Good eats. Julia Childs love their burgers and rightly so. All points hit and menu prices are vintage too. read more

On our way to Solvang last weekend the little hunger bug bit us as we were driving north passing Oxnard. My boyfriend who used to have a business near The Spot recommended this place and said it was hands down the best burger he has ever had, so of course, we had to go there! By the time we got to The Spot we were famished! So we both ended up ordering the double cheeseburger with fries and a dr pepper :) It was so good! The meat was fresh and tender, the condiments were also very fresh and the fun was soft and tasty. It put In N Out to shame. The fries were fresh out of the frier, so hot and just perfectly seasoned, wow! Even I ate the whole bag and that is very unlike me! This place deserves 10 stars. read more

Sorry but this place has gone down hill in the last few years. We drive into SB for burgers, there are way more options.

Hangover Mecca. Amazing milkshakes. Local businesses. Great burgers. A Carpinteria institution.

Okay, y'all... i was up in Carpinteria for work today... It was about 3:45 pm, and i hadn't eaten since breakfast (which I will review in a second... at the fess parker doubletree). Anyway, i was FRIGGIN STARVING... my boss and i saw this little place by the carpinteria state beach. It advertised burgers, shakes, etc. SHAKES! SHAKES SHAKES!!! However, they only took cash, and we OF COURSE only had our cards with us (and about 7 dollars in cash and change). However, I couldn't get the idea of a vanilla milkshake OUT OF MY HEAD. We ran to the B of A up the street for cash and immediately headed back to the Spot to get our GRUB ON! We were told they were closing at 4 (minus one star... please stay open later!!! i bet your food would be great after a long summer day at the beach!). But we were still served. Okay... so, i had the grilled cheese, fries, and a MILK SHAKE! The grilled cheese was okay (though... mine at home are better). The fries were okay! THE MILKSHAKE WAS AMAZING! Thick, creamy, PERFECT. I actually turned to my co-worker and said "this shit's better than sex!" She had chicken fingers (which looked a little overdone, but still smelled yummy), fries, a pepsi and a shake as well... (MINUS ONE MORE STAR FOR NOT CARRYING COKE PRODUCTS... pepsi is not nearly as yummy). But in the end, I could care LESS if they have coke products. Why? Because of their amazing milk shakes. YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope i get to do more work in Carpinteria. I will have a shake for breakfast, lunch, AND an early 4:00 dinner! read more

Food is overrated. It's "good" due to it's proximity to the beach. Rude service and mediocre food Sorry folks, I just don't get what you did. read more

As usual, the Spot doesn't disappoint. Great Burgers, fries and onion rings. The shakes are great too! We sat in the patio in the back which is anew addition due to its popularity. Don't forget that it's cash only! read more

Ummm yes go here for your burger and shake needs. Straight up burger SPOT. Nothing fancy, just good food. Could, should, (was?) be on Diners Dives & Drive in's. Perfect place to let your kids walk up from the beach and grab lunch. Lots of other options to choose from too, worth the wait in line And... they actually wrote a reply to my review! Great place & great people! Good ol' home town food and people read more

Had a cheeseburger and onion rings and my dad had a chili burger. Very good burgers! Also had onion rings which were solid. I will definitely return next time I'm in the area. read more

The Spot - Onion rings and a chili burger. - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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It's a little hamburger stand. I had a chili cheese dog and an order of onion rings. The chili was pretty good, the bun and the onion ring were a bit over done. CASH ONLY!!! read more

The Spot - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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This place is rad. :) Clearly a little mom and pop shop, you can feel good supporting a small local business. Unpretentious and walking distance from the beach, the place has a cute outdoor deck to eat at after you order at the counter. Great fries, good burgers, dog friendly, next time I need a shake! read more

The Spot! The Spot! The Spot! We want The Spot! That is the chant from my girls every time we are in or near Carp. Love the burgers and steak fries. Grab it and head on down to the sand and enjoy! Beware of the seagulls, they love it too! Cash Only read more

Nothing fancy, just basic food, which is good! It's a burger shack, in a beachside town, near the railroad tracks. We like The Spot for it's onion rings, double cheeseburger (add pickles and jalapenos) and the bread bowl of clam chowder. We usually visit Carpinteria in Nov. so have never waited very long for food. Been coming here 18 years. read more

The Spot - Carpinteria on a beautiful day in November. Love stopping at The Spot for a double cheeseburger, add pickles and jalapenos! - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

The line was long, but worth it! Great burger, great onion rings, great service. We ordered to-go and walk across the street to Island Brewing and enjoyed our burgers with some good beer. I ordered the bacon cheese burger. I also ordered my onion rings well-done and they were perfectly caramelized inside and crispy outside. read more

This place is great !!! Excellent food. I call BS on reviewer DD. G. He is the customer no business wants. He shows up without a proper mask and then posts a BS review when by county ordinance he is refused services What a tool read more

There's a reason why it's called The Spot...because it's the spot to go to during a day at the beach! You won't see Guy Feiri stopping by and documenting this for his next episode of Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins but the food they serve is good, especially during a beach trip or craving for a solid fast food meal. Prices are reasonably and that makes the food taste just that much better! I personally love the onion rings and the double cheeseburger. If you can't decide whether to get the fries or onion rings, don't sweat cause you can just order the frings! Ya sure it might not be the cleanest place ever but it exceeds in getting the job done for a hungry stomach. Nothing to go out of the way for but if you're in the area and looking for a spot to grub at...well it's all in the name, go to The Spot! Also, shakes are pretty bomb too. read more

The Spot - "Frings" and a double cheeseburger... YUMMM - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Better than in n out. I have been coming here for 15 years. Always good. Rather than wait in line just call in your order and skip the line. There covid mask enforcement is suspect. read more

Food: A+ Service: A+ (FAST!) Atmosphere: A+ This is everything you want in a beach burger joint! GREAT burgers, fries & rings with a stellar combination of seafood and shakes. Prices are very reasonable! My whole family left happy! Be prepared: They ONLY take cash, but they have an ATM on site. read more

YUM YUM YUM...that about sums it up. Whenever we go to Carpinteria, which is ALL the time, we always HAVE to visit The Spot. This burger joint is by far one of my most favorite places to go - yummy, juicy burgers and their onion rings are amazing. This is a MUST have when you are in Carp. read more

Went all the way to NYC to the legendary Shake Shack only to discover it made me sad and nostalgic for the Spot burger. In-n-out is boring in comparison. Nothing I've had comes close to a Spot burger after a day swimming in the ocean. This is a Carpinteria institution for going on nearly 100 years and there's a reason for it. Long lines, especially in the summer, mostly due to every single family camped out at Carp State Beach making this their destination, but be patient and for dog's sake, don't go off track and order a quesadilla or tacos or corn dogs or something. You're here for the Spot Burger with grilled onions and everything else on it. And fries. And a shake - preferably banana. If you come in the morning, the breakfast burrito's pretty solid, but really, it's never too early for a Spot burger. read more

I had heard so much hype about this place, I had to try it out. Needless to say, don't beleive the hype. Foster's Freeze has better cheeseburgers...the hole in the wall down the street by my house has better cheeseburgers... my brother makes a better cheeseburger. Great location but the food...meh. read more

The best vanilla shake I've ever had. It was busy for holiday weekend, but very good food.

I would have given this place 2 stars but cash only and the quality of their rest room sealed the deal for me. I ordered the chili relleno burrito and it was like a soup burrito the best part about it was being amazed that the burrito could hold in soup without it being soggy or leaking. What good does a water tight burrito do you? NONE. Who wants a soup burrito? NOT me. Maybe I should have ordered a burger instead of a burrito and maybe they specialize in burgers and not burritos! The rest room was horrific. How about they take some of the money they pocket and don't pay tax on because of the cash only business and put in some decent restrooms? The place looks like a old school beach burger "spot" but it is not worth the money at all...in my opinion! read more

The Spot is totally bunco. I was all stoked on it, because I love burger places, but the other reviewers are right - the food sucks. Everything is frozen, as evidenced by all the teenage workers carry large bags of frozen food from the separate cold storage into the kitchen. Frozen fries, frozen burgers, frozen onion rings. I had the grilled cheese with fries and also got onion rings for the table. The grilled cheese was okay, but the fries and onion rings were not good. Not good, even for frozen food. If someone else bought this place and actually put some time into it and made REAL food, it would be an amazing coastal burger joint. Even with the bad, overpriced food the line was still long the entire time we were there, so I guess they don't really have a reason to change anything. Service wasn't good either - they gave us the wrong drink and the wrong burrito, then argued about it. Oh, and CASH ONLY. read more

Mmmm mmmm good. Big burgers, DELICIOUS o-rings that tasted like onion rings and NOT dirty over used oil. Fries too are very tasty. Cool location by the beach and across from a huge park. Shopping, other eateries and curios within walking distance. Great place to ppl watch and vist before or after a day at the shore. Large menu with plenty to try. Looking forward to more visits to The Spot. Chili dog, corn dog & chicken strips are also deeelicioso! This is one local who will be back again & again! Tip: don't go holiday weekends...:P Amtrak is just a skip away too! read more

This is probably my favorite place to eat in Carpinteria totally recommend eating there

Tourist Trap! Horrible! My family and I had been driving all day from San Diego to Slo and decided to look for dinner in Carp I read the reviews and it seemed like a good spot for us because of the menu ( we have 2 kids) The place is dirty and the people inside are super rude!!! Our food was gross and greasy. I will never eat here again. read more

Food was amazing, but the service was pretty awful. I don't spend my money at places to be made to feel like I'm an inconvenience.

Drove all the way from Simi Valley to try The Spot. It was worth the drive! Another beautiful day in paradise. Ordered a double cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate malt. Service was fast and friendly. Prices were average for quality burger. The burger was piled high with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onion. Dressing was tasty and not over powering. Nice soft bun and put together so as not to come all apart as it was consumed. My pet peeve is "poor assembly" of burgers, mine was well put together. Fries were adequate, not spectacular. Malt was old fashioned, malt shop reminiscent and delicious. These are worth sharing. Love the ambiance of places like The Spot. All in all 4 Stars! read more

So The Spot is the closest restaurant to the beach. If you're not starving pass it. The Chile Relleno burrito was the worst I've had. To add insult to injury they charge $5.95 for it. If it had some rice and beans it might be edible but they serve it in a tortilla with a red sauce that is kinda sweet. It was all wrong. The burger and clam chowder was just OK. read more

The Spot - View from across the street. - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

This my favorite burger place when we stop by Carpinteria. The view is awesome and you can walk down to the beach with your food. The burgers always taste great and the people are very friendly. This last time we had just cheeseburgers with fries and it is a good bang for your buck. It's quite inexpensive and the quality is still great. However it is cash only so come prepared. read more

Great location but sadly average food. Not impressed by their clam chowder; tasted like it came from a can. Nothing to scream about their burgers or fries...charbroiled preferred n maybe seasoned fries would spice up their menu.. read more

Just south of Santa Barbara, I ran into this place by accident after pulling into the beach area then getting kicked out for not paying to park :D But if I hadn't gotten kicked out then I wouldn't have found this diamond in the rough. Delicious burgers and crispy onion rings The Spot has what you want when you're craving a burger. One thing that I appreciate about this place is that they have a sign that says "If you look up you won't see golden arches, so please be patient". And it is worth the wait. I know I rant about how much I love strawberry milk shakes, but the chocolate chip milk shake is fantastic! Eat it with the spoon so you can get all of the tasty chip fixins. Because not only is the food good, but it's got parking about 50 feet away in a public parking area, and the beach is also just 50 feet away the other direction. Perfect for eating a burger outside with some friendly company, and taking a stroll along the beach taking in the sights of mother nature. Definitely a place to stop off on your way to Santa Barbara (it's just within the county limits). Enjoy! read more

I have to admit, my last experience at The Spot was quite a few years ago. This place is the definition of "burger shack." Like a lot of people, Carpenteria was a summer vacation spot for me, so thinking of The Spot brings back those same sentiments of being out of school and spending my lazy days on the warm sandy Santa Barbara coast. During the summer, this place is packed. The smell of ground beef sizzling away on the grill and the potatoes and onion rings bubbling away in the frier, permeate the not only the beach but the adjacent neighborhoods as well. From what I recall, the burgers were always moist and the bun toasted just a little bit. The fries and rings were crispy and made even better by dunking them in ranch dressing. The milkshakes and malts were creamy and definitely hit the spot after a greasy meal and long day in the water. read more

Best grease in town. Good burgers and onion rings. Cash only. I got a double bacon cheeseburger. It was bit larger than the habit and just about as good. The onion rings were cold by the time I got them from my wife but they were still super yummy. Saw some people with their chili cheese fries. Wow they looked amazing. Bottom line really good beach grub. read more

We ate at The Spot yesterday and I'm thinking of going back tomorrow - they're ridiculously yummy! They toast their buns and their chili reminds me of Tommy's -- I'm a fan! They do charge $.50 for soda refills though, hence the 4 stars instead of 5. read more

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Still my favorite "dive" in town! Their food is consistent and exactly what you would expect from a tiny free-standing shack a few yards from the beach! read more

The best burger in town. After spending the day drinking and vegging at the beach, this is the place to go to refuel your tank. the burger tasted excellent and had great flavor. Fries were nice and crispy, i dont recall having a soggy fry. the outside patio sets the mood and you can enjoy your meal in the beautiful beach weather. to top it off, just across the street beyond the train tracks, island brewing company. so you can continue drinking after you devoured your meal. read more

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Such a fun California beach experience. Their burgers are delicious... we cant help but stop here for a meal every time we are near Ventura or Santa Barbara... so so yummy and always busy on the weekends and in the summer. Dont fret when there are long lines... worth the wait for sure. Be sure to bring your CASH! or you will have to take a short walk to the liquor store down the street for the atm. It is worth it for sure. Everything there is good and you can even walk your meal to the beach for the added experience. read more

Excellent burgers. Clean, nothing fancy, cooked to order and flavorful. They keep to a basic burger and don't mess with it, which I like. The fries are crispy and flavorful without being mushy or over salted. I had a strawberry shake and it was wonderful. Smooth and not too sweet. This stand is next to the beach and there is no way you can beat a delicious burger and shake while watching the waves. It's classical beach burger stand and I look forward to going back there. read more