***3.5 stars***
This is a cute restaurant, inside and out. Â The only thing that could be improved on is the outside dining area. Â While very nice, it looks straight onto a parking lot. Â I know nothing can be done about that, and it's definitely not uncommon in SoCal, but it's not ideal.
I have to admit, we came here for the free WiFi. Â Don't get me wrong. Â The Yelp reviews also drew us here, but the morning we came here, my son was playing in an important baseball game in Seattle that was broadcast online, so free WiFi was a must.
We started off with a  Bloody Mary,  Strong and tasty, 4 stars. Â
Chicken fried steak, 5 stars; hash browns, 5 stars  Fantastic.
Breakfast sandwich, 3 stars. Â Just ok.
Service was really good. Â My husband said he felt like they were trying to rush us out of there, but we made sure no one was waiting for our table, and I kept ordering Bloody Marys, so I don't think they were losing money on the table.
One other note, the bathrooms are unisex, so when I went in, a man had been in there before, so I had to put the seat down. Â Yuck. Â I don't want to touch a toilet seat anywhere, not even at home.
Food was good but not exceptional. Â Staff was very helpful and friendly (coffee cup never remained half empty). Â We sat at the patio since we brought our dog. Â If you have a dog on a Sunday, I'd suggest you bring him after 10:30am. Â There seemed to be a dog lover crowd that comes at that time. Â When we came at ~9am, the customers seemed uncomfortable that he was there.
Review Source:Kim Cameron, Valencia, CA
I have eaten here countless times. I kept trying to find something I really liked because everyone else loved to eat here. I just never really liked it. I LOVE Breakfast Burritos and Phili Cheese Steak sandwiches, but I don't love theirs. The Breakfast Burrito in kind of boring and I always needed to add things to enjoy it. It's huge, but instead of making it sooo big, I think they should make it smaller and add more ingredients (add extra cheese, potatoes, steak/bacon/sausage, remove the beans), and also start making a fresh, more traditional-Mexican style salsa (they use a store-bought salsa). Also, for the Philadelphia sandwich, they use processed steak, and processed cheese (the kind where slices come individually wrapped). For me, it ruins the sandwich. The breakfast Cottage Fries are really yummy, but sometimes they are inconsistent. My friend got hers and they were perfect, then I was served mine and they were black (same table!). Also, the Mexican food that I've tried is too Americanized. Anyway. The food is OK, but I just don't like it as much as everyone else I guess...
After staying one night this was our spot to eat breakfast and i enjoyed the corn beef hash with potatoes and eggs they were perfectly made over easy and a bagel with cream cheese..the portions were good size and the prices were decent..good service but we went on a week day so it's hard to say what it's like on a weekend.
Review Source:Some friends and I were going up PCH one weekend when we made a lunch stop over here. Â I had the pot roast and it was pretty good! Â Tender and moist, was not disappointed at all! Â We ate on the patio, and, well we brought two of my dogs on a road trip for their first time. Â 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 (:
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!
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.
I started off so happy with this place. I am extremely addicted to their Gorgonzola Salad (personal favorite with Crispy Chicken on top). I order to-go pretty often. I think there was a month there where I got it once or twice a week. The food is fantastic. I did have a few times where the chicken was either not crispy(instead grilled) or overly crispy(burnt) - both times, in their defense, were during their busy hours. The service is absolutely wonderful, though. Â When I address issues I have had with the chicken or missing ingredients they are really great about either fixing it right there or giving me a discount on my next meal. I would recommend this place to anyone passing through or local.
Review Source: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.
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!
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. Â 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."
We visited on Sunday about 11:00 am on a recommendation. Â 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. Â She would disappear for 10 minutes at a time. Â I blame the manager, wherever he/she was hiding during our entire dining experience.
- Â French toast arrived cold with cold syrup and room temp margarine. Â Server disappeared. Â Wasn't fixed. Â Taken off the check. Â Left hungry.
- Â Bacon Cheeseburger. Â OK. Â Only ate half. Â There is a McDonald's in the parking lot if you want a better one.
- Â Biscuits and gravy were good. Â Bacon was good.
- Â Pancakes were good. Â Side egg and bacon was good.
- Â Coffee is not good. Â If you drink Starbucks Pike Place Roast, you will not like the house coffee here. Â If you like the flavor of a Sanka instant coffee, you will be in heaven.
Bottom line: Â Bar is open at breakfast. Â Mimosa's and Bloody Mary's abound in the dining room. Â Die hard's sit directly at the bar with mixed drinks and beer. Â If you are inebriated, I can see how that would make the food more palatable. Â If you are not, you eat at your own risk. Â Basic eggs and bacon will meet expectations, everything else is average and below.
Mesa Café defines "hit and miss".
Sometimes, you'll be out in an hour or under (once you sit down-they do have a long wait aside from that), your drinks will be brought in a timely manner, your waiter will remember what you order, your tables food will be brought out at the same time.
And sometimes, you'll ask 6 times for your bloody mary (why is it that sometimes they are in a pint glass and sometimes they are in a tumbler?), 2 hours after ordering your waitress will ask "what is it you ordered again?", you will get your food and your table mates will watch for 10 minutes as your food gets cold waiting for theirs.
I have been going for a couple of years and found that it's just the way it is here. The food is average to above average, prices are good, and they allow dogs on the patio. Always hope I go on one of the days that it will be a HIT.
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!
Myself and three others ate breakfast here the other day and none of us would ever recommend this place to ANYONE. Noise level extremely loud, complete with obnoxious drunks that would not stop screaming outside on the patio. Very slow service and paying the bill at the register in the middle of the entrance makes foot traffic inside the restaurant insane. After a 30 MINUTE wait to pay my bill for completely adequate food they CHARGED my credit card more than the TOTAL OF THE ENITRE BILL....... Adding $40 dollars extra to my bill AFTER I signed for my original amount of $8.57
I still have my original receipt so make sure if you eat here KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS unless you want to get screwed over. After I found out that they did this to my bill, I quickly got myself over to the mesa cafe to confront the manager about the situation.
I explained the situation and he was no help.... he even asked and I quote "Are you that dependent on $40?" This is absolutely insulting and I have already filed a complaint with their corporate offices and still waiting to hear anything back
PLEASE AVOID THE MESA CAFE......Unless you want to experience the same thing I did
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.
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.
This place is a solid 3. Â It is more like a diner than a cafe. Â Nothing is spectacular but it's consistently decent. Â
The last time I ate here I ordered the pot roast. Â Usually I am nervous about ordering pot roast because more times than not i end up with a plate of gravy covered fat and gristle and chewy bits. Â This was a solid hunk of beef and was so juicy and tender. Â I wanted extra gravy so they brought me a bowl big enough to bathe in. Â I appreciate that!
Nourishment was required after much wine and spirits were consumed the night before. Â Mesa Cafe caught my attention while searching Yelp for my favorite breakfast dish EGGS BENEDICT!
Mostly locals eating breakfast when we arrived. Â Lot's of old timers who all knew each other saying hello! and how you doing Joe? Â Haven't seen you for a while. Â
"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.  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IRyKDIF51M0GcqS8yfPcYA?select=-e6tDd7zUec1pGHF-yIrcQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
I'd like to be one of those old timer locals some day.
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. Â Expect a wait here during brunch especially during the weekends. Â 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. Â I settled for a california style omelette. Â Plus points for giving generous slices of avocado. Â Our server was tentative to our needs and the whole restaurant had that homey feeling. Â Will come back the next time I'm in santa barbara.
They have really good deals on their food for brunch! You can get a lox benedict for only $8.95, but they only put one slice of lox on each bagel (i'm guessing that's why it's cheap) but it's good/decent. I've tried much better ones, but this one was great for the price. I definitely would come back! They also have happy hour for the drinks, the mimosa was good, they even give you the little bottle of champagne. ($5.25)
overall it was a good experience.
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!
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.
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. :)
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!!
Who says breakfast time is too early to get your drink on?
Not me... and apparently it made no difference to most of the other diners at Mesa Cafe either. Mimosas were very plentiful on almost every table, and they give you a cute little bottle of champagne to mix with the OJ and a tiny toy mermaid to hang off of your glass.
Breakfast was yummy, except for the "fresh" fruit. The pieces of fruit were tiny, slimy and/or mushy.
My boyfriend got the turkey eggs benedict which he enjoyed, and I also noticed most people around us ordering eggs benedict as well. Too bad I loathe eggs :)
It's a cute little place up in the mesa; it is dog-friendly and the owners/waiters are friendly.
Be prepared for a wait on a weekend afternoon... but on days like today, standing out in the sun before being seated was very pleasant.
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. =)
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.
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.
This is a great, inexpensive breakfast place! Â If you're in Goleta, Cody's Cafe is the same. Â Same menu and prices, but called Cody's and in Goleta. Â
Cheap bloody mary's ($3.50 for the regular I think, or $6.50 for Jake's/Cody's Bloody - basically 2x the size). Â It's definitely the place to go to cure a hangover. Â Delicious breakfast, with a variety of things to offer so there's something for everyone. Â
I've been too many times to count at this point, and will definitely continue to go back.
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