A new branch of Mendocino Farms — more colloquially known as Mendo — recently opened in the Westgate Center. Located roughly 10 minutes from the school, it’s situated in prime location for hungry upperclassmen looking for a good lunch. The chain offers fresh and quality food along with good service — but you need to be strategic about when you order online, or you will end up making the same tardiness-inducing mistake we did.
Snuggled between Verizon and Mylapore Indian Cuisine, Mendo has a bright blue, country-style exterior. With a sign encouraging selfies at the front entrance, the establishment exudes a welcoming atmosphere. The interior is tastefully decorated with blue mosaic tiles and has a variety of seating options, including barstools and grass-lined seats.
What’s worth eating?
We’ve been regulars at Mendocino Farm locations all over the Bay Area, so we knew which items to order and test for quality. The first time we went was after a Friday school day. We ordered two sandwiches, two salads and an item from the kids’ menu:
- Chicken Pesto Caprese sandwich for $12.75.
- Chimichurri Steak and Bacon sandwich for $16.75.
- Crispy Chicken Tenders for $8.25.
- Limited Edition Winter Citrus and Goat Cheese Salad for $15.95.
- Avocado & Quinoa Superfood Ensalada for $13.95.
The Chicken Pesto Caprese packs a punch of flavorful fresh basil, marinated red peppers, mixed greens, balsamic, tender juicy chicken and fresh mozzarella — all pressed within a perfectly toasted panini-pressed ciabatta. We especially loved the marinated red peppers, which gave the entire sandwich a pop of color and a bright, fresh flavor addition.
Falcon rating: 5/5
In comparison, the Chimichurri Steak and Bacon was heavier on the meat, but featured some of the most amazing condiments we’ve ever eaten. Sandwiched between a toasted sesame roll is steak slathered with chimichurri, caramelized onion jam and herb aioli, topped with shredded romaine and marinated red bell peppers. The caramelized onions balanced out the acidity of the chimichurri nicely and also packed a sweet, savory undertone to the entire taste of the sandwich.
Falcon rating: 4/5
The crispy chicken tenders are a must-get item as well and would be the perfect lunch to satisfy any cravings for savory flavors. It includes three pieces of shaved, roasted chicken strips with a side of vegan ranch or ketchup, Granny Smith apple slices and a drink. With a crunchy and crispy outside, the juicy chicken inside melts in your mouth with every bite. Though this one is simple to prepare, Mendo does an incredible job of enhancing the natural flavor of the chicken. We chose vegan ranch as our dipping condiment, and the neatly sliced granny smith apples were a tangy and healthy dessert.
Because the crispy chicken tenders are a kids’ meal, a drink of our choice was included. Surprisingly, Mendocino Farms doesn’t offer the expected fountain drinks like Coca-Cola and Sprite. Instead, they feature their own unique beverages such as Guava Lemonade and Pomegranate Mint Lemonade.
Falcon rating: 4.5/5
Three of the drink options offered by the Westgate Center Mendocino Farms.
To our dismay, the Limited Edition Winter Citrus and Goat Cheese Salad failed to meet our expectations. The salad had mixed greens, kale and romaine tossed with marinated goat cheese, chicken, fresh navel oranges, hot citrus honey, honey roasted almonds, pickled red onions and shaved fennel. But the overly acidic hot citrus sauce didn’t pair well with the rest of the greens and oranges. It introduced a sharp sour taste to every bite. After 15 minutes, the salad soon became soggy under the salad dressing and ended up forming a wet, swampy, veggie nightmare.
Falcon rating: 1/5
We’d recommend opting for the Avocado and Quinoa Superfood Ensalada, which includes avocado, roasted corn, black beans, jicama, grape tomatoes, red onions, quinoa and millet, superfood krunchies, kale, romaine, cilantro, cotija and chipotle vinaigrette. It’s much more balanced acidity wise and is also an excellent healthy salad.
We’ve tried this salad and loved it a lot more than the Limited Edition Winter Citrus and Goat Cheese Salad. While the blended avocado had a bland and unassuming flavor, the quinoa offered a surprising crunch that complimented the lettuce. Additionally, the chipotle vinaigrette tied the salad together with its tangy, mildly spicy kick, elevating the salad’s flavor profile.
Falcon rating: 5/5
Is Mendocino Farms a worthy off-campus lunch location?
Overachieving food reporters that we are, we decided to go to Mendocino Farms for a second time at lunch on a Blue Day to test how convenient it would be to order from Mendocino Farms compared to other locations like Chipotle and Popeyes — restaurants more students tend to go to. We ordered online through their website right after our fourth period, at around 12:35 p.m.
The drive to Mendocino Farms was frustrating, with surprisingly heavy traffic slowing us down there and back. However, that wasn’t the worst part. We were forced to wait for almost 30 minutes for our order due to a large influx of customers.
After waiting until 1 p.m. to finally just receive our order of six chicken tenders and a salad, we raced back to campus, heart pounding, weaving through traffic. We dashed into class, barely catching our breaths, and hoped our teacher would not notice our grand entrance, marked by huffy breathing and frantic glances.
Despite this experience, we still encourage visiting Mendocino Farms the next time you go off campus — just avoid the mistake we made and plan for their 30-minute wait period by ordering online before third or fourth period.
With its superb location, we’ll be swinging back around for another round of sandwiches after school or maybe even during lunch — if we’re smart enough to order earlier.
We give Mendocino Farms 4 out of 5 Falcons.
