Back On Broadway

A late lunch last week was a disappointment due to the food and because of the attitude of the Manager who came to the table clearly riled that we complained to the waiter that their «Fred» salad didn’t look fresh & was unappetizing. We were not regulars of Back on B’way, but have have had «The Fred» several times over the years and it never looked like the salad sitting in front of us. I said that we were sorry but the lettuce looked left– over from the weekend & that we were unable & unwilling to eat such an unappetizing salad. The waiter, a nice guy, didn’t know what to say except «i’m sorry» before walking away.
In a minute, the French manager, a tall, slim, bald man wearing a French Navy-​type boat neck t-​shirt & guy-​liner came to the table & testily asked what the problem was. After repeating what we told the waiter, the Manager snarkily said that since they were closed on the weekend, the lettuce couldn’t have been left-​over. I should have said, then it must be left-​over from FRIDAY. I also wanted to ask if the French Naval shirt was a salute to THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG of his youth (1964) or whether it was his daily garb to underscore his French-​ness which wasn’t necessary because he’s maintained l’accent despite decades in the states. (Yes, I’m STILL p.o.‘d whenever the question of «where do we go for lunch» comes up.) Btw, this man may well have been the owner, Fred Deni, of the eponymous salad who i’ve never seen in other visits.
Anyway, we were not offered a substitution nor was the salad taken off the bill. We paid the bill, leaving the untouched salad on the table, and left – but not before leaving the good-​guy waiter an extra tip for his trouble & for the misfortune of having to work under a «mec» like the manager.
I don’t know if the manager was just having a bad day or week or month or what. It’s a shame though because the place is physically pretty and the patio is pleasant.

Bad bad salmon.
It smelled so much fishy, couldn’t even finish half of it.
Wouldn’t recommend it at all

who is this lady? she seems to be popular in the 1 star Unilocal reviews. I don’t want to be ordering or giving business to a place that doesn’t treat me well. we’ve ordered plenty of times before. we ordered the same thing as we usually do which was the freds salad. this time it came with no blue cheese which did not taste as good. I called them to inform them of this and to seek some sort of compensation (good service?) and they didn’t see where they went wrong and were extremely rude. instead the lady said «what do you want us to do? give you a free salad? no. we can give you extra cheese next time.»

I’m so happy one of my coworkers introduced me to this unassuming spot near our office! I love coming here and sitting on the patio while pretty pink flowers float down around me to enjoy the warm Santa Monica weather and have a couple glasses of their delicious tropical iced tea. The service has been excellent, fast and polite, and the food has been delicious! My favorite is the Penne Vodka, which is a huge portion of pasta in yummy cheesy pink sauce that I could eat every day [if I wanted to be 300 lbs]! Their sweet potato fries are TO DIE FOR and come with a yummy chipotle aioli dipping sauce. I have to say I’m personally not a fan of the Fred’s Salad, one of their specialty items, as I find it heavy and monotone in flavor with the potatoes and creamy dressing. I’d much prefer to have one of their sandwiches or burgers, or even better, a quesadilla or fish tacos with some yummy rice and beans and their fresh pico de gallo. Can’t go wrong with that!
Meter parking out front on Broadway with a 1 hour limit (you can’t refill the meter if you pay by card, but here’s a tip from my waitress — pay with coins first then refill with card if you need more time, or vice versa). Also, the bathrooms are out back outside — kinda weird, but not terrible :)

I’m changing my review because I’m not sure if someone read my previous one, or my other experience was just on a bad day, but the lady I first wrote about has been very nice recently! We actually had a small conversation the other day and she’s been smiling at me and greeting me like an old friend. That’s the service I like to see.
I still think prices are a bit high for what it is, but I guess that’s what I get in Santa Monica.

The Salmon/​Fried Calmari Cesar Salad is a must-​have. Cute outdoor patio. Very spacious inside.

This is one of those places that if the waitress doesn’t like you, you’ll get real crap. We went there on a team lunch and I don’t know what I should’ve done to be treated like this. I ordered the fish special like one of the other colleagues. My food came 10 minutes later than everyone else. Imaging everybody’s eating and you’re waiting for your food. But what food? It finally came basically dropped in front of me and it wasn’t edible! They intentionally put so much oil on it. I compared it to then one my colleague got and it was obviously filled with extra oil. One of my worst experiences and I’m going to recommend against this place from now on.

I have only one complaint! Their fish tacos are great! They put a ton of fish in them! I would recommend using 2 tortillas instead of 1, there’s no way to pick them up! They do this and you have one of the best fish tacos in town!

Good advertised prices lured me in. The place looks dirty, and they cook the pork bacon on the same grill as everything else, and they were very rude when I asked about this. I couldn’t bring myself to eat here.

Decent restaurant. Nice open space with an outdoor patio in back. Not the nicest outdoor setting, but outdoor none-​the-​less.
Recently, I’ve become a creature of habit when coming here. I like the BREAKFAST — mama’s pasta. It is super filling since it has a big helping of linguini. It comes with eggs, spinach and shrooms with a nice set of spices.
It is close to various hospitals and doctors. We used to come here while my wife was having a baby. What was sort of fun and appropriate considering their location is that they used to update their menu daily and include the names of people born on that date which I found fun for those in the maternity ward at St. Johns.

I love this place!
love back on Broadway. I love the freds salad and there soups of the day are always good too. The first soup of the day is always vegan

Had a lovely lunch sat outside in the back of the restaurant, food was tasty and came out quick. Our server, a Scottish girl was really friendly and very attentive, will definitely be back again on our lunch break.

Always get the Fred salad for lunch, turkey burgers are so yummy and great sweet treats. Santa Monica staple usually busy at lunch so take out at busy time is best. They also do private parties

Great find! This is actually a pretty big place, but very inconspicuous from the outside. I’ve driven past it a million times without noticing it. In any case, the inside is very cute… kind of Spanish décor.
Came here for a quick lunch. I was impressed by the friendly service, varied menu items, and how quick the food came out. If you work in the area and need to eat lunch in 20 minutes, you’ll have enough time here! Love it.
I got the fish tacos via recommendation from the waiter. LOVED IT. Fish was fresh and freshly fried. The avocado and everything else it came with made it that much better. I didn’t get a chance to try my friend’s sausage penne, but she really liked it. We ended with one of the desserts they had up in the displays up front because they don’t actually have a dessert menu.
Got recommended the chocolate chip cookies. When I bit into it, I was surprised at how soft it was. Also with sea salt on top! Yum! Came with a side of whipped cream.

I love back on Broadway. I love the freds salad. Everyone loves the freds salad. Get the actors special when the tortilla soup is the special. You ARE set. I work at vca next door and always come here when I forget my lunch. My only complaint is when I have to take my lunch later at 3 instead of 2 and they’re closed and I have no other choice but to go to big joes. Lol GROSS!

Came here for lunch during the week and had one of the daily specials with salmon. The salmon was perfectly cooked and nicely seasoned. It was a large filet (bigger than I expected) and sat over a bed of kale salad, which was delicious as well. The dish was a large portion and worth the price.
Service was good. The staff was friendly and the food didn’t take too long to be served. I wouldn’t mind coming back again to try out other dishes.

I recently came here for the first time around 2 pm in the afternoon. The place was pretty empty at that point so there wasn’t a wait to be seated or problems getting service from the wait staff.
So here is the run down of what I ordered. I’m sure I’ll have to go back to get a better sampling of items to give better judgment.
Blackened Chicken Sandwich — This is described as having cajun spices, tangy honey mustard, lettuce, tomato on ciabatta bread. This came with french fries as well. The price for this is $ 10.75 which doesn’t seem too unreasonable.
The chicken had a lot of spice on it so there was a ton of flavor. it was almost over powering but the honey mustard did help balance it out. The fries were crispy and not over done at all. The sandwich was good but I won’t say that it was out of this world. I would have it again because it was good but not because it was the most amazing sandwich I’ve ever had.
Our group was given some rolls to start off with. I have to admit that they seemed kinda hard and not the kind of crusty type of hard. It was still a good roll but I guess you could call it a bit on the seemingly stale side. We were offered refills of our drinks on a regular basis which is always good.
I’ll have to come back here again to try some of their other fare. I’ve been told that their fish tacos are amazing but I have to be in the mood for such an item. My suggestion is to go a little later in the afternoon to avoid the lunch rush.

Lately I’ve been arriving to West LA way early for my morning meetings, just to beat traffic. But since I’m too early, I might as well have some breakfast. A co-​worker suggests Back on Broadway, and they open at 7:30am, which is perfect.
I’m looking for something with 2 eggs, maybe some bacon & an English muffin, but can’t find it on the menu. However, they do have a breakfast sandwich and that sounds just as good. My plate out looking like this
. It was just as good as it looks, and so much food that I just had a granola bar for lunch.
I wish my water had been refilled, but it’s a minor point. The lunch menu is pretty large & looks interesting, so hopefully returning soon.

First time there, turkey wrap was OK, minus the cheese, which seemed to me the odd man out here. Fries were a good level of crispy. Nice area out back to sit in.
Second time there, actors special was… nothing too special, but decent for what it was. Soup and salad.

My GO TO neighborhood breakfast and restaurant. Fresh flowers every week, fine art on the walls. One can easily have conversation withOUT yelling. Breakfast and lunch only.
My favorite for breakfast:
pasta with bacon, sausage, scramble eggs and herbs
My favorite for lunch:
Insalata Ricci, baby greens, feta cheese, slivered almonds with a scoop of chicken salad.