Victor C.'s Profile

These guys definitely deserve the many 5-star reviews they receive.  Excellent service, great fair prices, and fast. The store is well hidden inside a watch repair business (they've got a partitioned area just inside), across the parking lot from a Smart & Final.  I took in my old 3GS with a totally shattered screen so I could give it to my son without buying him a data plan on a new phone.  The mute switch also no longer worked.  $75 cash out the door for BOTH repairs (new screen plus new switch assembly, including labor).  They also tossed in a case and a screen protector.  Great deal, nice guys. While I hope I don't need their services often, I know I'd be a happy customer again if I did.

I love when we stumble on a new place that can immediately become one of our "go-to" places in an area.

Stuck in absolutely horrible traffic on Lincoln Blvd. trying to get out of Santa Monica on a Friday afternoon, my wife searched Yelp for something convenient that would appeal to us and our 10-year-old son in the Marina area and the many 5-star reviews led us here.

Very friendly staff, fun decor (we sat in the covered patio area) and a good vibe made it feel like a good choice from the start.  The food didn't disappoint.

It was a little early for a big dinner for us, so we shared several appetizers and a bottle of Malbec.  Everything was delicious.  The Texas BBQ Chicken Nachos and Heirloom Tomato Caprese were standouts.  In fact, the Caprese compares really well with the one at my favorite little cafe in Rome.

We'll definitely be back to try a wider selection soon.

Yes, the burgers are delicious. No question.

Yet little things bug me.  It's a burger place, yet one can only order the full blown adult burgers-- no smaller sized/priced versions for kids.  I love my 9-year-old son a lot and he loved the food (especially the fries), but $10-12 is a lot when one can never count on kids to actually eat their food (plus sides are additional).

I ordered a Diet Coke, and it was one of those little mini versions (which I find annoying when any restaurant does that), but at the table next to us the guy was drinking regular sugary coke, and it was a large bottle. Hmmm...

Really good food, decent service. I'll go again when passing by, but will only take the little guy if I know he's really hungry to warrant the price.

Bistro 45 has been one of our favorites for a long time.  In fact, our distance from this restaurant is one of the few negatives of having moved south to Newport.

We've had many positive experiences at Bistro 45.  The wine dinners are always great, and the chef even made an alternate dish for my wife who dislikes lamb (we let them know ahead of time) which we thought was especially thoughtful for a food/wine paired dinner.

One of the best meals we've ever had was a time we'd had a Sanford Reserve Pinot Noir that we knew they had in their cellar (that was how our friend who had introduced us to both the wine and the restaurant had found out about the Pinot), and asked if the chef could just prepare a meal around the wine.  They gave us a few suggestions based on our personal preferences and it was a spectacular dinner.

If you like chocolate desserts, you must, must, must order the Chocolate Soup.  You'll be on an endorphin high for the next few hours.