Sat at table outside and was quickly waited on. Ordered Mike's Special and was not disappointed. Such a huge serving of food that I barely ate half. Lots of pieces of crispy bacon and the potatoes were cooked just right. I got the hollandaise sauce which was great on the poached eggs. I will try the ranchero sauce next time. Biscuits and fresh jam on the side were delicious. Staff was very friendly to everyone dining there and took the time to talk about items on the menu. I'm looking forward to dining at Esau's Cafe again soon! read more

Location right by the beach. The decor is very charming and cozy and the table service was great! Food was very good and fresh, the baked items on the menu were fresh and tasty. We tried the cinnamon roll that was delicious! Overall, everything was great with the exception of the wait... it did take over 30 mins to get seated as we had a party of 10. The problem was that there were some customers allowed to sit and reserve tables for large groups. There were 4 people allowed to sit and reserve a large 15 plus section of the patio and not order anything for over 30 mins. Not even drinks. Not sure why they allow people to sit without the whole party being present... but that's the only reason they don't get 5 stars from us. read more

Esau's Cafe - Lox and Bagel was excellent - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Lovely cafe, delicious food and very friendly staff. I've never been disappointed coming here. It very much feels like a small town breakfast joint, everyone knows each other and wants to chat. My favorite part of coming here is the strawberry jam! Fresh and made in house, i would buy it by the jar if i could read more

Esau's Cafe - 3 Egg Works Omelette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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A fast service breakfast spot. It's not bougie, not inventive flavors or too unique, but had classic dishes with some oomph. I got the New Orleans omelet and the coconut banana French toast. My received my food very quickly. I took both to-go and ate them on the beach. You will get a solid meal here. There are regulars and the staff is lightening fast. My coffee latte had some good coffee which they buy from El Salvador. So if you get a coffee, it's going to be good quality. read more

Esau's Cafe - New Orleans omelet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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Overall wasn't impressed with the food. I saw a review from a foodie so we went with it for Father's Day. So we had an hour, no problem, there were resos. We ordered the cinnamon roll to start.. was ok, texture was off for us, chalky. It was soft though. Didn't finish. Hubby ordered breakfast enchiladas, myself relleno omelet, sister a scramble of some kind, biscuit and gravy, waffle and chilaquiles. Hubby said the ratio filling wasn't there; HB burnt, verde flavor so so. I had the relleno omelette, wasn't the worst but my obriens were extra and were hella burnt, didn't really have any soft potatoes to eat. Sister said scramble wasn't great either, underwhelming flavor. My homemade jam looked weird and like it was frozen previously maybe; like chunky and watery not like picture on Yelp. Coffee was bitter. Charged us for using CC, which I feel like it's a business cost, shouldn't be customers (personal opinion across the board). And then an added a 20% gratuity for 6 ppl. Pretty high percent to assume it's deserving. Maybe 15-18% with the option to leave extra is more appropriate. Would've had it removed but family was ready to go and over it. Wouldn't have stiffed her of course, she was very kind and friendly. Just not quite a 20% auto gratuity experience. I don't think we even got a happy Father's Day from anyone.. Didn't feel like we were checked on, couldn't have the jam or potatoes fixed, just saw her at the beginning and end. my daughter did say later that she came once, but apparently the rest of us 5 missed it. Place was clean though. Different staff came out to fill coffee and get boxes. But Sorry wouldn't be back, mainly due to the flavor and taste of food. All In all, it was just okay. read more

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Came here for breakfast. Plenty of seating inside and out, we opted for outside. I ordered a biscuit with marmalade and a fruit bowl which was really good. My honey ordered the bagel with lox and cream cheese which he loved. The service was great and the ambiance very comfortable and clean. I would definitely return and recommend! read more

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Good location but the food wasn't good. I had the French toast that could have been good but they gave me a heaping serving of margarine instead of butter. My wife's pancakes were gross. read more

It was a Friday morning and it took us 30 minutes to get seated although there was many empty tables. My guess is they are low on employees I ordered eggs Benedict with gluten-free toast and it was delicious. The portions are large and the restaurant is really cute. It reminds me of a soda shop. I would definitely eat here again. read more

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This breakfast was really good! They have all the classic breakfast items, but I was really wowed by the chocolate chip banana bread french toast. It was a unique item, and really good. And a big portion. Service was friendly, and the atmosphere was comfortable. The restaurant is smaller inside, but definitely wasn't loud or uncomfortable. read more

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Nice and clean, great food. They have two separate outdoor seating area which were nice on a breezy sunny afternoon. We were looking for a restaurant still serving breakfast at 1:30 pm. The posole was delicious and this restaurant is within walking distance from the Carpinteria State Beach campground and the beach in a cute walkable part of downtown. read more

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The ambiance of this place is like mid 2000 diner well decorated nice breeze outside seating is also very nice with water bowls if you have dogs. Pride welcome too ig. Everything is reasonably priced also and lunch is all day. Staff is nice and attentive. I got the chicken and waffles and it was amazing the waffles were good and toasty, chicken was fried amazingly and it had very good seasoning and nice crispness, my friend got the cob salad and he said it was good a pretty normal salad and my other friend got the omelette type of thing and said it was also very good so overall 8.5/10 the water also isn't very dirty and tastes good. read more

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It took a while for someone to notice me and ask if my order was taken. I was the first in the line (of almost no people) to sign up to be seated for the breakfast, more than a half of all tables were vacant. It felt like I was invisible for about 20 minutes. The food was ok but I didn't feel welcomed there while other people were getting their food I was still waiting to order. The server was very nice, but he was not supposed to wait on my table obviously, he just helped me to get my order because he actually saw me unlike others. I'd understand if they were packed but being half empty it is just weird read more

Esau's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carpinteria, California

just ate the chilaquiles it was absolutely horrible. Hashbrowns were black on top. I would definitely not recommend that restaurant to anybody. read more

First off, Esau's is a Santa Barbara institution that has found a cozy new home near the beach in Carpinteria. I had not eaten there in decades! I was seated inside at a booth and thankfully, another customer overheard me deliberating and enthusiastically recommended the green sauce for eggs. I took their advice and indeed, this was no ordinary salsa verde that one imagines over their huevos rancheros. The salsa was of a delectable combination of fresh herbs -- and splendid! The salsa verde in itself is the reason I'll return to Esau's when I'm in town again. The little bowl of pinto beans with feta (not cotija, which can be too salty but is quite similar to feta, only drier) was delicious. I wish I'd had room for them all. The potatoes were good but maybe a bit too crisp, which I have trouble admitting. Next time I'll try their hash browns, the other potato option. Waitstaff were friendly; my busboy was more attentive than my server, though. I wish they'd step up their coffee game. Love the vibe on this stretch of the road. After this satisfying breakfast I took a stroll down to the beach and watched the seagulls park on the sand and intermittently fly in various formations. read more

Esau's Cafe - Huevos Rancheros with avocado added and home fried potatoes. Side of pinto beans that comes with the dish. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Scape from Burbank to Carpinteria for coffee and ended up finding this little place call EASUS CAFE amazingly beautiful and great tasty food the MOCO LOLO make me feel in Hawaii definitely the best in all Los Angeles area for sure. make your way here for a nice day at the beach and few steps away from this coffee shop read more

Esau's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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What a menu in this diner in Carpenteria that oozes authentic vintage in every way!!! Breakfast offerings: scrambles, omelets, Benedict's, Mexican classics, pancakes, waffles ... you name it, they have it ... fresh and fast. This place has been around since 1930's ... great story and still going strong. If you get to Carpenteria, Ca, you have to try it. Service graciously provided by children of the owners (40+ years). Super friendly and efficient. Free parking at public lot across street from side of building make this a no brainer. I expect on weekends it's crowded. It was bustling on Wednesday morning I was there. About 10 dog friendly bistro tables on sidewalk in front under umbrellas. Restrooms on site. About $15-20 pp for huge portions. It's a winner read more

Esau's Cafe - My protein scramble. 3 eggs and loaded with meat and cheese - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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Yummy, generous portions & Dog friendly enjoyed our meal and the great service - loved sitting outside and watching the trains read more

The hot chocolate was good. The chicken biscuit was highly disappointing. They used dark meat and mine was very greasy and thin on meat. The biscuit was more of a bun than an actual biscuit. The atmosphere outside was great and the staff was nice. Just didn't care for the food. read more

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Super friendly greeting by a gentleman who brought us menus on the patio and answered a few questions. Server came around and tried to tell me I couldn't get a side salad with the pozole, and I had to push her to offer me a salad with the price the gentleman gave, and she only said no we only have the half and full ($14 and $16). Then I had to still decline the full sized entree salad with my GIANT bowl of pozole, and tell her that was bad business to not offer a side salad with soup. Only then she came up with a smaller side salad option "from the old dinner menu" . Frankly if a customer wants to spend money, don't be so eager to say no! Soup and salad shouldn't be so difficult! The pozole was an enormous portion of brilliant orange broth with shredded chicken and lots of hominy. Almost a stew it was very filling. The toppings were plentiful and quite excellent with white onion, avocado and cabbage. The side salad was not the estimated $5 but $7.95 as a smaller side version of the bigger two garden salads. I had to hold the sunflower seeds, sprouts, and zucchini, my problem. Somehow we missed the mushrooms (which I would have eaten) but the order was EXACTLY CORRECT so Whatever. But the salad was excellent, I must say! It had a whole hard boiled egg, cheese, peppers, tomatoes and what had to be half an avocado over nice fresh lettuce. I am thankful that it came on a large oval plate because it was overflowing the tiny bowl. I dumped it out on the plate to eat it, and had honest difficulty finishing all of it. Balsamic dressing, homemade, was great; glad I asked which ones were made in house. Had to take some of the pozole with me for the next day. Spicy! Hearty! Healthy! Husband ordered the works omelet (ham sausage bacon mushroom onions cheddar, hold the sour cream) with hashbrowns. He scarfed down all the eggs and left some of the soft potatoes, as the hash browns were only slightly brown. Sorry no picture! Should have tried the home fries! Would happily visit again next time we are in Carpenteria! read more

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The hubs and I stopped at this place on the way to visit an alpaca farm that's about ten minutes away. The wait: Nonexistent. There was a long line when we walked up. We signed our name to the wait list and we were called within about 12 minutes. While we waited, we walked to the beachfront and took a few pictures and breathed in the fresh air! The service: Lovely. I had been having a challenging 2024 and Yadira's smile felt like genuine warmth and home. We could see she was busy and being pulled in a million directions but she paused and gave us a genuine smile and was full of kindness. She was patient with us and answered our questions while she took our order. She literally brought light to what had been a challenging year! The food: We only ordered scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, and two biscuits. What in the holy moly?!!!! The biscuits were fantastic! They're homemade. They were accompanied by homemade strawberry jam and whipped butter. Holy moly that biscuit is everything! The eggs and hash were yummy as well. But, again....the biscuit! read more

Esau's Cafe - Omg. The Buttermilk Biscuits. So perfect. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Best breakfast around!! Some much to choose from and different types of breakfast options. Great staff! I recommend the French Toast!!!!!

Great food and delicious jalapeños, the service was ok I had to ask for more coffee 2 times since the first guy forgot about it. The ambience was casual we sat outside very calm and nice for a morning. read more

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unremarkable if you sit outside roller coasters etc going by the sidewalk loud DO NOT order the biscuits sry and horrible service mediocre at best spend your hard earned money somewhere else read more

Amazing breakfast. We ordered omelette and pancakes and both were amazing. Service was also fast considering how busy they get. read more

Esau's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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Food was ok and the service was a 5 out of 10. Table we sat at was sticky and the silverware was dirty.

Fantastic brunch! Classic enough for traditionalists and foodie enough to try something new. Lox bagel was huge. Chili relleno omelette was packed with flavor. Definitely coming back. read more

Fabulous breakfast spot!! Highly recommend. Eggs were cooked exactly as I asked and were delicious. And the grits were cooked to perfection!! I am a southern gal and I know grits! These were perfect!! Service was great! And the atmosphere is so cute. I would come here again in a heartbeat. Love love this cafe!!! read more

I haven't been to Esau's ever since they closed down the Santa Barbara location back in 2015. I remember this was one of the more popular spots in town to dine at for breakfast, and one of my favorite places when I was craving their popular pancakes topped with wheat germ. The fact that they have been around since 1939, and still running their Carpinteria location says a lot! It's too bad that they had to close the Santa Barbara location due to increased rent prices. On my latest visit, we had a party of 3 and arrived around 9:15am. According to my friend who lives in Carpinteria, this place stays pretty busy during the breakfast rush, but there is ample seating inside and outside. This is a very casual beachy vibe restaurant. It was hard to choose what to order, since their menu has a lot of great choices. You can find hearty filling meals, sweet n savory, healthy, and simple meals. There's something for everyone here! I decided on the Mexican Omelet since we were attending the Surf n Suds beer festival. I had to ensure that I was good to go for the whole day, and this omelet did just that! The chorizo was perfect and not greasy as chorizo tends to be. The Ortega chilies, tomatoes, and jack cheese brought this whole meal to perfection. It felt like the never-ending omelet since it was such a generous portion. One of my friends ordered the Lox Scramble, which includes smoked salmon, cream cheese, green onions, and capers. I snagged a bite of this, since it looked really good, but I feel they could have cut back on the amount of cream cheese they added to the scramble. It was a little too much at least in my opinion, but my friend enjoyed it and that's all that mattered. My other friend ordered the turkey panini. She enjoyed her sandwich, but the secret sauce created a wet panini. It was dripping and causing the bread to get soggy, which made the sandwich fall apart. Be sure to ask for the secret sauce on the side if you decide to order this! The onion rings that came with this were light, crispy and delicious. The most important thing to be aware of when dining here is to be prepared to pay a 10% surcharge due to inflation. The menu prices haven't been raised in 2.5 years, and this charge is only temporary depending on the status of the economy. I do appreciate that they have posted this surcharge and reasons for doing so on the menu, but it does suck to have an additional fee tacked on to the bill. To lessen the burden of paying 10% extra, I recommend dining with a group so you can split up the fee if that helps. All fees aside, this restaurant really does give you bang for your buck by serving generous portions. The prices are pretty reasonable compared to other restaurants I have been to. Overall, I had a delicious meal here and the waiters were very attentive and friendly. I do look forward to coming back to try their unique French toast, such as the banana coconut and crunchy cornflake. read more

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Do want a great breakfast? Lovely service? Fun and funky setting? Go here. We went on a weekday with no wait, but I'm sure weekends are a different story. We can't wait to go back. read more

The pancakes were excellent. Apparently it's their specialty- we recommend them! Casual atmosphere. The service was friendly. read more

Esau's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Overpriced, mediocre food and terrible service! The girls that work here aren't friendly at all. ESPECIALLY the blonde lady. We believe she is the owners daughter, which would explain the attitude. This place USED to be ok but not anymore. There are many other options with better food and service in Carpinteria than this stuffy and grimey spot. read more

We were heading back home after an appointment in Santa Barbara and wanted to stop in Carp for lunch/brunch and we found Esau's by chance and what a great find. We sat Al fresco since it was a perfect beach day, greeted by happy helping staff members we were seated in a busy early lunch crowd. Many people walked down from the State Camp Ground at the end of Linden to dine here, you could feel the ocean breeze as we sipped on our bloody Mary's. Our food arrived hot and plenty of it, house made biscuits were light and fluffy, plenty of Lox in the scramble and the tuna melt packed with flavorful tuna. But the clam chowder was incredibly good, full of clams and unique spices made it a surprisingly delight. Plenty on the menu to choose from and the kindest people I have seen for a small beach town. Well done Esau's Cafe you made another regular, not far from home and a great way to start or end a beach day.. Mangiamo e ciao! read more

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I asked Yelp, What time is it? Yelp said, Mikey, it's Women's History Month and it's about time you got busy celebrating the vital role women have played in American history. We're tryna celebrate the important contributions women make to our society. You know, Mikey, you could start by supporting a local Woman-Owned Business, and maybe write a review about it. OK, Yelp, I can take a hint. So, I searched on Yelp for a Woman-owned business and I was super happy to see this place pop up in the results. Because I know about this place. I've been here before. This was my second visit to Esau's Cafe and I gotta say, I love this place. It's Five Stars from start to finish. I was made to feel welcome even before I walked in the door. Our visit was around 11 am on a dreary Sunday morning. The place was packed. We put our name on the list and waited about ten minutes for a table. When the owner called our name, we were greeted with a smile that bordered on incandescent. Walking in the front door was like being transported to a different world. The contrast could not have been more stark. Outside was dark, drab, and diffcult. Inside was bright, cheerful and easy. The owner seated us at Booth Number 1, and placed our menus on the table. Instantly I had a problem. I'm too damn fat to fit into Booth #1. When I sat down the table top was pushing into my stomach. I was like, damn, I hope we can get switched to a different booth. I got up and went looking for the owner. When I found her I said, "I'm sorry but I need to ask for a different table, I'm too..." The owner finished my sentence for me," too tall. Yeah, I'm sorry, that booth doesn't really work for tall guys like you. I'll move you over here." She pointed to a booth next to where we were standing. I beckoned my wife to join me. I was so impressed by how gracious the owner was. She took what might have been an embarassing admission for me, and totally turned it around. It's not your big fat stomach, it's Booth #1's fault. That is flat out exemplary customer service. It's the essence of hospitality. In that moment I fell even deeper in love with Esau's Cafe. I mean, I was already in love with the place. Esau's Cafe had won my love on my first visit with their Chilaquiles Verde. Simply put, they're the best restaurant chilaquiles I've ever had. So when I got here this visit I didn't really need a menu, I knew I was going to get the chilaquiles again. So I did. But this time I went with Hash Browns instead of Home Fries. The Hash Browns were good, they were crispy AF, but they weren't nearly as good as the Home Fries. Glad I tried them, but I wouldn't get the Hash Browns again. Home Fries all the way, baby. Oooooo-wee! Our waitress was a Rock Star. I mean, she was totally dialed in on making sure I had everything I needed. Without being asked she brought me extra verde sauce for my chilaquiles, because, she explained, that's how she likes hers. And she brought me extra napkins. I always need extra napkins, and usually I forget to ask, and then I have to try to flag down the server. It was nice for once to not have to ask. A plate of Chilaquiles here is a hell of a lot of food. I was hungry as a muh when I walked in the door, and I was only able to eat a little more than half of the order. It was so delicious I didn't want to stop eating, but I had to. My wife had a panini and, wow, that was a beautiful looking sandwich. I had a bite and confirmed it was just as delicious as it looked. It came with fries or onion rings. Our wonderful waitress suggested half fries and half onion rings, so we could try both. See what I mean? Total rock star waitress. As we were leaving, the owner noticed me taking photos. She said, Did you get a shot of my baked goods? Be sure to get a shot of my baked goods! I was impressed by her confidence in her product. One look at those trays of baked items and I understood where that confidence came from. Those are some beauties! I regretted that I noticed them too late, I had already paid my tab. The food was great, the hospitality was generous and genuine. We had a great meal and look forward to returning soon. Mikey C says: I heartily recommend Esau's Cafe, a truly great local woman-owned business. read more

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We really enjoyed our breakfast and especially sitting outside. Great food, good coffee, and good service Highly recommend.

We went to breakfast for my birthday Easter Sunday. We called ahead and they had a seat waiting for us and the sweet hostess said happy birthday. Everything was top notch. We both got the poblano chili omelette and it's by far the best omelette I've had. I ordered a fresh baked biscuit accompanied with. Soft butter and homemade jam. I could eat 5 of them they were so yummy. We added on a short stack(2) to try the buttermilk pancakes and they were fluffy and yummy. We will make this a favorite spot when we read more

Esau's Cafe - 3 Egg Roasted Pasillo Chile Relleno Omelet Stack of Pancakes 2 Buttermilk Biscuits English Muffin - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Saturday 11am, no wait for inside, busty but not crowded, great local vibe. Was a fan of the original location on lower State St in SB. Service OK. Friendly but not super attentive. The rub, a classic club- meh, more bread than filings, lukewarm warm pre frozen fries, a great side salad (1/2 is $14!!), and fish tacos - not a lot of fish but tons of fried batter and chips you could buy from any grocery store - no guac, beans or rice. We had a Coke and Ice tea. Two people, $64, plus tip $75 (ok diner service). 9% sakes tax, no inflation or cost of living $ added. Seriously tho $75 for mediocre food and service. Will not repeat especially since I could duplicate the meal for $30 and have left overs! read more

Best chicken enchiladas I have ever had. Every time I am in town I make it a point to try their wonderful breakfasts. A Carpenteria classic.

An all American diner. A classic. Step into this place and step into a time when Formica and chrome were the height of design. The staff were generally friendly and helpful. I had the pancakes and they were really good. read more

Wonderful place!! 5 of us plus a pooch had breakfast this morning. The food and service and ambiance are WONDERFUL! Ambiance of sitting outside enjoying the salty sea air with the sun shining was so comfortable! Service was spot on! Always a full glass or cup! Many times the server would come by snd give us refills. Food: please see pictures! Everybody enjoyed their meal! I have been here several times and it has always been excellent. Food arrives hot and fresh and super yummy! We live coming here and will be back as soon as we can!! read more

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I've been here before a while back and remembered the food was good back then (pre covid). My family and I are not from the area so we don't frequent this spot. Today we were driving through Carpinteria and thought we'd go back to Esau's for lunch. We were starving. I remember their sandwiches were good. But today I had an craving for fish and chips. The breading of the fish tasted wierd and it was pretty greasy. The fries were soggy. It all tasted like it was cooked in old oil, not fresh. Came home with a tummy ache. My mom on the other hand had the clam chowder and she said it was delicious. My husband had a BLT, and said it was good but the onion rings that went with it, he agreed tasted like it was cooked in an old batch of oil. Not sure if we'd revisit this place when cruising through the town again. There are several other eateries we saw driving I'm through town that has popped up since our last visit. read more