We sat outside and read the paper as we waited for our take-out. There is a table, chairs, and a bench. We saw the meter maid come around and write tickets for the cars with the expired meters. (Interesting note: Hermosa Beach residents don't have to feed any meters as long as they have a resident sticker on their cars.)

I went inside after several minutes to see if our food was done. Apparently, the food was just sitting on the counter. It would have been nice if one of the two women had yelled or poked their heads out to let us know our food was done, but that's OK. Maybe that's too much to expect. The women were friendly enough. I ordered the Garden Corny, which is cornbread covered with beans, brown rice, salsa, and vegetables. I didn't realize that I was ordering "salad on bread." It was somewhat bland, disappointing. The vegetables looked like what you could buy frozen from the market. My sister ordered the Garden Burrito, which had vegetables, cheese and red sauce. I preferred her burrito, although it was still on the bland side. The cheese tasted odd, but I believe it was soy cheese. It didn't taste bad, just not like "cheese." She preferred my salad on a bread dish.

I think this is best for vegetarians. I am an omnivore, but this place is lacking in spiciness. I did like the burrito, but I would bring your own hot sauce to slather on since the food here tends to run bland. Here is the website for The Spot: http://www.worldfamousspot.com/index.htm

If you dine-in, you can sit either in the restaurant or in their covered patio out in the back (recommended).

I always order the herbal iced tea--very tasty and refreshing. If you like ice, ask for it; this is the only restaurant in the area that will serve your tea or other drinks without ice, and the tea is otherwise room temperature. My husband usually gets a bottle of organic root beer. They also have various organic beers.

My favorite dish is the Neptune Loaf. You can order it with a generous mixed salad (basic, with romaine lettuce, carrots, cukes, tomatoes, and a choice of about four different dressings, all tasty) and a piece of their homemade, dense, and flavorful wheat bread. (If you do order salad in addition to your entrée, expect leftovers!) Despite the nautical sound of the dish, it has no fish or seafood. Rather, it's a mix of veggies, noodles, eggs, and The Spot's "famous" Savory Sauce (a tofu-based white sauce). It also comes with a serving of fresh steamed veggies (generally brocolli).

I've also had the vegetarian chili--very tasty--especially with a serving of their cornbread. You can have it with regular or soy cheese.

My husband Dave usually orders the Mex-O-Rama, which has veggies, rice, beans, and Savory Sauce.

Other favorites include the Savory Spud (an absolutely huge potato) topped with, yes, Savory Sauce and veggies, or the steamed veggies with Savory Sauce.

By the way, they do have other sauces that are quite tasty!

A couple points of concern:

1) Parking can be a bear. The Spot is one block from the beach in a very crowded area. The parking police do regularly check the meters, so make sure you feed the meters! There is no parking lot for the restaurant.
2) Service can be very slow--um, laid-back. I've actually seen some people get up and leave because their waitress didn't come back for awhile.
3) Maybe I've not ordered the right thing, but I've not been very impressed by the desserts. Of course, I usually don't make it to dessert anyway.

Overall, though, a great place for tasty, organic, vegetarian fare.