When I saw Simmzy’s on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore being built I got disproportionately excited. I live down there and was stoked (to say the least) at the prospect of a new place to eat and drink. I love seeing our community grow and I had heard nothing but good things about their first location in Manhattan Beach. Of course, being the over excited eater that I am, I called right away to see when they were opening, and started stalking the menu online, plotting my first visit. Great vegetarian options (yes, I am veggie), amazing beer list, gourmet burgers, local ingredients all in what looked like what was shaping up to be a pretty casual, yet stylish ambiance… yes.
I have been twice since they have opened, and to sum up both experiences: I am trying to figure out when I can go back.
Honestly, I think Simmzy’s nailed it. From the décor, to the seating design, to the pared down menu, to the reasonable prices – both of my experiences were a pleasure. Each time we were greeted with a smile and seated in a timely manner. Our servers were helpful, friendly and fun, but not over bearing – which can happen at new restaurant that is over staffed. Although I didn’t catch our servers name on visit #1, on visit #2 Jessica was awesome and definitely deserves a shout out for great service! What’s up Jess!
I’ll try to keep this short, since I could gush on and on…
On visit #1 we tried the Indian-Spiced Spinach Dip and the Arugula Salad Foldover Pizza, I had a Dogfish Aprihop, and the husband had a North Coast Old Rasputin. The Indian-Spiced Spinach Dip was so much better than I thought it would be. Creamy, flavorful with what seemed to be fresh spinach wilted in. It said, “curry” in the description, but don’t let that scare you away if you are not a super fan of curry- it was light and really made the dish. The Arugula Salad Foldover Pizza was made with fresh, local goat cheese, which made my day! So delicious! The beers were cold, but not iced below zero, so you could taste all the full flavors. The beer list is always changing, so don’t fall in love with any one on the menu- it may be gone next time you are there.
On visit #2 we had a ½ & ½ Blue Cheese HayStack that I have been dreaming about ever since. Half shoestring fries, have sweet potato fries with house-made blue cheese and some sort of spicy sauce that will make your taste buds dance. Loved, loved, loved. The Shrimp, Citrus, Avocado Salad was so light and fresh tasting. The shrimped were grilled perfectly and it went great with the Simmzy’s Hef (by Firestone). The husband is a blue cheese fiend, so the fries weren’t enough for him. For that they have the Bacon Blue Deluxe Burger with what looked like a blanket o’ bacon on top (see photo) – this burger was no joke and he loved every bite! On Jess’ recommendation he paired his burger with a Monkish Rosa’s Hips, which he was not into drinking on its own, but said it tasted good with his burger. On that note- if you’re not sure about a beer choice ask for a taste first!
I loved sitting there, people watching, enjoying the breeze from the wide-open window-walls, and enjoying the great food. We will definitely be back- hope to see you there!