Panini Cafe -Downtown

I love this place! The food is excellent, the portions are HUGE and the staff is friendly. Sometimes there is a bit of a wait because this place is so popular.
Panini Café located near L.A. Live and Staples Center and my review is for lunch time only since I work less than a block from it.
It is a quaint little corner restaurant with tons of charm! Nice outdoor tables to people watch Panini café Offers Italian & Mediterranean cuisine, they are a bit heavier on the Mediterranean options, which translates into tasty and healthy! Also offering full bar and decent wine list.
Everything on the menu is tasty… But don’t miss the chicken kebab which is huge, succulent and rates as the best chicken kebab and it is served with Rice and salad.
The avocado salad is delicious and the dressing is light & flavorful. I also love the Lentil soup here so tasty and flavorful. Matter of fact all of their sandwiches and soup are outstanding!
Great portion size, delicious food and fun atmosphere! Definitely will return here again! Parking was a bit tricky but it is DTLA so it is expected.

Everything is good at this place! No matter what you order, you can’t go wrong. I love their omellettes here. Service is always great and pups are welcome in either of their 2 patios.

I love coffee, which is why this review is getting four stars instead of five. We asked the waitress and a waiter to bring us coffee twice and both times the coffee tastes burnt. We tried fixing it with milk and lots of sugar but it was just that bad.
However, the food was absolutely delicious aaaannnddd filling!!! Half way through my plate I began to feel like a turkey on thanksgiving – STUFFED. The plates were totally worth it and it was quick service as well. The parking wasn’t terrible either. We managed to win a spot right in front of the restaurant and it was Sunday at 11am so we didn’t have to pay for parking. Although it is located in downtown, the street was clean and we felt safe sitting outside to eat. We felt even better, because there were a number of cops in there. The staff was really helpful and friendly with the cops so I’m guessing they’re regulars there. I absolutely love it when restaurants take care of our city’s officers! Definitely going to come back to this place. I’ve bookmarked already :) I’ll just bring my own mug of coffee next time lol

First of all I would like to say I was pleasantly surprised on the service and food portions here at the restaurant. The staff was just all super nice. My waiter’s name was Carlos and he was just amazing. I told Carlos that he better be my waiter every time I eat here. He was very attentive and knew exactly what I wanted before even saying it. Just great.
We started off with a hummus platter which was very good, not the best hummus I had but it was very good. I recommend the Edamame Hummus. I had the chicken Kabab with rice and salad. It was very good and I loved it. I recommend everyone trying this dish, just simply amazing. I ended up getting the baklava for dessert, which was also great. I recommend this place to everyone.

Very underrated breakfast! The portions are large and the bacon is thick. I’ve never waited to get seated for breakfast here. Definitely a worthy spot.
Oh, their other dining options (e.g. lunch, dinner, etc.) are fantastic as well. The food is healthy, the service is great and the taste is amazing.

I had a panini… duh…
Was not terribly impressed. It was kind of dry.
The hummus trio was odd, and only 1 of the options tasted good. Then they ran out of pita… offered bread… then never brought the bread.
My glass also sat empty and the waitress literally looked at it several times before I finally had to flag her down.

Where have I been, this place is amazing. First time here, got recommended by a friend and must say food is great. Order the chicken kabob with Mediterranean Salad and it was perfect!
Must say customer service was also great, our waiter was very attentive. Parking is a little he give but worth the struggle. If your in DTLA definitely recommend this place! Will be back.

This is a really good Mediterranean restaurant to visit during lunch in dtla. Their portions are very generous so expect to have left overs!
I got the chicken kabob plate which is a favorite on their menu. I chose the avocado salad with pilaf rice. The pilaf rice is extremely flavorful and it looks like quinoa.
The kabob plate comes with a good amount of chicken chunks, roasted tomatoes which are so good, and roasted onions.
The chicken was a tad bit dry but overall I still enjoyed my dish.
The hummus plate sampler is so good! They offer three types of hummus, regular, black bean, and avocado. They give free refills of pita bread for it.
They have a really nice patio area so it’s perfect to go on a casual date or with friends.

This place is really good. I first recommend you start with the hummus trio. It’s a black bean, regular and guacamole (I believe) trio. They’re great with the crispy pita that comes with it (ask for more they won’t charge you).
I always get the chicken kabob. I recommend the avocado salad and always, always get the basmati rice. It’s cooked perfectly and it has that great buttery flavor. You have the option of a brown rice pilaf and Greek salad but I think the ones I mentioned are better. Also sit outside, the patio is great and it’s great for people watching

When in downtown on a nice summer day stop by panini and sit outside. People watch, take in south park and all of its glory! This neighborhood is always changing but panini café has been here for years. To start, must order the hummus trio. All three of them a little different, there’s the traditional garbanzo (my favorite) black bean and edamame, served with warm pita. So good!
The chicken kabob with brown rice pilaf and Greek salad is the way to go. Tender, juicy chicken full of flavor and grilled to perfection!

No more $ 10.95 for chicken kabobs *sigh* Prices probably went up because of minimum wage.
Chicken kabobs were good as usual. Tried the steak kabob and I prefer chicken. The steak wasn’t seasoned enough.
The bulgar wheat rice pilaf hasn’t been consistent the last few times I went. Sometimes it’s so hard and sometimes it’s too mushy. I’ll just stick to the basmati.
Also, we had grilled broccoli subbed out for the salad and it was charred but not cooked. Not appetizing.
We also ordered the tzatziki appetizer and the portion definitively got smaller and it’s quite expensive for sauce.
I kept it 4 stars because they have the best lemonade. So fresh and you can definitely taste it.

This was my first time attending this restaurant and it was great! I ordered the Chicken Brie panini chicken was tender and seasoned well. Service was good and they are welcoming of dogs :) will definitely be returning next time in la.

Got very hungry and decided to check it out since it was across FIDM. I really like this place and the food was great. Only downside of my first time was because of the host :/​seemed annoyed when directing us to our table. We said thank you but yeah.
Immediately in less than 2 mins after sitting, man come to ask for drinks and we’re not ready yet asked for another min, and another lady comes for our order.
Great service by her. Got the orders all correct. Food timing was perfect and paninis tasted greatthe rest of the orders came in a fashionably order. Waitress refilled our glasses and nothing more to ask of. Thanks for a good lunch!

Consistent food and amazing customer service each time I’ve come to visit. The lunch crowd on a weekday can get packed so be prepared to wait sometimes.
For my most recent visit, I wanted to try the Mousaka since its one of the Mediterranean entrees I haven’t tried yet. I placed the order but I guess they ran out of Mousaka since a few minutes later the waitress came out and apologized that they didn’t have it but that I could order something else. I didn’t want to create a fuss and so I said that it was okay since I could share my sister’s dish. I was shocked to find out a few minutes after that I was told that the meal would be on the house for not having the entrée available. Now that’s called customer service. I decided to pick my go-​to which is the Chicken Shish Kabob.
The Chicken Shish Kabob is a must if this is your first time trying Panini Café or anytime for that matter. Succulent chicken with grilled vegetables on a kabob. You also get your choice of side salad which can be either Caesar, Mediterranean, or Romaine Avocado salad. Healthy and delicious meal to have for lunch or dinner! I highly recommend Panini Café to anyone who visits DTLA.

I’ve only ever gotten take out once from this Panini location, but I frequent the Beverly Hills and West Hollywood locations. I absolutely love Panini café. Most recently, I went to Panini Café DTLA to grab lunch on a Saturday. I had called in my order, and when I arrived 15 minutes later, it was ready for me!
I love how at each Panini location, the staff is held to the same standards. They always go through your order with you to make sure it’s correct. I really appreciate their dedication and attention to detail.
The food is always flavorful, healthy, and filling! I usually get the chicken kabob entrée with bulgar wheat and the avocado romaine salad. For the price, you actually get a lot of food. Most times I save what I don’t eat for lunch the next day — and it’s just as delicious! No matter how many times I eat Panini, I will never get sick of it. It’s that good!

Strolled in here on for a weekday dinner and i was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant.
As we walked in the place was about 40% capacity and we were promptly seated outside at a table with a candle. Nice tough for such a casual spot. We both decided to order the chicken kabob with some special questions/​requets around butter and etc. which were all nicely answered. No drinks tonight but the prices did seem a bit on a higher end compared to the food. The chicken kabob plate was $ 11 (a steal) and a glass of wine was $ 7 haha.
Standard wait time of about 10 minutes and the food was brought out. The plates were HUGE. We could have easily shared one plate. The chicken was lightly drizzled with butter which tasted light but still savory. I got the quinoa which was very fluffy in texture and had great seasoning. The salad was pretty standard with plenty of veggies. I got the dressing on the side. We each ate about half the plate and then boxed up the rest to go.
Overall a great value for a casual/​sit down place. I’m sure as a lunch spot this place is jammed. I will definitly be back!

Food lacked salt all around, which wasn’t a giant issue since I just sprinkled some into my lentil soup at the table. Big portions, but definitely on the pricier side for lunch.

I find it strange that when a restaurant has a full page wine list, that we can order our wine and food, have our food arrive first, and then halfway through finishing the meal, the server comes out to tell us they cannot find a wine opener. Very odd indeed.

I’ve been to the Beverly Hills location a couple times and the food was okay. Kind of hit or miss. Nothing to run and tell your friends about. Had lunch at this DTLA location yesterday and had a much better experience. Lunch hour on a Sunday I was expecting it to be crazy busy but the ambiance was very calm. It was nice outside so I took a seat on the patio. My server was very sweet and attentive. Kept my order simple (to be on the safe side). Had the chicken kabobs with rice pilaf and a Caesar salad. Simple yet so yummy! The chicken was super tender and juicy. Not dry at all! Salad was tossed with the perfect amount of dressing. Will be returning soon :)

Really excellent French toast breakfast combo.
Service was good but not great. Had to remind the server to bring the drink I ordered after she brought the food to us, but otherwise she was pleasant and polite.
The price was a bit high but there was no wait to be seated at what most would consider prime breakfast time, so I would definitely highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a good breakfast at least.

Let’s get this out of the way first, the only problem with Panini Café, is the same problem that you will have everywhere in downtown LA… Parking. You will have to park your vehicle and one of the many side parking lots, or the parking structures at LA Live. It is walking distance from LA Live. Now that out of the way let’s get to the important part, food and food selection if you’ve never been here before.
I discovered this place when a coworker took me here several years ago. He told me that «if you’ve never been there before, to order the chicken kebab.» Several years later, & I don’t know how many visits, I take people here whenever they come visit or if I want to give him a tour of the city and I tell them «if you’ve never been here before get the chicken kabob».
I have always been a fan of Mediterranean food. And I’ve ordered almost everything off of this menu and I’ve never had a bad meal.
Typically, I start with Sadaf black tea, lentil soup, or grape leaves, and order one of their specials.
This place is not expensive, but it’s not fast food priced either. You might spend about $ 20 a person $ 25 if you share dessert. It’s a nice place to have a light lunch or to have a big dinner. They also have good coffee because my coworkers and I, as well as my family, are all night people.

Fantastic Mediterranean food but mediocre service. Went here with a buddy and ordered the chicken kabob — meat was extremely tender with sides of tomato avocado salad and rice. Portions are huge to satisfy the hungry! Unfortunately had to ding the rating for grumpy servers but foods speaks for itself.

The salmon kabobs are EVERYTHING. The Woodland Hills location strangely does a better chicken kabob and much, much better bulgar pilaf – downtown’s is very heavy on the dill, and there is some other difference in the seasoning that I can’t quite put my finger on – but the combo here is still super good. We just really aren’t fans of the edamame and black bean hummuses.
Their four person combo take-​out special is just an incredible value, and we will definitely be doing that next time we have friends over for game night!

Great service and great food. Must try the the shish kabobs, babaganooj and there salads (my favorite is date salad).

I LOVE this place! I often come here for lunch and have enjoyed stuffing my belly with everything I’ve had from here. My favorite is the chicken kabob with pilaf rice for $ 12.95. The chicken is tender, super juicy, and perfectly seasoned and has grilled onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. It comes with ur choice of white rice or pilaf rice and I prefer the pilaf. Healthy and tastes good. You also get a choice between a Cesar salad, med salad, or green salad. I like the med the best because I love feta cheese. I usually order a 16oz of hummus to go cuz it’s delicious and a lot of places suck at making hummus. I like to sit in the patio and like to people watch or throw food at the little birds. Haha. The customer service is always excellent. The menu has a lot to choose from. Secret: If ur in law enforcement u get 50% off ur bill ;) (Only YOU) not the whole bill if u came with a ton of people. Also, if ur a USC, Loyola, or FIDM student and show ID u get 20% off.

Food:
Good food but can’t say best. Worth for money.
Place:
Location and interior is good and also out side sitting is awesome

Went over here for lunch after the auto show. We ordered three dishes for 4 adults and a toddler — 2 main and 1 salad. Perfect amount for us. Everything was well cooked, delicious, good ambience and busy for a Friday afternoon. We got seated pretty quickly as well. Highly recommended.

The amount of food you get here is insane. I came for lunch and had the chicken skewers entrée, which came with basmati rice (or pilaf) and your choice of salad (I opted for the romaine and avocado – delish). Chicken was super juicy and full of flavor.
Service was lackluster at best… not really on top of drink refills, checking in on us, or anything else.
Happy to have a healthy, tasty meal, but would appreciate a little more in the experience.

I haven’t been to Panini Café in a while but the first time I went I loved it. This time is was just okay. I’ve had better Chicken Kabobs at other restaurants. Still a nicer place to eat at, but food is average.
FOOD
Chicken Kabob Plate (3 stars): Meat wasn’t as juicy and moist as I remember. Good, but a little dry. Rice pilaf was good.
Tiramisu (3.5 stars): Light and flavorful. Needs a little less cream!
SERVICE (3 stars)
Service was lacking, a bit slow when it wasn’t very busy. Waitress was nice though.
ATMOSPHERE
Sat outside on the patio which was nice and heated, first night in November in LA that actually got a little chilly!
PARKING
Street parking (meter). We got lucky and found a spot a block away.

I would absolutely have loved to given this place a ⁴⁄₅ but the service was so terrible so I had to retract a star.
Anyways other than that, the food was honestly pretty good.
I would definitely recommend the chicken charbroiled kebab with pilaf it is a HUGE but supremely delicious meal. Not the best in the city but definitely up there
The eggplant Parmesan was good but not my favorite!
Didn’t get served for 25 minutes
Didn’t get water after we had requested it until the middle of our meal
I would go back for the chicken since its in my neighborhood and its value for money but o might just take out instead

So, Panini definitely isn’t bad, but I’ve never been wowed with anything here. Pretty much, it’s a safe, healthy, and convenient choice for lunch downtown.
Everything is good, but the chicken skewer’s are always a safe bet. Get the avocado salad on the side and rice pilaf (or sub grilled veggies if you feel like being healthy). Oh and don’t be a baby and park at the Ralph’s.

Delicious, fresh, big portions, affordable cuisine in downtown L.A.
My coworkers and I visited this week and I’m glad we didn’t go to the clamor that is L.A. Live nearby and instead visited this quiet and cozy restaurant.
This isn’t your standard Greek/​Mediterranean menu. There is a unique Italian influence which makes the food that much more interesting here. You can easily go for the kebabs — the enormously long menu tries to help you decide by telling you in parentheses that their chicken is «a must» — but there is so much more on the ridiculously massive menu. I enjoyed the stuffed eggplant which was just incredible — the picture says it all! Almost all the dishes come with hummus, tzatziki, salad, etc. There are also a bunch of wraps, sandwiches, salads in addition to the entrees.
I couldn’t believe the portions when our food came out. Giant platters, I knew I would have enough for a full dinner the next day.
The service is on the casual side. Service was a bit slow despite the restaurant being pretty empty at 5pm on a Wednesday. We had to grab our own menus after we were waiting around after being seated, and you have to box your own leftovers.
For dessert our group split the banana bread pudding which also was absolutely huge and came with a quality vanilla bean ice cream. I think it’s good for 3 people!
I really can’t wait to return!

I used to live in downtown LA when there was nothing good around or open on a Sunday night. Damn how times have changed. Although, while sitting on the patio, a homeless lady without pants on walked by and started talking passionately to herself. I guess, it’s true what the say. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Also, I really enjoyed the falafel.

Why I keep coming back to Panini Café befuddles me. There really is pretty good food on the menu (shoutout to the chicken kabob and the falafel), but the service is really pretty bad. I’ve ordered both delivery and take out from Panini Café and I am convinced that they literally wait until the last minute to make the food — like when you show up to pick it up, I think that’s when they start making it. I have not gotten take out from here that didn’t require an extra 15 – 20 minutes of waiting. And with delivery you end up having to pay a delivery fee which really ends up jacking your prices way up to the point where you’re eating a $ 20 meal that’s probably only worth $ 8. Also, last time I got the falafel platter delivered they totally forgot part of the dish — I didn’t get any hummus or tzatziki, which made me a pretty unhappy diner.
On a positive note, if you actually dine-​in, I think the experience tends to be a little better — you can sit on the outdoor patio and people watch downtown, which is always a fun experience. I also think they put more TLC into the food when they have to look at you face-​to-​face.
I’ll definitely order from PC again, but I will also probably hate myself for shelling out that much money again.

I can’t believe I have never reviewed this wonderful restaurant. Since I work nearby, I have lunch here at least once a week. Everything is so healthy and delicious! The staff is always very pleasant and attentive. If I could give them 6 stars, I would!
My absolute favorite is the salmon kabobs. I could eat them everyday, seriously! I wish they offered double salmon like they do for the beef skewers. It is so tasty!
If you are a beef lover, like me, you will LOVE the koobideh beef skewers with Greek salad and organic wheat pilaf. The portions are a nice size so I always have leftovers for the next day.
Panini is perfect for a business lunch, a date, or dinner with friends. If you want great quality food and service, this is the place to go!

Searched for some local eateries after walking around LA Live and the Grammy Museum. Found Panini Café on handy-​dandy Unilocal and walked our way over. Plenty of outdoor seating right when you enter AND int he back! The 2 person tables were super close to one another so we opted for an indoor table (it was really hot and humid outside late at night — oh California). Our waitress was good and came to check on us a couple times throughout our time there.
Roast Beef Sandwich w/​caesar salad ($ 11.95): Out of three other sandwich options, this sound the most appealing because of the grilled onions and the beef. However, this sandwich was a 1.5÷5 stars. HUGE disappointment. The sandwich needed sauce /​more flavoring! The beef was flavorless, not enough grilled onions, and the taste of the tomatoes overpowered the entire sandwich.
Chicken Kabob Plate ($ 10.95): Comes with choice of rice and salad. Caesar salad didn’t have enough dressing. To my surprise, the skewers were not present on the dish! Big chunks of chicken, tomato, green bell pepper, and onions served on a pretty decent sized plate.
Parking in LA will always be a nightmare but there are some lots for a little cheaper than others if you park a block or two further.

Excelente desayuno, kids menu muy bien servido, muy agradable el lugar, estacionamiento un poco dificil de encontrar.