Cafe Montana

I made it in to Cafe Montana with a few friends and some family. The waitress was incredibly nice. She did a great job getting the food quickly to the table and making sure we were all good to go. The food was great and our drinks stayed full and we enjoyed ourselves. The ""fishbowl"" surrounding was perfect for us observers. We had a great time until the end of our meal...we paid our waitress, which by the way she still took care of us after we paid...usually they forget about the tables who have already paid and push to get you out....not this one, she was great! However on our way out I noticed the ""owner"" or who was said to be the owner yelling at the hostess up front.. I couldn't not believe it, she was basically calling her an Idiot for not doing something right. I'm pretty sure she was making a latte or something to that effect. It made me and everyone I was with incredibly uncomfortable...I knew working in the food industry was tough, but I thought it was because of the customers not the ""owners!"" As we walked out she immediately changed her tone and said ""goodbye, thank you so much!"" Like we hadn't just seen her yelling at that poor hostess. Grow up lady, teach them how to do something you want them to do, don't tell them how stupid they are and yell at them for not doing something right! Anyway, needless to say I don't think we'll be going back, which is a shame because everything else was so pleasant... Pros: The Food Was Good, but... Cons: Yelling owner, more

Having recently moved into the Santa Monica area, I have found myself at Cafe Montana with increasing frequency. I met a friend for lunch there at her suggestion, and was quite pleasently surprised. I'm a big guy and a salad isn't usually enough for me, but when their Grilled Vegetable Salad came out I was sure that I would be ok. I had it with the chicken added, and could not finish it. Unbelievably good, and not something that equals three hours on the treadmill to get rid of. My friend also had a salad, the Chicken Bella if I'm not mistaken. This salad is the reason she lunches there, she informed me. I tasted the pesto dressing and was quite impressed. Pros: Location. Great food. Easy! Cons: No full bar. No abundance of single women. more

I can't think of a place that has won me over time and time again like Cafe Montana. My wife and I had dinner there on Saturday night and I was BLOWN away. They have this prawn and mango salad that I can't stop thinking about and now they have perfected a filet! The owner came to our table and chatted for a few minuets and the service was top notch. I miss places like this in Santa Monica and can't recomend it enough. Save room for the mixed berry crumble!!!!! more

This is a pretty popular place, and chances are you'll have to wait for a table if you try to go for a weekend brunch, but there's a reason it's popular. They serve up pretty consistent food, and the staff is super friendly. It's definitely not life-changing, but certainly good enough for a stop through. My favorite are the chicken enchiladas. They are a for sure can't miss. more

I have never had a ""great"" experirnce at Cafe Montana, but since it serves brunch lat on Sundays and it is near my house, I once again gave it another try. I got the Chicken Hash--which was greasy and bland and sparce portion wise. The hollandaise sauce wa barely drizzled on the poached eggs- and of course you have to pay for more- then when the waitress asked me if I wanted an english muffin or wheat toast- I asked for sourdogh--she never told me just to get that kind of bread they were going to charge me an entire dollar for one measly slice. And my ""side"" of fruit was one bite size piece of hard honeydew and an unripe piece of cantalopue. Don't be fooled- this place robs you blind and then the food hurts your stomache. more

After a HORRIBLE experience down the street at Locanda Portofino, we tried this place and it was delightful. Easy to get a reservation for 2, even though it was a full Friday night. Hostess was so nice and got us a window table. Nice atmosphere, tasty food and extremely friendly waitstaff. Pros: Nice people, good food and great atmosphere more

Their food wasn't very tasty. The waiter was inexperienced and double charged my credit card which two months later I am still trying to get fixed but the owner never returns my calls. Im not sure if this is because the staff doesn't relay the message or if the owner doesn't care about customer service. Cons: horrible service more

So, it looks nice from the outside.... It's always packed, so it must be good, right? Pros: Nearby (to me, at least) Cons: Poorly prepared food. more

Why this restaurant is still open boggles my mind. The service is so awful: it took forever for our waiter to come to our table, they never once refilled any of our drinks or waters, the french fries tasted like the ones I had 20 years ago in my high school cafeteria (and they came as a side with the healthy sandwich, a bland sandwich made of avocados, bell peppers, zucchini: why would they serve this with a side of greasy fries??!!). Food was below average tasting, and the portions were way small. Montana Ave deserves a better eatery. Pros: Location Cons: Food, service, ambience more

Being on vacation, we got a bit of a late start and hoped to find breakfast after 11am - luckily, we happened upon Cafe Montana. At Cafe Montana we dined on fluffy banana-walnut pancakes, and a giant breakfast burrito with home fries. Both were delicious, filling, and priced fairly. We'll definitely be back despite their one major flaw: weak coffee (no worries, both Pete's and Starbucks are nearby) Pros: Later breakfast hours than most, filling, delicious pancakes Cons: weak coffee more

I have been going to this place for years. It is a really nice place to go with family because there is something for everyone and the food is always good. It is also a really nice place for a nice romantic dinner out. I had a boyfriend who took me there on a date once and I was totally impressed. (FYI guys: It is a big plus to take a girl out to a delicious restaurant if she is a foodie, and this place is great because the food isn't too expensive). I absolutely love their desserts. more

Cafe Montana is the perfect place for a romantic date. Nestled quaintly amongst trendy boutiques on Montana Avenue, this cafe offers American-fusion dishes amongst a dimly lit atmosphere. I recommend the pumpkin ravioli--they're my favorite. Pros: Great food, great service, great atmosphere Cons: parking is tricky more

My wife and I love this place...been coming here for years. The food is consistently good, service is always reliable. The people who whine about waiting need to get over themselves. Bad places don't have lines. Either make a reservation or grab a paper and wait. The ambiance and dining experience are well worth it. We always bring friends here, and Cafe Montana never dissapoints. more

First off, they don't make reservations for parties of 3 or fewer. Once the hostess seated us, she basically three the little yellow ""specials"" card on our table and as she walked away said ""here are the specials."" We ordered and the waiter had to come back TWICE to tell us they ran out of breads we wanted on our sandwiches/burgers. I ordered the Chicken Tostada. They put lettuce, guacamole, bean, corn and chicken on top of three tortilla chips and called it a Tostada. They burnt my friend's sweet potato fries. I wish we had gone to the Daily Grill or My Father's Office. Pros: the unburnt sweet potato fries were good Cons: talk about being full of themselves. like it was our pleasure to have them serve us. more

We had a special occasion this past Sunday and I decided to make reservations at Cafe Montana. Our experience was pretty bad and I was actually embarrased that I suggested this place. I will make sure to not come back tell my friends to do the same. The hostess was very stressed out, rude, and unprofessional - she actually raised her voice at me! My food came out cold and was very average in taste - way too expensive for what it was. There are way too many great brunch dining places in SM to settle for this one. Pros: Location, Ambience Cons: Service, Food more

We live in the neighborhood and can always get a good meal breakfast lunch and dinner whenever someone asks for a fish restaurant we always take them here. The regular menu is fine but at dinner there is always a fish special or 2 or 3 and it is always delicious. Can get busy of course but consistently good food and good value. Pros: food, food, food Cons: noise, crowd, small more

I am a long time partron of Cafe Monana and i've dealt with their rudeness for the last time. Today, Nov 22nd at 6:00pm I called to find out if any of their desserts were able to be orderd for Thanksgiving. I was immediately told ""No"" and hung up on. I called back to ask what bakery they used was was immediately hung up on again without so much as a response. Cafe Monana does have good food but this is not the first time their female Maitre 'd has been rude to me. There are no shortage of good restaurants in this town and i'm sure most of them actually appreciate my business. more

Went with a few friends on a weeknight - this place is quite a find. I wouldn't go with a party of more than 4 though. The service was impeccable and there was a lot of attention to detail put into the food. Portions are somewhat small, but acceptable considering that the place caters to the S. Monica crowd. The ambiance is really nice - it just lends itself to conversation. more

People were in town so we went for brunch. Mos of our people showed up in time for the reservation and the people we were meeting were running late. We told them that we would understand if they couldn't seat us or hold our table. They said that they would seat us anyway. We wanted to wait to order so then the server came by our table 3 x in 10 minutes asking if the other people were coming and if we were going to order. Then said that she wished she hadn't seated us. The waiters were rude and just wanted to turn over the table. What happened to restaurants that wanted to make their diners happy with good food and service? Pros: Good food Cons: Mean workers more

Service was atrocious. The restaurant filled with smoke, twice. Food was truly mediocre. I would never go back. more