Tulip Cafe

CLOSED. Was a nice little low maintence spot for lunch.

Great for breakfast or lunch. Nothing fancy, just cheap tasty diner food. The family running the Tulip are great folks, always around to chat or commiserate. Check the back of the menu for some classic Mexican dishes. A Santa Monica hidden gem.

hidden gem in an industrial part of santa monica. great food and friendly staff.

This place was a normal restaurant experience.
It’s a Mother-​Daughter shop.
Fries were alright
Double Cheeseburger was better, but not amazing.
They seemed a little at their limit when only a few people were there to eat, but they were friendly and smiled a lot.

Cheap, but they’ll remember who you are if you go there a few times and never in a bad way. A real family run enterprise and they thrive on repeat business. Highly recommended, they always make our food right, it’s a greasy spoon diner, but they’re always awesome. TV shows being shown are usually daytime trash tv, it’s the only thing I’d change if I could. Other than that, highly recommended.

A employee of mine bought me lunch here, begrudgingly, he had offered to buy, but then gave a guilt trip when the check came. He ended up paying,
He goes here frequently, I guess, but I was not too impressed. He ordered a burrito, his theory is you cannot go wrong if you eat their specialty, and since they are a Mexicanized Diner type place so he ordered Mexican food.
I had the fish and chips, as it was a Friday and I am pescatarian on Fridays. (Catholic) It was ok, nothing special. I would not really expect that they actually make the food, but pull a couple pieces out of the Sysco box. They had no cocktail sauce or horseradish, only ketchup and tartar sauce.
My other employee, also a Friday pescatarian, said that it was below average for this type of greasy spoon, hole in the wall diner place. I wouldn’t know, I don’t frequent them.
In fact, not true of this restaurant, any restaurant that has a huge sign out front that says World Famous or World’s Greatest I am likely to pass. If you want to impress me, put your Michelin Star out, otherwise you are not the greatest.
Back to the Tulip. It was edible, but would not likely return. There are so many good restaurants in Santa Monica to enjoy. Even a couple Michelin Stars.

I adore this place. I walk down here whenever I can from work two blocks down. Every day has a special of three special items you can choose from. I’m always there on Thursday for fried chicken and Friday for fish tacos or fish and chips. The staff is so friendly and remember me each time I came in, even after I haven’t been there for 6 months. I will always support this restaurant every time I work in the area.

Friendly staff, casual and the old american diner vibe, but not that great actually.

Small place, very unassuming, but really great simple food! With just about the nicest staff you’ll ever meet

Still love this place and glad to see it’s still around. If you want a quick — but good breakfast and don’t want to wait in the lines (why?) on Montana for brunch in Santa Monica — here is your place.
Watch out — they also have cookies. Delicious and I try and stay away from them.

It’s more charming on the outside. The inside is a mid-​west wormhole, though easy-​going — a diner from a time warp. The stools are like the ones at «Yellow Balloon.» Tables and wall art are from a 1930’s Warner Bros. movie set. But a bit run-​down. Basic food, come here to eat for $ 6-​$ 7 bucks. You can’t hate this place, it’s just not anything special. Real, real nice staff like this was the mid-​west. Maybe once for you, or anytime you’re on a budget. You get the feeling they are not here to turn a buck, I swear, just to keep it running. A laid-​back business, break-​even approach. Open 6:30 to 3:30 p.m. 2.5 Stars.

Cute little home style diner feel place in Santa Monica. The menu is burgers, sandwiches, salad, and burritos. Its priced well. I got a burger and fries. The fries reminded me of the old school ones I used to get from my school cafeteria. The burger was yummy and cooked perfectly. I recommend if you sick of fast food choices and are looking for something cheap and simple.
I added a picture of the menu to the pictures section since I couldn’t find one when I was looking before I ate here.

One of my favorite local places, a tiny old fashioned lunch counter with an menu expanded to include some Asian and Mexican dishes. I’ve been going there for 15 years and never had a bad experience. They’ll make you feel at home!

As I was on my way to work I decided to grab some food. I barely noticed this place. Needless to say I walked in to what was a nearly empty diner besides one old guy drinking his coffee. The menu is very plain and to the point. I ordered a bacon, hashbrown, and eggs breakfast burrito. It came with chips and salsa. Cheese was not included, and unfortunately if it wasn’t for the cheese, I can’t say the burrito would have been AS good. Next time I’ll try something else

I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by to get some yummy chicken chow mein and was sad to learn they completely changed the menu and took all my favorites off of it! :(
I got a burrito and it was gross.
sad sad day. This place used to be the bomb.

We love it at the Tulip Café. It was easy, cheap, fresh, and delicious.
I stumbled across this teeny joint while taking a stroll down Colorado. In all my years in Santa Monica I have never noticed the place. It turns out it is a family run restaurant, that serves fresh enjoyable specials and will not break your wallet. If you are in the mood for an awesome tuna melt or fish n’ chips on a Friday — this is your place.
And in the end… it is really about supporting the small business owners in this frightening economic climate.

Went here for lunch today.
Me: Eggs, hashbrowns and sausages (hashbrowns were undercooked)
Colleague: Mushroom omlet with hashbrowns (Hair in his hasbrowns.
The waitress brought back the same omlet when he sent back the food and since there was some sort of «miscommunication», he didn’t get new hasbrowns or any sides). He was starved so he ate my toast.
2 other colleagues: Avacado bacon sandwich. These looked tasty, but the coleslaw resembled a tumbleweed.
I get the whole vibe of the diner: straight to the point, no frills and such, but overall the service and food were «meh».
I may come back but I’d definitely get something else. No breakfast for me. I also find it odd that they have American diner-​ish food then random Chinese food.
Where can I rate my colleague for taking my bread? (i kid)

I work around the block from the Tulip Café and barely even noticed it was there. It took me 4 months to eat there, but I can guarantee you it won’t take me another 4 to eat there again.
It’s a very blue-​collar, no-​frills kind of diner. Being from the midwest, it reminded me a lot of home with the yellow vinyl bar stools and table sets that could have there since it opened in 1953. For a diner called «The Tulip Café», I was surprised I didn’t see any tulips, but no complaints here.
The menu is pretty basic diner fare — burgers, tuna melts, salads, fries etc., but they also have specials which include some asian dishes and tex-​mex. They have some advocado options, but that’s about as healthy as it gets outside a couple salads.
Service is on-​par with what I’d expect from a diner. The waitress messed up my friend’s order (didn’t leave the onions and mayo off his burger), but otherwise pretty friendly and prompt.
This is a great lunch place if you’re low-​maintenance and don’t mind sharing a burger next to a couple mechanics on their break.

This is a good simple café that could belong in any part of the US. The food is standard breakfast and lunch fare and its really cheap, specially for Santa Monica.
Great place to grab a quick bite to eat.
Don’tg expect them to know the meaning of ‘organic’, ‘vegan’ or ‘low-​carb’

Upon entering The Tulip Café, I felt as though I stepped into a time-​machine and traveled to the late 70’s-early-80’s and landed inside this charming eatery.
It’s no fancy joint, but for a simple guy such as myself, the prices can’t be beat and the food quality and service was perfectly fine.
I would recommend this to anyone who isn’t too high maintenance and who can enjoy a certain Café nostalgia that comes along with this hidden gem.