From the owners of OP Cafe, Art’s Table and the newly opened Margo’s on Montana, comes a delightful beer garden tucked away on Santa Monica’s main street. Ashland Hill is a beachy beer garden serving seasonal menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and each is kindly marked to display which items are gluten-free…
We had the pleasure of sitting on Ashland’s cozy outdoor patio, on a beautiful day nonetheless, and indulged in what was an uber California fresh lunch. Given that they serve their brunch menu from 11-3 during the week, we started the frittata española. This guy is a larger sharing plate, made with baby potatoes, caramelized onions, red peppers and rouille and is really delicious. Of the other gluten-free options we tried, the plates were smaller but also meant to share. The baby kale salad is bountiful, loaded with roasted fall veggies, pomegranate & pumpkin seeds, and light buttermilk basil dressing – not as heavy as it sounds! The favorite dish was the heirloom tomatoes small plate, a bowl of delicious heirloom tomatoes, prosciutto, basil, sherry vinaigrette, and a pistachio pesto. Although smaller, this would make a great light lunch fare. Lastly, we wanted to throw in some more veggies, so we opted for the string beans with dill, almonds, pickled peppers and leek vinaigrette.
With the kindest staff and delicious bites, Ashland is a crowdpleaser. The ambiance and setting make it the quintessential Main street spot to visit. Their menus rotate depending on the time of day, so the options are plentiful and sure to be amazing!