When I had a friend come visit me for lunch in Santa Monica from Washington, D.C., I was at a loss for where to go. In Downtown Santa Monica, the places tend to feel really touristy, or be a big production to go to – not ideal when you have just an hour lunch break and not a ton of cash.

So I went on Yelp and discovered that there was a hidden gem located JUST down the street from me – Bookmark Cafe at the Santa Monica Library on 6th and Santa Monica!

Bookmark Cafe had rave reviews on Yelp and I was instantly intrigued. It seemed like a cool place to explore with a friend! So I walked on over (about 5 minutes) and grabbed a seat. The physical cafe is tiny, and located in the courtyard. There’s no seating inside. Rather, there are tables and chairs in the courtyard, as well as a little”river, plants and landscaping. Adorable!!

I was craving something healthy, so I ordered the pineapple mango smoothie. I was stoked to hear that there weren’t bananas in the smoothie, as most smoothie places put bananas in everything but they’re a very common allergen. I also ordered the caprese panini. Ryanne ordered a turkey wrap and a pineapple mango smoothie.

However, this decision was NOT easy to make. Bookmark Cafe has a seemingly ENDLESS menu of sandwiches, paninis, salads, pizza, pasta salads, sides, smoothies, breakfast, bakery items, to-go items and more. I was so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of selection and wanted to try one of everything!

When our food arrived, we were stoked. The food was pretty decent. My caprese panini could have had better quality tomatoes but overall it was very good. Ryanne enjoyed our wrap. We were both weirded out by the fact that our items came with sad and lonely carrot sticks, but we let it slide.

Whenever I want a salad or some variety, or to take a picky friend, or to just enjoy a quiet lunch in a scenic spot, I’ll definitely be returning here!

Disclosure: This post is not associated with Bookmark Cafe in any way. I received no compensation for this post.