Nasty and horrid. First of all, we sit down and discover part of the "charm" of this place is that you cook your own steak (unless you choose the pricey option of pairing it with another entire entree.)  FYI; I go out to dinner to be served and take a break from cooking......So I chose the more expensive option, shrimp paired with a filet mignon. What a joke! My steak was definitely not a filet cut I can tell you that. It was a somewhat large, flat, thin, super dry and completely flavorless something. The worst steak I have EVER had. The coconut shrimp was super sweet and tasted like pink cool-aid or something. The salad bar was mediocre at best, not much selection with super greasy croutons and NO fresh green vege's (but tons of beets). The atmosphere is what was considered chic dining in the 50's maybe and did not seem very clean. The service was friendly when we first sat down, but she never came back to ask how the food was or if we needed anything else. Even at the end of the meal, sit was pretty obvious  we were not at all pleased so she just dumped the check and left. We would NEVER go back to this place and we visit Carpinteria often.
Review Source:My family and I have been coming here every summer for years. It's a great place and a unique experience. All  those reviewers who were horrified about cooking their own meat should have looked more closely at the menu. There are plenty of choices that can be prepared for you, but to me that would defeat the reason for coming here. It's all about the experience!
Review Source:This place was a bizarre experience. When my family and I arrived I was surprised to see that the menu called for people cooking their own meals. I had a problem with this for several reasons.
First the grill was not clean. Do I Â want to dine out and cook my own meal? No I want to take a break from that. I am not talking about cooking it by handing it to the chef, I am talking about actually walking across the room and cooking it on a tiny grill. Â There was not an adjustment button to control the flames. How can I cook a good steak on a one temp low temp grill? On top of cooking my own meal the idea of cleaning a restaurant grill first before cooking the meal doesn't sound appealing. .
Second, why on earth would there be the option of chicken, seafood, or steak to cook on one grill next to each other. That is a recipe for food poisoning.
third - the salad bad that we decided to go with -out of safety- turned out to be comical. Iceberg lettuce mix with the choices of cucumbers, black peppercorns ( that looked like seeds) chickpeas, beets, carrots, and several dressings. There were no tomatoes. I do have to say the croutons were delicious. Then the other station was the backed potato and red beans. Â I ended up trying to fill up on the potatoes. I went back for a second and they were out, but after a good laugh with my sister the potato tray we refilled.
The staff is very friendly but the inside of the restaurant needs some updates. My sister actually shut off the lights to our dinner table when she accidentally tripped over the power cord and unplugged it. This really wasn't my scene.
I love this place.
I love the greasy croutons, the fact that they leave the bread still wrapped in the plastic bags in the warmer and so much more. They don't care that the majority of their food is from cans, bags and processors and that nothing is scratchmade...well maybe the croutons.
I love the usually cheerful servers and the Bennett brothers are great hosts.
Grilling communal steaks with strangers is a great concept and believe me, some strangers come through these doors. Fridays and Saturdays can get quite interesting on the dance floor. Â
The drinks are potent and they do have things fairly under control here.
Always a good and interesting time at The Palms!
My family has been coming to Palms for many, many years. It's in a really old building that you can tell was a house once in the olden days (especially near the restrooms). The trick is to get here right before they start serving dinner at 5:30, otherwise there is a wait, especially on the weekends. The bar is nice too. I usually order the salmon if I am really hungry because it only takes a few minutes to cook. Otherwise, I get the filet mignon which I cook for 6 minutes on the first side, then 4 minutes on the other, and let rest for about 5 minutes. Whatever you choose, be sure to season it very well. If that is too much to remember, you can also order food cooked by them. They have really improved on the side dishes. The beans are better. The croutons are better now too, before they were fried and the grease used to congeal on the roof of my mouth. Overall, the Palms is something different and good value.
Review Source:Interesting place where you can order a steak and cook it yourself to your liking.
They also have items that the cook will prepare, mostly seafood and deep fried stuff.
My wife has the shrimp sampler which came with baked potato and a trip to the salad bar. I had the hot wings plate with salad bar. All in all not a bad place and the prices were decent for what you get. Some people might be thrown off by cooking their own dinner, but the steak prices weren't bad and the quality seemed to be better than usual. The ambiance is a little dated but the locals do seem to love the place as it has been in business forever.
When I moved to Carp I was very excited when a friend told me about the dining situation at the Palms. Â Cook your own steak...fun times. Â Had the T-Bone, salad, potato, and pretty much everything thats offered for the dinner plates. I enjoyed my meal and the atmosphere was jovial. You would think I give this place more stars. Reader Beware: I got the worst case of food poisoning I have ever had in my life. Â It was holy awful and angry. Now that I think back, the whole food set up at the palms is pretty terrible. I kinda miss the letter grades of the Los Angeles county because some establishments in SB area need some sanitary oversight!
I would give one star but the place has such character and is a pretty nice place to get a drink but dine at your own risk....
Way way Different.
You order your meat and they bring it to you RAW. You get to cook it yourself, this way you can't betch about how it was made. Public grille so be patient, I should have brought my beer with me as I was cooking our Steaks. The Mrs. went with the NY Strip as I went for the Ribeye, 10 oz's. I believe. Dont be fooled by the online menu, their prices are cheap. They also have a ayce salad bar and baked potato bar, the only thing missing were jalapenos and green onion. We were seated fast, served fast and yet they were not in a hurry to get us out of there. I dont know when but yes, We will be back, hopefully this summer. No smoking on the sidewalks, you have to go to the alley.
I've come here a couple times, coming from Vegas, this restaurant has a unique way of serving food. They have a list of meats on their menu for choosing, and you get to cook your meat  your self. For a price at least $5 below typical restaurants that serve steak, you get endless salad, baked potatoes, and your steak.
I opted for a ribeye for $13. At the double-sided grill you have a variety of seasonings for your meat. From A1 to salt, garlic salt, pepper and more! As I am a picky eater when it comes to my steak, I favored the fact that I got to cook it myself. It was my decision as to when it was medium for my liking.
There was also a live band the night we went, and it was nice listening and watching people dance. It added to the boring interior of the restaurant, as for appearance nothing was beyond a boring atmosphere. The waitress seemed a little stacked, and only came to our table maybe twice.
Overall, the Palms is a great restaurant with a very well-thought out serving plan. A great place for dinner after a long day at the beach!
The Palms is a unique concept in the fact that you have the option to cook your own steak/lamb/etc. They provide you with all kinds of sauces and seasonings so that you can marinade your raw steak as you please. I ordered the Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon and my girlfriend ordered the 10oz Ribeye, only $16 and $13 respectively. I thoroughly enjoyed mine and the bite I took of the Ribeye was excellent, smooth & tender. They even had a live band and a dance floor. The salad bar was included in the already reasonable price, and while the salad topping choices were far from abundant, they have delicious homemade croutons that melted in your mouth. Also included was chili, as well as as many baked potatoes as you could eat. The bar staff was very friendly as well.
There are a few things that they could improve on:
The option for them to butterfly my Filet Mignon would have been great, as it was a very thick cut of meat so it took much longer than my girlfriend's Ribeye to cook. Also the chairs have no cushion whatsoever so it feels like you are sitting on a board. The service I received, while polite, was noticeably slow. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very generic.. nothing memorable there. The parking situation is unfavorable as well... a small poorly paved parking lot that would maybe accommodate 8 vehicles forced us to park on the street nearly a block away from the restaurant on a weekday night.
Overall, while there are quite a few noticeable areas for improvement, The Palms is a unique concept, and one of Carpinteria's best restaurants. Plus... the experience of cooking your own steak can always be fun.
I would normally rate this establishment a 3-star due to all the cons, but the value for the price of the steak and everything that comes with it definitely made a good enough impact to bump my review up a star.
I really don't get this place. You have to cook your own steak. What's up with that? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of going to a restaraunt? Im not diggin that. The food....well the positive is that I had the a really good lobster tail. Nice size, cooked perfectly. The T bone steak was cooked for us giving that we ordered the surf and turf. The steak was tough. All their dinners come with all you can eat salad bar, baked potato, baked beans and bread. The bread has salsa you can dip it in...its like dipping wonder bread into La Victoria. The beans are not good. The salad, okay. The ambiance is old, back country, dive feel to it. Do not bring a first date here as it may be your last. Staff was super friendly.
Review Source:I enjoy cooking and most nights I am happy to cook a meal. Â Â But sometimes I don't want to cook... I want some great chef to actually do the cooking for me! Â I am so lucky to live in Santa Barbara where there dozens if not hundreds of great restaurants to enjoy. Â Â If I want a steak I can go to Holdren's or Lucky's or that crappy place in the Doubletree... Or even to Brewhouse, I think that Brophy's even cooks a steak! Â
But what is a person to do if they want to go out to dinner, but they want to cook it themselves? Â Â I mean the control freak who still wants to enjoy a restaurant--there is only one place to go, the Palms in Carpinteria. Â Â
Let me start  by saying that I knocked off a star because my steak was undercooked and I had to send it back.  Other than that the Palms is a unique and wonderful place.  I ordered a filet mignon and my wife ordered the salmon.  The piece of raw meat that was delivered to my table had to be one of the most magnificent filets I have seen.  In the past I have ordered their ribeye and their sirloin.  The Palms consitantly delivers top quality meats. Â
Steak dinners can cost a ton! Â Lucky's charges $53 for a filet this size and that doesn't include any side dishes. Â At the Palms you get all the salad you can eat, baked pototoes, beans and bread! Â Â I think I paid $16 and my wife's salmon was only $11. Â Of course that is because you cook it yourself. Â I offered to do my own dishes to see if I could get another $5 knocked off but they wouldn't go for that. Â They also don't take too kindly if you try to go behind the bar to make your own drink.
This place is great if you enjoy cooking your own food, meeting crazy people, funny drunks, nice locals (before 10 pm), hearing live music, drinking pretty cheap cocktails, witnessing bar fights, getting the low down on all the town's gossip, having a fun time (as long as you take precautions not to piss off any of the crazy locals or funny drunks). Make friends with Trish and Liz..... They are two really cool chicks who work there! Try the bread and salsa in the salad bar (no baking, making, dicing needed). Sit back and people watch. Talk to someone, if you're brave enough.... If not, they'll talk to you first. Visiting The Palms is an unforgettable experience. It can quickly turn into a family tradition..... As easily as it could turn into a family feud. It's like a piñata waiting to explode all over your face. You might leave the same way you got there, in a cab car, or in a cop car. It's like one of those "choose your own ending" fairy tails. A Carpinteria tradition to be sure. Not to be missed!
Review Source:I have to say, this is a unique experience. Â It's very low key....lots of locals and also touristas, coming in from the beach. Â the place is absolutely packed in the summer!
Here's the deal....you order your steak or whatever meat, then you cook it yourself over the grill in the middle of the room. Â Comes with potato, beans, bread and a basic salad bar. Â Have to agree with everyone here that the croutons are the bomb. Â
Now, the sad thing here is that this very popular place didn't do much for me. Â I don't like grilling my own food. Â I like other people to grill my food. Â That's why I go out. Â But the drinks are strong so after a few, working the grill at the Palms didn't seem so bad. Â Oh yeah, until I over cooked my steak. Â See, other people grilling my steak= much better over all experience for me.
All that aside, we still had a great time and chowed down like pigs for only $25 bucks.
The Palms has been a Carpinteria tradition for my family for over 20 years. Although the prices have gone up, you can still get a good deal on a steak dinner here, with all the fixin's - salad, bread & butter, baked potatos, beans, salsa. It's a casual family environment, where you can cook your own food, or have a few entrees (like shrimp) cooked for you. One of the little known secrets, not on the menu is to order jalepenos, that you can cook on the grill yourself. YUM! The house red wine is also a good deal at $3.75, and very nice. Everyone should experience the Palms, at least once. I think most will be back.
Review Source:There was a total of 8 in our party for dinner (6 adults, 2 children). Salad Bar was fresh and yes, the croutons are really good. Chili beans had an unexpected slight spicy kick for my wife (she's not much for spicy foods), and the best part (novelty) was grilling our own steaks. They provide salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt, sea salt, worchestishire sauce, A-1, Tabasco & a vinegar sauce to season your steak. CAREFUL as the top portion of the grill is the HOTTEST and leaving your steak there will burn it quicker than you think. I only gave it four stars because the waiter was a little slow on the drinks. We are planning on going back as it is a great value, only $90 for steak dinner (including tip)!
Review Source:I love going to The Palms and getting cheap, decent drinks and the salad bar. Â As was previously mentioned, the croutons are very tasty! Â It is a good deal for a steak as well since you cook your own. Â The bartenders and waitstaff are all locals and great! Â I do not recommend going late on the weekends as people get a bit out of hand, see note below.
*Beware, on busy weekends like Avocado Festival and New Years; people get very drunk and it gets crazy in there. I turned around on a very busy evening to find a very drunk patron rifling through my purse! The owner seemed concerned until he realized it was one of his regulars. He felt the guy was harmless. Â I handled the situation myself by going to the guy and telling him the cops were on the way. He left in a hurry.
Go for the croutons!!
They have the BEST croutons that a salad bar has ever had!  We go  mostly for those! YUMMY!
My husband and I have been going to The Palms in Carp. ever since we were first married...over 10 years. Â It's one of our favorites!
It hasn't changed a bit! Â They have good, NO FRILLS food. Â It is literally steak and potatoes. Â You cook your own steak. Â My husband likes to do the grilling.....so I sit back and enjoy my salad and wine. Â
There is usually a long wait on weekends, so go early. Â There is a bar, and we have seen some good live bands play here too. Â
There is only one dish for kids (chicken fingers) so our daughter usually just gets the salad bar that includes a baked potato and beans. Â I wish they had more of a selection for kids.
I highly recommend this down to earth, no frills restaurant....with KILLER CROUTONS!!
Came here with a group of friends last night. I ordered the filet minion. It came bacon wrapped and looked like a good cut. Meal came with salad with the best croutons i've ever had, baked potato, and beans. Overall really good food, a little out dates but had a great time! Would definitely come back!
Review Source:Diners beware and know before you go! This restaurant isn't for everybody. If you expect fine dining, over the top service, trendy decor and hipster clientele you will be sorely disappointed. On the other hand, if you enjoy a decent "blue collar" meal at a bargain basement price you will be sated.
Any bar that serves up a $5.00 call martini that is over poured and really a double gets my vote of confidence. You won't want to have to many of these in order not to endanger yourself and others when it comes time to cook your own entree on the communal grill. This is a sip, flip and dip experience that reminds me of "The Mogul" in Mammoth Lakes years ago.
They also book live music some weekends which makes this a one stop spot for a full night of entertainment.
The Palms is a Carpenteria original that provides good food at very reasonable prices.  They have a menu which offers a cook your own meat entree and another list where they will cook your meal.  The cook your own meat option was great for our gluten free  friend who often has issues in finding good gluten free dining options on menus.
This is an old style, say funky, steak and potatoes kind of place. Â It's comfortable and unfancy. Â They don't take reservations. Â It wasn't busy when we went there mid-week, but the weekends are packed.
This is a good group/family place that provides good food without breaking your wallet.
Real throwback of a place where locals line-up to bbq their own steaks, fish & kabobs. Not sure what all the 5 & 4 star reviews are about. you get a decent steak or hunk of fish that you can season and throw on a grill. You get an all-u-can eat salad bar, bread, baked potato and beans. It's fun, it's funky and the folks are really nice. I had a 74 year old waitress who was the bomb.....she's probably been there as long as the place has been open. A reallllly relaxed place, fun for the kids...it's all good.
BTW..there are items that they will cook for you. The filet mignon was excellent, t-bones were nice. I had the halibut (grilled it myself) while my kid had the king crab legs (he was happy). Beware...the chicken wings are mui spicy. Also, jalapeno poppers they call "Armadillo Eggs...go figure. Didn't have them but maybe next time......
Where the Carp elite greet in boofy hair for meaty treats.
There is something special about the Palms that residents of this area fiercely hold dear to their hearts. There was a time that the Palms was the best Carpinteria would muster up by way of a fancy dining experience. And by that, I mean Carpinteria firmly stood against all that was rootin' tootin' high falutin'. Â Those who didn't like the combination of a casual yet exclusionary atmosphere quickly fled to bigger cities or to Montecito. Those who stayed, well, they liked Carpinteria just as it was. And so the Palms thrived.
With the Palms long established as THE dining spot in town, it's easy to understand why Carpinteria has been dragged kicking and screaming into the "new era" of fancy restaurants they perceive as existing only for tourists and Montecito throwbacks.
Solid 3 stars for food, plus one more for being so darn kooky, and being a local business around since 1905.
Props for the building looking so old and elegant from the outside. The interior, however, is more like walking into a church parlor room-turned-cafeteria in the 1970s. Â That's not bad, just set your expectations appropriately. The menu is printed on your paper placemat, okay.
As everyone has said before, the Palms' unique selling point is having the option to grill the main course yourself. This is, like, Carp's version of a fondue party, so jump in and join the fun.
I amuse myself with theorizing how this marketing came to be. Back in the day, maybe carp's residents were such talented farmers on the range that they were constantly criticizing the Palms chef about how to cook the meat. And then, finally, the chef finally went "FINE! You do it yourself!" and stomped out of the room in a huff. Thus the self-grilling was born? Ha ha, maybe.
The result is a fun family atmosphere that is by no means fine, but an acceptable and relatively fancy destination for residents. Plus, very affordable.
The salad bar option is $6.50. You can easily fill up on the salad bar, comprised of mostly iceberg, half a dozen crunchy additions like beets, chickpeas, cucumber, onion. All the standard dressings and the Palms special topping - deep fried croutons. Plus, baked potato, chili beans, salsa and bread. Â Did I mention this is not fine dining? No, it's very standard and simple. This is why it's $6.50!
Main course options already include the salad bar. So if you order a 10 oz ribeye dinner for $14, that's downright, almost suspiciously, cheap.
If you have any grilling steaz, you'll be fine. There's an assortment of condiments by the grill to enhance your meat as it sizzles. I pre-seasoned my ribeye back at the table with salt and pepper, and once at the grill added seasoned salt, powdered onion, worcestershire sauce and my secret ingredient: butter pats from back at the dining table.
Extra tip, just cuz I'm nice: the grill is hotter at the top, cooler at the bottom. Leverage that knowledge!
Use some of the butter pats to lightly butter both sides of the bread for toasting on the grill. Sprinkle some of the garlic salt on one side. Toast it in the middle portion of the grill and if it soaks up some steak umami, even better.
The bread is white and doughy (like many of the Palms resident diners), that's how it's done. I'll guess that some bright-eyed chef years ago tried to introduce something new or healthy as the bread and was run out of town on rails.
Cocktails: kitschy, but with no irony. I had the Lava Lamp and it was a bit too sweet and creamy for my dinner tastes. But I was the noob at the table, everyone else got vodka tonics or beer. Lessons learned.
Dining was a great experience. Now, finally, there's time to look around the room. Screaming children throwing bread crumbs and cucumber slices under the table, elderly couples in their sunday best, a birthday party or two, and the crowning glories of gravity defying boofy hairdos that you know only a professional armed with a can of aquanet could have put together for this occasion.
Leftovers are expected.
Here is the thing that I don't like...it's not that you gotta cook your own steak, it's that I never once saw anyone go and CLEAN the grill after chicken and several meats were cooked...people were toasting their bread right next to my raw steak. That and the salad bar = flavorless...beans....some chef, he can't cook his own beans, clearly a can of beans doctored up..and rather tasteless to boot.....when I went for some bread (that I didn't toast on the grill) I had to remove it from the wrapper it came to the restaurant in! Not worth eating at ever again.
Drinks though, yes. I can see how it would be a fun atmosphere for a drink later in the evening. But that's all.
I discovered the "Palms" restaurant some 15 years ago when a local friend surprised me with this unique experience. As other reviewers have already noted; you grill your own main entree. This has posed problems in the past, especially after losing track of time while having too much fun with family and friends. Don't let the idea of cooking your own meat scare you off, there is a chef on hand to cook it for you for just a little extra.
I've read a few reviews critical of the ambiance and the salad bar, these people are not enjoying the experience as it is meant to be experienced. I find the decor and menu reminiscent of an old west saloon or dinner hall in a hotel from days past. All the ingredients for a good time are there. It's up to you to imbibe the spirit and charm of the place and just go with it.
Enjoy!
I love this place!!! It's fun, the food is great, and at a great price! I always order off of the "cook yourself" menu. I love grilling up my steaks while chit chatting with people around the grill. They make the best  fresh croutons for the salad too! They serve baked potato's, ranch style beans and salad bar. My kids grandmother lives in Carpinteria, so I get jealous when then tell my they went to the Palms for dinner!! Definitely stop by this place for some dinner and a little fun!
Review Source:My Buddy had told me about this place years ago and for one reason or another I never made it in to try them.
The time had come and boy have I been missing out! They have 2 sides of the menu to order off of...Cook yourself...or Traditional they bring it to ya.
Live a little...try the do it yourself restaurant style! I had a 16oz T-Bone that was tender and juicy. They have tons of seasoning and sauces next to the grill that you can add to your steak, chicken, or fish as you see fit. T-Bone came out just right because I did it myself and would have no one to blame but me. All the comforts of home with out any clean up! The salad bar comes with every dinner and includes baked potatoes, chili beans, warm bread, and salsa! Do yourself a favor and load up on their homemade croutons. They were really good!
A couple people I was with had the Steak and Lobster option and their consensus was the same...everything perfect! The Palms is like an old school self serve yogurt shop of the new age! I highly recommend a meal at The Palms the next time you are in Carpinteria!
The Palms one of the very few nightlife places in Carpinteria. When I say few, I mean one of two. That means if your coming here to eat dinner, it's better to come earlier, rather than later unless you plan to stay.
the Plams offers a do-it-yourself kind of meal. You choose your own raw meat, they bring it to the table, and you cook it on the grill. The salad bar is pretty bleak. The break and chili are okay. Most people come for the nolstagia, rather than for the food.
OMG if you come to my home town of little Carpinteria you must go here!
A local favorite for years! Â I have been coming here since I was old enough to walk, and for the most part it has stayed exactly the same. Â
Steak and seafood, but the best part.... You do it all yourself! Â According to my Dad there there are spots on the grill that cook faster and hotter than others, he has it down to a science.
My favorite part is the awesome salad bar and bread-salsa-bean bar!!! Â OMG forget your Atkins diet when you go to this place, they're butter homemade croutons are worth putting on 5lbs for!
Usually during the weekends there is some local band playing loudly and the Bar has the stiffest drinks in the entire city, ask for the Purple Cadillac... My fave here!
Good for groups, parties, birthdays ... I love that it used to be a hotel back in the day!
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