Samurai

I have been eating lunch every day at the Salad Shoppe for the past few years and have always been…read morea huge fan of the restaurant. In December I had to have a surgery that put me on a soft/liquid diet for around 4 months. I continued going to the restaurant as they have a great selection of soups I can eat. The staff, who are simply the best, have now taken to making me mashed potatoes and polenta daily to help make sure I am getting good solid foods. Neither of these items are on their menu and this is an over and above level of kindness from a restaurant that really cares. I just can't say enough about how special these people and this restaurant are. Thank you Josh and team!!

The actual owner reached out to me after my original review and handled the situation…read moreprofessionally. He was kind, apologetic, and shared that he plans to address things with the team and provide additional training to his staff. I appreciated the response and the accountability. It's clear the tone of the business starts at the top, and his approach was very different from the experience that prompted my original review. I do genuinely enjoy the food here and plan to continue supporting the business. Friendly PSA for future diners: the salad is great... just make sure you start with the correct plate.

Salad bar

Thai Chicken Wrap

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Salad Bar Dine-In

El Colibri Restaurant and Deli

4.7(119 reviews)

1.4 mi

•$

A lot of people I know are regulars here and they keep reminding me about it…read more We order takeout from here semi-regularly and it's always good and consistent but I rarely stop in. But I think that is about to change. I was at the Farmer's Market that happens right outside this place on Saturdays and I ventured in for an iced tea. What I found was super friendly service. They said I could sit outside at the tables to enjoy my beverage - even if that was all I purchased. That was so cool of 'em that I decided to try a cheeseburger. It's a pretty good burger! We recently had a slew of cloudy, chilly rainy days in Nov. 2025 so today seemed warm and the cheeseburger had a summery char-grilled flavor, perfectly cooked and juicy. They bring everything on the side so you can choose how much you want of everything - lettuce, generous serving of sliced tomatoes and onions. I just have to remember to hold the mayo next time. Some of the outdoor seats have umbrellas and some don't so you can decide if you like shade or sun. They also have heated tables (firepits) for evening dinners. Server came and checked on me twice and when I asked for a to go cup for my tea, she filled the to go cup for me rather than just making me pour what I had left into it. We normally do takeout and they have unique Mexican options from Oaxaco that are healthy Blue Zone inspired dishes alongside the more traditional Mexican options. Plus perennial faves that carried over from the previous owner like real roasted turkey. This is a cool place with solid options to suit many tases and the best part is the super friendly service. I'm going to make a note to come back soon.

El Colibrí is true definition of "Mom and Pops" hole in the wall in Salinas…read more This place offers different options compared to all your other Mexican, Oaxacan, Salvadoran, etc. restaurants in Salinas. They have some of the best rice and beans, and their chile relleno is probably the best I've ever had. Everything is made with so much love and time, and their customer service is always exceptional. I recommend this place to everyone! I love coming here.

New mural for 2024

Blue cheese Burger & fries.

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Taco Salad and draft beer

Emma’s Bakery and Cafe

4.5(107 reviews)

2.4 mi

I love the cookies from here. Taste like real butter, not like Crumbl. Haven't tried other things,…read morebut if opportunity allows, I will definitely.

I'm tasting the love here! A real gem of a cafe/bakery that we almost overlooked!…read more So of course we bought more than we needed, and ate everything before the day was over. The sandwich and salad was delicious and the assorted pastry was like a European delight.

The showcase!

Quinoa Chicken Salad

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Closed on Sundays

Sourdough & Co

4.3(42 reviews)

1.9 mi

Best sandwiches by far. Great customer service . Im always…read moregreeted when inwalk through the door and everyone is so helpful and polite. Would recommend to anyone who likes fresh delicious hot sandwiches.. I cant say enough about this place :)

The food is always fresh and delicious! Raj and Tyoh so friendly offer up fantastic service! The…read morestore is very clean and well supervised. This is my go to place when I'm in a hurry!

(in between Starbucks and BKM health foods)

The French Dip sandwich

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Double chicken pesto sandwich

The 31st Grill

4.2(154 reviews)

1.5 mi

This was our first time visiting this restaurant…read more My wife ordered the New York steak, which was cooked perfectly and had great flavor, along with mashed potatoes. However, the vegetables were overwhelmed with garlic, so much so that she couldn't eat them. My daughter had the French dip. The seasoning was a bit different but still pleasantly mild, and dipping it in the au jus really enhanced the flavor. She also had the sweet potato fries, which she enjoyed. I had the Cali Cubano with sweet potato fries. The Cubano was outstanding--everything came together with the right balance of ingredients and flavors. The service was fast and attentive, and the atmosphere was warm, friendly, and inviting. Overall, we enjoyed a great meal in a comfortable setting and would gladly recommend this restaurant.

10/10 recommend. The service is always stellar and the food is always delicious! I was so impressed…read moretoday. I always order a "medium" burger at restaurants and it's never "medium"... not a big deal, I eat it and don't complain. Today is the first time in a long time my cowboy burger was perfectly cooked!! Everything was perfect. We will be back!!

Our view for breakfast

Yummy baked goods will entice you!

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Storefront

Portobello's

3.8(282 reviews)

I stopped by Portabello's for a Sunday brunch and overall, I had a very nice experience. We were…read moreseated right away and provided menus promptly, which is always a good start. We ordered avocado toast, French toast, banana pecan pancake, house potatoes, and an Aperol spritzer. My avocado toast was served on a single very thick piece of bread, which had a very generous amount of avocado smash and was topped off with this delightful and fresh arugula salad. I added an over easy egg for an extra charge that was the perfect balance. The house salad was simple with butter lettuce, cherry tomatoes, radish, cucumber, with a light lemon house dressing that brought the salad together. It was refreshing. The French toast is pretty standard. Nothing that particularly stood out. The banana pecan pancake was delicious and shared with everyone at the table. The house potatoes were extra crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, which I found particularly satisfying. Overall, we had a pleasant experience and found Portabello's to be a good brunch spot in Salinas. The service was fast, the food portions were big, the food tasted fresh, and it was a nice ambiance. I would definitely return for the avocado toast and potatoes. Side note - I noticed Caesar Salad was misspelled on the menu as "Caeser"

Mother's Day breakfast was 65$ dollars for food that is regularly 25$. Maybe the 65$ was for…read moreunlimited mimosas lol NOPE!!!!!!! 65 dollars for mid food and horrible music. Don't recommend this place at all.

The most delicious dinner ever!

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Salinas City BBQ

4.3(2.1k reviews)

Delicious BBQ! First time and definitely will be back. Friendly service! Must try!!!read more

Great experience! Good wine and food. Love the character of the restaurant. Visiting out of town…read morefrom Texas and truly enjoyed. Highly recommend.

Celebrating the PIG

Port Rib and Half Garden Salad with Tri Tip steak. Half size s Good size salad for lunch. I liked BBQ pork rib is not too much bbq sauce .

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Berry cobbler outstanding

First Awakenings

4.2(1k reviews)

I only ordered a fruit bowl, but what I got was a bunch of…read moregrapes, 4 smaller pieces of pineapple, and a diced banana. They threw in a 1 sliced strawberry. $12 dollars

Sadly I'm going to be the bearer of bad news and say that First Awakenings is highly overrated. I…read moregrew up in Salinas and always remember this place being busy and thought of in high regard by pretty much all the locals. Being back in town, I had to give it a try after 15+ years being away. What a let down honestly. We were seated right away which was appreciated. It was about 10am on a Wednesday and we arrived just before the big rush it seemed. To drink, we ordered waters and orange juice and coffee. A whole coffee carafe was left on our table which was a bit of a surprise and the orange juice as advertised tasted freshly squeezed. Before ordering our food, my husband began asking the waiter about gluten free pancakes or waffles (since such was advertised online in a review from 11yrs ago) and before he could even finish the question the waiter cut him off to explain all the pancake and waffle options. My husband kindly asked again and was told they didn't have any specific gluten free options. That's ok, he ordered their Bacado omelette and instead of toast on the side he asked for a side of fruit. I ordered their Cinnamon Bread French Toast and a side of 1 scrambled egg and 1 sausage. I was told the sausage only comes in 2 or 4, and so I chose 2. When the food arrived, I immediately thought this all looks ok. And the taste was just the same. The omelette was not fluffy like you'd expect a highly rated restaurant omelette to be. The side of fruit came in a condiment cup and had 1 grape as well as 3 pieces of other fruit. The hash browns were sad looking, pretty pale and absolutely no crunch. My husband even added salt which was sad and rare to watch him do. My French toast was ok, kind of soggy and didn't have any caramelization or crunch on the outside whatsoever. It's definitely cinnamon toast vs a cinnamon roll French toast and was nothing special. The sausage was the best part which says a lot. I wouldn't come back here because there's infinitely better options minutes away.

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Bacon skillet with carnitas added

The Bagel Corner

3.8(307 reviews)

2.0 mi

Ordered ahead to pick up and I will be back again! We got a burrito and a sandwich and they were…read moreboth great. I definitely want to try the actual bagel though since the word bagel is in their name lol. But from my experience 10/10!

Fresh, soft bagels. Opens at 7;00 am. Basic bagels but they are big. They are generous with the…read morecream cheese and jelly. I'll return. $10 for 2 filled bagels.

$16 burger. Patty bread (drenched in grease) a few mushrooms. Light mayonnaise. No lettuce onion or tomato. What a rip off.

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All bread

Steinbeck House Restaurant

4.8(261 reviews)

My wife and I had an amazing lunch on Thursday for our anniversary. The food is always terrific and…read morechanges monthly. Our server told us about the free monthly tours which included all three floors of the house and one was this Saturday, today. The tour was great and there was so much information on John Steinbeck and the history of the Salinas area. Our tour guide was John and he did a terrific job and had so many personal stories that he added into the conversation. Probably from over 12 years experience and knowledge of Steinbeck. Highly recommend and chicken mushroom crepe is hard to beat. Thank you and we can't wait to be back!

The food and service were fabulous. All persons working are volunteers--I would volunteer if I…read morelived in the area. I had called on our way in, and a special sign was waiting for me upon arrival. My cauliflower soup was delicious and I was so glad I decided to try it. The salad with the fresh local greens, apples and Brie Cheese was wonderful, and the chicken was fresh and perfectly prepared. Planning on my next visit when I am in the area.