I have been counting down the days until Mendocino Farms opened in Santa Monica and the day has FINALLY arrived!!

In Downtown LA, Mendocino Farms is taken very seriously. There’s a Mendo and a Starbucks on every corner and it’s where everyone goes to lunch. Since moving out of the area, though, I’ve been Mendo-starved and Mendo-sad.

On the week that the Downtown Santa Monica location opened (on Wilshire and 6th next to brand-new Sidecar Doughnuts), my intern and I took a field trip to Mendocino Farms for lunch. She had never been, so it was super exciting to introduce her to the food!

I always get the same sandwich at Mendocino Farms, the caprese sandwich with Gioia mozzarella, tomatoes, marinated red peppers, basil pesto, greens and balsamic vinegar on the fluffiest Ciabatta bread ever. The bread is provided by Celestino Drago, my favorite chef!

Because it was close to Thanksgiving, Mendo was offering a Thanksgiving sandwich with cranberry chutney. I asked them to add cranberry chutney to my sandwich and they did – it made all the difference!

Amanda ordered the Kale Caesar salad with butter lettuce, romaine, kale, wheatberries, tomatoes, onion, avocado and Parmesan in a lemon Parmesan vinaigrette. The salad was absolutely covered in fresh avocado – it looked amazing!

The best part of the SaMo Mendo is that it has an outdoor patio in the back. It’s cute, perfect for a relaxing meal, and isolated yet convenient at the same time.