Cynthia’s on the Corner

This restaurant is über cute, quaint and has a nice homey feel to it, while still staying true to the cool LA night vibe. Actually, a lot of celebrities like this place, including J. Lo :) My favorite dish to get here is the fried chicken, which comes with a generous portion of mashed potatoes, but you can substitute that for truffle fries if you’re a fatty like me. The chicken is boneless and comes with a fairly thick coat of breading, so if you like fried foods, this is the dish to get for you! If not, then I also really enjoy the pork chops, which come with this yummy applesauce and potato pancakes! Since I love meat + heavy carbs, this place blows my mind :)
Enough about the main courses, though — the BEST thing here is by far their macaroni and cheese!!! I believe they use a mixture of gruyère, parmegiano reggiano, and other fine white cheeses. There are at least five cheeses in there and the macaroni is cooked perfectly — it probably was first cooked al dente and then baked in a wood fired oven (I’m totally just speculating here, based on my years of watching the Food network and drooling). The cheese is melted beautifully on top and garnished with these super amazing warm bread crumbs! Cheese + bread… what’s not to like?! I wish I could remember which desserts I’ve gotten here before, but frankly, it doesn’t even matter. I would be content just going here and noshing on their mac ‘n cheese. This place is yummy, but it’s a little pricey… so make sure you go for a special occasion!

Delicious! Everything is super fresh and wonderful. They have a wide variety of foods from guacamole and chips to pita and hummus, and then a pine nut salad with arugula and a lemon vinaigrette (my personal favorite!)
The desserts are fantastic as well, and if you’re lucky, Cynthia will make it herself! She often waitresses, which gives it a very down to earth feel.
The one downside is that it is a small place, and on a Saturday night it will undoubtedly be packed, so make sure you get there early!

Absolutely our favorite new spot. Very comfy casual. Amazing food and byob! Can’t decide which is better: the fried chicken or the Dijon crusted pork chops with apple sauce. Truffle fries will hook you as will the specials. And I’d you ate nice Cynthia herself may join you for a glass of cab. Also BYOB! Bring a nice cab, order the pork chops and thank me in the morning. We love cynthias!

…CLOSED…
–Great breakfast burrito — a favorite meal on Montana.
–Hit or miss service.
–Nice to have a place in the neighborhood that isn’t as busy as Blue Plate.
**After a return home to LA from holiday travel we tried to order breakfast to go from Cynthia’s (12÷31÷09) and the phone seems to have been disconnected. The sign in the window says back in 2010…**

Had to do some shopping on Montana Ave and looked up some places on Unilocal to help me decide where to have breakfast. Unilocal has failed me? How is this possible?
The coffee was ok. french toast was underwhelming. The steak (from steak and eggs) undercooked, and gamey in flavor — nearly inedible. And for $ 20/​pp we really expected a lot more. Looking at other restaurants nearby that were filled with guests, we now understand why this place was empty.
I’d give it 1 star, but the service was good and parking was easy. With all the other good breakfast/​brunch options nearby, I’d say go someplace else.

This place is awesome. Excellent Food. Best Mac and Cheese I have ever had, Cynthia suggested we add applewood smoked bacon and we did… :) Bread Pudding was also the best I have had.
Price is very moderate. There were like 10 specials last night for dinner. I had the swordfish. All fish they serve is from Santa Monica seafood. Another plus since its such high quality. Our friends got the meatloaf sandwich was also totally amazing.
Also the blackberry cobbler was to die for.

I’ve walked past this place for some time until reading some of the Unilocal reviews on how good the food is. My neighbor swears by this place and frequented the original WeHo location.
After hearing Cynthia’s stories, we definitely needed to try either the pork, fried chicken or the meatloaf. I had the meatloaf sandwich which really is THAT good. Actually, the exact sandwich was called «The Home on The Range» which consisted of Meatloaf, Swiss, Dijon, Cole slaw, on excellent 7 Grain bread.
We also tried the Chopped Salad adding some Chicken for protein. The chopped salad is simple, but great quality ingredients – and, large enough to be pleasantly filling.
For desert, I had my eye on the mongo cookies which were off to the side. I inquired and they were «Pecan, chocolate chip». We split an awesome, moist cookie with character. I’d give this cookie a 5 star rating and put it up against my favorites!
The ambiance is casual and the service in incredible. Dining al fresco is also an option. I asked for the breakfast and dinner menu and will try again, tomorrow!
By the way, Cynthia’s offering catering and delivers! Nice to know during the holiday season.

Good old home cooking. The owner is a sweet heart treats all her costumers like family. Some of the best fried chicken in Los Angeles. Prices are reasonable.

This small, cute restaurant is a great stop to get a good meal. The sandwiches use great-​quality meat, so when you bite in, your taste buds are welcomed to a juicy, tasty treat.
Service is fast and friendly, and the overall atmosphere can be summed up simply as cozy. Absolutely worth stopping by if you’re in the area.

Okay… the name is kinda cute. and now that i work down on montana, i figured it would be a good place to start eating when i’m early to work. came in for breakfast and it was quite pleasant.
coffee: very good, hot cup-​kept me happy.
eggs: had omelette, it was fluffy and yummy.
toast: love the slightly toasted whole wheat sunflower seeded bread.
service: prompt and polite.
overall its really good. the lunch menu looked good… homemade gnocchi… shall stop by again soon.

I’ll admit, I was a little hesitant to try this restaurant at first. I was walking through the area, without an idea of what food to get, and spotted this menu. It looked like the portions would be a bit small, and possibly overpriced, but my girlfriend convinced me to try it out.
I had to admit to her how wrong I was.
We started with lattes and a cappuccino. Both were great, but the star of this meal was the food. Ordered hummus with crostinis ($ 7), truffle fries ($ 5), a steak sandwich ($ 13), and a grilled chicken sandwich ($ 12) to split between three people.
Hummus was tasty, and truffle fries were addictive. The sandwiches though — those were delightful. They put a ton of meat in there, and pair it with fresh veggies and a sauce that isn’t smothering the sandwiches. All served on lightly toasted ciabatta, these sandwiches are awesome.
Service was great, plus they had football playing inside, so I could watch the games while we sat outside enjoying the weather. Well done, Cynthia’s…well done.

I must have walked by this place about four or five times before I realized that this was where Cynthia’s on the Corner was (of course, i didn’t take a hint from the obvious name that it would be on the corner — HAH!).
Inside, there’s about a dozen small tables, and there’s a very cool, clean look to the place. It’s very simple, as is the menu, which I think is what makes Cynthia’s so special. A group of us shared the mac and cheese (which you HAVE to try), its amazing – and I also got the Portobello Mushroom sandwich and a piece of the fried chicken.
The Portobello sandwich was probably the best I’ve ever had (and I’m pretty big on steaks and burgers, which is what I would normally order but trying to cut back) – the seasoning and flavor made it really rich and «meaty» without any meat. Had I known the fried chicken was so light and NOT greasy/​oily, I probably would’ve ordered more!
This place is great, and what made it even better is Cynthia came by to greet us, and you really felt like you were over at someone’s place for dinner. Real down-​home cooking, great taste.

My sweetheart loves fried chicken. So, it comes as no surprise that I wanted him to experience the magic that is Cynthia Hirsh.
Here the rundown:
1. Mac and cheese with bacon and green onions — the last time I came, the mac came unadorned, devoid of the chewy, smoky bacon. Cynthia stated that the SaMo residents have issues with pork products, so she had to make it an option as to not draw ire from the locals. Whatever. With all the components in place, it is perfection (quoteth said sweetheart), and not a since noodle was left in the bowl.
3. Fried chicken breast — No bones. No skin. Juicy beyond belief. The crust has this really great kick that is not overtly spicy. Everything one could ever want.
4. Garlic truffle fries — cooked just the way I like them, but at this point, it was overkill
5. Green beans — delish, but we could have just sufficed with the mac and the chix.
6. Blackberry cobbler a la mode — «A dream», he says. It is bursting with flavor and the crumble is addictive as hell. We would eat more of it if our stomach capacities were larger.
Cynthia herself is a delight and a trip — never one to indulge in self-​deprecation, she is a woman who stands by her product. I’m curious to try the other items on offer at some point, but what I know works so well it would be difficult to deviate from the norm.

Stopped in today for breakfast. The only reason I actually went in was because it wasn’t packed like the other breakfast places on Montana.
I hadn’t been here since it was Grateful Bread, so I was happy to try something new. The prices seemed decent until I realized that the $ 7 omelet doesn’t include anything. Every item is either $ 1 or $ 2. So, my omelet with spinach, jack cheese, mushrooms, and bacon was $ 13. Unless you like a plain omelet, it will get pricey quickly.
I have to give them credit, it’s one of the very few places that can make an omelet and not have it be completely dry, but the extra ingredients were pretty minimal, so there wasn’t a lot of flavor. If you’re going to charge $ 2 for spinach, at least have more than 8 leafs in there.
The bus boys were extremely friendly. They did everything, it seemed. They’re the only ones that ensured my meal went smoothly. The one interaction I had with my server was her taking my order.
I highly doubt I’d come back. Several times I watched the owner, Cynthia, snap at and bitch out the bus boys for no apparent reason. I can’t support anyone that barks at their employees and can’t be bothered to treat them with some respect. That’s just not okay.

Yumyum omg!!! The mac n cheese was my fav it’s not like anything mom used to make it’s better!!! And Joe our server was very attentive and extremely pleasant! Must try this restuarant if u haven’t before!

Cynthia’s is amazing!!! First of all, many people don’t realize that it is NOT grateful bread. I have eaten here 6 times and every time it has been delicious. The «Home on the range» meatloaf sandwich is to die for. The Onion rings are the most amazing onion rings ever! I have also had the chopped salad, burger, and fried chicken, which are all great! All of the tomatoes are heirloom are grown exclusively for Cynthia’s yummm!
Whoever is saying it is crazy expensive is wacko… this is LA people! Not too mention it is on Montana Ave. I am sorry, but 12 bucks for a sandwich and salad, just isn’t that crazy!
Anyway…it’s amazing… so go :)

What a disaster! I went for breakfast and the waiter Joe was such a jerk. He was staring at his own plate of eggs and would not help my wife, son, or me. It is no wonder that while other restaurants on Montana are thriving (e.g., Blue Plate, 17^th Street Café, and Café Montana), Cynthia’s is empty. I would review the food but we wound up leaving the service was so atrocious.
By the way, I used to go to Cynthia’s on 3^rd all the time and loved it, but this place is truly horrible. I will never go there again.

On the same day I made a head to head comparison of two places on the Westside that have been recommended for their fried chicken — Cynthias’s on the Corner, and Cynthia’s old establishment, now named Restaurant 3.
I got take out from both and brought them home for a head to head comparison. Both were very similar (not surprisingly), moist pieces of breast meat, fairly juicy, with a nice crispy coating, not too greasy, and not too bland. I will give Cynthia’s on the Corner a slight edge, as they were better seasoned, with a bit of a kick, spice wise.
I would recommend either place for a decent meal, at fairly decent prices considering the area (West Hollywood/​Santa Monica).
Besides the fried chicken, I also tried the mashed potatoes and red clam chowder, both very solid.
Please keep in mind however, that both restaurants serve only boneless fried chicken breast, an not your typical fast food fried chicken.

I really liked this place. There are so many more tables than the grateful bread. I had the portobello mushroom sandwich and the truffle fries — they were both really good. Also, I am not a mayo fan, so I really liked their mayo-​less coleslaw. It is a little pricey — between 10 – 15 a sandwich — but for Montana I thought that was fair.
The weird thing is that they insist on putting a piece of paper down on the table. I am not sure why. It seems like a waste of paper.

I can’t believe no one has reviewed this place yet — it’s freakin FANTASTIC!
We had an amazing and laid back brunch here… liquor store across the street and no corking fee. The mushroom soup and truffle fries are heaven, and I had a portobello sandwich that knocked my socks off. Good times indeed.