Honestly I should've listed to the reviews. Â I'm giving this place 1 star. Â This is based on poor service and bad food. Â Please, please, please listen to this review. Â Don't waste your time. Â
I'll first start with the service. Â Our waitress only had my wife & I as well as 1 other table of 8. Â This young woman in her mid 20's with blond hair (I won't disclose her name) is misrepresenting this establishment. Â She is the prime example of someone who hates their job. Â If I were the owner of this establishment I would want to know of staff like this. Â She would be let go. Â This young woman seemed put out with everything we ordered. Â My wife had a few questions about the menu. Â When she asked the waitress about whether or not the herbed chicken breast was good, she said "well the sauce is good I guess." You guess? Well we guess not. Â We had to track down the bus boy for water twice. Â The waitress didn't even bring us our food. Â Another staff member delivered it. Â She didn't even check to see how the food was until 20 mins after we got it. Â The twice baked taters were dry & bland, the Mac n cheese was so dry I had it removed from the check & sent it back. Â I would rather make a box of craft Mac n cheese at home. Â The chef should be reviewed for sending that Mac n cheese to the table. Â How do you mess up mac n cheese?!? The herbed chicken was over cooked as well. Â It took the waitress 10 minutes to bring us our check after I asked for it. Â I actually had to walk inside from the patio to find our waitress after asking her for the check. Â She was standing around talking to other staff!!
My opinion is that the owner should read some of the reviews of this establishment & work to correct the problems otherwise it's going out of business. Â The place was very empty for a Saturday night. Â That's should've been a clue for us walking in. Â I'm guessing the locals have caught on. Â I am in town from Palm Desert & I won't ever recommend this place to anyone. Actually I will only tell people about my horrible experience.
My husband and I took his grandparents into Holdren's for an evening out. His grandparent's don't get out much so we wanted to take them to a place where they were comfortable, great atsmopher and good food! We were really inpressed with the service, the 6oz filets with the twiced baked potateo, crab cakes, drinks!! SO GOOD! The waitress was friendly and had a sense of urgency. We also spoke  with the manager - Tessie - who checked in on our expereince and made sure we had what we needed, especially catered to our groundparents requests. Overall, this is a place where we will be retruning! Yummy!
Review Source:We enjoyed our server, B. She had the friendliest smile and was very attentive, even when the place got busy. Â Ordered the ribeye and sirloin and a couple of ice teas. Steaks were a little over done and I sent mine back and it came out perfect. That ribeye did take a little knife work, but was so flavorful I didn't mind. $70 including tip.
Review Source:I'm not sure why this place has such horrible reviews. I guess our party was one of the lucky few that had friendlier servers waiting on us.
My friend had chosen this place for her small birthday dinner for four; upon reading the reviews prior to dinner, you can imagine I went in with some reserve.
First impression of the restaurant was: 'Why, it's pretty. Not bad.'
The decor suited my taste--not too bright, but not too dim, lights lining the walls that made the place seem cozy, and the brown wood furnitures. All in all, pretty.
We ordered a bottle of red, which turned out well.
For main course, we had the Rib Eye, Top Sirloin, Chicken Pot Pie, and Spicy Ahi Tuna Tartare.
I was a bit skeptical about the meat dishes due to the reviews, but they weren't that bad. I preferred the Top Sirloin as the Rib eye was too chewy (and fatty) for my taste. The crust on the Chicken Pot Pie was actually amazing!-ly flaky and crispy, which totally is how I like it. The actual creamy content (chicken, peas, etc) could have been warmer, hot even, but it was a bit lukewarm so that was a bit of a downer. Spicy Ahi Tuna Tartare was delightful--fresh tuna with avocado, served with pita chip/bread--and the spicy wasabi sauce that comes out with it gave it a nice kick. It's probably the best choice for those healthy conscious eaters.
Servers were checking on our water, dishes, and just general needs throughout the meal. I think we did have to wait quite a bit (30min?) before the food was served, which may have annoyed me if it weren't for good company.
In my experience, I think a lot of the bad reviews were due to bad service which I can 100% empathize with. Rude service can really ruin even a good meal.
At least for em, it was a mediocre-decent meal with decent service. Nothing special on the menu to bring me back though.
I've been here 3 times now and after my last experience I will never go back. The first time I went with my boyfriend and his parents to try the place before he had his graduation dinner there. Our waiter was very polite and helpful and the food was pretty good. The grilled artichoke appetizer was delicious however the shrimp cocktail had only four so between the four of us we each got one shrimp which was not exactly what we has in mind for an appetizer. The entrees were good but nothing special. We came back a couple weeks  later for graduation an we had a great time; no major issues. About a week ago, my boyfriend and I went to try there new happy hour and it was the worst dining experience I have ever had in my life. We ordered 2 draft beers which were advertised as 2.50 a pint and the pulled pork sliders appetizer. The beer selection was alright. My boyfriend ordered the Figueroa mountain IPA which was delicious but when we got the bill they had charged us 4 dollars for it. When we asked the bartender about it he took our bill to change it but while he was changing it the woman manager was trying to argue with us that it does cost $4 but the menu advertised ALL draft beer for 2.50. After I pointed that out to her she's just started ignoring us. After that I felt so uncomfortable I didn't even want to finish my beer or food and just leave.
Review Source:I hate giving a bad review, but considering the cost of a meal here, I need to warn other unwary diners. First, Holdrens, PLEASE train your staff. Â I think I am less upset because we had a gift certificate and actually laughed at how terrible the service was; food was average and probably better at Chilis. Â There are a bunch of inexperienced college students running around. Â It is not their fault. They need to be TRAINED! You can't expect to charge someone over $100 for a meal and have that kind of service. Â My ribeye was fatty and not cooked as I had requested, I got the wrong side and sat without food while my boyfriend's food got cold. Our dirty appetizer plates sat at the table the whole time, our water was never refilled and we were never even asked if we wanted another glass of wine until after our to-go box was brought to us. Â I mean just terrible!!!! Having said that, the Cabernet sauce on the filet was delicious, as was the grilled artichoke and asparagus. Â The garlic mashed potatoes were so bland--I've had better on an airplane. Â Again, Holden's, PLEASE train your staff!!!!!!
Review Source:Where to start with this lunch disaster...Settings missing from the table. We had to go hunt down our own. Then it took 45 minutes to get our food for 3 people on a Wednesday at noon. We all ordered their Tri Tip for which they claim they are famous. Two of us received cold sandwiches and the side dishes were wrong. Mine was supposed to have tomato and it had the teeniest slice. I pointed this out to my waitress, and she said "well, it's there". I then asked her for the sauce that one of the other people in my party ordered and she said he didn't order it. I told her he did, and she kept arguing with me. First thing Holdrens: the customer is always right, don't argue with them and fire this waitress if she can't understand that. Their famous trip tip was awful. You couldn't even chew it. They gave us a tiny slice of cheesecake for the birthday person with no candle. I've never had this happen for a birthday...it was just a "here you go". The thing in no way tasted like cheesecake or anything else for that matter.
Wait staff is terrible, kitchen apparently has a problem. I will never go back there and would suggest you go anywhere else other than to this restaurant.
My brother & I took my Dad here for Father's Day. Our server really did try to please but they were super busy due to UCSB graduation.
Food was just . . . meh! As a matter of fact, we had to send my dish back and I'm pretty easy to please. The blackened ahi tuna wrap sounded amazing but the kitchen put way too much wasabi in the mix. Anyone who's ever had sushi knows it only takes  a little bit of wasabi to spice a blend of seafood and greens. This wrap practically blew my head off after 2 or 3 bites. our gracious server offered to bring another with wasabi on the side so I accepted. Unfortunately, it took about 25 minutes and the rest of my family was done eating before my replacement arrived. Just awkward.
While my experience was unforgettable, my other family members meals were quite forgettable.
Went there with a party of 8. Â The food was cold and was not served all at the same time. Â
Manager Blake was horrible to deal with. Â He was rude and non professional.
The filet was good but the ribeye was worse than a cheap steak from the supermarket.
Our bill was over $500. Â We had appetizers, cocktails, corkage fee, dinner deserts and coffee. Â We were SO RUSHED for the first 30 minuets. Â The manager said they have our table reserved for another party in one hour so they expected us to sit down, order and get out of there in1 hour.
Not good. Drinks not as good, strong or big as those served at Pastavino, the sister restaurant next door. Ordered fish with Cajun-y sauce that was good, but portion very small. Also had the potato skins app that seemed very dry. I like to have some actual potato in potato skins, not just burnt skins. My boy ordered the fish and chips and the fish was BAD, as in rancid. We've never returned food in our lives, but it was absolutely inedible. They replaced it with his second choice, the French dip, that was so salty it was hard to eat. We've had better food and drink experiences at Chili's. Once was enough for us at this location.
Review Source:We have been to Holdrens in Goleta many times and usually we are dissapointed. Tonight was no exception. The service is bad and the attitude of the server is even worse. If you sit at the bar to have dinner or appetizers, the bar tender will usually be gone most of the time and you will have to ask him for service rather than him asking you. We always leave feeling that they have done us a  favor by serving us. The food is usually very good but I think the management needs to remember who is paying the bills and act like they appreciate the business.
Review Source:I honestly don't know how they are still in business with the quality of food they serve. Â We've been there three times and the food was never good. Â The service varies. Â Our most recent visit we waited over 40 minutes after we ordered. Â That is all fine bit I had to ask the waiter to check our food, then it was brought out immediately. Â Makes me wonder if it was just sitting there ready and nobody bright it out. Â The 8oz steak and shrimp was waaaay over priced. Â The steak was overlooked and your get three shrimps. Right three. The side veggies was steamed to all mushy and had no taste, not even some salt and pepper?? Common. Would not go back again.
Review Source:I am yelping because I went there the other night for a friend's Birthday. Â I was not feeling steak that night. Â I was going to make myself have one since we were there....you know "when in rome". Â But I was happy to see the "Goleta Favorites" Section in their menu. Â It was full of other options, and this section in the menu also offered great prices too. Â So I felt this was worth yelping about and is smart on their part too. Â It wasn't just two or three extra options, it was at least an entire page. Â So I was able to find something else with no problem. The other thing I noticed was that they care about the presentation of their dishes. Â That was also appreciated! Â The only semi negative was that we were seated in the back room and it became very hot in there. Â However, we did not mention anything AND they do have a ceiling fan. But other than that, it was a good experience. I am sure if they knew we were warm they would have turned the fan on for us.
Review Source:I was invited here by close friends to enjoy an early afternoon Thanksgiving dinner. The restuarant is tucked away in the corner of a relatively new mall in Goleta. It's easy to find and has plenty of free parking. The decor is upscale with abundent bar, booth and table seating options. And yes, they use real linen tablecloths and napkins which is always a plus!
The regular menu was being served as well a few T-Day specials. As a group we shared calamari, artichoke and scallop appetizers coupled with complimentary baskets of warm mixed breads. All were spot on. I ended up ordering the prime rib specal with blue cheese salad and double baked garlic potato. It was absolutely delightful. Service was attentive and very accommodating for a party of ten. In addition, we brought our own wine and paid a very reasonable corkage fee for service which is a nice cost savings benefit with such a large group.
I've been to the SB location several times and prefer this over that one. Despite the mixed Yelp reviews, give this location a try over happy hour drinks and appetizers for a test spin.
Went here with my Boyfriend and sat on the patio. We enjoyed our dinner and we liked the atmosphere of the place. The food was good, big portions for the price which is great! The service was nice, at times it was hard to find our waiter, but that didn't bother us too much. We skipped on dessert because we're fitness freaks, but next time on our cheat day we will be back to try a few. They sounded delicious. I will come back when I'm in the area.
Review Source:This has been hit and miss, but both times I've gone it has been for very different things. Â I went to the all you can eat ribs, and although it was an alright rack of ribs, its pretty much a bust because for $20 its pretty difficult to eat enough to make it some amazing deal. Â And after one rack they are so rich and fatty that you cant really eat more.
I went to happy hour another time and it was amazing. Â We got two appetizers which were amazing, and half off. And got a drink and it was alll very affordable and it was delicious. Â The staff working by the bar was super friendly and made it a great time to be there.
Being in a good mood, I'll keep this short. Food was alway cold, steak was ordered well done and comes to me in a huge puddle of blood. Wait Staff are invisible when you need them. I even used my cell phone to call their manager to ask for a glass of water. The two times we went, we wasted between 2-3 hours just to get our food brought to us. I don't even remember how much longer it took to be able to pay my bill. Stay away if you value your time or enjoy food and water.
Review Source:We've been here twice. We thought they were having trouble getting started, and gave it a second chance -- a mistake!
It's expensive, the service is poor and the food is not that great. Â The waiters are disorganized and awkward. Â The food is carelessly prepared. Â The peppers in my wife's expensive kebab still had plastic stickers from the grocery attached. Â The waiter pitched the salad to us, then never brought it despite being reminded 3 times. She blamed it on the hostess. Â Why bother?
Not sure where Kim actually had dinner, but the other reviews were spot on. The wait staff were good but the food was terrible. I had the crab cake appetizer and it was a pre made app from a frozen type of supplier. Â It wasn't made fresh. Â Unless they suddenly change check out some place else out.
Review Source:I should have noticed (Saturday night) Â that the place wasn't busy and there was almost no one at the bar.
I ordered a ribeye medium rare with a baked potato and a side ceaser salad. The salad came out right away but it was the most patently uninteresting salad I've had. The cheese was bland, dressing bland, there were none of the things that identify a Ceaser as different from any other bowl of light green leafy-ness.
Shortly after, on time and hot, atop a bed of fried onions, my steak comes out. Unfortunately, those are the best two qualities of my meal. I could tell immediately that this poor piece of meat had been unfairly treated. There were a couple obligatory grill marks but none of the other properly seared hallmarks of a good steak. It was an otherwise gray mass of flesh with pools of blood collecting in the lower points. The quality of meat itself was quite low and were I not starving and anxious to get home to wash my dog, (had just been skunked) I would have sent it back and gone next door to get a Big Mac.
The bartender never asked how my meal was (good thing, I would have told him) and while friendly, he was just shy of adequate.
For $45 (with tip) I got a sub-mediocre steak and a glass of nice Syrah.
I can safely say that I will not consider Holdrens when thinking about a steak again. I gave it two stars only because some friends of mine said they liked some appetizers here and also said they had good service (not my experience)
We had a terrible experience at Holdren's in Goleta! Â There were little things that were irritating, like dirty bread plates, not receiving bread, and not receiving napkins. Definitely not the worst part, though....
We were seated by four or five waiters (some still dressed in their uniforms.) Â The manager came over to complain about other customers to them when we were first seated, and eventually he sat down and joined them. Â The waiters and manager were drinking, shouting, and swearing up a storm. Â Our own waiter stopped by to share some choice words. Â Really?? Really?? Â It tries to be a classy restaurant but fails. I feel like the decor tries to trick you into thinking that you're getting good food. Â The manager paid for our meal when I complained, but I will never be back.
OK, so it was a busy Saturday night and we were a party of 12, but the service was sub-par for such a nice restaurant. Â Our meals came out at different times and some of us had finished eating while others had just been served. Â They did write off one of the meals, but only after one of us went to a manager to complain. Â I had to ask for a refill of my diet cola. Â
This is a very nicely decorated steak house. Â Smaller than it looks from the outside. Â We started with the onion rings which were disappointing, and some pretty average calamari rings. Â My Caesar salad was OK, and I had the bacon wrapped scallops with veggies. Â Four big scallops in a overpowering dark meat sauce. Â Presentation was questionable - a entire third of my plate was entirely empty. Â I mean, if you're gonna serve a large plate with a small amount of food, you could put the food in the middle instead of just two thirds of the plate. Â
Seared Ahi dish was pretty small.
This place could be a lot better, especially given how nice the restaurant is.
First time here and I was not impressed. They have Firestone on tap, but little else and nothing interesting. We tried a couple of appetizers, calamari and steak bites. The calamari was good, although I have had much better, and the steak bites were just OK.
In addition, there was something off - almost weird - about the atmosphere: it did not feel like a place to hang out and enjoy ourselves.
I've eaten here twice, and both experiences were mixed bags. Â Fantastic appetizers (I've had the onion rings, tuna tartar, and artichoke dip) and salads. Â And I_LOVE_their bread. Â During both sittings timing seemed off, as we had a long lapse of time between salads and entrees. Â During both meals they have accommodated a 9 year old's picky palate by making potatoes au gratin (not on menu) especially for her. Â My boyfriend has never gone wrong in ordering steak or the pork chops. Â In fact his pork chops were delicious even to me, in spite of my long standing anti-pork policy (not religious, not political, just generally don't like it). Â
So there have been 2 out of 3 happy eaters at our table. Â But alas, my fish entrees have been another story. Â The first time my Pistachio Encrusted Seabass was really really soggy, and while the passionfruit coulis sounded fantastic, sadly, it was anything but. Â 2nd dinner around I ordered the Ahi, but I wasn't too happy with this either. Â I typically love pan seared Ahi, but mine was more than raw on the inside - it felt so cold I thought it might have been frozen.
I must say that the service was most helpful with accommodating with us being high maintenance and all (I absolutely do not like sending food back or complaining, but asked that they take back my Ahi which they did without issue). Â And dessert - those oh so fun tableside S'Mores - was compliments of the house due to a birthday in our group. Â
I'm sure I'll be back again at some point in the future, I just won't be ordering any fish.
Saturday Jan 9, 2010.
Went to Holdren's with my husband, just needed a good steak dinner and heard great things about this steak house. We were sorely disappointed.
They told us the wait would be 30 minutes minimum, yet half of the tables were empty but we could sit at the bar and get a full menu. That was, an ok alternative, if we had not had to get our own menus and flag down the bar keep to place even a drink order. My husband got beer on draft, I wanted hot tea. The fellow brought a fine selection of teas to chose from and large cup, sweeteners, wait for it - no hot water.
We placed our order for supper. I ordered two appetizers coconut shrimp and the grilled artichoke. My husband ordered the 16 oz strip. My order came out first, tasty but not overly good. After 45 minutes the bar keep brought out the streak, only to find this $30 piece of meat was covered with a strange mushroom gravy. I mean really shouldn't a prime piece of beef stand on its own?
When we received the bill there were several errors. Wait for it, the bar keep compt my husband a half glass beer.
Will we go back, ah no.
My boyfriend and I went to Holdren's for his birthday, as we live in the area and I had been impressed by their downtown restaurant before.
Even though it's brand new, it looks so classy inside, but also has an "always been here" feel. They have comfortable, large booths, a massive full bar, and ample spacing between tables. Our waiter was awesome, and happy to customize our entree of tiger prawns wrapped in bacon, which we wanted as an entree. We both ordered steaks with mashed potato and were both really impressed. The server recommended a wine which went wonderfully with our meal. I had mentioned that it was my boyfriend's birthday, and when we were done with our meal, our server brought out a delicious chocolate mousse cake with "Happy 25th Birthday" drizzled on the plate.
I definitely recommend the bacon-wrapped tiger prawns (although I would only order them as an appetizer or to share--there's only so much bacon a person should eat) and pretty much any steak on the menu. There are many different cuts to suit your taste and budget, and you do get your money's worth. Some of the original cocktails on the menu are a bit unusual and probably not to everyone's taste.
Holdren's is truly a hidden gem in Goleta, perfect for either couples or groups, for full meals or just drinks at the bar. The entrance makes it look like it's closed, but once inside, you can expect delicious food and awesome service at a great venue.
I've seen some bad reviews for this place on other sites, but I think that's mostly a result of teething problems which seem to have passed, so don't let others scare you off and decide for yourself.
Alright, so I liked this place a little more than the other reviewers have stated. Went for an early dinner with 3 other friends, around 6 and sat outside. Had an awesome table with our own fireplace. I agree that the soup is incredible, had a creamy tortilla (better than it sounds). Started with a cocktail, then moved on to a bottle of Cabernet. Had Ahi Tuna tar tar (which i have been unable to find in santa barbara for a few years), it was great, large portion though, could have been a light meal. Then moved on to entrees. I had the 8oz Filet Mignon, other diners had the steak & shrimp and and a stuffed chicken breast. They all enjoyed those. My filet was cooked to a perfect medium rare, the only complaint that i had with it was that it seemed to be a little firm and flakey on the outside, however the inside was perfect. Also go the twice baked potato... could have been better...
The biggest praise that i will leave is that the service was INCREDIBLE, almost to the point that much more would have been too much. Water stayed full, they poured all of our wine, didnt rush anything, and patient with us.
This isnt outback steakhouse, expect to pay well for your meal. But I must say that you get what you pay for. The only downside was that wine bottles started at about $50... overall i will go back
We've been here twice now. Consistent with food and service and I don't mean it as a good thing...I had the cioppino and it was not worth its price. Yes, you get half a lobster but it was overcooked and rubbery. My bf ordered the rib eye, Med Well, and it was so rare and COLD in the center. We sent it back but having a steak "twice cooked" really ruins it (Although, he did have it with the "twice baked" potato...ironic pairing) The soups have been salty on both occassions, the salads are sloppy, anything fried is overly greasy. Too bad, the ambiance seemed nice enough. I really don't want to go back.
Review Source:I came here tonight with my boyfriend for his birthday in order to avoid traffic going downtown during Fiesta. Â The feeling of the place is very nice (it's kind of cabin-esque), and a lot bigger than their location downtown (which is definitely an improvement.. at valentines day we were getting walked all over by everyone passing, but it was totally worth it). Â Overall, I thought their food was pretty good, and it was nice having a selection compared to the limited selection during Valentines day.
Favorite parts of the meal: spicy crab and artichoke dip with pita chips. Â OMG, amazing and melts in your mouth. With a pleasant kick every once in a while when you run into a microscopic pepper. Â Also, this place has some AMAZING soup. Â I remember drooling over the lobster bisque at Valentines day... I could have just eaten that and been completely satisfied.. and today my boyfriend got a tomato basil soup.. sounds boring, right? No way! I never knew tomato soup could have so much flavor! It was perfectly creamy, slightly cheesy, with a great amount of herbal flavor. Â Oh my gosh, fantastic. Â I want to try their other soups! Â Also, their Caesar salad is really good, but definitely go for the soup instead of the salad!
I got the Holdren's stuffed chicken, which is stuffed with a variety of things including dungennes crab. Â I was disappointed with the amount of stuffing in my so-called stuffed chicken. The stuffing was great but there was a tiny layer of it that you could barely even taste. Â The portion was huge though, and the chicken was tender, the sauce was great, and I liked the little fried bits at the top. Â I also think my mom makes way better twice baked potatoes.. I found these to be a little bland and wasn't too sure about the chunky bacon pieces.
Service was decent, I found myself wanting water a bit too much because they give you tiny water glasses. Â We got a free Creme Brulee for his birthday, and the waiter even managed to stick a candle in there for him! Â I like that this place has a less snooty atmosphere than Ruth's Chriss... no wiping the crumbs off my table every two seconds please, and no calling me ma'am. Â I'm a miss.
Overall, this place has good quality food with decent service. Â I really like Holdren's because it has innovative flavors, and food ideas you won't find anywhere else. Â I think the most unique thing I've gotten there was some strange lobster that was mixed in with cheese peppers, and I don't remember what else. Â It was an amazing trip for my taste buds!
They are off to a great start in their new location!
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