Cafe LuMar

One of the best pastrami sandwich you will ever have. Not your traditional 15 layers of pastrami that you can barely take a bite of, but super high quality meat with an amazing sauce. I eat here at least 3 times a week. Very friendly staff as well.

This place is awesome! We went because we gotten a good deal on Groupon, and so happy we did! The service was excellent and the food was absolutely delicious!

What a nice found. Never thought I’d ever have Croatian food but I am glad I came across with this little place full of surprises. The food was amazing. It’s definitely another flavor which I don’t know how to describe it but IT TASTES GOOD. Super fresh ingredients. Great customer service. Super clean restaurant. Small menu. They have a little bit of everything for everyone: salads, meats, sweets, unsweetened teas, wines, mimosas, etc… Your money won’t be wasted. Try it out!!!

Very cute café with a nice brunch menu. I ordered the breakfast crêpe with ham, mushrooms and cheese and it was very good. The fruit is also fresh. I’ll definitely come back to try their other menu items including the nutty toast, which I saw someone else order and it looked amazing!

So glad I tried this Croatian restaurant. The dishes we ordered were all very good; tasted like a home cooked meal indeed!
I highly recommend the Lamb Shank entrée. So tender & flavorful! the meat was falling off the bone and complimented very well with the veggies and mash potatoes.
The dessert crepes were very good!
Prices are very reasonable. Would come back to try other items on their menu.
Service was also really good! Reservation is recommended since it’s a small restaurant. Alfresco dining available.

One of the crêpe I ever had! Soft and savory with good balance of of flavor, highly recommended for first tries.

Ordered breakfast last Sunday and dinner tonight. Breakfast crepes were divine and for dinner the goulash soup was very flavorful and tender, chipotle chicken pasta cooked to perfection and desert crepes (apple cinnamon! Yum!) this place is awesome.

Croatian food (⁷⁄₁₀) the food was pretty good as it was made to order. The waitress emphasized this, so I thought I should too. The food leaned toward the saltier side of the spectrum but nonetheless the quality of the food prepared was perfect. Each piece of meat had a chewy texture combined with the sauce formed wonders on the taste buds. The people here are super nice and as so helpful in explaining some of the food unique to their culture. Definitely would recommend to stop by and have a lunch!

We ordered pork schnitzel and chicken/​browkli crepes. The wienerschnitzel was rather thick and with sauce poured all over it, it did not taste crispy (I could honestly make a better schnitzel myself). The chicken crepes was all white meat, which I thought was dry and not creamy enough, although the flavor was good.
One older lady tried to run the place by herself, but it was obvious not enough, eventually another person came out out the rear (kitchen??) and helped.
Conclusion, it seems to be a tourist attraction? At least it seems like it, all the tables seem to be occupied by foreigners, not locals??? I could be wrong! Food was so so for what we ordered, but I’m willing to go back to try other ones…

Went here on a whim and I was very impressed! I got the Chicken Pesto Panini and an Arnold Palmer. My friend got the Shrimp and Mushroom Crêpe.
The Arnold Palmers were perfectly tart but sweet – lemonade definitely freshly squeezed. My panini was oozy with cheese, and the bread had a satisfying crunch!
I’d love to try their other stuff – too bad I don’t live in Monrovia! But, on the bright side it’s just a few blocks off the 210.

What a hidden gem!
I’d never tried Croatian food before eating here, so I have no idea if it is authentic but I know that they serve delicious food!
Highlights are the savory crepes, beef stroganoff and lumar platter.
Also get the blueberry tea and the Croatian red wine.
The service is always nice and is usually the owner. Small family spot.
Highly recommend!

Love this place! Who knew Croatian food tastes so good?! Had the Three Course Dinner Special $ 24 & the 3 course meal from Groupon.
Complimentary bread with red capsicum spread is a nice touch :)
Appetizer. Got soup of the day. It was some sort of chicken vegetable noodle soup. Most delish! The other time, had the tomato soup. Pretty tangy, but yum~ Totally out beats Fig & Olive’s butternut squash soup. Classic green salad was enjoyable, but the Mediterranean Salad was good.
Entrée. Bf enjoyed their Sarma (stuffed cabbage rolls) so much, he ordered it more than once. I really like my choices too. Absolutely enjoyed the Beef stroganoff (the best I had so far) and Breaded Pork Schnitzel w/​creamed spinach & mashed potatoes.
Dessert. Had the Nutella Crêpe as well as the Apple Cinnamon Crêpe. Both are tasty, but probably prefer the Nutella Crêpe more. I’ll save cinnamon apple flavor for pies & tarts.
Drinks. Lemonade is good. Tasted homemade. Arnold Palmer is ok. The iced tea washes out the lemonade. Better to get iced tea or lemonade on its own.
Service is excellent. Bathroom is clean. Can’t find any fault to this place. Everything is good!

We came for breakfast! We happened to see the Unilocal deal while checking in and decided to take advantage of the offer.
The owner was friendly and personable. We liked seeing her interact with other customers and seeing trophies and items from their women’s bowling league.
Everything from our coffee to my French toast was perfect and we really enjoyed dining inside for brunch. Maybe next time we can try the small outdoor area with the fur baby.
Inside the store, they also sell groceries/​snacks/​staples from Croatia. We also enjoyed reading the informational signs on our table about the owners home country.

I have no idea why, after living in Monrovia for two years, I only just ate for the first time at Café LuMar and I will be back — SOON.
I had the Beef Stroganoff, after «warning» our server that the meal would be compared to my mother’s Stroganoff — and Mom’s a great cook. Ya know, don’t tell Mom, but she may have met her match with Café LuMar’s dish. My date had a ½ chicken panini and side salad, which she enjoyed very much, but after one taste of my Stroganoff she was coveting my plate the rest of our time there ;-)
For dessert we split one order of Apple-​Cinnamon crepes, which gave us one crêpe each. The crepes, alone, are worth going there for. It’s a good thing the restaurant is closed while I’m writing this, because just THINKING about the crepes makes we want them NOW.
Go. Eat. Enjoy.

Beef stroganoff is AMAZING! It’s not your traditional, it’s so much better. Served on gnocci with mushrooms, carrots and extremely tender chunks of beef. To top it off the owner is so welcoming and kind. Must try!!!

Great family restaurant.
Very clean and inviting. Food is well prepared and delicious. Family owned and operated. One of the only Croatian restaurants in Southern California. The schnitzel is excellent with creamy spinach. Goulash with noodles is so comforting. Most definitely would recommend.

OMG! How freaking awesome is the food here??! I bought a Groupon deal and decided to give this place a try — I had no idea it would be such a memorable experience. I went to dinner with my boyfriend this past Saturday evening. We had a reservation for 7:15 pm, and were seated immediately. I would absolutely recommend making a reservation in advance as this place is cute but small, and does not seat many people. There was another big party having dinner across from us, however that did not at all impact the quality of outstanding service we received.
Our server this evening happened to be the restaurant’s owner’s sister (who also happens to be the head chef here). She was very polite, friendly, and attentive. Also such a delight to chat with! The whole atmosphere of the place made us feel warm and cozy.
DRINKS — First, we tried one of their red wines — the pinot noir. It was so very different from any American wine you would try. It was very earthy, but tart. We both enjoy trying different types of cuisine, so we were able to appreciate the wine. Next, with our dinner, we had the sangria. Also very different and tasty.
FOOD — The best part of our visit. For the appetizer we tried the Mushroom Sauté. The mushrooms are sautéed with garlic parmesan sauce and also some type of white wine. Served with white bread for dipping. Outstanding. My boyfriend had the Breaded Pork Schnitzel. It was served with mashed potatoes and creamy spinach. I had the Lamb Shank, which was served with mashed potatoes and veggies. Now, I am not going to attempt to describe how amazing the food was, because there are no words really. You just have to try it and see for yourself.
I am a picky eater when it comes to dining out, but Café LuMar exceeded my expectations. I am also eastern European, and would like to add that the food tastes like a very traditional home-​cooked meal.
In conclusion, please, do yourself a favor and try this restaurant. You will be blown away as I was. Will be back soon.

CITY PERSON EATS PEASANT FOOD: PART 1 — CROATIA
Peasant food from Eastern Europe. Croatia to be exact. Basic cooking techniques, humble ingredients, simple plating… and damn forking good. There’s nothing wrong with peasant food. I’ll bet some of the best dishes in history were invented in a shack, not a castle.
I started my meal with a Croatian beer I couldn’t pronounce called Karvolacko. It was like water, but I guess after a hard day of plowing the fields, that’s the type of refreshing beer you’d want.
I also tried the goulash, which was decent but sort of boring.
What I fell in love here was their «sarma». Sour cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice. It was served along with — duh — bread and potatoes. I used the bread to sop up every drop of the tangy sauce. Rustic, hearty, and delicious.
Inspired by this meal befitting a brawny Slavic farmer, I went home to mow the lawn and subsequently collapsed from exhaustion.

Food is good and customer service was great! I ordered something that was lamb and mashed potatoes, one of the best lamb dishes I’ve had so far! Also I bought a $ 40 groupon for my friend and I to eat here and we both loved it. Our groupon came with a soup or salad, 2 entrees, and any 2 of their delicious crepes of your choice. The groupon was totally worth it!
This was both our first time eating Croatian food as well. I will definitely come back for their yummy Croatian food!

I have no cons for this establishment.
PROS:
*Excellent food (Breakfast Panini & Chicken Pesto Panini)
*Delicious lemonade
*Good service
*Open early on Sundays (we were searching for food at 9am — other cafes were closed at this time)
*Parking across the street
*Clean dining room
That is all. lol Thank you Café LuMar! I will be back. =)