**** The Patio at Axiom has closed
The ever expanding Patio Group recently opened another location of what Eater San Diego called their "corporate hospitality arm", the Patio Marketplace right up the street from our offices. It's located in the Axiom Office Building. It's pretty much in walking distance, so I decided to drop by for an early lunch.
It's a huge space; like 8,000 square feet; with outdoor and indoor eating areas and a bar.
Since they had just newly opened, there was basically no one around during my two visits. The place features a coffee bar and is only open until 6pm from Tuesdays to Wednesdays right now. I was told…..the staff here was very friendly and chatty on my visits, that breakfast is basically only grab and go stuff from the cold case.
The lunch menu featured three sandwiches, three salads, and two flatbreads, with basically nothing under fourteen bucks
I went with the Carne Asada BLAT Club ($15).
The sandwich was no joke. Quite hefty, a bit too much bread that was a bit too hard for my taste. The thick cut bacon; Nueske's I'm told was thick cut and nicely done; there was a nice single layer of decently done beef. It wasn't overdressed, though the tomatoes were under-ripe. I usually enjoy a certain proportion when it comes to sandwiches; perhaps excluding a smoked beef sandwich from a place like Schwartz's. This was too much bread for me. Though a rather decent "corporate" sandwich.
The fries didn't hold up on the short walk back to the office and were soggy and over salted.
A couple of days later, I decided to visit again. The menu, which is rather limited at this time, left me wondering what I should get…..salads were from $12-14, but if you wanted some chicken it was 5 bucks more, carne asada 6 bucks more. So, I went with the Speck Ham Flatbread ($14).
I enjoyed the crisp speck, nice saltiness, though it was kind of over-kill with the bread again. I'd have preferred this amount of protein on a smaller and more crisp flatbread, without whatever made this very salty and the middle really soggy, keeping the nice, milky, Havarti. The entire middle section was saturated and not pleasant to eat. I appreciated the pungent red onions and the bitter-peppery arugula which also added texture to this dish.
Overall, really nice folks. It's probably better to call if you're doing take-out, both of these took at least 20 minutes wait time. The food is not bad; it's just not something I crave or am searching out; especially with $15…for lunch, without drinks, on the line everytime. I mean I love charcuterie and all, but am not quite sure about having a charcuterie board for lunch ($19), then heading back to work…..but maybe that's just me.
The Patio Marketplace at Axiom
4535 Towne Centre Dr
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours
Monday 7am – 3pm
Tues – Thurs 7am – 6pm
Friday 7am – 3pm