Boudin SF — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

Was looking forward to finally trying this restaurant. On Wednesday not busy at all. Location was filthy and service was slow. Several people in line walked out (one cashier). Cashier was patient and helpful. Cook wore no mask (option) but was talking a lot over the food he was preparing. To go person was fabulous! She was Fast, clean and friendly. I ordered the pick 2: Clam chowder was delicious but the sourdough bread bowl was disgusting stale tough dry. The sandwich option I chose was California burger, patty was likely microwaved served with wilted lettuce sloppy topping and horrible presentation- will never get that again I can’t even explain my disappointment however the bread that was toasted and served with the burger was delicious. if I go back it will not be to this location but I would love to try some other options like their wedges salads and I would get the clam chowder again and probably even the sourdough bread just not at this location. I’d like to mention the cashier may be keeping survey receipts and giving the restaurant good feedback as I witnessed something I had to question when she didn’t give me my...

When one thinks of clam chowder, it's hard not to picture Boudin and its bread bowls and ornately bakery items shaped like turtles and alligators.

The Food: Naturally I ordered the clam chowder in a bread bowl while my wife got the Southwestern chicken salad. The clam chowder serving seemed small at first, but I was satisfied by the end after eating part of most of the bowl's "lid." The salad came in a huge ceramic bowl -- definitely a plus.

The Taste: For store-bought clam chowder on the West Coast, it's hard to beat Boudin. It's always consistent and always satisfying. Meanwhile, the salad was quite good. The crispy chicken was moist and flavorful, the avocado fresh and buttery, and the seeds, leaves, and tomatoes were all fresh.

The Price: It's definitely not cheap, but the $15+ I paid for the salad was made less painful by the fact that the portion was huge. I was expecting a tiny bowl and like 3 pieces of chicken. Happy to report that Boudin did not cheap out. And while I was hoping for more soup for what we paid for the claw chowder, it's delicious enough to buy again on occasion.

The Conclusion: Simply put,...

On a cold, wet and miserable day here in Southern California, I decided to try BoudinSF because the thought of a good tomato soup in a bread bowl, with a grilled cheese sandwich sounded just too good to pass up. IT WAS YUM!!!!!!

It’s easy here to order; just place your order at the counter and they give you a number to put on your table and they bring it out when it’s ready. It’s very good value, and the food was great. The grilled cheese was one of the best I’ve ever had, and the soup was delicious inside a tasty bread bowl. It didn’t take long to come out - even though they were pretty busy at this time of day - and overall it was a great lunch spot.

It seems like their breakfast would be good too, as they have a nice sounding menu, so perhaps next time I’d try a breakfast here. In the meantime, I highly recommend trying this out if you haven’t already; great value for money, in a clean restaurant and...