Gjusta

I have yet to have everything there, but I’m working on it. It’s worth braving the crowd.
Celebrities are regular sights as well!
Breakfast is probably my favorite. They have a delicious porridge that I never pass up. If I go for lunch, I usually get a pastrami sandwich, but I’ve been working on getting their flat breads as well.
It always looks like you’ll never get a seat, but people are moving constantly, so I encourage you to wait it out. Even if you don’t eat a meal proper there, it’s a good idea to grab a coldbrew coffee and one of their plethora of pastries to take on a Venice stroll.
Visiting there will make you want to have your outfit on point. I’ve only seen attractive people there, usually a variant of Venice Hipster.

The Brisket Bahn Mi tasted phenomenal but I wouldn’t justify the price if I was the one who had to pay for (bis. lunch)

I live around the corner so every couple of months I decide to give gjusta another chance. Just gave it another chance. Still mediocre. Still overpriced. And for the premium price you pay there, I find the staff to be somewhat unprofessional.
I’ve tried a bunch of stuff there. All decent. All over $ 15 when they should be max $ 10. And therefore it makes me like the food less. And honestly nothing to write home about.
The vibe is actually pretty nice albeit confusing. Make sure you get a ticket number when you walk in.
Now, the vibe outside of gjusta along 3^rd and sunset… littered belongings along the street — welcome to the skid row of Venice.
If you’re solo or on the go and want some good, reasonable breakfast or lunch food — I’d much much rather go to flake.
Additionally, this time around after I placed my order at gjusta, instead of asking me what my name is in a normal fashion, the cashier asked me «what do I call you?»
Irritated. You can call me irritated.

Best Falafel
Would go back again and again for that

Have been coming here since it opened. Great concept. Great food. Can’t get enough of this place!

I have heard about this place so much. I was finally able to check it out the other day. It is definitely a cute little hidden spot. But I have to say that the food was just so-​so in my opinion. When I first walked in, I was ecstatic watching all the food being made behind the counter. It was exhilarating for me… like one of the best food porns I’ve ever witnessed.
I sampled their banh mi sandwich with chicken that still had little pieces of bones in it. The flavor was alright. I also tried a piece of one of their pizzas. I’m not sure what kind it was but it had burrata which we all know is game over, done deal, for me. The pizza was quite salty. Did I go on one of their bad days?! I was really sad because I had high hopes for this one considering Gjelina is my favorite place on the westside. Would I try Gjusta again? Probably, just to see if it’s better than my last visit and whether I’d like to become a regular or not.

To be fair, our food was really tasty, if not expensive (we both ordered «fish and egg» open-​faced sandwiches but ended up not receiving any egg at first due to a miscommunication).
However, what I don’t appreciate was the shirty attitude of the manager (?) when I went to comment on the missing egg. We did ask for «fish and egg» plates (we aren’t trying to rob you of your eggs or anything, just wanted what we ordered…) so I didn’t need to be accosted for ‘ordering wrong’ immediately. That really soured me on the whole place, considering the luxe prices they’re charging for a not-​quite-​sit-​down experience. Loved our server though — she was extremely friendly and helpful and we don’t fault her for what *ultimately* happened.
Contemporary deli food at premium prices accompanied by a dose of complacency and self-​righteousness. Not really worth $ 36 + tip (and speaking of which, I’ll *never* tip at a place like this again before the service has been completed. Thanks Gjusta for pushing me over the edge there!). We won’t be back for a while.

Freakin incredible. I had heard the hype, but didn’t know it until I tasted it. Its a sublime sandwich/​deli shop, large, and really comfortable and nice.
I have been there twice this last week — Sunday I had a breakfast burrito — fresh, tasty and very filling. Last night, I had a porcetta melt, and it was large and tasty.
One negative — no refills on tea (and from what I read coffee). Seems pretty lame, it was pretty run of the mill tasting — would be a nice and not a pretentious touch — but maybe they want that image.

A few blocks from the beach in Venice, there’s a battered, unmarked building which contains a real food hall. There’s no sign out front, but don’t let that discourage you — Gjesta is the real deal!
When you walk in the door, you step inside a long narrow space with a kitchen that runs the length of the place, take a number and let your senses take in the delightful sights and smells of some amazing victuals :-).
There is an extensive menu including soups, salads, sandwiches, pizza, bread, cheese. The porchetta is the best in this town served on really good house baked bread ($ 14.) The Fresh daily salads are composed and different each day ($ 6/​$ 11). The pizza is a foccacia crust with excellent toppings, very savory, just a little bit greasy but really good just the same ($ 6).
You can buy a loaf of country style bread or a half loaf ($ 8/​$ 5) and be happy at home with some French butter on it.
Stay away from the pastries as they are expensive and just OK.
Dining is outside on the rear patio. Whether you’re dining in, or taking the food out, once you’ve tried this place you’ll be back for sure!

Hmmm. Awesome place.
Yes, it’s super crowded, especially on weekends, but the food is AMAZING.
The staff is awesome too.
I would recommend going rather early so you can find a place to sit in the cute patio area in the back, or on the bar.
Great vibes, fun people, and delicious food. Great place for brunch/​early lunch. Enjoy :)

I’ve been to Gjusta several times now, so I’ve tried several pastries, salads, pizza, and sandwiches. Everything was delicious and unique. If you’re looking for cheap, ordinary food, then Gjusta’s not your place. Also, unlike other reviews, I have found the waitstaff to be helpful, pleasant, and courteous.
Possible negatives could be the crowds and parking. They have a small parking lot which accommodates 9 – 10 cars. Personally, I’ve never had any problems because I can go during off hours and never on the week end.

Hipster Foodie Heaven.
Lotsa time and money to spend here on goooood food. I eat gluten free so I went straight to the second counter for breakfast. I would love it if they could make their granola and porridge G-​Free. Parking can be a nightmare. #Duh
NEED to try fermented foods next time. Stood at the counter. Tons of good people watching.

I lovvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeee this place.
I lovvvvveeee the rabbit stew
I lovvvvveeee the ginger tea
I lovvvveeee the half chicken.

Really great food and awesome taste BUT crazy overpriced. Service is good but slow (.wait times). Paradise for Hipsters. For two not too fancy sandwiches I spend $ 35 — no drinks nor tip included .lol
Make reasonable pricing (–20%) and you’ll probably get 5 stars.

Probably a 4.5. I was undecided so the person helping me offered to «make me something delicious.» Made me a bagel with lox, onion, labneh and a tomato. It was great, and very messy.
Also had some porchetta which I thought was fine. Very good carmelized onions and perfect buttery bread.
Baklava croissant was good for a snack.
I can see coming back here and working my way through the entire menu. So many things sound good.

I felt like I had been robbed when I came to this place.
When you arrive, you see all the food and the massive open kitchen and feel like you’ve died and gone to heaven. But as the minutes pass, you realise that you’re quickly plummeting to earth like an angel who has lost its wings.
First let’s talk about price. This place is a rip off. Charging around $ 18 for a sandwich is highway robbery — it better be the best sandwich in the world. Really it should be. But it’s not. For me, the beef sandwich I ate was good, but not the best I’ve had. Not by a mile. But it’s the most expensive sandwich I’ve ever eaten.
I thought the coffee was going to be awesome. It was good. But not awesome.
And then there’s the standing bar. Why on earth am I paying all this money in order to stand at a bar like a broken down cowboy?
I just don’t get this place. Total rip off and not worth a visit, despite some reasonably tasty food.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Gjelina, but wanted to give Gjusta a try. There were some items that were a hit and some were a miss with me. Some of my favorite items are their baked goods, their whipper snapper coffee, lox bagels, and pizza. Their porchetta melt looked delicious, but was just «okay». It felt like it was missing something .salt? spice? more flavor? I will definitely come back to this lovely carb-​filled establishment because there are just SO MANY things to try.

While I don’t consider myself «cool» enough for most spots on Sunset, this place was the exception.
There wasn’t a thing I didn’t want to shove in my mouth. The cases of prepared salad /​roasted veggies piled on roasted veggies /​fresh made bread and tea… the list goes on.
My friends and I arrived on a Sunday just about the perfect brunch time. It was evident that it was the perfect time because the parking lot was packed to the brim and so was the building.
The choices were a bit overwhelming but out of pressure to order from my compadres I went for the eggplant parmesan sandwich. — Lucky for them I hadn’t seen the cases of the salads /​roasted veggies or I would have been choosing for hours. There were also tray after tray of roasted vegetable salads on display that not only sounded delicious based on the flavors profile, they were extremely pleasing to the eye!
The sandwich was bigger than I expected and easily could have feed two people if I hadn’t been so hungry! Over-​flowing with breaded eggplant, cheese and sauce, it was a messy endeavor. Very satisfying and exactly what you’d expect from a well made eggplant parm sandwich. I would have enjoyed a spicier twist, but overall the sandwich was exactly what you would have expected from it’s name and ingredients.
Overall, I loved the food, but as with any busy Sunday brunch spot the place was quite full! It was a bit difficult as a first timer to figure out which line I was supposed to enter — there were two — and you can’t order the same things from both.(!!!) Then, once you get through the line, people were gathered awkwardly around waiting for their food and so it was a bit cramped. The signs weren’t quite clear to me but luckily I had an experienced friend with me. Perhaps weekdays aren’t quite like this, but I’d imagine newbies are here on weekends.
I was so enamored by the food options that there’s no doubt I’d be back. And considering my other experiences in the area, this place was premium. But, I think a little more «order» would go a long way. 4.5 rounded to 5. I’m hopeful my future visits will undoubtedly round it to a 5.

After poking my head into Gjusta last November on a gloomy late afternoon before Thanksgiving, and finding it pretty uninspiring, I was eager to return around the lunch hour and see it in its (reputed) glory. Overall, it was a win.
PLUSES:
1) Falafel plate: the four falafel patties rivaled the best I had in Israel. Certainly the best I’ve had in CA. Crunchy but not greasy, flavorful but not overpowering. It was very well made. The veggie sides (pickled red onions, a take on a cucumber salad) were good but not as special. ($ 13)
2) Smoked brisket plate: this pile of brisket was amazing all around. It was bathed in a hot jus, and literally was falling apart as you tried to stab it with your fork. It had a little bit of peppery spice to it, was juicy, was nicely salty and tasted wonderful. This is how brisket shines. A small side arugula salad and some buttered baguette accompanied it. ($ 18)
3) Cornmeal snickerdoodle: Didn’t expect to see this, much less buy it and love it. What an amazing cookie. The flavor of the corn meal elevated the humble (but great) snickerdoodle to new heights. I’ll be trying this at home.
SO-​SO:
1) Baklava croissant. Wasn’t impressed with this. Granted, I’m spoiled because I had regular, daily access to both Tartine’s and Jane’s in SF for months at a time and so I now have an incredibly high bar for croissant quality. The only thing you really need to know is that this is the only thing my friend and I didn’t finish.
MINUSES:
1) The prices. For a $ 13 falafel plate, I would expect more falafel. And more veggies/​salad on the side. While the falafel isn’t quite as good, for $ 10 (or is it $ 11) at Pita Bar & Grill up the street from me, I get 6 or 7 fresh balls of falafel, a huge helping of hummus, a huge helping of Israeli salad and lentil rice. I leave stuffed. If this had been my whole entrée today, I would have needed to order more food. As for the $ 18 brisket… it was a decent amount of meat, but you would have thought they’d do a little more on the side than the little pile of arugula.
2) The layout. For first-​timers, it’s not very clear how or where you order. The flow of the restaurant is almost non-​existent, and you have to ask for napkins and silverware.
I will return to try other items, but there’s some room for improvement here IMHO.

It can be confusing if you’ve never been here. There are long display cases and different menus hung up and no clear line to stand in. That’s because it’s a deli/​bakery/​café and you need to take a number and wait to be called. It was early evening so it wasn’t too crowded and a good time to ask questions. The guy helping us didn’t rush us. After some deliberation we ordered a SMOKED BRISKET SANDWICH, a PATE BAGUETTE, a SMOKED FISH SAMPLER and a FENNEL CITRUS SALAD.
The brisket was amazing! It came in a baguette with jus on the side. The pâté also came in a baguette, with mustard, picked onions and spicy greens. Pretty good, but the pâté we had recently at Cassia was even better. The salad was good but needs to be shared. Not something I would have on my own. The sampler comes with either 5 oz. or 10 oz. of smoked fish and you can select what you want. We got the salmon belly (least favorite), herbed gravlax, cold smoked lox and oil cured sardines (my favorite). We were done with everything else while we waited for the sampler. Turns out it was accidentally given to someone else. They apologized and bought over some grilled bread drizzled with olive oil and some olives while we waited.
The seating is also an odd situation. We were told to grab seats and that our food would come to us. I was curious as to how they would know what went to whom as we didn’t have a number or anything. We sat on some indoor counter seats, but I think the bulk of the seating is outside.