This was your typical diner style restaurant. It was a step up from the traditional diner. Has a full bar with tv's. The food was well priced and they give you big portions. They also offer substitutions with little to no resistance. In fact, I couldn't eat the bread that came with my meal so the waitress suggested substituting fruit. The service was average and the food came out pretty quickly. We went for brunch and I had breakfast while my friend had a lunch meal. We both enjoyed our food. For the two of us the bill came out to $25 before tip. Definitely worth a visit. read more

I'm really not sure what to make of this place...the menu is really scattered and prices aren't particularly cheap. The service was extraordinarily slow and the food was hit or miss. On the menu you will find random things like chicken verde enchiladas (what I ordered), one of only 3 or 4 "Mexican" items. You will also find a bunch of sandwiches and classic fair like Turkey dinners, 4 or 5 pasta dishes, a lamb shank dinner, etc. Talk about menu schizophrenia. I wouldn't have been surprised to see a couple of Thai or Indian dishes on the menu too. Speaking of Indian...the rice that comes with many of the dishes (including the Mexican dishes) is BASMATI rice. What? How did that end up in the mix? Sooooo random. While our orders were taken promptly our entrees did not come out to us for a good 40 minutes, no lie. We sat there. Devoured the sourdough rolls (I really wasn't a fan and thought they were somewhat stale but Mike loved them). Sat some more. All the while not a single server came by to refill our water glasses and mine was left to sit bone-dry for over 20 minutes. Service fail. The lights kept sporadically turning off as we were in the middle of a thunder storm and my dining partners were like "can we PLEASE at least just get our food before the power goes out entirely?" At least that way it would have been a sort of romantic dinner over candle light (although that would have been slightly awkward as my dining party consisted of me, Mike, Mike's mom, Mike's godmother and her husband...yeah, not so romantic really) Of all the dishes ordered I think mine, the chicken verde enchiladas were the sleeper hit. Nice white chunks of chicken meat, sliced avocado and tomato on top with a dollop of sour cream. The beans were wayyyy salty though and the rice was blah and bland. Mike gambled and lost with his Atlantic Cod special (the fish was dry and too salty) but Cathy really enjoyed her lamb shank. So like I said "hit or miss". I couldn't help thinking this place TOTALLY belongs on that BBC America Gordon Ramsey show "Kitchen Nightmares". It has potential, just lacks focus and inspiration maybe. read more

This place just makes me smile. I have been going hear since I was a kid. Everytime I come to town, I try make at least 1 breakfast here. The service is always pretty good and the food not half bad. The make great margaritas! Perfect for after the beach at happy hour! It can get packed on the weekends though. read more

Came for brunch on Easter Sunday, visiting family who live in Santa Barbara. It's their favorite place, so we were happy to meet them. Overall, the experience was good. There were a few minor hiccups, but that might be because of the holiday. Food was good. I had fish tacos, which came with a nice caesar salad. My wife had a Mediterranean salad with avocado. My cousin had a breakfast platter and added a side order of biscuits and gravy. The biscuits and gravy were cold though. The service had some issues. We arrived early and were seated in a great outdoor seat, but the server never asked us for drinks. We ordered waters from the busser, who was quick. When we ordered our food, apparently the waitress didn't understand that the biscuits and gravy were a side order, and completely ignored my cousin's order of two eggs, over easy, with corned beef hash cooked well done. The biscuits came out, though cold, and when the waitress was asked about the other part of the order, she ran into the kitchen to put the order in, and the rest came out 10 minutes later - when everyone was nearly finished. As I said, the food was good, and the service was average. I'd go back though if I'm in Santa Barbara again. read more

Every time I eat at mesa cafe I have a great experience. Ever meal I have tried has been so appetizing I never regret any choices. Servers are nice, friendly, fast. Food is served pretty fast compared to other dine ins. Highly recommend coming here for breakfast and lunch ! Try BBQ pulled pork sandwich! read more

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I took my girlfriend for breakfast to celebrate her birthday and she loved the food. Chile verde was amazing, crispy but not over cooked bacon, and perfect French toast. We will be coming back next time we're in Santa Barbara! read more

Cool old school diner, good food, good service. Breakfast is probably their best meal. Stop by if you're looking for a casual family breakfast. read more

This place is like a singles bar in the morning on weekends. Really, really loud is reminiscent of a college cafeteria. I've eaten breakfast here twice, and each time it has been extremely lackluster. I'm convinced this place has no idea how to cook eggs. One weekend I had eggs benedict. Mine was overcook, the avacado was on the side and the whole damn thing was cold One weekend I went with an omlette. Same thing, overcooked. It was flavorless, and dry. The only saving grace about this restaurant is their mimosas. When you order a mimosa they give you a champagne glass, plus the rest of the small bottle it came in. One of those and you're pretty buzzed. read more

Great meal for a very fair price. Excellent service with friendly staff. Not fancy but lots of good choices that are well prepared. Can't go wrong here. read more

Wow..this is just codys with a pretty blanket. The decor is nice, the staff is nice, but its none the less CODYS. The menu is the same as well, same layout and everything. I'm only given it 2 stars because my experience wasn't terrible like CODYS, but also not amazing. $40 for two people and once again the cornbread here was dry and crummy. For the food and drinks we got here we could have gotten a better experience at Cajun kitchen for a cheaper price (and Cajun is pricey). So go somewhere else for cheaper price and better food. read more

Great place for breakfast. Salmon Benedict or chorizo scramble are my go to meals. Took great care of my party of 15 one time when we went. read more

Mesa Cafe - Salmon Benedict and home-fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

My daughter's and grandkids and I left Santa Clarita early on Valentine's day to go to the Boathouse on Hendry's Beach. When we arrived around 9:30 am the wait was 2 hours. Needless to say with young kids with us, that was not going to work. We jumped on Yelp and my 13 y. o. granddaughter found the Mesa Cafe about a mile away. So we decided to give it a try. We arrived quickly abs waited around 20 minutes to be seated. The greeter and the staff were very friendly and the atmosphere was so pleasant. My oldest daughter and I ordered the crabcakes eggs Benedict breakfast because that is our favorite at the Boathouse and we were not disappointed! It was delicious and the portion sizes were really generous! Everything was really good and the kids liked their food as well. We have now found a new place to eat in Santa Barbara. Can't wait to try other items on the menu! We didn't take pics as we were starving. read more

I really enjoyed this place. Not being too familiar with Santa Barbara, I yelped to find a great place for breakfast or brunch. The reviews I read included quite a few positive comments about the benedict at Mesa Cafe. Let me tell you, they were right. I was very impressed with the benedict and would go back just for that. The blueberry pancakes weren't bad either, though the fruit did not seem too fresh. We also asked for just regular pancakes with fruit on top or on the side. Even though we were assured this was not a problem, we received cakes that had the fruit cooked within. No biggie, but I will probably not return if I'm only in the mood for cakes. Aside from the food, the ambiance was just ok. The place appeared only moderately clean and the overall feel of the place was a little closer to diner or greasy spoon than cafe...of course, definitions are certainly subjective in this case so to each their own. And if I was in the mood for a diner than I would not have thought twice about it. Service was nice enough to make me oversee the pancake snafu and even the guy at the bar who kept cursing at an above normal voice. I will return. read more

Located on Shoreline and Carrillo in the Albertson's shopping center, Mesa Cafe has a delicious breakfast menu and good lunch menu. They are usually packed on weekends around brunch time and is a local favorite, it's also packed on holidays. They have everything from classic breakfasts, nice sized omelettes and sandwiches. They also have chicken fried steak, pulled pork sandwiches and such which are alright. Breakfast is served all day. They also have a good happy hour drink specials. read more

The absolutely WORST device for Father's Day. 12 people in our party, only 8 served. 3 finally arrived when everyone else finished eating One breakfasted never arrived. Don't count on good service on "special occasions" read more

The food is good! Had to start out with that. Not the best, but standard good breakfast fare that you get at Sambo's, Cajun Kitchen and the like. Can't go wrong. Also I realize my complaint applies to almost every restaurant in SB, but that still doesn't take away from it's validity. We live in Santa Barbara!!! It is sunny 80% of the time, and still nice the rest of the time. Where is the outside seating??!! Tear down the entire building around 80% of the inside seating, AND tear down the cover over the existing outside seating. read more

Totally delicious recovery breakfast. Friendly service, amaZZZing bloody mary's, hash browns, basically everything. They try really hard and have a great menu and everyone had good food. Great local place. No view and not a huge fan of a strip mall restaurant, but loved our meal here. read more

Randomly stopped here for lunch and was pleasantly surprised. Mesa Cafe has a very nice staff and we ordered to go and waited for our food at the bar. The food came out quickly, I ordered Pete's Chicken Ciabatta - Grilled chicken on a ciabatta bun with chipotle mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and bacon. I was pleasantly surprised with the flavors of everything, the chicken was a little too thick and dry, so I had to pull it out to enjoy everything else. read more

I was in town for a wedding and the rehearsal dinner was at the "bar" part of the cafe. Apparently they do events only here, so my review is for this only. Killer dirty martini, good margarita's and Manhattan's. People at my told me i had the martini. There was a choice between salmon, chicken or steak. The chicken was described as having a marsala cream sauce. The steak (I think) had a mushroom cream sauce. Anyway I got the steak while the rest of my table got the chicken. Good for me bad for them. I asked for more sauce because it was a little dry for my taste..but the sauce made it better. Everyone at the table was saying that the chicken sauce tasted like Campbell's soup. It did I tasted it :( No marsala anywhere and I would put my life on it that the mushrooms were canned. Yuck! Salad was simple, bland and ordinary. They were super busy, but they should have staffed better it was like mass chaos when the food started coming out. The room was way too hot. I would not host an event here based on my experience. read more

The food is okay, not terribly remarkable. The stars of our breakfast were the turkey patty, the cornbread and the biscuits. Unfortunately, these were sides to an otherwise so so main course. Service was relaxed and friendly. Opened early which is always a plus for me. read more

But u must ask for Lisa as she makes this place a favorite. Great sense of humor and great server. Tip her well she deserves it! The Italian sausage omlette is killer. Get it John's way: whites, no cheese, substitute chicken sausage for the regular one. Hash browns good crust. Order a side of the homemade chili to put on your potatoes! Ahhh yum! Tell Lisa John sent you! read more

this place sucks, they treat as if you're a leper even though you're still paying the same price as others. Mitch the bartender is a complete moron, he'll accuse you of knowing you someplace years ago, rude, condescending, don't leave him a tip, unless you can write it all on the receipt, I wouldn't recommend this place to a dying man even if it were free read more

Some friends and I were going up PCH one weekend when we made a lunch stop over here. I had the pot roast and it was pretty good! Tender and moist, was not disappointed at all! We ate on the patio, and, well we brought two of my dogs on a road trip for their first time. I initially decided to leave them in the car and we could hear them barking out of anxiety, and so you travelers who like bringing dogs with them will be happy to know that this is a dog friendly restaurant! Yes, my dogs enjoyed the pot roast as well - they're trying to make me click 5 stars (: read more

Everytime I come to Santa Barbara I always come to the Mesa Cafe for breakfast. You cannot go wrong here this morning I had scrambled eggs with bacon sausage and jack cheese it comes with a side of fresh salsa fresh fruit including cantaloupe strawberry honeydew blueberry and blackberry and a side of sourdough toast. All of that for $10.95. I love this place! read more

Mesa Cafe - Scrambled eggs fresh fruit and sourdough toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Nice place tucked away in a Strip Mall, surf boards on display and photos of ???, the food was good service was OK (seems like she did not have the time for us) but pleasant. Denny's, Norms, Mesa Cafe (it is all a blur). 3 out of 5 pigs and a slice of Headcheese. read more

We have Eaten here for Years but after the Remodel I think the food isn't as good as it was before The Last time We ate there I Ordered the Fish and Chips , as the Waitress opened the door to bring our order you could smell the Fish not a good sign , the Coleslaw that came with it was Old and Warm , I said something to the Waitress and She just disappeared till it was time to bring the check , I don't eat there anymore and when guests come to Town We take them Elsewhere try Mulligan's Cafe at the Santa Barbara Municipal Golf Course, or Cody's in Goleta much better food read more

This is probably the best restaurant in sb because the food is delicious and the service is amazing.

There for late breakfast on Oct. 19th. Ordered the crab cake Benedicts and OJ. Basic large portion breakfast. Good breakfast or lunch spot for most of the population. My favorite breakfast spot is Jeanine's so its unfair to compare. Server was not on point, had to wait to order and she seemed like a get em in get em out waitress. Food and dining experience was average. read more

Loved this place! While visiting UCSB, we asked a local to recommend a good lunch place in Santa Barbara and boy did we luck out. The food was delicious, service was excellent and very friendly. Highly recommend! read more

Had dinner at mesa cafe...i ordered the honey chicken. It came with mashed potatoes a corn on the cob that was old n salad . The salad was turning brown. My husband has the salmon salad. There was more salad and a small piece of salmon. I thought for the price it was not worth it. read more

Great breakfast! I come here a lot on the weekends to have their omelette specials. The location is nice and parking is great, since it's located in the shopping center on the Mesa. Highly recommend this place! read more

local haunt great breakfasts fabulous blueberry muffins generous portions friendly service provided by Maria fast service provided by cook staff This restaurant was recommended to us by friends that travel to Santa Barbara often. We went there twice for breakfasts. If we lived in Santa Barbara, we would become frequent customers. read more

This place is a solid 3. It is more like a diner than a cafe. Nothing is spectacular but it's consistently decent. The last time I ate here I ordered the pot roast. Usually I am nervous about ordering pot roast because more times than not I end up with a plate of gravy-covered fat, gristle and chewy bits. This was a solid hunk of beef that was so juicy and tender. I wanted extra gravy so they brought me a bowl big enough to bathe in. I appreciate that! read more

If you want to spend a Sunday morning with a bunch of loud drunks...this is your place! It smelled like a river of alcohol was running strong through here, and most of the folks were diving right on in. Food is just your standard diner recipes at fairly reasonable prices. Service was barely there. read more

Waited 15 min no waitress. Previously they screwed up 5 breakfast orders in a row. Manager was rude when confronted about horrible service. Will never go back. read more

We came to Mesa for lunch on a rainy day while on a visit to SB. We had our doggie (chocolab) with us and heard this place was dog friendly in the patio. It really was! The workers were nice to her and no one minded her at all. We felt comfortable and were able to enjoy our lunch in peace. I ordered the SB omelet and added tri-tip. It was HUGE, and pretty good, except for me there was too much cheese. Which is unusual because i LOVE cheese! The cheese was a little overpowering. Also the avocado comes on top, not in the omelet so be aware of that. My boyfriend had the chicken fried steak and that was also HUGE. He liked it a lot but couldn't eat it all (which is unusual, because he can eat a LOT). He asked for hashbrowns as his side but they accidentally brought out homefries. He said it was fine, but they insisted on giving him an extra order of hashbrowns for free anyway! Awesome! The service is great, friendly and attentive. No attitude or rushing us, even though they were busy. It was a very nice experience overall with hearty food and a nice atmosphere. They even had heatlamps in the patio to keep us warm on that rainy day. Highly recommend for an affordable, big breakfast in SB--especially if you have a dog you want to dine with. =) read more

It's our go to place. Whether it be for breakfast, lunch, dinner or sometimes even for a quick beer. Locals are friendly and it's rare we go that we don't know at least a few other patrons. Good food and good staff!! read more

Mesa Cafe - Madras mimosa!!! Wonderful way to start your Sunday! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Delicious breakfast place to enjoy that is not too far away from the beauty of Shoreline Beach and the SB Mesa neighborhood. Yummy eggs benedict and potatoes accompanied with coffee. Beautiful and chill ambiance inside and outside to relax and enjoy a hearty and healthy breakfast with loved ones. read more

I've only been here once so far but it was good so I'll be back. I had the Santa Barbara omelet - their salsa is delicious! I also had a Bloody Mary. It was good and plenty strong but I had to add more horseradish and hot sauce to make it spicy enough for my taste. Servers and bartender were nice. I came at 1pm on a Sunday and was seated immediately. read more

Ok, you guys were already my favorite breakfast spot. However, this past Sunday you really exceeded my expectations. The power was going on and off all over town. You were still open! Even as the power went on and off you stayed open and were taking orders and rapidly putting out orders when the power was on. All I wanted was eggs Benedict and hash browns that morning and you did not disappoint despite the insanity of the Thomas Fire. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! read more