Coogie’s Cafe

We ended up in here very hungry this afternoon. The parking is easy, as it has a big parking lot to itself. The café is like stepping back into time. People were very nice and service was good (one whole star for that). Food, we spent fifty bones to feed four adults and one three year old.
And there were no drinks, everyone had water. The price of the food not really the problem, the food was just blah, nothing to remember in a positive note. If we had not been so hungry, I could see some going to waste. If you are going to eat in Santa Monica, and you see this place, keep on driving. There MUST be better food out there.

We were in a hurry. 40 minutes to have breakfast. They have their own parking. We sat at the counter reserved and paid at the same time in and out in 30 minutes. Omelets were delicious. While we were there they accommodated a party of 15 with no problem. Will eat here again

zucchini bread is always a must when I come to cooGies! Service is always excellent and the staff is very accommodating with all my food allergies!
cooGies is always a must when I’m in Santa Monica :)

I have great affection for this place. Has an airy, mid-​century vibe w/​alot of natural light & good landscaping. Big, varied menu that has something (or alot of somethings) for everyone. I’ve never had a bad meal & service has always been good. They’re eager to please here & I like them for that. This place has been around for awhile so obviously they’re doing something right. Prices are very reasonable.

I ate here this week and I loved it as usual. I don’t know why people make fun of me for eating here. The food is really good. They have this rosemary chicken dish that is legit and the blackened chicken sandwich I had this week was really good.

Took my bf’s uncle out to lunch here. This place is a better option than iHop pretty much. The service was great. Our waiter was very attentive. I ordered the spicy Cajun omelette with orange juice.
This is a place you go to if you want to get a quick bite and you don’t want to look for parking or wait for a table.

I definitely wouldn’t order the meatloaf lunch special again. It seems as if it was awaiting some one to order it. Appeared drier than it was.
If you’re hungry and don’t want McDonald’s up the street eat here. You’ll be unimpressed, but fed.

For the money — a solid meal and friendly staff. Just step over the people sleeping in the parking lot.

Although service was extremely warm and nice (a whole star goes to this :), the food was just so so for me.
I was looking for a place to chill while I waited for my car at the dealer and came across this homely place – with mostly senior citizens, families with children, and people seemingly working on their stuff (saw a guy on his laptop and a woman grading papers seems like) but boy, was it poppin’ on a Saturday afternoon!
FOOD:
²⁄₅ Buffalo wings were simply fried chicken wings and a little cup of buffalo sauce (size of a McDonald’s ranch sauce!) D: as a lover of buffalo wings I was expecting the wings to be infused with the sauce but naw. Worst yet, the breading of the fried chicken wings were not really flavored. The sauce simply wasn’t enough for the amount of wings and I have to say my dreams were crushed here.
³⁄₅ Minced garlic chicken with lettuce appetizer was okay, but the chicken was too salty. Otherwise the flavor wasn’t bad, though it didn’t exactly make me wanna eat it again.
POSITIVES:
+Hospitality was on point! Seems like a mom and pop resto and despite them being extremely busy, everyone was extremely attentive and quick with refilling my water.
+Plenty of tables and seating, feels like one of those hotel dining commons with lots of tables spread out in a big open space.
+Parking seems easy as they have a whole lot to themselves.
+Prices relatively reasonable (SaMo standards). I paid about $ 20 for my buffalo wings and minced chicken appetizer and the portions were decent.
+Great for time travel, because the vibes of this place screams vintage! I kinda like that feeling from time to time – LA is saturated with trendy and hip places so it’s a nice change.
NOT SO POSITIVE:
–Unfortunately, I do question the sanitation of this place, upon walking in there was kinda of a «greasy» smell. then I found that my fork still had some food on it even though it was wrapped in napkin :/​
–Food a bit bland for me.
OVERALL:
I don’t see myself returning unless I’m going with someone who really wants to go.

I wish this place had been better but it was pretty bad. The menu is large and prices are as expected ranging between $ 8 – 15.
My first disappointment was the disgusting bathroom. I felt like I walked into a gas station. You could see the dirt and germs on the doors, sink, floor. Everything looked old, cracked and moldy. I didn’t feel clean after I left the bathroom and started thinking about workers using it then handling food. :(
We got our food quickly and mine started with a bowl of chicken noodle soup. It was very salty and the broth had a funny after taste. Next came the fish and chips which tasted like something I could buy at the grocery market and microwave myself, only not as good. I ate barely half and left the rest.
My date didnt enjoy the food either. He wondered why this place is even still in business. If I had to guess it would be because of the loyal customers. I’m sure there are consistent visitors who frequent this spot. Also the staff/​service was very nice and friendly. They made us feel welcomed so there’s that too.
This place needs to revamp its bathroom and menu. Maybe offer less options but make those options better. That would up my rating.

Many other better breakfast reataurants in Santa Monica. The average age of patrons when I was here was about 60 (Sunday at 11am). The server greeted us by saying, «What do you want?» That’s probably not what I would lead with. I saw other tables around us repeatedly ask for their check and condiments. Maybe they were having a bad day, or short staff, but it was for sure sub-​par service.
As far aa the food goes, it was just ok. Nothing great, but not bad. I had a $ 9.95 Denver omelet. It was just a standard Denver and that’s what it tasted like. It also took quite a long time to get our food considering all we ordered were 2 omelets. The food is pretty cheap.
I wouldn’t come back.

Food is not bad but not good either. Been here a couple of times and I’ve tried different items mostly because what I’ve tried I would not eat again. I only go here because my patient loves coming here.
The two stars is for the service, very attentive, though the food took some time to get to the table.
They should invest in some pest control because there were fruit flies while we were eating and to top that a spider dropped to our table. Granting it was small, but a spider? Really?
Hopefully I don’t have to come back here any time soon.

Just had a great lunch here! Service was on point, food was delicious.
I dig the diner vibe. Classic without feeling pretentious.
The food was tasty, it came out hot and fast, and my drink was always refilled before it hit the bottom.
I’ll definitely be back, and hopefully next time save room for the rad sounding banana split.

This is a classic diner without trying to be hipster. Great diner food with nice diner service that you always hope for. Always clean and always welcoming.
Don’t expect sushi but for breakfast or lunch you’ll love it and walk away satisfied. I assume that dinner is classic too but to be honest I have never had dinner here. %)

Plenty of Parking, with a great Patio and indoor seating selection. One of Santa Monica’s hidden gems, an old fashion Know Thrills Coffee Shop.
A perfect place to Grab Breakfast or Lunch after my Saturday Ball Games.
Three Hot Cake combo w/​two eggs and turkey sausage is hmm hmm good.

Shitty place.
not helpful staff. They just don’t know how to be nice. They don’t really help customers out of taking orders and delivering food
You better learn how to tell the truth and how to be nice and patient. Not everything is money and staff learn how to make mocha and help customer to move tables when they need to. Don’t just ran away from helping.
Peace

My waffle was soggy, the biscuits were bland… Definitely would not recommend it. My friend got the eggs which she said were good; but you can get better food at Denny’s…
If you’re in your 80s and want to meet up with a lot of older customers then maybe it would be worth the trip

Near the edge of Santa Monica on Santa Monica Boulevard in a low slung building that might date back to the 1970’s. It’s not quite in the style of the classic Googie’s diner style of the 1950’s with the swooping, space age roof lines & dramatic signage that have features like rocket-​like fins blasting away ever skyward. The inside has the standard vinyl upholstered booths & the laminated faux wood grain tables. The food is acceptable if thought of as fuel for the body if not for the palate. Boringly bland is how I would describe the food here. However, I have a friend who would swear by this place if he ever were to come here because it is so monotone.
So why do I go? It’s because my English/​Japanese language exchange group meets here every Wednesdays. The staff is very accommodating and welcomes us back week after week even though some of us do not always order a full dinner with a smile and welcome. I’m impressed by the hospitality & warm reception. So the food may be 2+ Unilocal stars but the cordial, affable, genial attitude compels me to up that one star. Thanks Coogie’s for a nice night out among people who have similar interests to share at your unpretentious, relaxed restaurant.

Diner doin’ it right!
Grabbing lunch, later than usual (Or is it «linner»?), like 4:30 PM, I arrived just before the earlybird crowd (Oh, what the hell, at my age but still working, I AM the earlybird crowd!), was warmly greeted, seated and graciously attended to.
Menu is fairly extensive with all the usual diner fare, daily specials, a short beer and wine list, plus breakfast is served all day.
Toss up between Coogie’s Café Classic Cheeseburger and their Fish ‘n Chips; the latter resonated as my most recent encounter was way back on 9−15−12 at another resto! Yeah, I’m careful, us earlybirds have to be; it’s our lipid panels, longevity on the line. AND, we, in general, have WAY more integrity than the Urban Dictionary defines us to force our ageing selves on young guys here or anywhere.
Food was up fast, starting with a wee, fresh dinner salad and lemon herb dressing on the side, free iced tea happily refilled.
Moist, tender codfish encased in light, crispy batter did not disappoint nor did the equally well-​executed «chips”/fries. Tartar sauce was the proper portion to accommodate every bite of fish and even a few «chips”/fries.
Ample parking. Awesome patio seating. No wifi BUT it is Santa Monica so you can glom on to City Wifi broadband if your virus/​malware protection is up to date.
Coogie’s Café is fan-​worthy by this earlybird.

It’s unfortunate that Coogie’s was a «back-​up» choice after I have failed three times to eat at Bru’s Wiffle down the street (1.5 hr wait each time). I was very sour and agitated.
Luckily, my friend suggested that we try Coogie’s and she was on point.
It’s very «old-​school» atmosphere with great customer service. I ordered the Spicy Bayou Scramble with House potatoes and it was FANTASTIC. What really hit the spot was that we shared their Belgium Waffle. Typically I’m not into waffles or pancakes but one bite of that waffle, I regret that I had to share it with my friend. It was that good. Sooooooo fluffy and light… yum!!!
We had unlimited refills of coffee. Life was good.
There is no 1.5 hour wait here… you’ll get seated right away. The service is great. AND there is plenty of parking in the lot. What have you got to lose?