Santa Anita Bar and Grill — Restaurant in Arcadia

Who would have known that there's a pretty decent brunch place located amongst the Santa Anita golf courses? I've been coming to the Santa Anita park for years, and never once did I really bother to scope out the golf course, let alone discover the small restaurant located just next to the parking lot before you hit the golf course.

Santa Anita Bar & Grill's exterior is painted identically to the other buildings next to it, so the restaurant itself blends in quite nicely. I used to enter the swimming pool from the building next to the restaurant, which is located to the right of the grill. The dining area of the restaurant seems fairly small, but with so little guests that trickle in and out of here, they really don't need to open the other dining areas. There's also a second floor, but the restaurant takes up just over 1/4 of the entire building. With an open kitchen, several table seats, and booth seating to line the restaurant, the place seems quite accommodating and cozy. I can see golfers coming in after they finish up a game, the wives of golfers sipping on coffee and reading a book as they wait for their husbands, or friends who have the inside knowledge of this restaurant as they enjoy the intimacy that the small café can bring.

The menu is fairly simple. I don't think they open for dinner, so they serve breakfast, brunch, and lunch during the hours they are open (not sure if lunch starts at a later time). My mom raved about the experience she had here with her friends, so I came in with high hopes. For the most part I did leave feeling pretty satisfied.

Coffee: For a refillable cup of coffee, it's a mere $2. Not too bad, but the quality is definitely not comparable to Starbucks. However, I've had my share of bad coffee, and this definitely is a few steps above horrible coffee. It's generic diner coffee.

"Crisp" Homemade Waffles: $5.75 This was a big letdown. From the name of the dish, I expected the waffles to be crisp. Instead, they tasted like frozen waffles that I could have easily made at home. Not crispy, but soggy! And they were super thin. The waffles weren't bad, but because they didn't taste any different from store bought, frozen waffles, this was a pretty big letdown. Chef's Belgium Waffles are definitely 100% better than this.

Eggs Benedict: $8.25 Also another letdown. You can judge the quality of the eggs benedict dish by how the hollandaise sauce tastes, and this sauce was pretty bad. Basically tasted like sour mayonnaise slathered on top of biscuits with bacon and overcooked eggs. It wasn't the worst eggs benedict dish I have tasted - Ugh Café Nano - but it wasn't the best. The sauce wasn't good, and having it cover everything under it made for a pretty bad bite. It came with a side of hash browns. The hash browns were a bit soggy from the oil, but it didn't taste bad.

Blueberry Pancakes: $5.75 This was probably the best dish that we had. These blueberry pancakes really taste homemade, and seeing the amount of blueberries in the pancakes definitely proves it! The pancake batter itself isn't too sweet, and having the slightly sweet, slightly tangy blueberries gives the pancakes an extra kick. Add on some butter and syrup, and the fluffy pancakes melt in your mouth. There's a stack of 3 (although my mom insists she got 4 the first time she came) and we could barely finish 1. Filling, but doesn't feel too heavy. This dish was worth the $5.75 compared to the limp waffles that I had ordered.

Service was mediocre. I mean, I figure they probably don't expect too many customers to come, and if they do - they're probably regulars. If you're lucky to snag a table that gives you a view of the green grassy fields, enjoy it! There are a few tables outside if you want to dine in the fresh air.

tl;dr - Overall, I thought it was a decent place to have...

WOW! I so wish I'd known about this place SOONER! What gorgeous golf course views! The tables were all very clean-looking, and we got served with kindness & smiles! NOT a very large Menu, but if you're just looking for a quick fix with a view, this place has it! VERY reasonable prices, great for grabbing a coke or...

Come visit this great restaurant and AMAZING food while overlooking the beautiful golf course!!! ...