The Courtyard Kitchen

For “girls night out” we choose this place. It is a small neighborhood restaurant offering both inside and outside dinning. The dinner menu has something for everyone including vegan and vegetarian options. There is a vast wine and beer list and the staff are very nice. I recommend this spot for dates or to catch up with friends.

We must have been at a different restaurant than others reviewers. Our service was rushed as our total dining time was only 39 min. In fact, my partner literally had the next to last bite of our starter on her fork when the sever swooped in and replaced her pate with the main and disappeared. OK, the started were mixed, with the beet berrada being averaged vs those we have had elsewhere but the pear berrada was excellent even if the pears were still hard. We both had the branzino plate. First while one plate was well composed, my plate had a few leaves of spinach not even visible under the fish. The fish was not skinned (a problem when you are going for a stack effect) but the skin was inconsistently cook - some parts crispy, some parts still “fishy”. Just not a good dining experience for us given the other dining options in Santa Monica.

Breakfast is a funny meal. It's simpler than other meals but it has to be right. The toast has to be warm. The butter has to be spreadable. Things have to come out more or less at the same time, all hot. None of this was the case at this establishment. The avocado provided was more brown than green. The cappuccino was more like an airport cappuccino (way too hot, weak excessive froth) than a nice cap from a real coffee house. Service was mediocre.