deep into the menu. Healthy salads, and better yet, many breakfast options, including my fave: the English muffin sandwich, with fresh Moz, basil, bacon and flattened eggs. read more

I'm normally very reasonable, and I understand sometimes mistakes happen, but don't put pico de Gallo in my breakfast burrito and argue with me that you didn't. I took a bite out of it and tasted the onions. Who puts pico de Gallo in a breakfast burrito anyway? This place needs a reality check. read more

I love City Kitchen Express. The price did go up a couple of years ago, and they don't include as many homecooked chips with their sandwiches any more... But the food quality is sooooo good. I've had the Smoked Turkey Sandwich and created my own salad which were both amazing. The owner is nice and friendly and I love the selection of sandwiches, desserts, and salads you can get here. Again, the only gripe is the price increase, but it sure as heck beats Trimana. read more

Stopped in for lunch the other day and had a fine salad - the mojito chicken salad. It wasn't great - wasn't bad. The dressing was unique, but a little overpowering. It could afford to be toned down a bit...they went a little overboard on the mint. It was so hot out, so I tried to order an acai smoothie that looked delicious! But unfortunately they had run out. Fail. I'll definitely be back, however, to try some other menu options as it's such a convenient lunch spot for me. read more

Good sandwiches - although a little bit pricey. We go here when we get sick of going to the other places. It is much better than subway, the people are nice and the cookies rock. Also used them to cater a meeting that we had in the watergarden where they are located. read more

Everything is just fine here. The grilled veggie sandwich on focaccia is a real delight. Everything else I've ordered has been good. What is not good are the frozen egg patties they use. If they start frying up their own eggs that would be a real game changer. I'll be a regular out of convenience not out of desire. read more

Got the mixed baby greens salad with chicken and avocado which was delicious but pricey at $16 for a to-go order. Was quick compared to the food trucks which often take a long time between the lines and waiting to get food so this was a great option! A lower price would just be nice. read more

Some of the best salads around here. Their specials don't always change "every day", but they are pretty good. Mother / Daughter duo at the cashier is a cute touch. Recommend a try! read more

City Kitchen Express - Salad special.. CeCe - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Monica, California

My company moved into this building not long ago and I was so pleasantly surprised with the freshness and quality of food. I usually go for breakfast; their egg sandwiches are very tasty and their coffee is perfect! I've been for lunch a couple of times and mostly get salads, which are very good. Some of their combinations don't really suit my preferences but they happily made substitutions for me at no charge. The staff is so sweet and friendly, it's so nice to be greeted with a genuine smile with my morning coffee! The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is just the the prices are a little on the high side, but since they seem to use fresh, quality ingredients I don't mind, but some people might. read more

Tried the breakfast burrito today: missing a crucial ingredient! Where's the egg?? read more

City Kitchen Express - Breakfast burrito was basically a rolled quesadilla. - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Monica, California

It's great that City Kitchen Express is on the lobby floor of my building. When I am in business attire and suffering in heels (which is most of the time), this is perfect and really close. I have tasted many sandwiches from BBQ Turkey, Roast Beef, to Ahi Tuna. Every single sandwich has been satisfying in terms of taste. The BBQ turkey is so rich and interesting. It's not slabs of turkey meat, I believe it is mashed up but the BBQ sauce and mustard mayo definitely compliments the turkey. Another feature they offer is the substitution for alternative breads. If you enjoy the pretzel bread over the ciabiatta and the original sandwich offers ciabiatta you can just tell them and they will replace it for you. They offer over 6 types of bread, especially the pretzel bread! I recommend trying this, if you haven't done so already. All the meats they offer taste rich, I don't think I've had a dry sandwich here. The only downside that it might have is it's a little upscale meaning the sandwiches are a bit pricy for their size. $8+ including tax for a regular, square shaped sandwich. Overall, I enjoy this little shop for many of my lunches. read more

I work nearby and probably eat here at least twice a week. The best thing about City Kitchen is their service. The owners clearly know the importance of customer satisfaction. Everyone is so friendly!! It puts you in a good mood just ordering! Their sandwiches are very fresh... my faves include the Grilled Chicken Breast and the City Hero. If you are in the neighborhood, stop by!! read more

Went here for a quick lunch with a coworker. I ordered the vegetarian sandwich which was fresh, a bit messy, and very delicious. I would definitely order it again in the future. The prices are on the higher side but I suppose they are comparable to many of the other food options in the area. The cafe is very small and when it's busy there aren't too many places to stand to wait for your food. Outside the building, however, there are tables to eat at and enjoy the sunshine. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. This is a nice food option for those working in the Water Garden but I can imagine it getting old after awhile (most places do). read more

Good food located near my office in The Water Garden. Quality food at a good price. Ahi tuna is the best.

There is only one thing to get here and it's their bbq pulled turkey sandwich. Quite possibly the greatest sandwich of all time. It is transcendent. All the other menu items are irrelevant. read more

I go to this place all the time for coffee or a little snack. Coffee is not very good and food is average but it's convenient. I went in today having forgotten BBQ sauce for my lunch. Because I'm a regular customer I assumed that I would get the tiny little tub of BBQ free of charge or close to it. When I asked the lady behind the counter (the one who is there most of the time) for a little tub of BBQ she responds " fif..a dollar, one dollar" and I was like you were about to say 50 cents! and she said "well it's a dollar" I know, I know I'm one of those petty, bitchy yelp reviewers now but I give so much business to this place and they do me dirty like this... so yeah, I'm a little salty and will no longer be giving them business! read more

Came here for their turkey chili on the recommendation of some co-workers and I was not disappointed. I was greeted promptly and there was almost no line. It tasted homemade; lots of vegetables and lean meat, the kind you'd get from mom or a cool aunt. I could tell just by looking at it that I was eating something good for me. Served piping hot, they also offer a choice of bread. Unfortunately, they ran out of pretzel rolls, so I was reduced to getting french bread. They toasted it and was a decent complement to the soupy goodness. I'll be back. read more

I have come to realize this could be the best iced coffee in Santa Monica! It is strong but it is full of flavor and guaranteed to wake you up! read more

The first time you try to find this place it can be tricky. It's inside one of the many buildings of the WaterGarden. I guess the best way to describe the location is the middle building on the westside of the WG. The bread is always fresh, they have some really good pretzel buns. They offer daily specials and have a really good variety so it's nice because you don't end up getting the same sandwich or salad over and over. For a small extra charge you can get an order of their house made potato chips. A sandwich and order of chips is more than enough for lunch. Prices are reasonable. read more

I live off the Turkey Chili here. Build your own sandwiches. They also have a Smoked Turkey with cranberry that delicious, plus, their chips appear to be homemade which makes them dangerously good.The breakfast scramble has some strange eggs, but overall it's very tasty. read more

Such nice people working there, but I just paid $15 for sandwich, chips, and soda! GA GA GOOEY!!! Too much for the food you're getting. Sandwiches used to be cheaper AND you got free chips. Lower the prices and bring back free chips. Until then I'll just hit subway or the lunch trucks. read more

This place is extremely convenient for us that work at the Water Garden, but the prices are way too high! Staff is always nice & pleasant! I really love their avocado breakfast burrito. read more