My husband and I ate at the Live Oak Café while were staying at the Best Western on the same property. The restaurant interior is bright and chic and, as a bonus, overlooks the hotel pool. Plenty of parking. We had dinner the first night of our stay and loved it so much we went back for breakfast. Everything is fresh, high quality and delicious. If you are in Santa Barbara, be sure to stop by and give them a try. Be sure also to stop and say hello to the cute little finches who live right outside. I have to give a very special shout out to Javier and Luis! They were awesome - made us feel warm and welcome and part of the family. Luis kept the smiles and the coffee coming (VERY important part of my morning) and Javier could not have been more helpful and also has a really great smile! Stop by and say hi to the guys! read more

Stayed at the Best Western for 3 nights and this is the on site restaurant. Very nice spot. Staff is friendly and accommodating . We went to breakfast several mornings early when they opened. Lots of customers each day. Enjoyed the Two Egg Combo and the portions were generous, Mocha and Matcha Latte, yum! There is a large bird cage outside with lots of little birds! Would definitely go back when we are in town. read more

Live Oak Cafe - The cute little birds as you enter the restaurant. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Came across Live Oak Cafe while staying nearby for the weekend and honestly, it ended up being one of our favorite spots in Santa Barbara. We stopped in on a Saturday for a late brunch/early lunch and were surprised there was no wait. The vibe is super chill--quiet, neighborhood café energy, not overcrowded or hectic like a lot of brunch places. Service was warm and welcoming, and the food really delivered. We ordered the lemon zest brioche French toast, eggs Benedict, and a classic eggs + toast with turkey sausage/patties, along with tea and coffee. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and just really well done. It's owned by a couple (they were even featured in a magazine a few years back), and you can genuinely feel that care and intention in the space--from the atmosphere to the team working there. Nothing feels rushed or impersonal. What really says a lot--we kept coming back every day we were there. It's one of those low-key, slightly hidden gems that ends up being the highlight of your trip. read more

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Live Oak Cafe is a quaint restaurant attached to the Best Western Plus hotel just down the road from Downtown Santa Barbara. Plenty of seating with a view of the pool is available and service was fairly quick. The avocado toast was a miss, with very thin under-toasted sourdough bread and the lemon juice was overpowering and sour. The Live Oak Benedict was aesthetically pleasing with tender flavorful bacon, well cooked egg and overall satisfying. read more

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All the employees are professional, they seemed happy to work there. From my seat I could see through he door window to the kitchen and the chef seemed to be smiling also. Like the cloth napkins, quiet atmosphere. They deserve more business. The hash browns were made exactly as ordered. Their brand of coffee has changed, the previous brand was a better, richer roast. More ecological and money saving would be to serve ketchup only when requested, instead of providing a container that needs washing. Overall, more locals need to know what a good place this is. read more

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Went here with my parents and I really enjoyed it! I got the avocado toast with eggs and the eggs were really yummy. I also got a side of potatoes and they were cooked very well. Service was great and it wasn't as busy which was nice :) I will definitely be back! read more

Live Oak Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

A three star rating from me is because this restaurant is average. I ordered a Hawaiian chicken club sandwich. Again, good, but not that memorable to me. It came with fruit. The soda was in the can and kinda pricey for a can of soda. (I think it was $4.25?). My server was also average. She would walk by my table and not check to see if I needed anything-water maybe? This restaurant is cute. Just a little nook off of a motel. So you can eat here, have an ok meal. Maybe it will suit you better? read more

I ordered pulled pork tacos, and it was very dry. But I ate it. I decided to try the spicy Thai noodles and it was horrible. I asked if the vegetable frozen and she said no everything was fresh. I'm no Chef, but I can tell the difference between fresh and frozen. Everything in that bowl was not fresh and it was stuck in a microwave and my vegetables were mush. Needless to say it was horrible. She would not give all my money back for the spicy Thai and that I would pay for half of it although I took one bite of it and it was nasty. So I thought I'd give it another Try the next afternoon for dinner. so I ordered a hamburger and again it was horrible. The lettuce was very soggy, the mushrooms were very greasy And the buns we're falling apart and stale. never again. read more

Good service and there's WiFi. I had the avo bacon omelette with egg whites. Jury is still out on how I feel about it-- mainly because the bacon was a bit over powering and the omelette was greasy. I also had a green tea, which was pleasant. Love the look of the restaurant and the bar. Not sure if I'd come back but happy I tried it. They also have a TV at the bar playing sports which I appreciate. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Avo Bacon Omelette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The service was great. We had a really nice waiter that morning. I wish I could recommend his name if I had only remembered. He was very honest, kind, and very considerate. The ambiance is so cozy! So cute! I would love to come here again. :) The lattes were so soothing and yummy. The french toast was great too. Only downside was the Santa Barbara Breakfast Wrap. It was good, had great nutrition and was yummy, but was very greasy/oily. It honestly felt like we were eating a soup burrito. But other than that, I would love to come back if I ever visit Santa Barbara again :) read more

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The only negatives keeping me from giving Live Oak Cafe a perfect 5 rating, were my lukewarm orange juice and my wife's cold wheat toast. Live Oak is a part of the Best Western Plus, where we had spent the night. For breakfast it was the obvious choice after checkout. Very friendly and helpful staff. My wife ordered her favorite breakfast choice when dining out, the vegetable omelet. With sides of hash browns and wheat toast. And only a complaint of her toast being cold. I had the two egg combo, which included my choice of turkey sausage patties and wheat toast. As well as a side of hash browns. All very much done to my liking! Clean and inviting interior and outdoors, they even have their own aviary. Highly recommended when in the Santa Barbara area. read more

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Great food! Friendly staff and a variety of food which was all tasty. We stayed at the best western and stopped in for late dinner. I got the grain bowl with bulgogi and my husband got the chicken masala (I think) which are two odd dishes together but so tasty! The second time I got a lavender latte which was perfectly balanced and not overly Floral and the Pork Belly Bahn Mi with fries. HUGE sandwhich but so tasty and even better when I ate the second half the next day. Will definitely come back to try more when we are in the area again read more

Highly recommend this place for breakfast. Food was delicious, service was great coffee was out of this world. Son had the breakfast burrito.i had eggs Benedict, wife had oatmeal and other son had breakfast sandwich. All delicious and enjoyable. Great ambiance as well. read more

Amazing very tasty food and the staff is very friendly and really good. Excellent menu so much different than most breakfast and dinner places in town. read more

I picked up a mobile order. As a rule, I lower my standards. We all know it's just not the same. I got the live oak burger with fries (which cost extra??) $17 something plus tip. Pros: Hostess was polite Food was ready right on time Got my custom request correct Burger was med rare - nice Mushrooms were a nice touch Cute and clean location, very cool aviary Easy Cons: These are more my preferences, but burger, sauce and bun ratio was off. Very dry, despite a perfect med rare No options for my sauce. I didn't want sriracha mayo, especially with mushrooms (???) but there were no other options. I accepted it, and it wasn't bad, I just don't like it, and the ratio was wrong. The burger patty was under seasoned And this last bit is not preference, it's a fact and it's why I'm leaving one star: Their grill is DIRTY. I tasted nothing but Burnt meat crusties from other orders. My burger visually looked fine with great grill marks. and while the meat was bland, if I wasn't eating carbonized meat, it wasn't bad. but every bite I winced because those grill lines were just bits of of blasted meat that wasn't from my burger. It was disgusting, and I'm really bummed due to the high price for what would be just an ordinary burger. but then to have it just be so unpalatable was actually upsetting. Embarrassingly, I was too hungry not to eat and too busy with work to fix it. I have eaten what is officially the worst burger of my life. 2025 can't end soon enough. read more

Food was wonderful, small place but nice. Service was good very Good loved the drink and my burger was spot on!! After driving for 6hrs it all hit the spot. We stay at the hotel as well and love that it's right on property and not a far walk. They also have a rewards program so you can get discounts Signed up just today and already have #130 points. read more

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Stopped by here to enjoy brunch on our way up the coast. Spacious cafe associated with a hotel that also has an aviary of tiny birds attached. Decent parking, comfortable booth seating, clean bathrooms. Friendly, attentive service, We ordered the West Coast omelette, Live Oak Eggs Benedict, BLT, and Steel cut oatmeal. Our order came out piping hot 30 min later. First of all the hash browns were actually brown and crispy and everyone said their meals were 8 to 9/10 for flavor. Prices reasonable for restaurants in Santa Barbara. read more

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Stopped off for lunch. Excellent food, service and such a quaint restaurant. I highly recommend this restaurant if you're passing through Santa Barbara. You will not be disappointed. We will definitely come back. Located only 1 mile from Mission Santa Barbara. We talked with the owner, Molly Holvek. Such a sweet person. read more

Loved this place! So cute inside, easy parking on the street and great food! Staff very friendly. Will definitely go back. So glad to find this place. Would not have necessarily picked it since it's a cafe on the hotel property. read more

For what I needed this was a great spot. I was staying at the Best Western for work and needed a quick, simple breakfast of eggs and turkey sausage before getting on the road. I ordered online and my breakfast with coffee was ready exactly when the order said it would be. It was fresh and hot, just what I needed to be on my way. It's convenient to have a restaurant like this at your hotel. The interior of the restaurant was nice, although I took my food to go. read more

We had ordered our breakfast from this cafe for room service when we stayed at the Best Western Plus hotel. We had the live oak bendedict and pacific rim bacon fried rice. Our daughter had the steel cut oatmeal with berries. The fried rice was my favorite. It was delicious and flavorful! We also ordered a salted caramel latte and a honey oatmilk latte which were both good as well. We would probably try to eat at the actual cafe on our next visit in Santa Barbara. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Our breakfast spread (room service) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Live oak cafe is a very good place to eat! Its location is great, being right next to an aviary. Parking was a little difficult even though we got there at 8am but when we arrived, we were seated there very quickly. It did take a while for the food and drinks to come out after we ordered them. We ordered the pancake combo, French toast combo, eggs Benedict, and west coast omelette. The savory portions of the combos left a little to be desired in terms of size but overall everything was very delicious. We also ordered matcha lattes and horchata lattes. The lattes were not very sweet and all came with oat milk at an extra cost, I ordered spam at first and they brought me sausage. But the waiter came back and brought me my correct order promptly. Overall, good experience. I would probably stop by again if I was in the area and needed a bite to eat read more

Live Oak Cafe - French toast combo, eggs Benedict, west coast omelette, pancake combo, and matcha lattes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Had a 12 person dinner for my wife's birthday tonight (1/28/26). The food was great, the service excellent and everything came out right in time. This is a gem in Santa Barbara. Molly, Rachel and all the lovely wait staff were incredible. The chef Rick's. read more

Love this hidden gem in Santa Barbara. Delicious food and excellent service! Never disappointed I come here every time I visit. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Salted caramel latte - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I stayed at the adjoining hotel and came here for happy hour / dinner. I sat at the bar with a local couple who were quite chatty and funny. The waitress was not only engaging and accommodating, but genuinely made the evening more enjoyable with her perfect blend of wittiness, professionalism and gregariousness. Also, I found a new favorite beer! They carry a top shelf lager from North Coast Brewing called " Acme" that was clean and crisp! I eventually decided to have dinner and ordered the local halibut blackened with carrots and broccoli and brown rice. Who says healthy can't be scrumptious . The next morning I brought my gf for breakfast at the Live Oak Cafe since dinner was such a hit ! I had the eggs Benedict with a cup of fresh fruit. Their house- made maple espresso bacon & that creamy hollandaise sauce made for a memorable meal. Even the coffee and fresh fruit were exquisite! I'm looking forward to returning soon. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Lager beer - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I would give it a 1 star, but the hostess was nice enough. I ordered the Avo Bacon Omelette - when it arrived, it was swimming in a pool of grease and the bacon was chewy and not like normal bacon. The hash browns were decent while I was eating them but afterwards, I felt a film of grease in my mouth similar to how you feel after you eat McDonald's. My boyfriend ordered the bacon fried rice which was a 5/10. Bacon fried rice was not the best. Bacon is soggy. Texture with the avocado just made it mushy. No soy sauce detected. Pretty tasteless. Save your time. read more

My wife and I were in the area to visit a friend post-surgery and arrived too early to visit and happened upon this very cute cafe. If I'm not mistaken it's the restaurant that serves guests for the "Best Western" hotel but non-hotel guest are welcome as well. Let me say that during our visit it was pouring rain and didn't want to venture too far away from our destination and the cafe was a welcome sight. Despite the massive down pour, we found parking and sat in their covered and heated patio area enjoying our breakfast to the pitter patter sounds of the rain bounce off the metal roof. My wife had the Avocado Bacon Omelet, which she absolutely loved it came with bacon and described it as divine; crispy and not chewy. I chose the French toast combo...the French toast was cooked exactly to my liking. Delicious! With a soft fluffy texture. I too cant say enough about their delicious bacon. We were fortunate to have the patio area to ourselves because of the rain. That said, their food is so good that one is likely to wait in line on some weekends and weekdays. What brought us to the area wasn't great but this wonder cafe provided us a little touch of peace that we both cherished. Overall great food, food service and definitely worth visiting again. read more

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Nice ambiance and a large variety to order from. Server was very nice. Unfortunately, the food I got wasn't very good. I had the Two Egg Combo and here are my thoughts: -eggs (scrambled): seemed to be way more than 2 eggs. Texture was a bit rubbery. -bacon: nice thick slices but greasy. I would have blotted them but paper napkins weren't provided and I wasn't going to use my linen napkin. -wheat toast: nice but only had 1 slice. -hash browns: this was the biggest failure. The top was perfectly crunchy but underneath that the potatoes were dripping - literally - with oil (or perhaps grease). I tried to eat mostly the top portion to avoid the soggy parts but it was hard to separate them due to them being served very thin. The flavor was okay but amount of fluid was insane. Overall, the food was average at best. I couldn't finish the eggs or hash browns. It may have been an off day. Items from the lunch and/or dinner menus may be better but most items were fancier than I prefer (I like plain and simple food), which is why I chose a breakfast item. I'm not likely to go back as it is not a location that is convenient for me and the food wasn't good enough to lure me back. read more

I work nearby & stop in every now & then to pick up lunch. Turkey pot pie & bacon fried rice are 10/10 so yummy, filling & flavorful!

What a nice surprise! Great breakfast, nice atmosphere and awesome service. Food was nice and hot when it came out!

This local Santa Barbara restaurant (co-located with a Best Western Plus lodging) was innovative in their menu selections. Also, the servers were very nice and well-trained. As a bonus, the restaurant had an on-site bird aviary with lovely "finch bird residents" to watch. This was a very pleasant convenience for me, travelling alone and staying on the same property. I recommend this unique eatery. read more

Cute options for outside seating and plenty of indoor seating. The hosts and servers were very accommodating and friendly. I had the breakfast wrap without bacon and it was bland. The salsa and hot sauce were needed. The lavender matcha was also fine. The size felt small for the price. read more

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Heard a lot about this spot and didn't know it was connected to a Best Western Hotel. Definitely a great breakfast / brunch soot. The finches outside was a delight to see in the aviary in front of the restaurant! read more

Live Oak Cafe - The aviary in front of the restaurant! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

During a quick visit to SB, we needed breakfast. Stopped by after viewing the 4-1/2 stars Live Oak was rated. Everyone was VERY please with their breakfast. My Hawaiian born MIL really appreciated the Hawaiian influenced menu items added to the menu (Spam, etc.). As a hash brown lover, I gotta say, their prep was on point. Soft center, nice slight crispy crust. Having had many hash browns fails in the past, it's great when the chef takes time to do them correctly. The waitstaff were pleasant, plus there's ample parking. A bonus in SB. read more

This place was absolutely delicious. We were staying at a hotel nearby that doesn't serve breakfast and this was a great alternative. I got the Pacific Rim Bacon Fried Rice and subbed it with spam, the other person for the Bath St. Bagel sandwich, and we split a side of potatoes. No complaints here, everything was perfect. The service was decently fast and it was pretty crowded so it was a good experience. They also have some bird thing outside for people to go and see , a little bit of everything! read more

I recently met a friend here for lunch and it was great! Super easy to get a table at the lunch hour on a Friday, though still shocked by how many people were dining there at that time. We were seated right away and our server was very attentive. I opted for one of their grain bowls with chicken and chose the wasabi spicy sauce to go on top. It honestly wasn't very spicy but the bowl was delicious. Very filling. I was curious about the marinated egg but it was good! They do have a parking lot but it was full upon my arrival, so I opted for street parking which was still easy to snag. Definitely a great spot! read more

Live Oak Cafe - Grain bowl with chicken - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Excellent food at fair prices. The staff will treat you kindly too. Also,they have a cage full of finches(birds) read more

Have been enjoying this comfy and cozy café for awhile now, and realize I need to write up a review . . . here I go. They have a nice spacious parking area that is shared with the Best Western Plus Hotel, and it's a hop, skip and a jump from Cottage Hospital. As you enter the café you have a choice of a big comfy booth on the right, or outside in their spacious and warm atrium on the left. It's becoming a regular breakfast spot for us, with my favorite dishes being any of the eggs combinations, and their grain bowls. And it's always been nice to have either a side of crispy bacon, crispy hash browns or sweet potatoes. Staff is always helpful and friendly, and special shout out to server Cesar who always takes very good care of us all. And try to save some room for the assorted pastries they have at the front counter. Both the Almond Croissants and Giant Big Brownies are nice to take to-go. read more

On a trip to visit my aunt, we met for breakfast at the Live Oak Cafe. I was amazed! The food was incredible, ut what blew me away was the coffee machine that they have.....it is state-of-the-art and makes amazing coffee. You want to come for the breakfast, but stay for the coffee! Turns out my aunt comes here all the time as a local. If I lived locally, I would come here on a regular basis! We had terrific service, both from our waiter and in the speed that the food was delivered . Extra coffee came quickly as well! There's plenty of parking just outside the restaurant TLDR; the second best place we ate in Santa barbara! Come for the breakfast, stay for the coffee! It really is that good! read more

Live Oak Cafe - The most amazing coffee machine ever! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The best restaurant in SB for a relaxing, casual and delicious meal! Breakfast is superb, freshly made with ample portions. The lemon zest brioche French toast with cardomon whipped cream & pistacios is a winner as is the SB Breakfast burrito. Tucked away on Bath Street, adjacent to a motel, you can't go wrong. read more