Depot Restaurant

My review is about Depot's Happy Hour which is limited to the bar area - but it's a comfortable bar area but might be difficult with more than 3 folks to easily chat. The menu for HH is quite extensive and delightful. My HH companions and I enjoyed several drinks: Old Fashioned, Spicy Dirty Martini, and an Expresso Martini. All well-done by bartender, Tara. We started off with the Fig Jam and Gorgonzola Flat Bread. Gorgonzola is one of my favorite cheeses and sadly too many places avoid it, because it can be a bit strong. But this is one of my favorite combinations and it did not disappoint! We then went onto Fish Tacos and a Grilled Cheese Sandwich (with bacon as recommended by Tara). All were delicious. The fish was fresh and plentiful and the bread used for the sandwich was perfect....and perfectly grilled. Yes, the bacon option was a good recommendation. We also ordered (but hardly needed more food) Kimchee Fried Rice which was also good!The Depot has special events and cooking classes! I've attached pictures. I have a feeling any would be fun! Although I did not dine in the restaurant section, I must say it looked inviting. Warm decor with a modern touch. There is parking adjacent to the restaurant as well as free parking in the building across the street. The restaurant seems 'dark' from the outside but it is open! Check it out!

Dropped in for a Tuesday afternoon lunch. The service was definitely 5 star, fast and nice.My overall rating is based on my food and not the rest of the party. I ordered the salmon and romaine salad. Unfortunately the salmon was overcooked and on the dry side. They went for a blackened effect, problem is it was too blackened with charred bits and charred aftertaste. The salad had the same effect.Everyone else got the burgers and raved about them.Overall with the salmon I rate this a 3 but the burger came recommend.

If you are here, then chances are you are here for a business casual lunch or a company holiday gathering. The restaurant first opened in October 1991 and Chef/Owner Michael Shafer has built a strong local reputation for his charitable work by raising millions of dollars for various nonprofit organizations.[Parking]: There's a free private parking lot with plenty of space to park.[Service]: The service wasn't super efficient as our party waited over 30 minutes just to receive a cup of soup and nearly an hour for our main dishes to arrive.*** Family-Style Lunch ***Bread Bowl (including banana bread + rolls + pesto butter that looks like wasabi + giant tostito chips): Definitely one of the standout items, but please don't make the same mistake as I did because I ate too much of the delicious bread and didn't leave enough room for the entrées. Chef's Homemade Soup of the Day: Decent soup.Field Greens with Tomatoes, Two Color Beets and Citrus Oil: Took few bites and it was not too bad.Sonoran Roasted Sirloin of Beef with Garlic Mashers & Merlot Sauce: It was the best entrée of the meal with delicious & flavorful roasted beef and garlic mashed potatoes.Bowtie Pasta with House Smoked Chicken, Sweet Corn & Chipotle Sauce: Mediocre dish.Apple Cobbler: An excellent dessert with not-too-sweet apples and a crisp crust.***Overall, the food was a solid 3.5-star but I had to take half a star due to the slow service. As long as I am not paying the bill then I wouldn't mind coming back to this restaurant again. However if you are willing to drive outside of Old Town Torrance, then I do think there are better options for semi-modern American cuisine.

Celebrated a birthday here tonight. Haven't been here in a long while. Such a lovely place! Tried 7 entrees and 3 appetizers and all of it was packed with flavor, beautiful, and delicious. Drinks, dessert, and service didn't disappoint either.

This place has sort of an old school feel to it, but the food and service is solid. We enjoyed both of our entrees (fig Gorgonzola steak and three little pigs). Dessert stole the show though. I might come back just for the chocolate bento box.My only complaint really is that the menu is hard to read!

Food is excellent. Owner and chef came out and personally made sure everything was to our liking. Can recommend this restaurant any higher. Ambiance is incredible.

I had high hopes for this restaurant because of the reviews but I was somewhat disappointed. Let me start by saying the service was awesome and the restaurant itself is very elegant. I appreciate that it's tucked away in old town Torrance making it very quiet and private as well. The food however was lacking. The ribeye was very very tough to cut and chew (ordered it medium). The flavor was also a bit bland. My plate was "wet" from all the juices from maybe the steak and potatoes which made the sides soggy. The potatoes were over boiled or so wet from whatever liquids were on the plate that most of them disintegrated, which was unfortunate because the flavor was tasty. The broccoli was pretty good though. I think the sides should have been on a separate dish. And the steak was just too wet. Friends had the potato crusted salmon and bow tie pasta which they liked - thank goodness. But another friend had the scallops with pasta and it was very salty. We all liked the banana bread but the rest of the bread offerings (crispy flat and rolls) were ok. The crime brûlée was good but the lemon one had too much whipped cream and sauce on the plate (making everything soggy again). The chocolate bailey coffee was delicious though. I would not recommend the Red Truck wine. Ask for the Oregon one if they have it. As the menu is limited I probably won't return as the meat which is what makes it or breaks it for me was not good. But if you like seafood, this may be a good spot for you. And many people seem to like this place so I would say give it a go and decide for yourself.

This has been my favorite restaurant in the Southbay for 30 years. The food is always excellent, the service has always been spectacular, the restaurant is beautiful with standards playing as the backdrop for a beautiful dining experience. I usually come for lunch and have the famous Depot Caesar salad With shrimp and grilled chicken breast. The chef usually drops in and visits folks, which is a very nice touch as well. And may I add that they have the very best bread basket in America, which has an assortment of flatbread, banana bread and rolls accompanied by regular and pesto butter, which is absolutely incredible. This place remains at the top of my list!

In my opinion, The Depot is the finest restaurant in the South Bay!! The ambience is reminiscent of a Chicago steakhouse with a bit of a modern flair. The food is absolutely amazing. The restaurant is owned and operated by Chef Shafer, who is a culinary genius! Let's start with the service. From the moment you enter the restaurant, you are greeted by incredibly friendly staff. Brett, who is the manger has a terrific sense of humor and makes you feel like you are family.During your meal, you can expect a visit from Chef Shafer himself, who is hilarious. Be prepared for a few one liners and some laughs. However, it's evidently clear that while Chef Shafer is a really funny guy, his passion for his food is no joking matter. Our server, Candise was very sweet and super attentive. We never had to ask for anything as she was on top of everything. Anytime our drinks were half empty, Candise was there to refill; there was never an empty plate on the table for more than 5 minutes before it was cleared by Candise. She was simply fantastic!!Ok let's get to the meat n' potatoes (pun intended). The food! As I mentioned in the beginning of my review, the food here is far superior to any restaurant in the South Bay and possibly anywhere in Los Angeles. Chef Shafer's creations are well thought out, flavorful, creative and SPECTACULAR!! The Depot offers a vast array of eclectic dishes that offers something for everyone. From surf to turf, Chef Shafer has created his signature dishes that would even bring Wolfgang Puck to his knees!Tonight we were celebrating my Dad's 80th Birthday. No better place to celebrate than with Chef Shafer's Thai Dyed Chicken! Imagine a healthy portion of boneless chicken breast with skin on, smothered in Shafer's sweet and savory Thai sauce. Served over creamy mashed potatoes and along side of fresh lightly sautéed string beans. Wait, there is more... the dish is flanked with two large and lightly tempura'd shrimp. I think I could eat this every day. All day.We also got The Big Cat Mix. This dish is fit for a king. This feast consists of two lamb chops, a petite filet minion, a shrimp sausage and served with spinach and potatoes. Like most of the dishes at The Depot, the portions here are very generous and absolutely delicious! My stepmom ordered the Scallops on the small plate menu, which was served with plentiful blanket of warm and freshly fried crispy onion strings. She loves scallops and asserted that these were the BEST scallops she had ever had! Lastly, we ordered for dessert the chocolate bento box for the table to share. The bento box itself is made of real chocolate and constructed in the Depot kitchen. Each of the bento compartments are filled with decadent treats, such as chocolate gnash, fudge, variety of ice creams and fresh strawberries. It is a choc-o-holics dream...Honestly, I couldn't think of a more fitting dessert to end such a superb meal. In case you couldn't tell by my review, I REALLY liked this place!

This evening, I had dinner with my good friends at Depot. It was my first visit to this restaurant. The food, service, and ambiance were all excellent. I recommend the Shrimp sausage as an appetizer and Sand Dabs for the main course. Also, the desserts are very well presented and very delicious. I definitely will return.