Civic

Civic is permanently closed. The owners opened up a new business in DTSA. They have chosen to focus on that instead. They will be transferring some of their Civic menu items to the new place. I’m not happy about this. I’m glad they found success, but still sad to see them go.

This place has pretty high ratings so I wanted to try it out. The first time I came, it was a fail because there was a fire and the place was shut down for a few weeks while it was being repaired. On my second attempt however, it was a success and I was pleased to see it up and running again.
I came around 10:30 and decided to order a breakfast burrito with bacon. It had bacon, eggs, and some hash browns I believe. To be honest, it was a darn good burrito. On the downside though, I was a little upset with the size. It felt kind of small especially for the price which it cost. It felt a little over priced even for the quality. That’s the only reason I docked a star. I will probably come back to try some of the other things on the menu because they had a lot of good looking pictures like their burgers and such.

Woo!!! Gourmet burgers!
Ive heard tons of hype about this place! Best belive the hype is legit! The atmosphere of this place is cool and modern, and the workers all are really nice and welcome you. They have two buildings next to eachother. Basically a building to order and another to grub and lounge. Seating is very standard, almost like an office cafeteria, but what did catch my eye was the little lounge in the corner with couches and a flat screen! Food was great! About $ 15 for a gourmet burger and tots! I will be coming back to try the rest of this menu!

On a business trip and didn’t know the area, so I checked out Unilocal for a good brunch spot. Civic had some good reviews and for good reason. The food is delicious (tried the chorizo burrito), the staff is laid back, friendly and helpful and the atmosphere is chill. I was recommended a Kombucha twist with my Aloha drink, which was a great surprise.
I’ll definitely be back to try out more off their menu the next time I’m in town.

I absolutely loved this place!!! I ordered the watermelon arugula cheese spring salad and ordered chopped chicken breast on the side. I added the chicken to my salad and added they’re homemade vinaigrette dressing. Since it was my first time there, I also ordered the corn esquite which was also delicious. They have a space to eat next door with 4 tv’s and a couch. I watched football game while I ate… I loved that they have so many healthy options as well as vegan dishes. There’s a variety of dishes, fresh squeezed juices & desserts are changing weekly.

SO F*****ing Deliciously AMAZING!
We ate the blue cheese jalapeño burger, pesto chicken sandwich, and inda club chicken sandwich and I was blown away by all the flavor!!! I wanted more!
High quality ingredients and definitely worth it!

So many good things to say about this place! Let’s start off with the food.
We came during breakfast time and got a civic burrito and a «green monster» juice. The juice was ok but the burrito was amazing! It was so big too that both my gf and I split it and we were still stuffed! And don’t even get me started on the green sauce… Dear lord… That sauce is amazing. I want to take a huge vat of it home and store it for the winter. It kinda tastes like the free sauce at inks grill.
Next lets talk about the service. I brought my dog and they not only put a table outside just for us, but also gave me a water bowl for him. We didn’t even ask. They just took initiative. Great people working here, very friendly and welcoming.
Can’t wait to come back and try their lunch :)

I can’t stop thinking about the CIVIC Waffle!!!
I haven’t had something this amazing in a while, just thinking about it is making my mouth water right now. The CIVIC Waffle is stuffed which your choice of either Chorizo or Bacon. I tried the green chorizo and it’s topped with avocado, jalapenos, cotija cheese and a sunny side up egg served with jalapeño sauce and maple syrup. All you Unilocalers out there need to do yourselves a favor and head down to Civic try this genius concoction.
The best part is that they serve breakfast ALL DAY!!! I can’t wait to go back and try other items off the fantastic menu!

I’ve never not had awesome food at Civic. Period. Luckily, it was less than a half mile away from where I worked at. It’s nice finding a place that’s not in downtown with its horrendous parking. The guys who run Civic are always extremely friendly, and I’ll be damned if I wasn’t tempted to buy whatever pastry goodies they had sitting at the counter.
If you’re close, do yourself a favor and stop by, because Civic has friendly staff, excellent food, and you’ll know you’re supporting a local business that is invested in its community.

I’ve been going for a while, but today for breakfast, ADM, the chorizo waffles kicked ass. Chorizo in the waffle topped with avocado y egg over easy! Amazing! Off course I asked for a side of chorizo gravy.
I’ve been here before and it never disappoints, the green chorizo bowl is awesome. For dinner I have the steak salad, all delicious. These young Santaneros know how to treat people with great service.

I love me a sammie. It’s all you need: carbs, protein, veggies. And CIVIC is a safe bet.
After some Unilocaling, my sister and I decided to go for the pesto chicken and the steak sandwich, cause who doesn’t love pesto and steak?
First off, the bread is nutty, a bit chewy and super soft; they get their bread from local bakeries, which makes it that much better. Locals helping out locals? Nice. The chicken was soft, (but to be honest, kinda bland), and they go kinda light on the pesto. However, it was a really filling sandwich, with an explosion of flavor from the sun-​dried tomatoes and arugula. I just wished the chicken was a bit more savory and the bread needed more pesto.
Now, on to my favorite, the steak sandwich with jalapeño sauce… IT IS SPICY. But you just can’t put it down. It’s literally sliced steak inside a sandwich with jalapeño sauce, as in sauce-​ified jalapeño… So, yeah, it’s spicy, but delicious. The arugula doesn’t do much to cool it off, but it does add balance to a hearty sandwich. Definitely my favorite of the two sandwiches we ordered.
The guys that we chatted with were pretty cool. Their personalities are reflected in their food and the way they decorate, and it’s comforting. They’re social, laidback and are actively part of the community. I dig that.
(Note: They make fresh juice. Fresh juice right in front of you. Huge juicer. It’s huge.)
See? We aren’t ALL bad here in Santa Ana. If you can look past the fireworks (that may be gunshots), a trip over here to try our awesome local food joints are worth it!

My husband and I were looking for something healthy and delicious for our late lunch and he found this little hole in the wall café. We had a pesto chicken sandwich w/​arugula, sun dried tomatoes on ciabatta bread with an orange lemonade. Exquisite! Delicious!
Everyone was really nice and friendly and for me that’s a plus! Definitely coming back and recommending to family and friends!

So, I decided to come back and try other items from their menu.
This time I called ahead to pick up my order.
I ordered the pesto chicken sandwich… It was amazing!!! And, that’s saying a lot coming from me, considering I am a very picky eater. I also ordered the chipotle potato salad, which was full of flavor.
Today’s drink was the cucumber and lemon water, which was very delicious and refreshing.
I also ordered the steak balsamic salad for my husband (he’s cutting down on carbs), and he enjoyed it.
I absolutely love the service too… They’re all super friendly and very welcoming. I will definitely be coming back for that pesto chicken sandwich.

I just happened to find this place the other day while perusing Unilocal.Seeing the address I assume it was in the Arts District of Santa Ana. Man, I was way off. This place is off of Bristol in a not so great area of Santa Ana. But really, which area of Santa Ana is great? Haha… just kidding. thats a joke.
So being that I love to try new places I immediately went here for lunch. The place is rather small. I dont recommend bringing a group here but it would be a great place to order from if you were having a group lunch at work. The kitchen/​grill is right at the front of the café, so you can see everything being made. I always like it when places have open kitchens. I love that they have nothing to hide, unlike most corporate restaurants (I’m looking at you TGIF, Olive Garden, etc.).
So I ordered their Meatless Monday special, the Vegan Black Bean Cashew Butter sandwich. I really enjoyed this sandwich. It was filling without being heavy, good flavor, perfect amount of ingredients and the perfect serving size. If I had any recommendation it would be to add some pickled jalapeño to the sandwich. Now, I have a high tolerance for spicy so that works for me, but that might be too much for some people. If this was an option I would have added them to the sandwich.
Overall a great café in a neighborhood where you would not expect it. I’m definitely putting this in my lunch rotation. I’m gonna try that Chorizo Burger next.

I’ve been a huge fan of Christian after he catered a couple of my events with his hot dog business Mr. Hot Bunz. When I saw he had a brick and mortar place now (that means a real building location) I wanted to check it out. It’s in a pretty sketchy section of town, a few blocks from the courthouse, and an equally sketchy strip mall. The place is actually pretty small with a couple of small tables and a counter with bar stools. Pretty cool decorations that make it feel like it be more at home in an artist district or college town.
The food options were totally different than I was expecting. Yes, they have his signature bacon wrapped street dog with the insane pineapple salsa but no street tacos. They have a wide array of salads and sandwiches but this is not fast food. It took a while for my chicken pesto sandwich to arrive so be warned if you are in a hurry. It was delicious, with fresh ingredients on a ciabatta roll. With a side of hot potato salad with a spicy chipotle sauce, and a strawberry watermelon lemonade, it set me back about $ 14. Yeah, not your typical hot dog joint. I can’t wait to try the other items because they sounded pretty good.

Such a good place! Meets half way nicely between Mexican and American food, ideal for Santa Ana. They make their own peanut butter and agua fresca. The service is great.
Try the chorizo burger and add the bacon weave, you wont be disappointed.

I’m leaving this as a placeholder for a longer review.
First impression: small, cozy, inexpensive, and pretty darn good food. Wasn’t too blown away just yet, but I haven’t fully explored the menu.
Green medium spicy chorizo burrito: Big, meaty, protein packed. They don’t skimp on the meat or eggs, I can see why the boys and Paleo buffs go nuts for it. Not too spicy, but you can add the green sauce which tastes like a cross between pureed jalapeños and Peruvian Aji. Less than $ 7.
Green drink: not too «veggie» tasting, but you can tell the kale is there. The apple taste did shine through with a bit of added tartness. Not too sweet, but I’m more of a fruity melon person so I’ll try out the other drinks next time. Less than $ 4 for the 16 oz, which is more than you need.
They’re definitely innovative and growing so I would definitely come back. Great addition to the area. :)

At some point, there are going to be reviews that complain about how small the place is, the neighborhood that surrounds it, and the size of the parking lot. All I can say is to ignore those when they come.
As for what matters, this place is legit. The owners are great guys, and spent some time chatting with my friends and I when we stopped in for a Saturday brunch. They love good food, interesting recipes, and fresh ingredients.
On the food front, I had a breakfast burrito, and it was stuffed with what must have been 5 eggs. The thing was massive and there was not a bit of potato to pad the weight. It comes with a home made green salsa that is hot. Not burn the roof of your mouth hot, but hot enough that you are not going to be looking for some extra heat. My friends all had versions of the bowls, and the paleo eaters that they are were very happy. Eggs, cheese and meat (the chorizo is hot all by itself by the way), again with no potatoes. My friends also got a side (huge) fruit cup, which is capped with a spicy salt, tropical style.
Everything is very inexpensive, fresh and tasty. Check it out so you too can say you were going there back in the day before they got huge.

Great! Get the steak sandwich… do it!
This place has the best coffee! The food is the best quality around, and the staff is great. For a place that just opened, they seem to have everything down.
The menu has a lot if variety and so far everything I’ve tried is awesome

just ate here and the food was delicious. We had a steak and chicken sandwich with pesto sauce and it was to die for. A must when you’re in downtown Santa Ana…
great people making great food…