BRUXIE SANTA MONICA
NOT YOUR TYPICAL WAFFLE HOUSE

My favorite line from the movie Shrek is when Eddie Murphy’s beloved Donkey declares that in the morning he’s “making waffles!” While it annoyed the hell out of his soon to be ogre buddy, it delighted audiences. Any why not? There’s just something so comforting about waffles. And at Bruxie, the waffle reigns supreme.

A gourmet waffle sandwich restaurant with locations in Orange, Brea, Chino Hills, Huntington Beach, Irvine, San Diego, Santa Monica and soon in Las Vegas, the waffle shop is billed as a new take on the sandwich. Indeed, Bruxie has won over foodies with its creative version of an authentic Belgian Waffle as bread for a hearty sandwich. Their waffle is light, airy, crispy, and not sweet and touted as approximately 250 calories. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s “healthy” but Bruxie waffles, which are offered with savory choices like buttermilk fried chicken, prosciutto and gruyere, and hot pastrami, as well as a variety of sweet options such as seasonal creme brulee, Nutella and banana and s'mores, are crowd pleasing and great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, a mid-day snack as well as dessert or a late night treat.

During our recent visit to Bruxie Santa Monica at the Third Street Promenade, we feasted on a variety of waffle options. We started with the Irish Nachos—waffle cut fries, Bruxie cheese sauce, Applewood smoked bacon, sour cream and chives. While I’m normally not a big fan of waffles fries, this combination just worked. Come on, who doesn’t love nachos? I wish the dish had been layered better as the “nachos” were pretty dry after the rich and creamy cheese sauce on top was used up. But this is still a great starter item.

Next we opted for the Hot Pastrami Caesar. I’m a Caesar salad guy so I just couldn’t resist. A mix of grilled Bear’s Head Pastrami on top of a “classic” Caesar, I though the actual salad was mediocre but the pastrami was very nice.

Consider the Original Fried Chicken & Waffle a must-have. This seasonal fried chicken breast served with chili honey and cider slaw was delicious. It’s their signature item and it’s a homerun hit. A chicken and waffle dish is hardly new these days but this one just came together perfectly.

Our favorite item was the California Pesto Chicken sandwich where grilled chicken, Sonoma goat cheese, arugula pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and arugula come together to absolutely delight. This dish was the bomb. We weren’t even going to order it but diners to our left and right were eating it and raving about it. And they were right.

I found the Founder’s Favorite of Prosciutto & Gruyere too salty. This breakfast item features prosciutto di parma, melted gruyere, farm fresh jumbo egg, whole grain mustard and chives but all I tasted was salt. Likewise, I found the Classic Bruxie Burger (Angus beef patty, cheddar, Romaine, tomato, half-sour pickle and secret sauce) too bland.

While the Original Fried Chicken & Waffle along with the California Pesto Chicken are must-have items, consider the secret menu Elvis dish another one not to miss. The Elvis is a tasty waffle creation smothered in creamy peanut butter, topped with sliced bananas, crispy bacon and a drizzle of honey. The King wasn’t the healthiest of eaters but he knew a damn good treat that’s for sure. This diet-buster is just plain decadent and delightful.

The shakes are pretty killer here too, including the Chocolate Peanut Butter Shakecrafted with real Wisconsin frozen custard, chocolate and peanut butter. You can’t spin this item as healthy but it’s just good. Treat yourself or opt for a pure cane sugar soda, wait, that might not be any healthier—maybe go for the shake or dessert sandwiches.

Bruxie Santa Monica is located at 1412 Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Open Sunday through Thursday from 10am to 9pm: Friday and Saturday from 10am to 10pm. Call 424-268-9955.

Story by Jose Martinez

Photography By: Bruxie Santa Monica