Surfas Culinary District

Totally dishonest people running this business. Don’t shop here. No one cared about owning up to there mistakes, which cost me dearly. They admitted their mistake but would not cover my expenses. I own restaurants, the prices and product here are for full retail to end use consumers. Don’t be fooled about restaurant quality or cheaper prices. You can do better with your hard earned money.

This once was one of my Fave stores to shop, I was extremely disappointed as was all the others shoppers there that day (we were all disappointed and discussed the empty shelves and how they moved everything around and no one took the time to show nor tell us where they moved items to)
The service was non existent, the shelves was virtually empty and the staff couldn’t have cared less.
I voiced how disappointed I was to several employees, however I think their hearing aids were off, IJS
No questions were answered, they would only say we or she doesn’t carry that anymore (I asked if they were going to close, or at least consider all the concerns their customers voiced-​NO ANSWER)
They only had one item on my list. I purchased it and went to Trader Joe’s and Gloria’s Cake and Candy supplies for a few other items.
The good thing was the parking lot was almost empty which made parking a Breeze and the Café seem to still be busy.
My low rating is mainly because no one seemed to care about the customer complaints.
I don’t think I will be returning, my list of items I wanted was very long to only have gotten one item.
Not a Happy Customer!

I called asking for fresh yeast, they said yes, we do have it… Drove for OVER AN HOUR to hear her say: I don’t CARE who answered the phone, we are all out … Get your shit together, some of us are busy and dont have time for this rudeness or messiness…

Wow! What an amazing cheese counter! My husband and I came in for lunch to try some delicious cheeses with some great wine! The girls behind the counter were amazing! Such great service and very knowledgable! It was great to hear about all the different cheeses and meats as we enjoyed out platter and they help other guests. Melissa was the most helpful also when we need suggestions on wine for a gift for a friend and even showed us around the store to help us find some things we needed to pick up after lunch! Definitely coming back for more cheese and whenever I need baking supplies!

I’ve been grabbing lunch here at the café recently and am very grateful for Surfas and their friendly staff. The sandos are made fresh to order and delicious. The rueben is a treat but even the roasted veggie panini is pretty damn solid. And the sandos come w/​a nice mixed green salad. They have a selection of other little salads, as well. The curry chicken salad is quite the gem! Fresh & full of flavor!

Awful customer service.
Be aware that you can not return or exchange products. My mom bought by mistake green peppercorn instead of white peppers, we talked to the supervisor, Victoria Ahia, and she told us that they don’t do returns or exchanges. I told them that a friend of mine that shops regularly returned previously some defective items such as lavender essential oil for food and that I do not see why, as a customer, I should be treated differently. This is unacceptable. I asked to speak to the manager, Nina Amnuaiporn, and was told that she was in a meeting and could not be reached. The supervisor, Victoria Ahia, could not tell us when she would be avaliable and, per company policy, cannot tell us which days the manager is working. She did not give me her phone number. I had to take their business cards. I will shop online in the future rather than be treated so unfairly. This is the worst kitchen selling store I have ever been to.

I used to come in here at least once a week when I was interning at a nearby office. I loved everything about this place! From the quality food, the salads that came with the sandwiches, to the cute little quotes inside each box.
Tuna panini is a must try!

Hi
Came here today to have a quick lunch with my family
The food was 3 stars ok
But giving it one star do to staff
I asked for water there cups are as if as big asdixy cups I asked fora bigger cup and was told it was .22 cents but would give me one
The bill was $ 45 I gave a 15 percent tip
for counter service
I will never come here again
To many better places around to eat around here

So sad! Have been patronizing Surfas for 20 years since they were in their old location and when I first became a pastry chef. Baking supplies such as chocolate and flour have declined to practically no selection. Baking utensils extremely high price for medium quality. However the biggest change is the outright hateful mean nasty employees. Forget any attempt at customer service but could you at least be polite? My last visit today. Luckily online resources are great and other brick & mortar alternatives exist.

Surfas is a great spot to head to for lunch. Ingredients are fresh, and I don’t feel like I regret my lunch after. :P I usually get the half order of the ULTIMATE GRILLED CHEESE. It’s served with a nice side salad and gives it just the right touch. If I’m there early in the morning I’ll get their HAM/​CHEESE BISCUIT. Do you see the pattern a bit? I’m a fan of cheese. :) IF you are looking for something sweet, but small go for their MINI CHEESECAKES. It’s the perfect size and delicious. ENJOY!

My review is mainly based on the cooking classes that take place inside of Surfas. Chef John Poblado (sp) is awesome! He was very thorough and friendly. I learned a lot from him and definitely enjoyed the food after cooking. Even more, I think I am now addicted to the citrus salad, which is time consuming to make!
As for the store, it is a chef’s candy store. I am not one; however, I did buy a few items while there. Shelves were well stocked in some areas, but not others. The cashiers can be much more friendlier, too! I also wish there was a larger variety of cooking classes offered more frequently. I can’t seem to find any that are available and that interest me at this location. Next time, I’d like to come here for lunch.

Surfas is an interesting store, and used to be my «go-​to» place for unusual ingredients, but the last few times I have found they are often out of the specific item I need. When I recently drove 25 minutes to get one specific item, I was disappointing that the shelves were quite depleted, not just what
I was in need of, but several others. However, my biggest complaint is the attitude of staff. I asked at the checkout desk whether they carried the item in question (porcini mushrooms), and the staff told me that the distributor had not sent them their shipment, so, «it’s on them, not us». Wow! I was pretty stunned at the (hostile) reply. Fortunately, I was able to find exactly what I need on
. So, if you are a person who has a lot of free time, and who can afford to spend 50 minutes driving to and from Surfas, and don’t need anything in particular, by all means, Surfas is for you. But, if you are like me, a person who works all week, and values the little free time you have, I suggest you consider another source for your special cooking needs. Penzeys has great spices at great prices. Amazon offers many interesting food products. I could go on, but, the bottom line: inconsistent stock and bad attitude of staff leaves me cold.

I have been coming here for YEARS. I would say they have what I need MOST of the time. There’s a large restaurant supply on one side and the other is chock full of artisanal goodness. I like to come here for my baked goods — they have just about everything. Last minute I decided to make pistachio gelato and needed Sicilian pistachio butter, and of course they had it. I also love their French butter. In my opinion, I don’t think they are competitive, so they can be a bit pricey.

Just when you want this to be your go-​to place for supplies, they let something run out! They should anticipate their re-​stocking plans so that popular items don’t run out. I’ve pointed this out in the past and the employees report that it’s not in their control.
So, I am becoming more dependent with ordering online. Not a smart move, Surfas!
Compared to another supply store, their customer service is very friendly, that’s part of why I haven’t entirely given up on them.

What a cool store! They carry all sorts of restaurant qualify supplies and special cooking ingredients. As I walked through the store, ideas of different foods I could make just filled my head. I spent quite a bit of time wandering through the store just to take it all in. Along with the expected bakeware and cookware, they even have cool things like cake boxes and cupcake inserts if you want your baked goods to look professional if you’re gifting them. I did exactly that and the recipients were definitely impressed. Good presentation makes everything tastes better!
Other things that caught my eye were special ingredients. If you’ve ever looked at a recipe that required some sort of exotic ingredient that’s hard to find at your local grocery store, they probably carry it here. I’m definitely a fan of the store. The only opportunity for improvement here is for the staff to be more approachable if you need to find something. I mean, I like not being hounded at a store when I’m browsing, but I also like for it to be easy to find help when I need it.

Ah… how I miss the good old Surfas… Over the past year, I’ve come in and been disappointed one way or another… Driving by, I thought why don’t I give them one last chance to redeem themselves. Alas, sadly I can only give 1 stars after this last visit. And the shocking part of it is I would have given Surfas 10 stars a 5 years ago. What changed you may ask? Everything except the high end products. Prices are higher for everything in the store. Cust

Disneyland for those who cook and entertain. This is not a store where you have to buy in bulk, most items sold come in sizes for household use. The store and the connected café share a patio, so you can have a nice sandwich and coffee before you shop. This is an upscale shopping experience because the items are very high quality. You will find many store sections for baking, spices, plastics, metal items, syrups, chef’s coats, etc. They also have an area with fresh cheeses, bread, and hundreds and hundreds of other items too numerous to explain. You can make any dish pop with the amazing things you can find here

Culver City (LA), CA: great selection
Cooks’ tools, pantry items, frozen prepared foods, café with espresso stand, and cheese bar are all under one roof! Not only are prices reasonable on the sheet pans I looked at, but they carry both hot as well as the sweet Spanish paprika, by La Chanita, that I sprinkle over my salads as my «dressing». Plenty of outdoor, covered tables for eating from their café. Friendly help when you ask for it.
Parking seems to be near full in their lot whenever I’ve come to shop. Turn east onto Washington Blvd. from National Blvd. and their driveway will be the first on your left.
NOTE: Seems the Culver City location is one of three stores and will be relocating in the next two years when the the current lease is up.

As with Café Surfas, I have been coming here for about a decade (since they opened). Aside from maybe Sur la Table, I don’t know where else to go for kitchen and food supplies. I learned about this from an industry insider so I thought I would check it out.
You can find everything from ingredients to pots & pans to all sorts of kitchen and restaurant accessories. In the last few years, they also added a deli counter where you can buy meats and delicious cheeses.
They also hold several classes on food prep and cooking so be sure to check out their board and website for info.
Parking is pretty easy and the next-​door café is great for coffee and snacks.

Surfas is a gem, albeit an expensive one. I can’t get over how their containers of rice are barely enough for a few dinners but cost $ 7. That being said, it’s probably the best rice you’ll ever have. The smoked basmati is so good it’s always sold out when I’m there. The squid ink pasta I bought here was super good and their sheet pans could survive a nuclear war and still be shiny and new looking. I also have a handful of kitchen tools from this store and they’re all in perfect shape.
I’ve been here a handful of times to shop and taken a cooking class here, as well. The class was awesome and we learned some really easy but great techniques. And getting to eat the curried cauliflower, kale, and pom seed salad at the end of the class was a definite highlight.

Ahh, Surfas… you have become a hardware store with an nice café. The crown jewel of that shop was the cheese department. David was the cheese master. His knowledge of cheese and wine pairings was unparalleled. He was the face of Surfas. Customers came from all over the city because of David’s expertise.
I recently learned that he is now the Cheese Specialist and Buyer at Whole Foods at Lincoln and Rose in Venice. HUGE promotion for him and the cheese department is thrilled to have him.

They have most things you might want to adorn your home kitchen. It’s off the beaten path but it’s worth it. Great friendly customer service. Not pretentious.
Knives, pans, aprons and so much more. Oh and if they don’t have it they will suggest where you can get it locally.

Such an AMAZING place to walk around. that is if you like to cook and or bake. I could spend a day in here just fantasizing about owning all the cool stuff. As a cook, I am particularly awed by the amount of interesting ingredients they offer. As a baker, I love all the forms/​molds/​chocolates/​extracts. You can find anything here.
Also, they have a great café attached which is quite delicious.
And, they have a great freezer section with ice cream!
This place would be awesome to stop ion before a picnic. They have an impressive salami/​cheese selection.
Way too expensive though. I can’t afford half the stuff :/

Two weeks ago I drove down from where I live (northwestern Los Angeles County) to Surfas after I called them and was assured they have what I was looking for. When I got there I identified myself as the caller. A female employee took me to the isle but the item was out of stock. She then took me to a «manager» who verified that indeed they were out but expecting it back on the shelf in a week or so. He asked me to call back to check. The manager did apologize to me but offered no remedy. I asked him if they could ship me the product when it becomes available. I offered to pay for the product but NOT for shipping, but he declined.
With the price of petrol not cheap, driving over 100 miles one-​way to Surfas only to find out that I was given inaccurate information is not funny. For me, I will never be back at Surfas.

I was overjoyed to walk through aisles at Surfas! I knew if I took a shopping cart I would cause a lot of damage. I told myself that I would buy whatever I could fit in my arms. This place is a gourmet grocery store and kitchen supply store.
If you’re looking for cheeses, charcuterie, Spanish anchovies (not all anchovies are alike), gourmet sodas, wine, craft beer, fois gras, almond flour, exotic salt, Sriracha popcorn, and other unusual finds, this is an epicurean wonderland.
There’s also a little café on site if you want to grab a bite and drink. The prices are a tad steeper for some of their products as I’ve seen products there that are a couple dollars more at other stores.

Am I in a dream?! This place is seriously a wannabe chef’s wonderland. I enjoy baking and walking up and down the isles, I find new and cute things. It definitely is on the pricier side but sometimes it is better for my sanity than driving around from place to place looking for uncommon ingredients.
When I bake cookies for christmas, I find the cutest packages here. Much better than giving cookies as gifts in ziplock bags.
Free parking!

My wife signed up for a kitchen skills class and they cancelled the class with no notice. They lied and said they sent an email out saying the class was cancelled but the other person who signed up didn’t’ get the cancellation email either. My wife drove all the way across town for nothing. They suggested the email went into spam but my wife received both confirmation emails from Surfas. She got stuck on the west side at rush hour. Wasted 2 hours driving there.
Never signing up for a class from them again!

This review is dedicated to the manager, Jonathan, who single-​handedly took me from disappointed to really unhappy.
I’m with everyone else who is happy to have access to an abundance of gourmet food items and an wide range of cooking gear all in one location. But too often I’ve been experiencing the items I need to be out of stock. Today I drove 40 miles to find 3 of the 4 items I wanted were out of stock. Clearly marked but either empty spaces on the shelf or filled with other items.
Surfas has shelf space dedicated to 4 kinds of paella rice. Nothing in stock. The complete shelf was bare. Employee says «its coming in later today or tomorrow». When asked for details, it is over in the warehouse… about 2 blocks away. He kindly offered to call over there to see if it is available and I could buy it and pick it up at the warehouse. Nice offer but I stopped listening when he said «see if it is available» because he just finished telling me it was going to be on the retail store shelf later today or tomorrow. Which is it?
Surfas has one of the best selections of Parrish Magicline pans but the two I need were out of stock… with other items substituted in their shelf space «hiding» that fact. What a monkey I was for looking, looking, and looking some more for the correct size.
The Spanish Chorizo is the only thing I needed that they seemed to have, but with a 20-​person long line it was hardly worth the wait.
On the way out I asked the girl at the deli if I could speak to the manager. Without question she said ‘sure” and called him. But he wanted to know what I wanted to talk to him about before he seemed to want to talk to a customer. She said he’d come but it would be a while… and seemed embarrassed as I twice asked questions to determine what ‘in a little while’ meant.” I told her what was on my mind so she could convey the message. She actually apologized for the inconvenience — and sounded sincere — in a show of customer courtesy I hadn’t really seem too much of since first walking in the door.
Well, Jonathan… here’s where my head is at right now. There is very little that you offer that I can’t get elsewhere. Sure, I may have to plan ahead and pay shipping but that is a lot better than wasting my time and being disappointed.
One star for the selection of what is in stock, and one star for the nice girl at the deli counter. Minus 3 for Jonathan. It is so sad… it shouldn’t have to be this way.

I love this place!
Surfas has just about everything you need to bake something special or whip up a gourmet meal for friends. I usually just stick to the baking aisle where I regularly buy the Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste (absolutely divine!) but I recently ventured into the spices section. Since they always have olive oil and bread samples on hand, I tried a few of them out during my last visit and ended up buying a white truffle infused olive oil that is FANTASTIC! If you’re a foodie or a rookie who wants to get adventurous in the kitchen and upgrade your ingredients, this place is for you!
They also have a café and offer cooking classes all the time. One of these days I plan to take one.

Whenever we’re in the area we like to pop in & cruise the aisles. There’s always some interesting spices, sauces, olive oils, vinegars, pastas, baking & commercial cooking supplies. It makes you feel like you could be a better cook by shopping here. The ingredients here aren’t cheap so you better know what you’re doing. On this day we bought squid ink pasta & a French wine with my husband’s name on it, literally.

Great spot for a coffee and a meeting. Most probably just look at this as a culinary supply store, but it actually has a great little café. I love the fact that it’s very quiet here and you can have coffee and tea, and do business without many interruptions.
However, the prices inside it’s deli are somewhat outrageous, and most of the items can be found elsewhere for a much better deal.