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    Happy Cat Eats

    4.6 (146 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 6:30 pm

    Happy Cat Eats Photos

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    Shrimp po boy, lychee lemonade, cinnamon roll
    Amanda L.

    You can't beat sitting near the beach with good food during a nice warm Santa Barbara day. I love the outdoor seating and how you get a beautiful view of the coastline. The shrimp po boy was somewhat small but without enough shrimp for every bite. It was perfectly fried, not overcooked. The slaw was fresh and the sauce helped punch up the flavor. The lychee lemonade was refreshing, a bit sweet so I definitely recommend getting the version with alcohol. The cinnamon roll was tasty and soft. Great frosting. They have a great menu filled with street food. There is a lot of variety, I can't wait to come back. Parking is tricky. I ended up walking over from the Funk Zone.

    Chinese salad - tasty and good portions
    Hiromi R.

    *Rating this experience with a child & grandparent* This spot was recommended to us by the lovely people at the Santa Barbara Visitor Center. We learned that this casual, beachside walk-up restaurant is the sister concept to the upscale restaurant of Oku, a sushi restaurant. Menus are different but has the same owner, so it has a similar concept and plays with flavors of umami well. We ordered the chicken bao tacos, Chinese chicken salad, and a kids meal hot dog. We really enjoyed those tacos! I loved the Asian flare of the chicken, and that it was served in a bao. The salad was big in portion and tasted fresh. A good way to get some crunchy greens in! The kids meal hot dog was, well, a hot dog! I appreciated that they had a kids meal. We loved the causal vibe of this place. Right by the ocean, sand as part of their decor, and open seating concept. Will come back here for another visit!

    Sushi Sando
    Morgan B.

    Happy Eats Cafe is centered around outdoor dining. You walk up to a register, order, and find a seat while you wait with your number. They had lots of yummy items to choose from. We got two of the sushi sandos. SUPER good. I would come back to try other things! It was very nice, right by the water.

    Mac and cheese breakfast burrito with pork belly. NA  BEER
    Shawn B.

    What went well---EVERYTHING! I can't say enough about how great it is to eat right on the main beach walk. Great views and patio. The person at the service window was really friendly and suggested I get a box because the burrito is really big. I've never had a Mac and cheese burrito before and it was fantastic.

    Happy Cat Eats
    Liz G.

    Happy Cat Eats is great! My husband and I stopped by for lunch after visiting to Art Walk. He ordered a smash burger and I had the soy burger with cheese. We shared fries. Both enjoyed our meals. We sat outside and it was a beautiful day for it...a bit crowded. Service was good. You order at the window and they give you a number and bring the food to your table when it's ready. It's very casual, very efficient, a good place to grab a bite.

    The delicious food options from Happy Cat Eats
    Celina O.

    We loved this wonderful waterfront restaurant and were pleasantly surprised to hear that Happy Cat Eats and Oku Restaurant have the same founders! The ambiance was absolutely stunning, the staff was friendly and attentive, this spot is budget friendly and we absolutely loved the variety of delicious bites and drinks!

    Monica V.

    I've been here in the summer and spring. It gets pretty busy during lunch time during the summer but my group was able to get a table without a problem. The food came out quickly and was pretty good. My toddler enjoyed the acai bowl. That was one of the reasons I wanted to come back during my vacation recently. I ordered it online and I came on time. I saw there were 2 bowls there. Then someone took them and said it will be a few minutes. I was a little confused about the situation but I eventually got my order. The granola was definitely the star of the bowl. If you like cinnamon this was definitely packing in flavor.

    Cinnamon roll
    Erika S.

    Food was great : breakfast burrito and cinnamon roll. Shared it with my sister and it was plenty. The blueberry matcha was good as well. The service was kind of slow, but we weren't in a rush. Our friends didn't like their food, the tacos, no flavor even with added salsa. Overall, I'd go back, but wouldn't go out of my way

    Chinese Chicken Salad
    Brent Y.

    My wife and I ordered the Chinese Chicken Salad and the Sushi Sando and split both, which worked out perfectly. After reading that the Sando was shareable, I definitely agree because I don't think I could have finished it on my own. The salad was great, with perfectly crispy wonton strips, tender/flavorful chicken and a really good dressing. The Sushi Sando was super unique and unlike anything I've had before. Crispy rice as the "bun" with crab meat, tuna, and seaweed salad inside made for such a fun and delicious combination. Both dishes were light and refreshing. My 5-year-old had the hot dog and it was surprisingly high quality and a really good size. It was served on a Hawaiian roll with a great-quality dog, and since he's pretty picky, the fact that he ate the whole thing says a lot. Overall, it was a great experience. The ocean is right across the street, so the view is a huge bonus, and we also really appreciated how clean the restrooms were. Note: You order at a window and the servers bring your food to you. There's a free 75-minute parking lot down the alley, or you can try parking across the street.

    Crispy bao tacos
    D L.

    Nice little spot! You order before choosing your seat, however there is no menu at the ordering window so best to memorize what you want or walk up with the menu. The main reason I came was for a cinnamon roll. I was one left in the window display. When we ordered, the girl with the short pink hair said "sorry but we're all out". I paused and said "well what about the one right there?" And she goes "oh well yeah I guess we have that one. Is that fine?". Idk if she was trying to hold it for herself or what but that was a weird interaction. She wasn't rude but wasn't friendly either. We ordered: 1. cinnamon roll- rather meh! There was nothing that stood out about it. 2. gingerbread latte- didn't like this. It didn't taste like gingerbread at all and was very weak and froth heavy 3. sushi Sando - unique! It was pretty good but not great. The crispy rice's edges are sharp so that was a little unpleasant. The flavor was great . 4. crispy bao trio- our favorite! This had a great mix of textures and the chicken was perfectly sauced! A nice spot with potential but I don't think it's a must visit. If I come back, I'm just getting the bao tacos!

    Crispy chicken tempura salad
    Diane W.

    Looking for something light for dinner so we stopped by this outdoor eatery. Great menu, order at counter & pick a table. We ordered the Asian Chicken Salad & the Crispy Chicken Tempura salad - both different but delicious! Large portions, light salad dressing. Nice spot to people watch & enjoy a casual meal. Friendly staff too.

    Mackenzie B.

    We came last night for dinner. I have had several friends recommend this restaurant. So I was really excited to try it! The menu alone has so many good options, it was so hard to narrow down and choose. I ended up getting the fish sandwich, my husband got the happy cat burger. Everything tasted pretty delicious, the food was brought out promptly. The service was excellent. I can't wait to return to try the breakfast and brunch! All the coffee specialties and drinks looked amazing!!

    The Asian hot dog delicious, the tacos even better. And they actually use real fish for their fish and chips, not frozen
    Mr F.

    All the food was delicious as always It's a great place to chill back and just relax and check out Santa Barbara

    Truffle fries

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    10 months ago

    Amazing fish and chippies! Great location too! I love this spot and the outdoor seating.

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    3 months ago

    The chicken tempura sandwich was hands down the best sandwich I've ever eaten! Can't wait to go back and get another!

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    Fresco At The Market

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    Friendly service, super fresh soups and sandwiches in the public market. Great display of fresh…read morehealthy treats/snacks/drinks, light clean decor. It feels expensive upfront but with portion sizes, it's a great deal. For a lighter meal, just share a sandwich and soup with a friend, a lover, whoever! The house lemonade and tea are delicious, with the lemonade being perfectly sweet and tart. Soup of the Day was French Onion, which is on the sweeter side, and comes with cheese and a crostini soaking up the broth. Onions are very nicely caramelized. It was tasty but the portion of this soup was a bit large for the intensity of the soup sweetness, almost like syrup after eating it enough. Any other soup - I'd be fine with the portion size. Partner's review of the BLT: "Plenty of bacon and toasted very nice on sourdough, the sourdough with the soup was balanced. I can tell they added a little bit of butter on the sourdough for the extra crunch. Vegetables - they're vegetables, FRESH though." I had The Griller, hot with provolone on a bolillo roll. Packed with flavor from the peppers and olives, plus all the meat protein was the bomb!

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    Finch & Fork - Bailey's Brioche French Toast

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    Visited Finch & Fork with my girlfriend. We had a lovely breakfast. Service was attentive and…read morefriendly. Our food was delicious. I'm normally not a yogurt person, but I really enjoyed theirs. I'm pretty sure the granola was homemade or at the very least sourced from a whole food brand. The baked pears added the perfect amount of sweetness. Pancakes and Avocado toast were also delicious. The cocktail is dangerous; I could have sipped on it all day. The restaurant is located inside The Kimpton. It's a beautiful property. Shoutout to Robert who was a pleasure to meet. Oh, and PARKING is COMPLIMENTARY if you dine at the restaurant, how awesome is that! (don't forget to tip the valet)

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