Best breakfast on the Mesa. For heartier appetites, dig into the Chicken Fried Steak or mid sized Santa Barbara omelet with homemade salsa, avocado, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. You can add Tri-Tip but try it with Chorizo instead for a wonderful blend of flavors. Most come with hash browns, or fresh fruits although I'm into their hash browns. This medium sized cafe can get very busy for brunch with long time locals and newcomers from City Collage so get there before 10 or prepare to wait. The good news is with a full bar and nice bloody marry, it's well worth it. Outdoor seating takes advantage of SB's wonderful mornings most of the year and TVs as the bar broadcast football games for those who can't start their morning without the early game. We love this neighborhood gem! read more

Mesa Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Pros: good tostada aka wonton salad thing. Okay vibes. Cons: service was awful. Took over an hour to get our food. Food was okay in the end. read more

Mesa Cafe is a cool spot to hit up for brunch, which is exactly what I did one weekend when I wanted to catch up with a friend. I was torn between the chilaquiles and country fried steak, but opted for the latter because fried steak and gravy. It was deliciously fried and I couldn't resist dipping my eggs in the gravy. It also came with a side of bread, salsa, and fresh fruit, making it a very hearty meal. Our server was absolutely delightful, making sure all of our questions were answered and everyone else there was super friendly as well, which makes Mesa Cafe an easy choice to return to in the future! read more

Darn, we now have to find another place. We've been from Thousand Oaks for years to excellent breakfast and lunch food. Not so much now. The cottage fries were cold and half cooked, the corned bread was dry, only warm and burned on the bottom, the salad dressing was runny and too salty, the grilled vegetables were drenched with oil, chicken on the salad was not tender and to top it off I've been getting corned beef for years and it no longer on the menu. Also, the menu font is so small that old folks like me have a difficult time reading what's on it. Oh by the way, the wait staff was spectacular. worked as a team and very attentive. We hope they are paid more than well !! read more

A Santa Barbara tradition for breakfast still delivers.Of course it's one of the few places where you can get adult beverages early in the morning ( hic).The food is always delicious but I was a little disappointed with the beans that came with my yummy carne asada ..beans were pretty bland.My partner had eggs Benedict which was served with corned beef and a huge side of hash browns.The menu is extensive and no bad choices anywhere.Top it off with strong tasty cocktails and you're in heaven on the Mesa.This place is a can't miss!! read more

I give this place less than zero stars. The owner (Romero) is a complete ass and treats long time customers like crap whenever he feels like it. I like the rest of the staff but I won't patronize this place anymore as long as he is the owner. read more

I heard that this place had a remodel and we had to check it out!! We came for brunch for my cousin's birthday and for dinner a few days later (because the food was so good!) Breakfast if my favorite, tbh, because almost all of the entrees come with so many different types and options of food. Dinner was also very good!! The food is cooked to perfection and is very flavorful. The tools that come with dinner are a bit hard on the outside, but the soft, warm inside and soft butter more than make up for it!! I like the option of the olive oil for bread, too, but the oil seems to be a bit low grade. Food comes fast and the service is usually very friendly. Would definitely recommend and will definitely visit again in the future. Bonus is their Axxess offer!! 5 stars. read more

See all

I liked this place. I came here for dinner on a Saturday night with a friend and was surprised that it was empty given all the reviews about it. I ordered their one of the special entrees (chicken with a pepper cream sauce and basmati rice) and it was delicious! And the prices are reasonable too. Our server was very friendly and I would definitely come back ehre again for the brunches as I've heard so much about them. read more

Mesa Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I love this place. I eat here every Sunday morning after a night of wine tasting in Santa Ynez. Every time, I've loved my breakfast. Now, I just order the same thing each time because I can't get it anywhere else that I know of: Jasper's eggs benedict. It is eggs benny but with corned beef. My latest trip was on St. Patty's Day and they had green-mosas. The ambience was fun with the waiters all wearing green. You just can't go wrong with this place--the service, food quality, variety, and price! read more

Mesa Cafe - green-mosas for St. Patrick's Day - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

FAKE PRICES listed in Online Menu!! Mesa Cafe is not what it used to be. They list specific entrees at $10.95 and then the exact same item is $17.00 at the restaurant!!!!! This is true for ALL the prices. The wait staff went from being a bunch of cool and attentive local favorites to a completely different group. Our waiter and busser couldn't even speak basic English. And they were rude. I used to love this place. Now it sucks!! read more

Had delish hamburgers and one good Bloody Mary. The 2nd Bloody Mary was terrible and we sent it back. We wondered what happened; apparently it was made by a new bartender who just came on shift. I think it was about 3pm on Monday. We are locals read more

I'm not one to complain at all, but every time I go they get my food wrong:( I always try to give them the benefit of the doubt, but it's every time:( The servers are always great, just sucks the kitchen always gets it wrong. read more

Well, we have tried breakfast a couple of times since our last review and had good experiences. Everything has been cooked properly and the service has been good. Today I had the Eggs Bene with hash browns. The eggs were perfectly runny and the hollandaise was good. You can see in my picture that the presentation is very basic. My "Jake's bloody Mary" was very good. I would have ordered another had I been asked! My wife had a basic scrambled with bacon.The eggs were cooked perfectly,just soft enough. The waitress asked if we wanted our hash browns crispy. That was a unique question,we like ours well done! Overall, we will continue to go for the great breakfast. We're a little apprehensive on dinner due to some past instances with a bartender ,wait staff and menu options. But, they now have fried chicken so, I might have to try that for a dinner. read more

Mesa Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

Disappointing service/disorganization, but food pretty good. We were outside. One server did try to make it right.

That crunchy French toast is sssscrruummptious!! Almost carmelized with a yummy crunchy bite into a soft warm toast! It pairs so well with the fresh berries-- Look, I'm gonna be honest- I haven't had this dish in probably more than a year since I've moved- but I'm sitting here on my couch in my new city STILL thinking about it! !! Breakfast/brunch is definitely the move- a very casual vibe in the mesa neighborhood! Staff is very friendly and efficient!! They do get very busy especially weekend breakfast time so you might wait a little but it's worth it! read more

Fantastic customer service. Amazing tritip scrambles. Bloody Mary's are 10/10 One of the best breakfasts in SB! read more

Had the El Ranchero special this weekend and it was absolutely amazing!! Such a Great, special! I say go get it while you can. read more

Mesa Cafe - Specialty drink - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

Always great food and service - every time! Consistent on the menu items. It comes out the same always

I can't say enough great things about this neighborhood cafe ! Nothing tickles me more than going here on a foggy or sunny morning (so every morning) having a custom mocha by the mocha specialist Michael (not on the menu) and drinking it slowly while waiting for my scramble watching the people of the Mesa walk by. Bliss. And they give biscuits as toast options . Like hiiiiiiuu read more

Blown away by the service from the minute I walked in to when I left. All the staff were so welcoming & attentive. I ordered the California Benedict which was good, this is a cute little restaurant with a great variety of food! read more

Mesa Cafe - California Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The service was fine and when I asked for water without ice it arrived as desired. The special omelette with Rajas and caramelized onions somehow missed the caramelization memo and the Rajas were merely strips of chilies not peeled or cooked. I requested the potatoes be well done and they were barely cooked. read more

I was very excited to try this place and they are on Axxess. I ordered a breakfast sandwich with a side of fruit in my wife ordered bacon/ sausage and eggs over medium with English muffin and home-style potatoes. My breakfast sandwich was very dry and had no flavor. My wife's eggs were over easy, the potatoes were hard and the English muffins were undercooked and had a ton of butter. Sausage and bacon was excellent. I was really planning on coming back to try the fried chicken sandwich for lunch but I'm a little skeptical but we are going to do it anyway. I don't think I'm going to now. I will say it was Sunday and they were very busy which maybe played a roll in this. Update coming later after we try lunch..... Later Slater! JRB €¥oy read more

Mesa Cafe - Breakfast sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

The hubby and I had dinner here last night. We were greeted by the most outgoing positive waiter. He was courteous, and helpful. Our dinner was fantastic. Hubby had the Turkey plate and I had the Country Fried steak. Their gravy is fabulous. Our waiter, Dan, was very attentive. Was a great experience with great food and a over the top fabulous waiter. Thank you Dan. A lot more places could sure use a guy like you. read more

Mesa caffe seems one of oldest breakfast restaurant in Santa Barbara. are pleasant and fast. Breakfast is extremely affordable and delicious which mostly this two things are not coming together read more

Disappointed. Went there last night with my family. It took more than 20 minutes for a waiter to come out for a drink order. When we finally ordered food, I ordered the fajitas. Upon delivering the food to our table, the food runner spilled the beans all over my jacket and down my back. Finally, my daughter found a black hair in her water. All around bad experience. read more

Terrible service to the point of being dangerous! came in on a Saturday morning for breakfast. Walked around, no one came to help me or seat me. finally found the server with the menus way outside. Then, they all walked off without helping me. They finally noticed me and I got seated at a booth. The parquet floor has an odd stickiness and when i got up, my sandals stuck to the floor and i nearly fell down! I never slip out of my sandals so that was a pretty big shock. Also dirty grime on the parquet table! They need a deep clean of this restaurant! I'd consider completely replacing the floor if I were them. At least change how they clean the floor. I told the server i would be right back. went to my car and came back and they had cleared my table and said they thought i had left. I was reseated at the booth. Ordered 2 eggs, hash browns, sausage links and the biscuit. Everything has a "smoky" taste. The eggs aren't really eggs but more of an omelet with a hint of spices and flavors. Sausage links are standard. Hash browns are unsalted which is nice is you are looking to limit your salt intake. Biscuit is huge and crumbly, has a unique grainy flavor and comes with a dollop of butter and some packets of honey. Biscuit is definitely made in-house. I snacked on the biscuit almost like pull-apart bread which was enjoyable until they stole away half my biscuit when I didn't notice like they thought I was done with it!!!! Watch these servers like a hawk! There is an extensive bar area but I don't drink so I cannot comment. Bathroom was clean. To counterargument my review, I will note that the place was PACKED for breakfast on Saturday morning. Obviously others like this place. So keep that in mind when reading my review. They have hired a LOT of staff. There must be 10+ employees hurrying about, serving, cooking, busing, etc. They are all hustling. Maybe I'm just wrong. Overall: food is unique, conditions are dirty, service is way too aggressive. read more

Great place to gather whether it be with friends or family for breakfast or lunch! Service is great & the waiters are very kind and attentive. Loved my breakfast egg scramble with tri-tip, cheese, and Pasilla chiles. The hashbrowns are nice and crispy just how I like them. This place gets pretty busy on the weekends so come early! read more

Mesa Cafe - Strawberry margarita hand shaken - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Great spot for local atmosphere and a really friendly staff. I've been coming here for a long time and always enjoy it.

It's hilarious when you forget to write a review but YOU are the only one with multiple eggs bene picts up. HAHAHA!!! So... unfortunately (and fortunately I guess) I grew up in SB. Born at Cottage, HS here.... I can't go into this place without seeing a few people I know. I have resorted to sun glasses. It's a total scene on Sunday morning BUT... I come on the weekends and this is when I endulge in my bloody and bene fix. I could go on about the intricate details, but here is a quick run down. Bar- 4 stars Food-4 stars Service-3 stars but they do try very hard Bus boys-4 stars Ambiance-4 stars Bloody or mimosa?- 5 stars Parking- Easy Seating- easy unless it's sunday Now let's talk about the Eggs Benedict. First step, order a bloody mary. Second, order the bene. It's fantastic and my favorite place to eat bene in SB. (So far but I am taking applications.. hehe) All of the ways they make it are bomb. I am so in love I took 2 picts at completely separate times and uploaded. On the second one I thought "HEY someone else likes eggs bene too!! How cool!" Then I opened the pict and realized... "Hey.. that's my pict from earlier this year... I am such a nerd!" Closing comments: Mesa is really is a local thing. We have a ritual of going here, then Starbucks and then the pet shop. :) read more

Mesa Cafe - Eggs bene!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

Nourishment was required after much wine and spirits were consumed the night before. Mesa Cafe caught my attention while searching Yelp for my favorite breakfast dish EGGS BENEDICT! Mostly locals eating breakfast when we arrived. Lot's of old timers who all knew each other saying hello! and how you doing Joe? Haven't seen you for a while. "What can i get you folks?" Make it Eggs Benedict x 2 with Coffee nice Lady" "Coming Up Hun" Everything was just great! Coffee topped off every few minutes, very nice friendly people. Breakfast was delicious. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IRyKDIF51M0GcqS8yfPcYA?select=-e6tDd7zUec1pGHF-yIrcQ I'd like to be one of those old timer locals some day. read more

Mesa Cafe - Standard order of Eggs Benedict with Hash Browns. Very Good! : ) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Cute place to grab brunch. They have a good selection of breakfast and lunch items. I ordered the bacon omelet with a large orange juice. The food was okay, not bad, not the best. The staff was friendly, and my party of 4 was seated quickly in the patio. They apparently are dog friendly, which could be a good thing or a bad thing...depending on who you are. 4 stars over all. read more

Mesa Cafe - Bacon omelet, hashbrown, blueberry muffin, orange juice, and coffee. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I made the mistake of getting the Pot Roast. It was ok, but a very weak portion for the $16.99 price tag. I was expecting a big hearty plate. I take half the blame, I should've gone with the omelette and home fries because at least it's made fresh to order. Unlike the pot roast which was essentially leftovers, with a batch of instant mashed potatoes. It's a nice little place and everyone else's meal at the table looked a lot better than mine. read more

Mesa Cafe - Flavor was fine. But a very weak portion for the $16.99 price tag. This is how the plate arrived. I haven't touched it yet. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Great food, fast friendly service and a most interesting place. Love the decor, music and interesting mix of local clientele.

I have a friend who is really a meat and potatoes kind of guy, so he wanted to hit a more hometown kind of feel. Some local friends of ours came with us to the Mesa cafe for such a meal. I found it had left quite a bit to be desired. The ambiance was strange. They had a main room which was loud with music and festivities of sorts, then a separate "quiet room" as the hostess called it. As I understand it, the quiet room is part of a recent addition to the building. A good idea in theory, but the room felt so distinct and distant...almost like two separate restaurants. The rooms weren't connected in any way except at the very front, which restricted the flow. Bright, somewhat dated linens adorned the tables and there were mismatched pictures and photographs on the walls. Just seemed like they couldn't make up their mind on one style and it ended up looking confused. The meal was ok, and did cater to what my friend was in the mood for, but I didn't think it was unique or inventive at all. It reminded me of diner food, which is good in its own way, but not was I was expecting. I got grilled salmon and asked the waiter if it was Atlantic or local. He didn't know what that meant, but I eventually got it out of him that it was local from the seafood market down the street--so bonus points for that. It came out with no seasoning at all, which I found odd and somewhat disappointing. I was able to remedy the fish somewhat with a little salt and pepper, but felt it was a tad bland. The basmati rice it came with was good, but the veggies were a bit overcooked and soggy. My friend's wife got a steak that looked to be pretty well cooked. Two friends got the lot roast which seemed to be the better choice overall. Finally, our service was adequate. I always am thinking about food, experience, and service when I'm dining or going out. The waiter was nice but not very attentive. He was more of an order-taker than a service person. He didn't really add anything to the experience. I won't say I'll never be back, but with such other fantastic eateries in town and surrounding areas, it would be farther down on "the list." read more

First time here for breakfast and it was enjoyable. Friendly customer service and spacious environment. Definitely will recommend folks to come here for breakfast. read more

Mesa Cafe - Breakfast sandwich with added avocado and a single pancake. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Average restaurant, location is in strip mall. Our party had country fried steak, lacking flavor, the corned beef hash was average. The lime chicken salad was ver small portion, served with thin grilled chicken and was average as well. The best was the driving down the coast along shoreline drive, very beautiful. read more

We had an excellent experience here for lunch. The plant bowl with lentils and avocado was absolutely to die for! The smoothies were amazing, and the vegan strawberry cheesecake was mouth watering. Our server Edgar was fantastic - and the outdoor patio was so lovely to sit and enjoy lunch. The flowers were in full bloom, I felt like we were somewhere tropical. This restaurant is my new favorite in town. I would highly recommend experiencing this place! read more

After a night of INTENSE partying (yes, you UCSB kids are crazy partiers), I realized I can't hang like I did back in college.. and I only graduated two years ago. It was a beautiful drive to Mesa Cafe, and all I wanted was to drink a nice glass of iced water and eat some breakfast food. Because it was nice and sunny, we asked to be seated outside. (Jelly of how wonderful the weather is, even in November!) - Fairfax Benedict ($10): a bit on the smaller side, but it was just like any other Benedict. The hash brown was a bit on the bland side. - Corned Beef Hash ($9): really salty for my taste. I couldn't eat more than a bite of that. - Biscuits and Gravy: it was warm, but nothing really special about the gravy. The service here is nice, and this restaurant is dog friendly. So obviously, half the time, we were just squealing over everyone's dogs, lol! :) It seems like this restaurant has a lot of regulars, which is always good to see. read more

See all

My boyfriend and I came here on a Friday afternoon and were sat right away even though it was busy. The server Ashley was very suggestive in her approach which helped us order our brunch items. I love chilaquiles so it was an easy sell when she said it was popular, and my boyfriend ordered the Santa Barbara omelette with tri tip. Her suggestions were absolutely delicious!!! The manager even stopped by to make sure we were enjoying our experience. Amazing experience :) read more

Nice little spot on the Mesa. Been there for a long time. Service is almost always friendly and they've adjusted well to Covid, setting up a nice little parklet. I like their club sandwich, which comes with fries and salad. My wife goes for the crispy chicken salad. Sometimes I'll get the tostada. Solid food for a decent price, full bar, sometimes they have someone strumming tunes out front. Closest thing we have to a diner in town. It's also a good spot for kids and families. Consistent and casual. read more