New cafe brings Italian eats near Promenade
Best known for its beach, pier and shopping, downtown Santa Monica has become an iconic Southern California destination that fuses upscale stores with a casual outdoor setting, which makes finding parking or an open table at restaurants close to impossible during lunch and dinner hours. But just three blocks down from the always-bustling Third Street Promenade, a new deli is delivering delicious snacks for a modest price, a rare combination in Santa Monica. Founded by the team behind the Piccolo restaurant in Venice, Calif., Ciboteca opened its doors on March 28 as an upscale Italian cafe just a few minutes’ walk from the L.A. hotspot.
Ciboteca is hidden in a residential environment, tucked away on a corner of Broadway and 6th Street. Its location explains the type of customers it has already attracted, residents looking to grab a quick bite to go before work and businessmen and women during lunch breaks. The interior design of the deli also speaks to the nature of its targeted audience. It’s a spacious cafe with modern furniture and two long counters of pastries on display. Not only do the counters of food make ordering quicker and easier for busy Angelenos, but it also allows customers to feel more connected with their food; the restaurant is an upscale Subway, in other words, where customers are able to see their paninis, as well as the ingredients that make up their meal, prepared right before their eyes. A high table, big enough for a crowd of six, stands in the middle of the cafe surrounded by a few more tables. The minimal seating arrangements, again, emphasize the fact that Ciboteca customers are not looking to stay.
The food at the Italian deli is not as varied as the menus of its competitors. Ciboteca offers paninis, salad, three breakfast selections, soup and, for the hungrier customers, gastronomia. The number of sandwich options might leave people torn, especially when so many items on the menu sound very similar, for instance, the prosciutto panini (San Daniele prosciutto, montasio cheese) and the breakfast croissant (croissant sandwich, prosciutto, gruyere) are nearly identical. Because of this, the amiable waiters become even more helpful when it comes time to order. They will go to great lengths — including asking the chef himself — to help customers make a decision. The breakfast prosciutto croissant is served on a cute antique-looking plate; the sandwich is toasted to perfection, crusty enough that the texture is crisp but soft so that it melts in the mouth with a lingering aftertaste of butter. The prosciutto is salty, the cheese adds a pinch of bitterness and the croissant has just the right amount of fluff. It really does make a great all-day breakfast option. The only problem is the small size of the croissant, which can be easily finished in seven bites. This is especially disappointing considering how scrumptious it is.
Though the combination of Italian ham, brie and marinated artichokes in the cotto panini is exciting too, it does not live up to the prosciutto breakfast. The panini bread is harder, it lacks the flavor of the butter croissant sandwich and the ham is a bit bland. It’s still a great panini, but after tasting the prosciutto croissant, there simply is no going back. Other items on the menu that have already been deemed favorites by many customers include the lasagna, the pollo panini (rotisserie chicken, pancetta, tomato, rosemary mayonnaise) and the pastries on display at the counter (fruit tarts, coffee cake, opera and more).
Even though everything about Ciboteca speaks to the busy schedule of its customers, there is still something about the Italian deli that makes it the ideal getaway for people looking to sit down. Perhaps it is the fact that its location allows it to be close enough to the shops and beach but simultaneously distant enough to mute out the chaos of Third Street Promenade. The truth is there is nothing about Ciboteca that makes its customers want to get up and leave. The service is amazing, with friendly waiters frequently checking in to make sure customers’ expectations are met, and the food ranges from good to mouth-wateringly delicious. In addition, the quiet nature of 6th Street’s neighborhood makes 3rd Street seem like a post-apocalyptic scene, making leaving the cafe a scary thought. Ciboteca is perfect for everyone, whether it’s busy people running errands or exhausted shoppers looking for food and peace.
Ciboteca is located at 606 Broadway, and is open from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. daily.