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I’m in Burbank frequently and often find myself very preoccupied with finding a good lunch place. I’ve exhausted all the places on San Fernando near the Burbank Media Center and usually I just want a good sandwich that isn’t in sub form (although Santoro’s Italian Cold Cut is a favorite) or isn’t something from Porto’s (again, another frequently visited spot). Across from Porto’s I’ve found what seems to be an anomaly in Burbank: a minimalist gourmet café called Urban Eats.
The menu is mainly comprised of healthy salads and sandwiches. You can also order meats a la carte like marinated grilled steak, seared sesame ahi or grilled chicken breast and pair them with a variety of sides like cilantro lime rice, mac n’ cheese or roasted beets & feta salad.
I also really like the fact that you can design your own salad, choosing from a pretty ample list of “choppings” and cheeses. They serve Firestone beer among other bottled brands and a decent wine menu.
The food is made fresh to order and the prices are reasonable. You order from the counter and when the food is ready, they call your name. I decided to get one of the specials of the day, 1/2 tuna panini, cup of soup and salad for $7.75. Other sandwiches include the Turkey Bacon, Sausage/Tuna/Veggie Paninis and Herb Roasted Chicken Breast on French Bread.
I was warned that they were dreadfully short staffed that day. They weren’t kidding.
A table of four ordered salads that came out at different times, with the last order arriving 10 minutes later. One fellow waited for 10 minutes before he was told they were out of his choice. He must of saw the discerning look on my face because he reassured me, “It’s not usually like this, I come here all the time and they are fast.”
Décor is spare and industrial inside. Part of the kitchen area is exposed and you can watch your salad being prepared or food being grilled. The front of the restaurant boasts huge windows that lets a lot of light in and allows a nice view of busy Magnolia Blvd. There’s a narrow counter along the wall and perhaps one too many tables that makes it just a bit snug for the small space. For the table near the counter, the patrons were surrounded by people in line placing orders.
And my food? When I first picked up my order, I was surprised by how small my half sandwich was. But the 8-grain bread it was on was really yummy and the tuna salad was prepared well, with small chunks of celery and white raisins and not too mayonaissey. For soup, I chose the Southwestern Chicken. It had a really flavorful smoky taste from the grilled chicken, peppers and black beans. The salad was a simple mix of greens topped with a vibrant shallot vinaigrette. All in all, when I finished everything, I was pleasantly full. What I initially thought was too teeny a portion was actually perfect. I found myself taking a moment to realize I didn’t need to gorge myself until I felt sick.
The food at Urban Eats is simple, fresh and good, despite the slow service that day.
The couple next to me said, “This place is really nice for Burbank.”
I agree.
If you think otherwise, let me know where else to go.
Urban Eats
3501 W. Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 848-1106
Sun - Wed: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Thurs: 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri & Sat: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
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mashed potato, side of steak, mac n cheese and a pint of anchor steam.
I've been salivating over the tuna sandwich ever since I saw the picture. Finally went there Saturday night. Wouldn't you know - they had the whole tune sandwich for dinner special. You're right, the 8-grain bread is really something and the tuna is FRESH. I was plenty FULL after eating just the half sandwich. Took the other half home, heated it in the toaster oven for Sunday dinner and it was still good. Thanks for the recommendation!
yum!
Lime Cilantro Rice is to die for.
This is the "it" place for nicoise salad as far as I'm concerned. Very generous portion of seared ahi for a very reasonable price of under $10.00.
I read the above and excitedly grabbed a to-go turkey and bacon sandwich w/ beet salad before a flight out of Burbank. I was starving while waiting in the terminal and had no idea when I'd get the chance to eat again that night. That said, I threw out more than half the order without hesitation. The beets w/ funky feta and haphazardly thrown-in pine nuts were tasteless and the sandwich was so ridiculously salty it literally caused my lips to pucker. Lame! I felt like such an LAist lemming and (still hungry) lamented the loss of my $11.