Picnics

I have never had a bad experience at Picnics. Apparently good things really do come in small packages. Kudos to the owner and his staff, who are always providing quality foods with a personal touch. We need more places like this in our community,

This place has recently switched hands to Anais+Raya. It’s no longer a deli, rather more of a cute little Café/​Bistro. Raya was from the vegan truck Seabirds fame and Anais is closely connected to the Soco Farmers Market. Together they have created a delightful little café serving not only healthy fare but Farm to Table concept as well.
I participated in their weekly event called «The Feast» held each Sunday from 5pm to 7pm. $ 30pp for the community table and $ 40 buys you a privileged seat in the kitchen where the action is. (5pm is a little early though, especially in the Summer.)
That night was Pizza night. At first I was hesitant because I’m generally not a fan of pizza (It has to be REALLY good for me to like it.) When I arrived, I saw an array of fresh produce from the Farmer’s Market, including Heirloom Tomatoes, Roasted Eggplants, bell peppers, Anaheim Peppers and Avocado. The meats were also impressive, free range chicken and crispy chicken skin, italian sausage, and ground beef, all from Farmer’s Market. Also on the menu was Caesar Salad made with Kale, my LEAST favorite vegetable, next to Brussel Sprouts!
There was a jug of freshly squeezed OJ on the table. Surprisingly, the Kale & Avocado Caesar Salad was quite delicious! They have converted me over so I won’t run away from Kale next time I see it.
Next came the Gluten Free Pizza. I enjoyed the marvelous toppings of Heirloom Tomatoes and Pesto Sauce but I was not a huge fan of the nutty and thick crust. Next came a Bacon style Tempeh with Tomatoes, Basil, and Avocado on a thin crust. WOW, that one blew me away, especially the crust! Apparently the crust was a recipe given by one of their friends and fellow Unilocaler, David K. We kept on sampling different variations as the night wore on. I may have eaten the most out of everyone on our Chef’s table! The only thing I didn’t partake of was the Vegan Raw Pizza. I’m just not quite there yet.
The highlight of the evening was a dessert class and the dessert itself. Cashew nut and coconut cream served with plum and nuts. It looked and tasted like ice-​cream.
All in all, this is a darling little place. Their wholesome and tasty food are lovingly prepared with fresh Farmer’s Market produce. You really can’t go wrong here. Highly recommend their weekly Sunday Feast with a different menu and theme each time.

After having had this place earmarked for awhile, I finally decided to stop by and check it out…
I had originally envisioned this place like an Anthony’s Fine Food & Wine or a Joan’s on Third, but it was not even close to filling those expectations. They look like they have a fine selection of small plates that would be perfect for a nice healthy lunch, it’s just that I had my heart on having some charcuterie and cheese. I made do to satisfy my craving by ordering a wedge of Beemster XO and a small dish of fruit
. Beemster Dutch gouda comes in serveral grades and has a robust nutty flavor…
They have a couple of small tables for dining in, but I think that most of their stuff is presented catering style to go
. They present themselves as purveyors of fine food so I would expect them to be a little bit pricey. Picnics Fine Foods by the name of it sounds like a great place to go to stock a picnic basket, their salmon, and roulades caught my eye I have to admit, it’s just not somewhere that I see myself frequenting very often going forward…

The food look like works of art. This place is definitely where I plan to have cater many future business conferences.
Their sandwiches are fresh and taste to perfection!
Didn’t give them 5 stars only because the food portions aren’t big.

Amazing selections of cheeses and meats and everything you need for the perfect picnic. A beautiful location and a great find!

Yum… haven’t had anything that wasn’t really good.
The place is extremely clean and the staff is nice.
What a find in a strip mall in Costa Mesa.

If you need a party catered call Picnics! I had 24 people for dinner and here’s what I recommend:
Cheese & Salami Platter: Humbolt Fog cheese is amazing, so are the nuts and salamis, fruits were flavorful, platter set-​up in a very pleasing to the eye presentation.
Crudite Platter: All fresh veggies with a tasty herb dip and good presentation.
Beef Tenderloin — outstanding, cooked to perfection, very tender, quality beef. Comes with a creamy horseradish and rolls.
Chicken Mushroom Roulade — I was surprised at how wonderful this dish was. It was juicy, tender, plump chicken with an amazing filling. Everyone was raving over this and the beef.
Coconut cake — was one of the favorite desserts.
Professional and helpful service. Took care of and made arrangements for rentals of plates, glasses, tables, linens, etc. I will use again and again. For the quality and preparation of the food, I think the pricing is reasonable.
They also have a café in their store that I plan to try next week!

WOW. I can’t believe it took me a whole 4 years plus to finally make it here and if Selene hadn’t said «let’s do lunch», I probably wouldn’t have made it here at all.
This place isn’t exactly a restaurant but more like a deli which serves food. The selections are slightly pricey but they are all tasty.
We had the turkey burger — the patty is made in-​house and you can really taste the difference between that and I pre-​made patty. It was flavorful and even though turkey had to be cooked all the way through, it wasn’t dry at all.
The Reuben was a big portion and although I didn’t think it was out of the ordinary, it sufficed. I like my Reubens with shaved or sliced pastrami and they use chunks of it here — kinda weirded me out in terms of texture.
My order was the Rebekah which was a turkey, bacon and blue cheese salad sandwich. I loved it, but was it really worth $ 12? I’m not sure, but it definitely was tasty.
I also got the strawberry rhubarb pie which was just perfect because it was tart and not too sweet. I would totally get this again.
Looking forward to my next visit.

Absolutely love Picnics and their fabulous food. From Duck confit sandwiches, to roasted butternut squash soup, specialty cheeses, and baked goods you can’t help but enjoy your visit. Their customer service is excellent, and their booth at the Newport Beach Farmers’ Market always has lots of yummy samples. Love!

Really fresh and prime ingredients. Great Tuna Melt! Good wine and cheese selection.

Their food/​sandwiches are GREAT even though they are on the expensive side but they WILL fill you up like a big guy like me and every aspect of their food is flawless. It tastes GREAT and also looks great! WILL GO BACK AGAIN FOR SANDWICHES YUM YUM.

Cheese, cheese, cheese! The selections are fantastic. But the most important part to me is their knowledge of what they offer. I often come in and ask them to help me select several cheeses for a party. I might tell them that the party includes people that love cheese, or people that are so so on cheese. They always help me and appropriately recommend cheeses that work perfectly for my guests and make me successful as a host. They include the labels for the cheese too, so I also sound like an expert. I must say the Fromage Clarines is my absolute favorite. Ask them for the recipe that goes with this cheese… unbelievable!

YUMMY!
This is a great place to grab lunch or stop by for take away dinner.
There is always something I love on the menu!
And if you need to tweak an item they are always gracious & accommodating.
And the cheese, oh my the cheeses!
Robert is a treasure trove of knowledge on what goes with what & how the amazing flavors will compliment each other.
He will make you look like the gourmand of dinner guests if you stop by before your next dinner party!
Enjoy!

Great selection of cheese to take away, and really nice sandwiches/​salads for eating in. I can’t seem to stay away from the chicken breast with eggplant, sundried tomato spread, and arugala. Good honest food.

Really well made food and selection of cheeses and other scrumpties. Sandwiches are great as well as the brusselsprouts (i know but they’re incredible). They also do great pies (strawberry or strawberry rhubarb if in season) and cookies (great iced sugar cookies like gramma used to make).

What a great little slice of Europe in a strip mall in Costa Mesa.
Their house-​made duck liver mousse — a giant tub for $ 10 — is amazing. 7 of of just kept on eating it.
The cheese selection is incredible. They have Gabriel Coulet Roquefort which is one of the top 2 Roqueforts. I also had a goat cheese besace (kiss) from France that was unreal.
Nice small selection of wines. Lopez de Heredia rose in the house! Foillard Morgon.
Great service.

Great overpriced sandwiches artfully balanced by the chef himself. The taste is more complex and rewarding than the amount of ingredients inside. Also feel free to saddle up with an intimate selection cheeses, I like the cave aged gruyère.

Woo hoo! Just got back from Picnics new «Happy Hour» Thursday!
As soon as I walked in the door, I was handed a glass of sparkling wine. They were offering a tasting of 6 or 7 tiny plates for $ 15 or you could buy them individually for $ 2 – 3. O.K., this was a major bargain!!! The $ 15 spread was easily enough for one person to get totally full on. The presentation was outstanding and everything tasted as good as it looked. To me, the standouts were the heirloom tomato gazpacho and the tiny plate that had cheese on a piece of nut toast drizzled with honey and tiny grapes. My friend loved the seafood plate and the meatballs. I am totally bringing the hubby back and recommend this for a mellow Thursday night.
P. S. The brick floor is super nice.

Picnics is definitely the place to go for fancy cheese. And I DO love the fancy cheese. (I even belong to a cheese tasting club and sometimes we buy our cheese from here because they are more affordable). Today I stopped in and I got some aged Gouda, Tallegio, and beautiful Sauvignon Blanc and a perfect Tuna sandwich. They put magic in their tuna salad –I swear! The only reason I didn’t give this place 5 stars is because it is pricey. I love it, but I can’t shop here everyday.

Hands down the best place yet to buy cheese in OC. Whole foods may have a better selection but what you are going to find at Picnics is a unique selection from all over the world.
You may be put off at first since it is hard to find and located in the back of a strip mall with very poor signage and a driveway you will likely miss. Luckily for me, unlucky for my waistline, it is just down the block from my place so I can walk down lovely 17^th street.
The cheese case is hidden near the back of the store with a deli case in front and several chairs for patrons to enjoy a sandwich at. The owner is in his mid-​30 and has a passion for cheese. He is a gourmet chef but just ask him any question about cheese and you will know where his true passion lies. If you are having a dinner party or just friends over for a snack just tell him the number of guests and what flavors/​wines/​foods you will be having and he will go to work. I’ve never had a bad recommendation and best of all; you get to try ANYTHING you like.