Cafe Vida

The café is located in the Bay Club, just near the entrance. There are options for every eater– gluten-​free, vegetarian, vegan, carnivores, and whatever new fad diet is out there. The food is average, but the options and service bumped it up a star. The blueberry corn pancake was fluffy with the flavor of corn clearly coming through, but it needed more than the 4 blueberries to really classify as a blueberry pancake. The juices and smoothies are made fresh. The best date smoothie is good– a little sweet, and could probably use a green to cut it a bit. I didn’t have the coffee, but I heard it was pretty atrocious. That was coming from a NYer, so maybe it’s standard Cali coffee.
Take a walk around the gym while you’re there; it’s very nice.

A bit pricey for a salad (13.50) but I ordered the organic green salad, and it was amazing! Just the right amount of dressing. The café itself has a great feel, quiet and plenty of available seating. I will be back despite the high price tag.

The food is awesome but the service is SO, SO beyond slow.
For two salads, it took 28 minutes from the time we ordered to the time we got our salads… And they were «to go»… Not cool.
The cooks take their time and should pay as much attention to the service side of things as they do to the food side.
But, the food is actually really good. I love the barbecue chicken salad the best and there are quite a few awesome healthy choices. I just hope they can speed things up just a little. The last thing somebody wants to do after their workout when they’re starving and all sweaty is stand there and wait for half an hour:(

EVERYTHING I have had has been amazing. Burritos, salads, and sandwiches are all on point. The food is very fresh and consistent. I would recommend it to anymore who wants a solid healthy meal.
Price range is a reasonable $ 10 – 15 considering the quality of the food and the exceptional service.

I’m a new member at Spectrum, now Bay Club, and I always stop off here to get something to eat or drink when I’m done working out. I LOVE their food and everything I’ve had is great, from oatmeal, to wraps, to salads, etc. It’s exactly the type of food I want, healthy, light, and most importantly, flavorful! I would eat here or pick up food even when I’m not working out at the club. I hope they don’t touch this place when the club transitions to Bay Club.

Very good healthy food and friendly service. We really enjoy relaxing there after a work out.

The food is delicious and healthy. The staff is very nice and friendly, always working hard. Definitely recommend lunch here. If you work in the area, you can’t really find quality food like this anywhere within walking distance. Recommend the chicken mango avocado salad, it is their most popular item. They also have a great iced coffee. 5 Stars for Café Vida!

I am so sad right now. I came on Unilocal to check the reviews and see if anyone else had noticed the quality of their food go down lately with the new management taking over. My normally delicious salad is very bleh today. If the most recent review is correct, the place is about to shut down so Bay Club can open a new restaurant. Doesn’t seem like a bright business move– Café Vida is always packed even though it’s not the most frugal lunch choice. And they have the nicest employees who have been familiar faces for years. Maybe I’ll see them again if they go get jobs at Equinox, which is where I’m headed if things continue on this path. Oh and the Bay Club uniforms are just dumb looking.

Best chicken Caesar salad ever! Order online for pick and they always have it ready before the estimate time. The smoothies are to die for!

The salads here R absolutely delicious. Anyone can eat here not just gym members and everything is super fresh. They also make smoothies and juices for a quick pick me up after ur workout. Pre packaged salad R just as delicious as fresh made ones. Also the soups and sandwiches look great! Price is a little high but for the convenience U gotta pay! :)

Solid and healthy! As a group, my coworkers and I declared that this will be our go-​to casual lunch spot on the daily.
My café chicken salad was really delicious. The grilled chicken breast was moist, the brown rice went well with the dish and the veggies were fresh. The hot sauce caesar dressing was perfect — the perfect subtle kick that I love.
I’m excited to try more off the menu.
$ 10 — $ 15

Café Vida is located inside of Spectrum gym and because it’s so pricey, I don’t come here often. The café is located within walking distance of my office and I’ll treat myself to lunch here when I’m craving something healthy. My biggest complaints are that 1) the last time I went they must have forgotten my order because I stood there waiting for my food for 30 – 45 minutes. 2) The prices are expensive.
I love their turkey burger salad — it’s delicious! I have been meaning to try this place for breakfast — my co-​workers bring in the most delicious looking wraps. I love their lemonades and juices. I haven’t tried their smoothies yet. There is plenty of seating inside, but they will also pack it to-​go (although, in my two experiences here, you can’t be in too much of a rush to get your food). I also wish they had more menu options that didn’t have chicken, since I don’t eat chicken and their lunch menu is heavily chicken based.
Overall, the food is delicious, the prices are high, and the speed of service could be better.

Nice staff good employee and people watching. Food is healthy and clean, the roasted turkey sandwich is very good.

So I’ve become a regular here since it’s close to work and I like their food. Basically, yeah they have really good food. The breakfast burrito and many of their daily specials are outstanding. The vegetable juices are standard but you can’t beat fresh squeeze green juice when you need to cleanse.
I docked a star from my previous review mainly because the place is too expensive for what you get and sometimes the service is questionable. I’ve had more than a couple of orders messed up and there is one guy who works there that let’s just say is opinionated. Oh well, I’m still going to go back to this place probably 2 – 3 times next week.

It’s a great perk of a good gym to have BOTH a high quality café’ and a spa on site. Well Spectrum Beach Cities also boasts a PT Office, Kids Care, and decent aquatics.
Specifically, speaking about Café’ Vida, it is a nice place to get a quick bite, a smoothie, or refuel after a workout.
Food: There’s a few daily fresh selections, mostly healthy, organic, and low-​calorie options. Plenty of signature smoothies (try the «Perfect Date», it’s good!). Also a wide variety of bottled beverages, and protein-​y things.
Selection: Very, very good. Plenty of options. This isn’t a sit down and get a menu kinda place, so just walk up to the counter and fill up after your workout. Solids, liquids, whatever fills your belly.
Prices: Here’s where I take away that 5^th star… the prices are ridiculously high. I don’t mind a $ 5 shake once in a while, but $ 8+ for a smoothie? $ 4+ for bottle water, yes, regular bottled water! And $ 12+ for ¼ yam, some couscous, and a little salad… come’on now… you’re killin’ me here son… killin’ me.
Service: Exemplary… honestly. Everyone is nice. Everyone smiles. Everyone greets you like you’re a gotdamned rockstar. The place is impeccably clean too so you never feel like you’re getting a nasty blender bits and pieces from the last guy’s smoothie.
I grab and go from Café Vida once in a while for lunch because it’s close to work for me. And since I work out at this Spectrum location, it is easy to get my post-​workout protein reload here too… when I’m okay paying through the nose. I’m not cheap by an means, and I’ll certainly pay more for quality… but there are times I leave my wallet in the car intentionally so as to not be tempted to overspend on something I’ve got at home (just 5 mins away).
So Café Vida… I like you… I really do… you and me… we could have something special if you stop being so damned high maintenance. I wanna take you out regularly… but girl even on my bankroll, I can’t afford you.

What’s with not being open to provide H2O to the late crowd, I guess there isn’t enough cash in it.

Food = Great
Selection = Good (nice to have daily specials)
Service = Good
Price = A bit too high
I would have rated them with 4 stars were it not for the prices being just a bit too high. The food here is great. I frequently have the Tex Mex salad and I really like it. Also have enjoyed the chicken sandwich with jalapeños and one of the burritos that was on the daily specials.
Just wish it didn’t cost $ 12 for this salad.

6 months ago I would have rated this place 4 out 5 stars (I never rate anything 5 starts unless it’s completely mind-​blowing). However now, not even close. A couple of things that are REALLY making me angry about Café Vida:
— They have spiked up the prices considerably. $ 13 for a quesadilla??? Come on!!!
— Same thing applies for their breakfast, they’ve sneakily hiked the prices up (they want to charge Marmalade Café prices, and quite frankly, this is just a humble café at a GYM. It does not have the ambiance and décor that Marmalade offers)
Even after they’ve significantly raised their prices, I still kept going for lunch (however much less frequently). These past few weeks however, I noticed something that is just really asinine. Now they’re penny pinching on the the portions AND still robbing you with their increased prices!
I’m totally fine if a restaurant offers smaller portions (a lot of restaurants are doing this now to make their menu more affordable and health conscious)! But do NOT charge me the same (or in this case — MORE)!!! Today for example, I ordered a bowl of soup for lunch, and I was served what was closer to a CUP of soup. OK, I’m fine with just a cup, but don’t charge me MORE! When I brought this up, I was told that this «new» bowl was «wider». Seriously?! How dumb do you take your customers for!!! You guys are serving less and charging MORE. How does that equation make any sense?
This is just ridiculous. I’m tired of getting robbed at this place. They are not being forthright and honest with their customers. I’m pretty much done with Café Vida.

If you’re wondering what happened to «Pure Energy Café» inside Spectrum club, it still exists, but it just has a new name: Café Vida.
The menu hasn’t change all that much either. Same great tasting, healthy, fresh meals are served. The price is a little on the high side, but it’s situated right in my gym, so out of convenience, I find myself coming here quite often. Also, considering El Segundo doesn’t really have many healthy lunch options, I’m not surprised they are crowded with office workers at lunch time.
My favorite is the Grilled chicken pear salad.
If you want to avoid the lunch rush, try to get there right before noon. The line can be long around 12:30.

Unfortunately I forgot to write my review at the time so my memory is a bit foggy. Came here for breakfast with three others. The food was quite good and ample but a bit high on the prices. I also had a really good smoothie! Good service too, very friendly.