The Kitchen For Exploring Foods

This place has a couple of tables for seating, but mostly people do carry-​out or maybe catering. Even though their board listed a $ 9 lunch special (sandwich, drink, chips and cookie) the man seemed REALLY surprised to see us. I had to ask what kinds of sandwiches they have. It also comes with drink OR chips, so you can either have chips and be thirsty or a drink. Because it came with a cookie he did not let me use the «free cookie with Unilocal check in» feature. The guy kept looking beyond us and seemed distracted. It is not great when someone’s helping you but not looking at you. It also didn’t help with communication, as he said the selections were tuna or turkey and avocado, and I said «Turkey and avocado» and then it turned out that the avocado was the veggie sandwich. My husband was also confused by this so it wasn’t just me being hard of hearing.
The cookie selection is more than just a cookie. They also had a brownie or an almond tart, which is what we got. The brownie was cake-​like and the almond tart tasted primarily of the shortbread crust. I was not a huge fan.
We really liked the sandwiches, which came on a cheesy foccacia along with some pesto spread and arugula to give it a bit of zest The turkey they used was high quality.
If I lived in the area I’d definitely try their take-​out meals though.

I normally cook all the Thanksgiving dinner celebrations but this year due to a hectic schedule I decided to give The Kitchen a try after a friend recommended it. From ordering to pick up to the quality of the food, the Kitchen deserves 10 stars. The food was absolutely amazing, the turkey was super moist and flavorful and all the trimmings were fun and well cooked. I will be a returning customer next year. The Kitchen does a great job and I get to enjoy my family and relax during the holiday. I hope they offer a Christmas menu!

Sandwich special is really good, and completely affordable. Sandwich, soda or chips, and cookie for $ 9. I had the honey dijon ham, an arugula salad, ginger cookie. All superb.

The Kitchen catered an corporate event this past sunday for us and the food and service were amazing. Hands down one of the best caterers we’ve used! Make sure you have their ahi tuna and shrimp tostada appetizers… delicious! We will definitely be using them again!

A huge thank you to Brent & everyone else here at The Kitchen for the most wonderful wedding experience. From the food, to the bar & drinks. I don’t know which was better. The staff and waiters were so helpful and kind. 3 months later and people are still telling me this was the BEST wedding food they have ever had. Our cocktail hour food choices were so delicious and dinner was even better. I just can’t thank you enough for all that you did for us to make our day that special.

I pickup from The Kitchen when I haven’t had time to make dinner or if I’m having guests and want to include something different/​special on the menu. Last night I picked up a delicious shrimp dish that I used as an appetizer and it was a hit! They sent me home with two sauces and both were perfect. They have delicious spanish rice, lemon chicken, garlic noodles, asian noodles, sandwiches, salads, steaks and fish dishes. Everyone who works there is friendly and helpful. They also offer catering and are known as the best in the business. Love being so close to this local spot! They offer free parking behind the building as well.

They cleaned my kitchen cleaner than it was before! So professional! Thank u. You guys are the best !!

The Kitchen catered our wedding and I couldn’t recommend it more.
We had a different company lined up that backed out about a month before, leaving us a little befuddled about where to go from there. After looking on Unilocal,I found this company and reached out to them. From there I was able iron out a menu with their event coordinator Jenn.
Since we were so busy with work and wedding stuff and yada yada yada we didn’t actually even make time in our schedules to taste anything. Obviously I was a little freaked out that I didn’t really know what I was getting us into, I guess I took an ignorance is bliss approach. A few weeks before the wedding we met up with the catering manager Spencer to do a site visit where he also helped me with final selections and figured out any last minute details. I felt pretty confident that we were in good hands and everything would be totally fine.
When it came to the big day, they showed up on time and did a really gorgeous spread. All of our guests LOVED the food, and the catering staff were very polished and friendly. I didn’t have the pleasure of eating with everybody else, but my favorite moment of the night was sneaking into the kitchen with my husband and eating leftovers that were left in the refrigerator. Beyond that, they did a really gorgeous setup that I was not expecting. They really went the extra mile to make it beautiful for us and it really meant a lot to us.
The leftovers that we took home from the night were such a treat to have. After a week of entertaining all of our family, I was so thankful that I didn’t have to cook another meal until our honeymoon.
They made us a hummus for our appetizer station that was so good that we were a little sad when it was gone. All of our entrée items were amazingly delicious! I especially loved a dish they made us of sautéed asparagus tips, fava beans and radishes. I really liked the Halibut they made, even though I didn’t even get to try it until the next day. Everything was really amazing and if I ever have a need for catering again I will absolutely hire The Kitchen.
Thank you so much to Lauren, Jenn, Spencer, Sarah and all of the staff!

Hands down, this is one of the best catering companies we have partnered with for events. I was able to experience their amazing menu at the Zadig & Voltaire event in Beverly Hills. The service provided by the waitstaff was impeccable, and we had such a positive response from guests about the smalls bites being passed around including:
— Butternut squash cakes
— Mini corn pancakes
— Crispy cups with truffle and honey
— Chocolate truffles
— Lemon tarts
I would highly recommend The Kitchen for Exploring Foods for anyone having an event be it small or large. We are so grateful for their amazing service, which made this event a huge success for us. Thank you!

The kitchen is one of my favorite places to pick up high-​quality gourmet food to go. this is the take-​out café of Los Angeles’ best full-​service catering company. It is part of the patina group.

We were beyond happy to have The Kitchen cater our wedding!!! Their food is EXCELLENT and the service is wonderful!
Lauren walked us through every step of the process, with great suggestions and attention to detail. John made us feel welcome at the storefront. Matt ran our event beautifully and worked with us to make sure it was exactly what we wanted. Our guests all complimented the food (including the vegans and gluten-​free eaters) and were impressed with the presentation and service.
And… we’ll definitely continue to drop by the store for takeout!

We ordered a full Thanksgiving dinner and WOW. The turkey was delicious, moist and flavorful, even after reheating at home. We ordered the mash potatoes, stuffing, carrots, brussel sprouts and pumpkin pie and were really impressed with how delicious and perfectly cooked they were. And what a well run operation!
We got a call to confirm the pick up time the day before. They had blocked off street parking in front on the store just for folks picking up. Check-​in and payment was super easy and they were really fast and thorough about our order. Great reheating instructions and they even packed parsley for garnish!
We can’t wait to order our Christmas dinner and now I want to go there every day to pick up dinner. Just so glad they are so close to home!

This is a neat little place to grab a bite to eat. Actually, I have never heard of a catering company offering an open deli counter for the public to stop by and sample their eats. I got a delicious sandwich, potato salad, and a drink for about $ 10 (which is standard). The cookie, I will say, was AMAZING! The service was impeccable because the man that was helping me took the time to explain everything they had, which is nice since I had never been there before. Parking can be an issue, but I was able to find a spot. I always pass by this location and I am so glad I stopped because it’s really hard for me to find a decent place to grab a nice lunch from where I work. I will definitely be back!

I can’t speak highly enough about The Kitchen. The food is always top notch and the employees go above and beyond to make your event special and unique. There is a reason they are one of the top catering companies in Los Angeles. You won’t be disappointed if you use them.
P. S. If you have a holiday party… order the sticky toffee pudding. It’s to die for.

EXCEPTIONAL. I worked for an event today, and after the reception ended, the caterers from Kitchen For Exploring Foods had so much food leftover, and I mean, they had enough to feed a village. The best part is, the food is so good. Chef Tim is super kind. Not to mention good at his job. He took me into the kitchen and I was in mini heaven. The spring rolls, salmon skewers with pesto sauce, mushroom dumplings, meatloaf with tomato sauce, open faced chicken wontons and roasted chicken were terrific. Filled me up real good.
I loved the chicken. So bad. I quietly went back to my post, and contemplated on how to get my hands on more of that chicken.
So about 30 minutes after, as the caterers started to pack up, I crept back into the kitchen and asked him bashfully if I could take some more of his roasted chicken home, and he filled up a box for me! My god they taste soooo goood. And the desserts… The strawberry milk shortcake, and the raspberry custard pastries were the highlight. The brownies were also great. Oh, everything was amazing.
I know I share my opinion with many of the guests, because so many of them went home with smiles and boxes of food and desserts. There was a guy who filled 4 separate boxes with different things. One was brownies, one was strawberry shortcakes, and I dont recall what he had in the other two boxes.
So I locked up, and went home grinning from ear to ear, glancing down at my spoils of war, even though there was no war.
Tomorrow will be a good day for me, thanks to Chef Tim of Kitchen For Exploring Foods.
The staff was friendly and energetic. And very helpful. The Unilocal reviews are real, people! They’re awesome!
The flowers they provided were fresh and beautiful. The white hydrangeas were breathtaking.
When I’m getting married, this will definitely be my caterer. Hands down!

I had the Kitchen for Exploring Foods cater my wedding, after lots of looking around! It wasn’t an easy decision but meeting Peggy and seeing her write an amazing menu for me and my soon to be to husband, I was sold. She incorporated our favorite foods, and pulled things right out of a magazine on her desk. I worked with the girls in the office who were helpful and got me a great party Manager Matt. Matt was an amazing help on my wedding day. I loved his energy and ability to get things done. I really wasn’t worried at all. He was so sweet, and brought a lot of décor that really went with the theme and venue. (Maxwell House) The staff that day was super nice, and I loved it.
Again having our Short Ribs and Halibut was just as good as our amazing tasting with the kitchen. I was really happy and felt like they were on top of it. Lots of seasonal veggies, and lots of food. (we had left-overs)the desserts that went with our cake were great and a hit with everyone. Caramel pot de crèmes, heart shaped raspberry cookies, little warm bouchons, and ice cream cones
They also did a few specialty cocktails for us and named them for us which I really thought was sweet.
Overall, I am quick to recommend them if you want delicious food, and a lot of heart from the creative process and the staff.

My review is not recent.
This place kicks ass! Better than average catering with nice servers who will come in and do just about everything and treat you like a king as well. What I really remember was the sandwiches, especially the roast beef! And I rarely eat meat anymore. The cheeses, salads, olives were delicious. Cookies and brownies can’t say enough. Not just catering, someone brought just sandwiches home for lunch. Definitely recommended!

Love the food here. This is a catering company, which does everything from decorating flowers to food. You can still however order meals and picnic baskets for special occasions.
They always have new items in the case to eat. The sweets are also very good too. I happen to love the lunch special. The sandwich, cookie, and the drink are so good ! You sort of get a little of everything if you go with the special. Try it out !

I haven’t ever worked with this company for catering, but I love their store-​front. It’s a great, tucked away location with such lovely food.
Great gourmet to go! I loved grabbing a piece of salmon and some amazing roasted vegetables in a flash. Every dish was right on point. When they ask you which sauce you’d like, say you want both chimmichurri and tomato. Mix them together and then spread them on everything. So absolutely delicious. Plus, since it’s somewhat weigh&pay you get to control your portions and your price, which is totally great if you’re going for lunch on a budget.
I was a little disappointed that the two specials listed were out, but that must mean they are just too popular!
Oh, and be sure to grab some of their homemade cookies too. You will not regret scooping up one of their amazing peanut butter cookies. I ate the whole thing before I knew what happened!

The food here is excellent!
I come by every so often because it’s down the street from my office and they have a great lunch combo where you can select one of their gourmet sandwiches, a sodas and a dessert for $ 8.
I had a late lunch the other day so they were limited on the sandwiches but had a the chicken Caesar salad wrap available. For dessert I opted for one of their superb brownies! My sandwich was delicious and when I ate the brownie later, that rocked too!
The guy serving me was cool enough to set up a table and chair outside for me to dine when I asked about it and brought out his cool looking umbrella to shade me from the intense rays of Pasadena
The variety of entrees available will make you come back again and again. It’s a great place for a lunch or to cater an event. If you’re in the area, make sure you stop in. You’ll definitely become a fan of this place!