This place was great. My husband and I stopped on our way through town. We both enjoyed our food, I got the chilaquiles with over med eggs and loved it. They are quite spicy though, so if you don't like that, maybe order them differently. Service was good, but the most stellar employee was Greg, the expo. We think his name is Greg. He was a hustler. Making sure the packed restaurant got everything on time and no one had to wait too long for anything. My husband and I have worked in restaurants forever, and his work ethic is something to be praised! Thanks so much for making our nice experience a GREAT experience!! read more

Personnel? Fantastic... After MANY years? Still going there.

The best breakfast, i highly recommend the crunchy french toast. portions are amazing especially for the price!! the workers here are so professional and they make you feel like your at home. LOVE!!!!!! read more

Best breakfast I've had in a while. Eggs benedict to die for. French toast just plain delicious. And they serve Peets coffee. Can't go wrong. read more

Went here on Presidents' Day 2022. The first issue was no corned beef. I then ordered crab Benedict. The bread was hard, the crab cake lacked flavor. No hollendase sauce. The worst part the eggs were way over poached (read that as almost hard boiled. )The best thing there was the server. read more

Food was very greasy and I will never go back. Staff was very nice and attentive. That is why they got TWO whole stars.

Had the Pete's Chicken Sandwich. One of the best chicken sandwiches I have ever had. Chiken was grilled with char marks served on a delicious Chibatta bun. Onion rings and ranch dressing great, too. read more

Great food and great service. Close to the beach where I live so a regular hit for me. From breakfast to dinner you can't miss with Mesa Cafe my profile picture even has it in the background lol. Great place you'll love it! read more

The Mesa Café is my favorite place to eat. I like their menu. They give you plenty.

Tons of space so my group of 7 didn't have to wait at all. Perfect place for hangover food. I got the crab cake benedict which was crisp on the outside which was great with the chipotle hollandaise and creamy poached eggs and avocado. Got cornbread on the side, which was huge. Definitely come here to nurse you poor-decision self back to health. read more

Mesa Cafe - Crab cake benedict and cornbread - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Wow the brunch here reminds me of my southern roots! Not too expensive and a ton of food. While the food and Bloody Mary are amazing, there is something even more special about this place that isn't sold on the menu, the hot bros that are lined up waiting to get their fill. During the 45 min meal, there were so many hot studs that flowed through this restaurant, I left hungrier than when I came. Also the service is really fast. read more

Mesa Cafe is great for breakfast, lunch and dinner! My favorite is the breakfast is the avocado toast, soo good. Aliya had served me twice now and always takes fantastic care of us! I will continue to return to this amazing business. read more

Horrible experience! Had to post here because they didn't post it on Facebook. My family and I have been coming here for YEARS! We live a few blocks away....since the new ownership it's been ok. But our recent experience changed it ALL. We went a few weeks ago and it was packed so we decided to wait (over 1 HOUR) because we believe to support local small independent restaurant vs chains. So I kept an eye on the list and waited....we were up next. Well.....then one of his friends came up with his group and he GAVE THEM OUR TABLE!!! I approached him and he ignored me...my boyfriend when to speak with him and he then said oh it was my mistake...I didn't realize you were next....REALLY!!!! He knows us and I kept going over to check the list. So unprofessional and unethical of him to do this. We will NEVER come back to this place who after all these years of supporting his business he treated us in this manner. Go to Rose Cafe (Mexican) just on the other side, next to Taco Bell.....We have been going there for YEARS (50+) and they won't ever treat you in this manner! read more

Food is good and place is plenty. The service is usually good but last time the waiter was rude and had attitude. I did talk to the manager and hopefully the waiter change his attitude otherwise he will drive costumers away. read more

Came to grab dinner and the door was closed at 9:10. They close at 10pm. Seems they can't staff the place to stick to their hours. I'm a regular but this is annoying. read more

Comfort Food! Being a local I have eaten at Mesa Cafe on and off for years. When I worked in that area, I would eat there about 6 times per year usually for lunch. It has now been at least 2 years since I have eaten there and of course Covid has kept me more home bound. BUT my husband and I were out and I knew they served "Hot" food, so we decided to give it a try for lunch. We both ordered the same item: Home Cooked Corned Beef and Eggs and Hash Browns. WOW!. What wonderful comfort food on a grey summer day. The crispness of the Corned Beef and of the Hash Browns were a perfect mix with the soft eggs. The portions were huge and I actually asked for a to-go box at the beginning because I didn't think I would be able to finish all the food. I actually devoured the whole plate of food. Choice of bread item, we chose Corn Bread, which was too crumbly. I would advise a different bread item. The Wait Staff were polite, Covid Safe, and the food came quickly. I highly recommend Mesa Cafe for any meal. And they have expanded their outdoor seating to allow social distancing. Hope you will enjoy eating there as much as we did. read more

For decades, Sunday breakfast after church was the norm. Great breakfast and great service. Probably once a week dinner was as well. Once dad passed, mom continued with the tradition until about 6 months ago when things started going downhill. As tomorrow is Mother's Day, my 92 year old mother decided she wanted to try again. As we entered, with mom using her cane and moving slow, the hostess just stared at us and said, take a table anyplace. No help, no menus, just find your own table. We found one and 10 minutes later someone finally came by and we had to ask for menus. Mom ordered the pot roast, and a glass of wine. I saw they had a "chicken fried steak" supposed to be made with a large "slab" of tri-tip so I ordered that with a beer. The salads were just greens thrown on a plate with shredded carrot on top along with runny dressing on the side. Not a good start. The entrees were served. The pot roast was in a metal serving bowl on a plate with under cooked vegetables. No warning the metal would be as hot as it was. Ouch. The "slab" of tri-tip was lucky to be as thick as a Big Mac patty if that. NO taste of meat, only the breading. Instant mashed potatoes and a thick glob of congealed gravy on top. When I was done, my plates were promptly removed but he also took the remaining rolls and butter even though mom was still eating. The beer was cool, not cold. The wine was a small glass and overpriced for a house Chardonnay. This place has been going downhill for the last 5 years. Today, they hit the bottom with me. After being a loyal customer for 30 years, the family won't be back. Good bye. read more

Kim had heard great things about Mesa Café from a friend and we had a coupon from Clipper Magazine, so that sealed the deal! We both ordered Sunday's Special - Jasper's Eggs Benedict. Eggs benny atop delicious patties of crispy corned-beef hash on English muffins. Hash browns were perfect, and I appreciated the side of homemade salsa that came with the plate. Service was friendly and on it-there was no waiting for coffee refills (even my pesky decaf requests)! Perfect way to start a Sunday morning. read more

AMAZING BREAKFAST!!! Everything was perfect. Music was on point and the service is great. Only disappointment was when I found out my orange juice is not freshly juiced, other than that DELICIOUS!!! Will definitely be back!! read more

Response to Guy F. : ..... REALLY NOT COOL ! The only reason a person would say "Mitch is a moron" is if Mitch told them to stop acting like one. Mitch is one of the best bar tenders/ managers in Santa Barbara. He not only knows his drinks, but he knows how to keep order at a bar. That's especially important when people with families are looking for a decent dining experience in an establishment with a full service bar. There is a reason the Mesa Cafe has been a successful business for several decades and is called "The Neighborhood Living Room". It's called PROFESSIONALISM. Mitch and the other bar tenders, kitchen and wait staff/servers, will do everything they can to please their customers and make things right. They are also not afraid to call someone out, cut them off, and show them the door. I suggest you try a hole in the wall bar, which does not serve food, the next time you don't want to deal with a responsible bartender who requires decency in his establishment. (There 's a place close by with initials "CR") If that doesn't work, then try crawling back into the womb, and start over. read more

This is the best go-to place for a weekend brunch and a hangover cure. I've been here several times for both occasions and I will continue going here for a few key reasons: 1. The service is excellent. The waitresses are very friendly and helpful. Even the busboys are happy to help you with whatever you need! (this wins big points with me so gold star to them.) 2. The menu has a variety of choices and yet it's still simple. I like the home-stylishness of the menu. 3. The food comes out fast and is always satisfying! 4. This place will never break the bank. It's great food for a low price. 5. They serve Peete's Coffee. I'm from the bay area where this coffee mecca was born and I like to see places that serve their delicious brew. 6. And last but not least, Mesa Cafe, even when it's busy, is not a stressful, super loud place. I feel comfortable sitting inside or outside eating my meal peacefully and am able to enjoy my time with some good friends. In short, you feel at home. So if you're ever too hungover to make food at home or just need to get outdoors for a simple, satisfying meal, this is the place to go! read more

After being a semi-regular for years, I was excited to be back at the Mesa Cafe to order my beloved corned beef hash and eggs. I have fond memories of spending mornings here after being out late the previous night. I took my family to meet a friend and eagerly ordered my meal, ready to relive my youth. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, you can't go home again. Either they've changed the corned beef hash recipe or the quality of my previous experiences was exaggerated in my mind's eye due to the passage of time. The corned beef hash was mushy enough to suspect a can had been opened in the kitchen. There were no longer any big chunks of crisply fried potatoes mixed into the hash, just the occasional shard. Although my eggs were perfectly cooked, the hash browns were slightly burnt. The rest of my party had various omelettes and the crab cakes. Nobody raved about anything; it was all merely meh and okay. The only reason I'm giving it three stars is that the service is still great. I've always enjoyed the atmosphere, since it's more laid-back than the downtown eateries. I can't blame the locals for coming here for mimosas and bloody marys, but it's a shame that the food isn't as good as I remembered. read more

This is a great, inexpensive breakfast place! If you're in Goleta, Cody's Cafe is the same. Same menu and prices, but called Cody's and in Goleta. Cheap bloody mary's ($3.50 for the regular I think, or $6.50 for Jake's/Cody's Bloody - basically 2x the size). It's definitely the place to go to cure a hangover. Delicious breakfast, with a variety of things to offer so there's something for everyone. I've been too many times to count at this point, and will definitely continue to go back. read more

Consistently good food, good service, and fair prices. Go for the cute waiters, stay for the homemade apple pie. read more

Another Fail. I've lived in the neighborhood for nearly 25 years and used to be a regular here for breakfast and lunch. So much so that I pretty much knew all the staff by name and knew their stories and they knew mine. I would always look forward to the corned beef hash and other signature dishes and my wife loved the feta spinach scramble. For years it was a great local hangout with friendly staff, great food, and reasonable prices. Unfortunately the food has been consistently bad (or mediocre at best) every time I've tried it over the last several years. Every single time (and I mean EVERY TIME) all the orders of eggs have arrived cold. My visit today was no exception. The most egregious part? When I asked to have our three egg dishes redone because they were cold, we watched them actually put the plates into the microwave one by one and then bring them back to us! I really really really wanted it to be better this time because this is one of our neighborhood spots that would be so convenient. It was our first time back in probably 2 years and we were really hoping it would be "back to the old days". Unfortunately it was the same bad experience we've had over and over again for the last 5 years or so. I give up and won't be back. Ever. And I'm sad about that. I can only assume that the high ratings are from people enjoying the infamously strong cocktails. It's the only way I can imagine rating this place along the same level as places like Scarlett Begonias or The Shop. read more

After having a long adventurous night in Isla Vista, my friends who went to school here in santa barbara decided to take us to this place. Expect a wait here during brunch especially during the weekends. We had to wait for about an hour but that was not a surprise because we had a group of 16! They are known for their egg benedict and I totally regret not getting that! Definitely eyeballing those who got that. I settled for a california style omelette. Plus points for giving generous slices of avocado. Our server was tentative to our needs and the whole restaurant had that homey feeling. Will come back the next time I'm in santa barbara. read more

Still here waiting for a manager to come over.......... We went here for breakfast, my husband came here we ordered our meal and the waitress brought out something I didn't order. I asked her what it was and she couldn't tell me. I told what I ordered again so she took the food. No apology. After my husband is finished with his breakfast my food comes, I ask for a to go box and she brings one with the check! No apology..... When she came back around, I asked her to come over and asked that my meal be removed from the bill since I only got to watch my husband eat breakfast. I asked her what happened . She then proceeded to tell me how I ordered the country eggs Benedict. I said I clearly ordered another dish. She argued with me. Then said she would talk to the manager. She comes back and says because the order was eventually given to me, they will not remove or discount my food. I asked to speak to the manager. I'm still waiting.....I overheard the waitress telling the manager that I clearly ordered the other item blah blah.... Still waiting......... The manager never showed. Another person dropped off our check with the item removed. Unbelievable! We definitely won't be back, they couldn't have handled this situation any worse. Btw- I did ask the witness what I ordered before talking with the waitress. What I did get to taste, the potatoes were mushy, the eggs bland but the country fried steak was pretty good. read more

I live on the Mesa, and MC is our default "let's grab some cheap and easy food place." It is family friendly, has good/quick service and is completely non-pretentious. read more

After searching online for a good brunch place in Santa Barbara, I came across Mesa Cafe. It was pretty out of the way but it ended up being kinda worth it! The wait was long but the host was really nice about it, warning us that it would be awhile. We ended up waiting for shorter than estimated, and when we were seated, even the waiter apologized for the wait. The waiter was also really sweet.. He joked around with us and kept speaking Spanish to us, which we enjoyed. Food was particularly good. I couldn't figure out why but the scrambled eggs tasted better than other cafes and they have fluffy biscuits!! Lots of indoor and outdoor seating. Good place to go with a group of friends. read more

Been here twice because I live up the street and they wouldn't take my axxess card the first time. Both times very poor service so I'm done with this place. Pretty good ahi sandwich but it was ~15 minutes to put our order in. A guy literally walked off in the middle of a conversation with us when we were trying to order. Finally we got the order in and ate the food. They charged my card for a birthday party of like 12 people (over 10times what I paid). Over an hour ordeal for sure each time with this place. read more

We visited on Sunday about 11:00 am on a recommendation. My group ordered Javier's French Toast, Biscuits & Gravy with Bacon, Bacon Cheeseburger, and Pancakes with a over-medium Egg and side of Bacon. Result: Server was OK, might have been better if she wasn't given such a big station. She would disappear for 10 minutes at a time. I blame the manager, wherever he/she was hiding during our entire dining experience. - French toast arrived cold with cold syrup and room temp margarine. Server disappeared. Wasn't fixed. Taken off the check. Left hungry. - Bacon Cheeseburger. OK. Only ate half. There is a McDonald's in the parking lot if you want a better one. - Biscuits and gravy were good. Bacon was good. - Pancakes were good. Side egg and bacon was good. - Coffee is not good. If you drink Starbucks Pike Place Roast, you will not like the house coffee here. If you like the flavor of a Sanka instant coffee, you will be in heaven. Bottom line: Bar is open at breakfast. Mimosa's and Bloody Mary's abound in the dining room. Die hard's sit directly at the bar with mixed drinks and beer. If you are inebriated, I can see how that would make the food more palatable. If you are not, you eat at your own risk. Basic eggs and bacon will meet expectations, everything else is average and below. read more

I can't help but feel as though this lovely, quaint joint is supremely underrated in the Santa Barbara area. Our party of 5 got seated within 10 minutes on a busy Sunday morning. The patio and inside were both buzzing. I live for breakfast and places that will accomodate ridiculous food modification as mine. This particular morning was begging for some sort of breakfast burrito, but not any that were available on their menu. I present to you... the COUNTRY FRIED STEAK BREAKFAST BURRITO. Gravy and all. Not only did they accomodate this ridiculousness, but our gracious waitress didn't even bat an eye. She understood and even wrote a sweet note to the kitchen for clarification. Executed flawlessly. Bravo, kitchen and staff, bravo. Everyone else's food looked great, corned beef hash, hashbrowns, fluffy biscuits and homemade sausage gravy. Bellissimo! read more

I'm giving this place four stars for the ambience, crowd, and the mimosas! It really is the Saturday and Sunday morning "see and be seen" spot in Santa Barbara. Usually the wait is 20-35 minutes. The food is perfect for hangovers because its large, cheesy, and kind of greasy. And the mimosas give you that "hair of the dog" kick you need to start your Sunday Funday! If you are looking for a gourmet, relaxed breakfast you're better off going to Tupelo Junction or Jeannine's Bakery. But if you want a party atmosphere, a giant breakfast burrito, and a killer mimosa, make sure you stop here! Just a warning....if you thought you weren't ever gonna see the person you accidentally made out with the night before, you're wrong. You'll see them here in all your glory! Haggard, with eggs dripping down your chin, and reeking of vodka! Hot!! read more

OK, right at the outset I've got to say, I'm a fan. I've ordered the Huevos Rancheros so many times, I love the way they do it, that I should have a punch-card or something. The wait staff is friendly and makes me feel cheerful. The wonderful black and white photos on the wall of customers makes its local hangout rep really shine. When friends moved into town and said, "where do we eat breakfast?" I took them to the Mesa Cafe for their first outing with us. They are now devotees. On Sundays we love to come a bit early and watch the families with cute kids come in around 9am and then around 9:45 the students have woken up and descended upon their hang-out. We leave then so they can have our table. It's also fun to hang out if you get there late and have to wait for a table. It's social and fun and just a great scene. read more

Mesa Cafe is a fantastic brunch spot. The menu is diverse with lots of delicious offerings. We went on a busy weekend and didn't have to wait long for a table or our food. To top it off the staff here are super nice. They were happy to work around my gluten intolerance and when I forgot my sweater they promptly mailed it back to me in the Bay Area! Thanks to the whole team here, great food and great service means it feels good to patronize them. read more

Mesa Cafe is unquestionably the place to go for an Ahi Sandwich in Santa Barbara. Super clean, great atmosphere, a sense of privacy and of course amazing food. The service we received from Sophia tonight was second to none! Extremely attentive, knowledgeable, fast and an amazing attitude; she's a Rockstar! Thank you. read more

I love this place! They have the best salsa verde and pulled pork chilaquiles I've ever had. Whenever I'm in the mood for chilaquiles, I make the drive up from the valley because I know I can't find any better. Lol read more

Mesa Cafe - Best chilaquiles ever! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

this place was alright. I went here a few years ago and remember thinking the same thing.. not a memorable place amongst all the other SB foodie places. the service from the waitress was pretty awesome but the guy filling the water and and bussing the tables was AWESOME! so funny and quick! I wanted to give him all the tip! i'm sure I will be back because me sister loves it, but if I had a choice, i would much rather go somewhere else! read more

Dismal dinner menu. Limited selections with marginal execution. A ghost town for dinner shows it. Breakfast decent and lively. They may be killing their dinner crowd deliberately. Breakfast has much higher margins. Sadly their dinner menu has shrunk dramatically over the past three years. Breakfast, maybe. Dinner, never again. We have been a customer for years. Sad. read more

I always get a perfect breakfast and appreciate the young clientele. We had a nice big breakfast after a night of drinking that cured our hangovers enough to do some jager bombs after breakfast, which in the glass they serve, was perfect. Mesa cafe is a standard for SB trips. read more