A couple girl friends and I were looking for an early morning Sunday breakfast and stumbled upon Goat Tree. We were seated right away. The manager was extremely friendly and genuinely seemed happy we were there! Service was fabulous all around. We shared the Pain Au Chocolat and it was amazing; chocolate on the inside plus the croissant itself was chocolate. I had the Smoked Salmon Toast and it was tasty but pretty basic. I liked it but probably wouldn't get it again. My sister had the Shakshuka and that's on my list for next time. Our friend had the frittata and really enjoyed it. My cappuccino was tasty. They also have lots of fun morning drinks and lots of patio seating for a nice, sunny Santa Barbara day. read more

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Our first time in Santa Barbara and in the pouring rain! We found public parking structure after some driving around and Goat Tree was conveniently located in the same structure. The server was very friendly and tended to us quickly. We ordered the pasta rigatoni which had pork belly and asked for it on the side. Seeing we intended to share he asked if we would like the order split into 2 plates. Very considerate waiter! He asked if we wanted any drinks and I asked for mock tail options. It wasn't on the menu but he suggested the margarita. It wasn't sweet like most mock tails but I appreciated that they made it specially for us. We also had chips and hummus, almond croissant and goat cheesecake. The hummus was tasty even though I get stomach ache from chickpeas. My son loved the pita slices! The chips not so special. The pasta rigatoni was bombastic! Creamy sauce on new Al dente rigatoni and full of mushrooms and squash. Flavorful but not overly salty. The side of pork belly was a bit crunchy on the outside and soft inside. Perfection for texture and flavor! Would come back again just for this! Almond croissant was tasty but on the harder side for the exterior. Still soft on the inside though. Never tried goat cheesecake before and was told it wouldn't be too "goatee" by the front register lady. I found it enjoyable but I would probably try something else next time. I am not usually one to go for cheesecake regularly. I was hoping I wouldn't need lactose pill but Umm... I needed it haha. read more

Goat Tree - Goats on trees, it's a thing! - Cafes Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Great food, great wine and even better service with Juan! He was so attentive and even after they were closed, he continued to serve us and never made us feel rushed. 10/10 recommend! read more

The worst coffee and matcha I have ever tasted. Save yourself a couple of bucks and go next door to Starbucks because I can assure you that you'll be highly disappointed with the quality and taste of goat tree coffee and matcha. read more

First time experiencing goat Tree. Christmas Eve lunch on outdoor patio with a great ambience. Service was stellar from Jason and staff. The BLT and smash burger was excellent. read more

We walked there from our hotel (Moxy), and we were seated outside Pati b/c we had two dogs with us. I had the ham and cheese croissant with a egg (Over medium). My husband had the bacon and brie sandwich; the other couple we were with had the same thing I had. It was really good. The husband's had a bloody Mary that was awful. I had a mimosa. The atmosphere was nice. read more

I was walking to another brunch spot on the same street when I walked past Goat Tree and saw their display of pastries. I had to go in and get some breakfast here to take back and eat on the beach. It's a really cute spot and looks like a nice place to sit down and eat at, for next time. The staff were friendly and greeted me right away. I got a latte, avocado toast, and a cinnamon roll to go. The latte was good and the avocado toast was great! I wanted to give this place more stars because I enjoyed the service and the food was actually very good, but my cinnamon roll... It was delicious until a few bites in I found something hard in it. I spit it out and it was a piece of melted plastic (almost like a hot glue gun type of consistency). I can understand that accidents happen and sometimes things may fall into food but when making a cinnamon roll, where in the world would melted plastic come from?? I don't understand that part. I could even understand if it were hair, though that would be gross too, at least I wouldn't worry about if it's toxic or not. Luckily I ate the cinnamon roll last, so by the time I lost my appetite I had already been full from the avocado toast and didn't have to waste much food. read more

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We stopped here for lunch. Service took forever even after the hostess checked on us twice to see if we'd been helped. We ordered salads. Both were fresh, but bland. The highlight was the grilled salmon we added to a salad. This place is a skip for me. read more

One of the few breakfast places where there wasn't a long line on a saturday. This place is spacious, sunny and the service is good. I needed something light for pre-wine tasting, so I ordered an Arugula Salad which was delicious. read more

Goat Tree - Arugula Salad - Cafes Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I unfortunately booked my reservation at this place too early for me to appreciate the ambience of a regular meal. But, what I ate that morning was worth the visit. The waitress told me the breakfast sandwich was her favorite thing on the menu, and that's what I tried. Its a Bacon, Egg & Cheese sandwich on sourdough bread, only instead of regular cheese, its this gooey French Brie cheese, which I thought was an enjoyable changeup. I really liked how the outdoor patio looked as I walked Santa Barbara the previous evening, which is why I booked this place. Its just over a stonethrow away from Stearns Wharf, so its not in the downtown area. I'd visit here again during regular hours. read more

Goat Tree - BLT E - Cafes Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The latte was delicious! Prime location , came back twice :) Great ambiance and service! read more

Goat Tree - The latte was delicious! - Cafes Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Let me start describing their freshly baked pastries-croissants are absolutely amazing and must try item on the menu. We also ordered Lemon ricotta pancakes,that did not disappoint. Avocado toast on sourdough was delicious, however I wished that bread was fresher. My husband ordered shakshuka and didn't like really like it. It was salty and flavorful in the middle due to generous amount of feta cheese, but on the edges the dish was completely blunt. We pair our breakfast with locally sourced orange and grape juices-truly recommend to order it as well. Ambiance is nice and dashing, plenty of seating outside and few tables inside as well. Service was not amazing: we were waiting for our order to arrive for 30 minutes, some waiting staff had an attitude too. I am giving the benefit of the doubt since we visit the venue on Christmas morning. That is way I am giving that restaurant 4 stars instead of three. read more

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Came here while staying at the Hotel Californian. Beautiful cafe with delicious food. I thought food and drink were reasonably priced, and the portions were huge! We had awesome and attentive staff. I had the turkey sandwich, which was great. My husband had the shakshuka, which was also really tasty. read more

I have been here several times and I have to say, everything is so good! My favorites are the smash burger and avocado toast but really nothing on their menu disappoints. They also have really cool morrocan decor! read more

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Horrible coffee. I got a black coffee. Tasted like black water. My friend got peppermint mocha. It was burnt and super sweet with no coffee or mocha flavor. Do not come here for coffee. We walked out and threw the cups in the trash. Not sure if they would have refunded us. read more

I came first thing in the morning and I was a little disappointed that the service was so slow it took awhile to make a single latte and there was no one in front of me. The macaroons here are amazing but they don't offer them every day which is a bummer for me but if you come in and they have them - get them. read more

Fine coffee spot on state street During our long weekend in Santa Barbara, my wife and I sat here for coffee each morning as it was right next to our vacation rental. It's a beautiful looking shop, and is attached to a larger restaurant that looks great for brunch. This review is only for the coffee shop. I'm sure that we went on an off weekend for them, but they didn't have espresso beans for half of our trip. They have a sign outside that tells you about all of the differences in each cup of coffee they make, and 90% of them require espresso shots. I'm not sure if they were busier than normal, but that is a must if you are a coffee place. They also didn't have a lot of the display case, in terms of breakfast. We did get a croissant, which was great. Super friendly staff, and they also serve mimosas out of the window, which is always a plus in my book. But not dependable when you're looking for a latte in the morning. read more

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Nice and clean restaurant. Got sat down right away, but took about 15 mins to get a menu and water. Once we ordered service was pretty fast. The bacon was over cooked on the Brie sandwich and the BLT+E had greasy bacon, but fries and croissant were good. I'd recommend ordering at the walk up bar rather than sitting down. Overall it was an okay experience, but looking for a quick coffee it's a good stop. read more

Goat Tree - Gooey Bacon Brie + BLT E side of fries - Cafes Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Place is cute, and chocolate croissant is good! Me and SO ordered two flat whites and two chocolate croissants, all of which took way too long to get, considering there was only one other party in the whole place. The entire experience was just a bit off in every aspect- We asked the croissants to be warmed when we ordered them but they didn't seem warm when we got them.... But they were still very good and the highlight of our experience there. Our order of bevs also seemed to get mixed up with the group before us, we got one flat white and one cappuccino, and had to swap it out. In any case once we got the drinks right they were pretty good. Layout of the place was interesting. There is plenty of outdoor patio space. Indoors there were a couple booths and plenty of tables, as well as a couple long high tops. It was unclear if we were "allowed" to sit at the tables if we ordered just coffee and pastries at the counter, or if the tables were for dinner/lunch service only. In any case the three servers who ran the dining room didn't say anything when we sat ourselves, probably because they had no official diners. The poor girl handling the cafe on her own had no help from the three guys standing around staring at their empty dining room. read more

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Service was excellent, very attentive! Food was decent. We ordered the kale Caesar and the shakshuka for brunch. The salad was okay, not a ton of flavor. The shakshuka sauce tasted a little like enchilada sauce but not in a bad way! Had a nice kick to it. read more

Goat Tree - Baby Kale Caesar Salad Shakshuka - Cafes Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Ideal spot to relax and charge up your phone! Americano is excellent!! Great Staff and Service!!! Aa Must come Back in Santa Barbara by the Pier and by the Amtrak train station! read more

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Lots of employees walking around doing nothing. I watched the same guy walk a 30 foot stretch over and over picking up and setting down the same rag. There was no water refill at any point, lots of upset tables with issues with their checks. The young hostess was very friendly. Most of the employees wandering around seemed lost like they weren't sure what their job was. The rest of the staff was beyond slow and not super personable. It took around 30 minutes to get our check. The food presentation was good but way overpriced. The "smash burger" is not a smash burger, thick patty more like a steak burger? It was good flavor but just not what the menu said by any stretch. Also didn't have the normal smash burger flavor of being cooked in mustard. The fries were a large portion as pictured good thing for an extra $4, heavily seasoned in Lawrys. read more

Goat Tree - Brunch menu - Cafes Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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I had a chicken salad and it was good. Service was about a 3.5 of 5. We sat on the patio and that was nice. Be prepared for lots of dogs though. read more

This was a pricey place but very on point. My husband picked a fresh baked blueberry muffin and I had the Moroccan shashukka. His was good but mine was great. A spicy (not hot) Moroccan tomato sauce with crunchy garbanzo beans and cheese topped poached eggs and served with a pita bread - oh my so good! We sat in an outdoor area with a fountain, light music and the ocean sound in the background. Coffee was good and strong. Service impeccable- we will be back ;) read more

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Great spot in Santa Barbara for a nice outdoor cafe brunch spot. Located near the beach, there is plenty of people walking around and with their dogs (for furry friend lovers). Parking is in the California Hotel, which isn't validated, but is free if you are quick. Service wasn't amazing, but considering how popular and busy it was, it was understandable. Our server was super friendly and sweet which made up for it. Food was also great- LOVED the Protein Fritata!!! The Shashuka was also great. The Yuzu butter croissant was fantastic and highly recommend. Overall great spot to come for brunch! read more

Goat Tree - Shakshuka - Cafes Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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GREAT FOOD, GREAT SERVICE, and GREAT COURTYARD TO RELAX AND PEOPLE WATCH I was actually surprised when initially I saw 3 stars. I decided to try it for myself and my hubby since the place looks so inviting. We ordered the PROTEIN FRITTATA. It has cracked eggs, hearts of palm, sweet piquillo peppers, foraged mushrooms, and aged cheddar. It was delicious and satisfying! And I'm always a sucker for mushrooms. We also got the SMOKED SALMON TOAST. It has everything cream cheese, tomatoes, onions, capers, tomatoes on sourdough. Both delicious and filling to fuel up our Urban Wine Walk in the Funk Zone. And their latte was soooo fresh, tasty, and well balanced!! I never had to put sugar and it wasn't lukewarm. Two signs of a great cup of java! We also got a hazelnut-chocolate dessert from their bakery and it was delicious and decadent! Service was wonderful! Wait was probably 10 minutes to get a table. Since the waitstaff checked in on us consistently I rarely had to flag them down. Definitely try it here for a nice brunch experience! read more

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The review is strictly for trying to get a table NOT regarding the service or food. I can't comment on those because they said they couldn't sit us. We tried to come here yesterday with a party of 10 (6 adults and 4 kids) as they had plenty of open tables outside including a few bigger ones, but were told they couldn't seat us as they didn't have enough help. How do you not have enough help on Memorial Day weekend when every single restaurant on State St is completely packed with wait lists. Super poor planning and instead of asking us if we would mind if it took a bit longer to get service and food we were just told no. They had no problem sitting parties of 4 though. Made no sense. read more

We were pleasantly surprised after having brunch at The Goat Tree. Upon arriving at the hostess. She promptly sat us, wait staff greeted us and took our order. The restaurant is within the Californian Hotel. Frittata was enjoyable and my daughter ordered the pancakes. I had a mimosa and at the end of brunch decided to try two deserts. Wow, the carrot cake is likely the new "Best Carrot Cake" of Santa Barbara and my sweetheart had a lollipop looking chocolate cake. I have to say Goat Tree overall did an excellent job from food to service. Thanks and we will happily return. read more

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Nice place with a few different wines beer and great coffee and desserts. Also, they have very nice salads and entrées reasonably priced from $12-$28. read more

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I was scrambling last minute to figure out a cake for my son's first birthday. Goat Tree has an amazing pastry chef who went above and beyond at the last minute to make a delicious chocolate cake. We had a couple of different cakes from various places, and my guests collectively picked the Goat Tree cake as the hands-down winner. The staff was great, polite, and very professional. I loved that the team took my number down and contacted me directly with updates as well. If you're looking for delicious pastries or even a special cake for a special occasion, check this place out. I made a Yelp account just to write this review! read more

the servers are friendly but the wait time is so damn long by the time they even came to take my order i could've climbed Mount Everest.

The first couple of times I ate here it was great, but my recent visit left much to be desired. It started off fine. Our server was friendly and helpful when we asked questions about menu items. She encouraged us, twice, to add avocado to one of our entrees. We took her suggestion but made a mistake in not asking for the price of the avocado (we figured somewhere between $1.50-3.00 depending on how much they gave us). Imagine our surprise when we got the bill and had been charged $6 for our "side of avocado" aka, less than half of an avocado. I mentioned our surprise to our server and said we wouldn't have added avocado to our order if we had realized that was the price. Her response was simply, "That's the price. There's nothing I can do about it, the price is the price and that's what's in the system." Now, I understand that avocado prices fluctuate and that restaurants up charge for things, but as a small point of comparison, a bag of 6 large avocados was $6.99 at Costco last week. To make it even worse, the avocado itself was not great. Super light in color, not much flavor, a bit watery. The avocado was more expensive than the iced latte, fancy jasmine green tea with jar of imported honey, or the fries we ordered! In summary: the food & atmosphere are mostly great, but if you are price conscious, be sure to ask lots of questions when you order, especially if it's a suggestion made by your server or something not listed on the menu. read more

Goat Tree - Monte Cristo, fries, BLT E, iced latte, & jasmine tea - Cafes Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

After 2 years I'm still craving this place it's that good. Service is excellent. Food is still as I remembered the first time I came here during Covid in 2020. We ordered avo toast with smoked salmon to share and our server brought it out on two separate place for us already halved. I'm still not sure why this place has only as many stars as it has. Definitely five stars. Perfect breakfast place. read more

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Unique food that tasted great. The ambience was really relaxing and the service was good. Keep up the good work! read more

Goat Tree - Good stuff! - Cafes Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Goat Tree deserves at least 4 stars. Located right on State Street and across the street from Hotel Californian, their spacious patio has plenty of seating with large palm trees to create shade during the day and pretty lighting at night. We came for breakfast because it was included in our stay at the Californian. There was about a 20 minute wait, but it was worth it. I ordered a split of sparkling rosé Moet & Chandon and he ordered a Peroni beer, both refreshing for a warm, beautiful Sunday. I was eyeing the Avocado Toast and Smoked Salmon Toast, so I asked if they could just add salmon to the Avocado Toast. Our server knew just what I wanted without needing more explanation. :) It was an extra $10 for the salmon, but the amount was generous. The egg was hard boiled. I would have preferred poached, but the toast was overall hearty and delicious. He got the Chicken and Waffles. We both liked how it came with arugula salad to add in a little healthy component to the dish. We also liked the honey with nuts that complemented the maple syrup. The waffle was simple and the chicken was seasoned and lightly fried. The service was attentive and quick despite being busy. I could return to enjoy the loungey atmosphere at night as they play some good house music too! read more

Goat Tree - Avocado Toast with added smoked salmon and sprouts + Chicken & Waffles - yum! - Cafes Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We came here for brunch on a Sunday as this was the only place that didn't have a wait. The restaurant inside was very pretty and the waiter was great. I ordered the lemon ricotta pancakes and did not care for them, the lemon was way too strong in a bad way. I tried my parents sandwich and fries and those were really good. We also went to the counter and ordered some pastries to go and all of those were very good! read more

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We stopped here while walking through Santa Barbara as the patio was beautiful. That's about the only nice thing about this restaurant. Service was very slow (we waited 45 minutes for our food to come out), servers act like they don't care, food was mediocre. Won't be back. read more

I was debating between 3 and 4 stars here. We stopped by on a busy Saturday. On the plus side, they have a very nice outdoor seating area, and they were not too busy (when *all* of the other nearby restaurants had significant lines). The service was great. However, the food and drinks were just so-so. For example, I ordered an avocado toast, and I think the avocado may have just been a pre-processed spread (there were no chunks in it, and it wasn't clear that it was fresh). My family's food was similarly disappointing. I think they may want to re-work the menu. read more

I loved my experience here! The food was delightful and I had the best matcha made by a sweet bartender named Miguel. He made our group feel very welcome as it was our first time trying Goat Tree. Would definitely return again, especially if Miguel is working! Amazing service. read more

I had high hopes for Goat Tree, but my experience was ruined before I even had the chance to eat. From the moment my party of three arrived, the hostess made it abundantly clear that we weren't welcome. Her dismissive and condescending attitude made me feel as though she had already judged whether we "belonged" there. After asking for a table for three, I was oddly told to look at the menu before being seated--as if I needed to prove I could afford to eat there. This was not a polite suggestion but a clear attempt to gatekeep who gets to dine. Once we confirmed we still wanted to stay, we were led past several empty outdoor tables to a cramped, wobbly table clearly meant for two, tucked away in the back. If the other tables were reserved, common courtesy would have been to inform us upfront and offer alternatives. Instead, we were given no choice--just the worst available option, with no explanation. At that point, it was clear we weren't going to be treated with respect, so we left. A restaurant that prioritizes exclusivity over hospitality isn't worth my time or money. If you value good service and being treated like a valued customer, I'd strongly recommend taking your business elsewhere. read more