Bean & Thyme

Bland food, horrible service. They’re friendly enough but there is no system and they make sloppy mistakes. My partner got his food 20 minutes before I got mine. Waited ½ hour (!!) for my cauliflower sandwich which wasn’t roasted long enough (cauliflower was hard) and only had a tiny bit of rubbery egg (they subsequently added another poached egg after I complained). Not worth it. My partner ordered the Egg Bowl which also came out without the egg at first and was equally bland. The kale was boiled and was dripping with water, watering down the whole meal. The beans were also undercooked. Don’t waste your time. Plenty of other vegetarian options throughout the market. Get an omelette made to order or try the falafels.

Sad to say that the poached egg bowl with chorizo was terrible. After waiting 10 minutes and spending 11 $ I was confronted with a bowl of awful textures and uncomforting spice. And I’m a spice fan, but it tasted so unnatural. Definitely a bummer to leave a bad review but it’s not often I’m disappointed with food in Santa Monica.

Excellent grits, kale, poached eggs & super friendly for veggies — even loading mine up with whatever they had around… Highly recommended!

Good food but terrible service. I’ve gone there a couple of times when at the farmers market and both times have had to wait a good 20 – 30 minutes for what I assumed would be a quick bite. The last time I went I ordered the apple and cheese sandwich. After I had already waited for a good 15 minutes I saw one of the employees hand the cook a bag of apples. In other words they didn’t even have the ingredients on hand when they took my order.
I understand these things happen (but every time?) but they could’ve made me a lot less grumpy if they had bothered to explain to me what was going on.
BTW I was definitely not the only one, both times I’ve been there there is a hungry looking crowd waiting around.

Love love love the cauliflower sandwiches! The poached egg bowl with kale, grits, and beans is good too. To make it even better, add some bacon!

This is my go to place for good eats at the Santa Monica Sunday Farmers’ Market. Bean & Thyme have been open for a year now and they are dedicated to making delicious, locally sourced food. They have great selection of food for both vegetarians and meat eaters.
They prepare their own hot sauces, have complementary cucumber water, and complementary shady seating for customers.
My favorite dishes are:
1. Slow Poached Egg Bowl — 2 coddled eggs with custardy centers on top of sauteed kale and creamy corn grits. Delicious combination. You can add some chorizo for some extra flavor.
2. Vegan Sunrise — Beans of the day on top of sauteed kale and creamy corn grits.
3. Asparagus & Egg Sandwich — Creamy cooked slightly salty scrambled eggs with cooked asparagus on a crunchy baguette bread.
Paul is always there to take orders and has food on display so you know what you’re getting before you order. It’s a popular stand at the Sunday Farmers’ Market.
We go there enough that he knows me by sight!