This place was busy which is a good sign and although it took a while to seat our large party, the food was excellent. The only downfall was the burnt coffee - but the delicious mimosa made up for it! Food and menu options were great with a variety and flavor for everyone. Portions were perfect and food was delivered quickly and accurately! Definitely recommend for a leisure breakfast. read more

The only thing that sucked about my breakfast was that the homemade biscuit was a little dry for my taste... This is the third time I've gotten the biscuit and every time it's kind of gross. I guess I'm hoping for Jake's Cottage Cuisine Cafe biscuits and/or KFC biscuits... Next time I'll just stick to the english muffin or whatever. It isn't that the biscuit is stale or bad or rotten, it's just not my personal preference, which is why I am giving this place the full five stars. BUT the food is always perfect here. This morning (it was more like one-ish...) I got the honey apple sausage with two egg breakfast. It comes with hash browns (which I get extra crispy-------DELICIOUS) and your choice of bread. I was impressed that they cooked my eggs perfectly and usually when breakfast places are busy, they kind of over or under cook the eggs. I also got coffee and after tip and tax, my meal was $12. Pretty reasonable for flippin' Santa Barbara. I also like that I have the option of smothering my food with the Creole Seasoning... Not only do I not mind if I do, I always do. I've also tried the chorizo scramble, this louisiana sausage omelet and thoroughly enjoyed both although I'm 100% positive that I'm going to be getting the honey apple sausage a couple more times. I absolutely cannot freaking wait to eat here again. This place will be featured in my wet dreams for the next week or so... for sure and without a doubt. I am always hesitant to come here because there's always a wait on the weekends, but it is so absolutely freaking worth it. p.s. if you are at all concerned about the carcinogens present in food that's been charred/burnt... i would not recommend getting the honey apple sausage. It was definitely blackened. Deliciously... heavenly.... blackened.... Oh it was so good. I just want it again.... mmmmmmmm read more

YEAHHHH Cajun Kitchen. Love it all. I really can't add much that other yelpers haven't already said! Get up and go already! (Go early, or you'll be waiting for.ev.er. No matter WHAT location you go to.) I just wish the hubster and I lived in SB again, to enjoy us some creole cajun kitchen lovin! read more

This place was good but I wouldn't say great. The service was as to be expected from the look of the joint. Service with a smile but don't expect the song and dance. Turn'em and burn'em style. The food was good, I'd go there again but it wouldn't be "my spot" I have to hit every time I'm in Santa Barbara. I ordered 'John's Special'. Scrambled eggs w/ cream cheese, onions and spinach with my choice of hash browns or chunky potatoes. I went with the hash browns. Everything was tasty and I must say I enjoyed the chunks of cream cheese with my eggs (this isn't really saying much however, because I can eat anything with cream cheese). Overall, I'd say glad I know it's there.... read more

I'm posting this with the hope that it will be a wake-up call to the Cajun Kitchen staff. For 20 years I've loved the Chapala Cajun Kitchen. I love sitting on the patio for two hours over breakfast and coffee and knowing half the people who walk in the door. I love recognizing old friends and joining them for breakfast. And until recently I enjoyed (love might be too strong of a word - enjoyed, yes) the food. However this past week I got nearly uncooked eggs, yesterday's biscuit (cold and stale) and cold congealed gravy. My daughter got hot chocolate that tasted exactly like water with a drop of Hershey's syrup and hard as rock pancakes with cold syrup. You guys need to get your game back! read more

This place was so gooooood, we had to go their twice in one weekend! A small and needed vacation in Santa Barbara was what we all needed last weekend. We didn't expect to experience great food along the way! My friend, who is currently living in SB for school, told us about this place. With an open heart and an open mind.. and of course an empty belly... we all ventured out to Cajun Kitchen. Once you open the door of this place, a strong smell of cajun creole hits you right on the face!! I had to wipe off the drool and compose myself! First day breakfast I went with the chili verde omlette with hashbrowns and a blueberry muffin! Muffin was soooooo soft and fluffy. I could have eaten that alone and I would have been satisified! My chili verde omlette was also very delicious! The juicy pork slathered in the verde sauce was absolutely divine! Second day breakfast I went with the Huevos Rancheros. This is one of my favorite savory breakfast dishes and I can't help but order it and compare it to the others that I've had. There is a place in Long Beach that stole my Ranchero heart several months ago.. this place is this close to stealing it!!!! Instead of seperating each compenent, they made a cute little layered napoleon with the rice, beans, fried tortilla, chorizo, sausage, and over easy egg!!! Wow that was a lot to type!! Of course I couldn't even make a dent on this breakfast because it was too much!! I gladly gave it to my friend who had a free breakfast on me the next morning!! I went here with 6 other people.. so I was able to try a little bit of everything.. here are my top faves!!! - Cornbread - Biscuit - Blueberry Muffin - Huevos Rancheros - Crab Cake Eggs Benedict (Special) - Pastrami Omlette (Special) - Corn Beef Hash Take your pick!!!! read more

I hate to give two stars, but the cleanliness issue was just a problem. We came in on a Friday for lunch and the floors were dirty - utensils and lots of crumbs. Overall, it had an older diner look to it which wasn't the cleanest. It was also pretty empty so I would have expected the employees would have had time to address sweeping and cleaning up. The biggest issue, however, was how unsanitary our server Heidi was. From our table I could see her eating off the hot line where they put the food up. She even dropped a bite, caught it in mid-air and then began licking it off her hands. So gross. No bother washing her hands as she proceeded to grab biscuits and muffins bare handed with no tongs to serve to the table next to us. While not serving us, she just continued eating in plain sight of everyone - didn't give us the best feeling on how up to code the place was. On the positive side, the food was good. Heidi's attentiveness and personality was nice, if only she hadn't been eating while on the job. This was our first time at the Santa Barbara location. We frequently visit the Hollister restaurant and it has a completely different vibe. I've never had any issues with the cleanliness there either, so will go there when we're craving a Cajun Kitchen visit. read more

Great food. Hash brown crispy exactly how it like it. Shrimp, sausage and grits very tasty. Good service. Just wish the employees were more sensitive to cleanliness and not touching everything with their hands after touching other things. read more

The best Cajun Kitchen. I ate at your Ventura location and was sadly disappointed after eating here. Your food is so good! The french toast and cream cheese scramble - FANTASTIC! Please, whoever is cooking here on Saturdays - work at the Ventura location - they need you!!!! read more

Fast service and dependable food quality. a great place for the weekend breakfast / brunch or for the morning after partying. Typical breakfast selection. parking can be an issue on certain days. We went today for a late breakfast. We ordered: two eggs with sausage w/biscuit & the cajun pizza w/english muffin & two cups of coffee. Total bill about $18.00. The biscuit was a little salty for my taste, but otherwise, both were good. read more

I'm a regular here so I may be biased, but when something is good, why change? Every time I order the Crazy Shirley's with hot sausage, home fries, and blueberry muffins. Secret is to eat the muffin tops with a little of their butter and request the fresh salsa! read more

So whenever I'm heading back to my hometown, I always make a list of places I need to eat before leaving again. Well Cajun Kitchen is on the top of that list, and since I've been homesick lately, I decided to review it for you guys. I usually order the Homemade Corned Beef and Hash with eggs or the French Quarter Special which is an omelette made with hot sausage, avocado, mushrooms and jack cheese. Both of which come with a side of hash browns or potatoes, and a choice of toast, cornbread or a biscuit. I go for the hash browns which are amazingly crispy, and the cornbread which I smear with whipped butter and honey. Though I've never had the pancakes or french toast here, I always eye them when the wait staff carries stacks of them to tables nearby. I think there are about 5-6 locations in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpenteria now. But this one located downtown off Chapala is my favorite because after you're done eating, you can walk off your meal at Paseo Nuevo Mall or on State Street. The wait can be somewhat long on the weekends, but if you plan ahead and go early enough, you can usually get seated within 30 minutes. And once you do sit down and place your order, they are fairly quick with getting your food out. Remember, seeing crowds and long lines at restaurants is usually a good thing! read more

I really like the food here. It's always consistent and the service is quick, friendly and efficient. However, I tend to look around and on today's outing I noticed the top of the lamps hanging over the booths. Wow...they are duuurrrty. That's really dirty in case you didn't know. That lead me to look around a bit more. This place is duuurrrty. I didn't see the kitchen but it's probably in the same state as the front of the house. I know you're busy, but take some time and look closer than the bottom line. Look at the dirt and grime some time and have a cleaning party! read more

Oh how I miss this place. When I lived in Santa Barbara, I went here every Saturday Morning, and quite a few Sunday Mornings. I always had my two Jack Russells tied up on the bench outside, for the last 3 years in town. The waitresses knew me, the host knew me, and I didn't have to order for at least the last 2 years I was there. Oh my, the food is good here, I always got the French Toast, which is excellent. My friends who came with me over the years always loved what ever they ordered. To my knowledge, no one that I came here with ever disliked something that they had ordered. Since I've moved up here to SF, I've been trying to find a good breakfast spot in my neighborhood, and I compare everything to the Cajun Kitchen...and alas, nothing is as good as this place! I heart you Cajun Kitchen. Next time I'm in town, I'll be there! read more

A touristy town like Santa Barbara needs its fair share of solid brunch spots. Cajun Kitchen is the Las Vegas act of brunch spots. It's consistent. It's working at multiple venues. It has its schtick (Southern-Creole cuisine), and it plays it well. It's sure to please without breaking the bank, but you can tell it's sung this tune many times before. And there's nothing wrong with that, CK is a well run restaurant. There's always a line on weekends, but it moves fast. Service is quick and attentive, with plenty of coffee on stand-by and salsa available if you ask for it. A word on the portions. Yes, they are fairly big, but they aren't colossal in the way some reviewers are saying. It's brunch. It's supposed to serve as two meals, and i you view CK's serving sizes through that lens you'll come out happy and satisfied. If there's too much you can save it for later. Just don't think this is Thanksgiving dinner, it's only bruch for god sakes. There omelets and scrambles are great. So are their po' boys, if you're feeling more like lunch than breakfast. Basically, if it has seafood and andouille sausage in it you can't go wrong. This time I tried the shrimp and grits (which includes a fair bit of andouille for good measure). While the sausage and seafood were great, the grits mixture was a bit oily. I had to cut it with some salsa- would have been better with toast, but maybe I neglected to order some. In any case, with Cajun Kitchen, you know what you're going to get: Solid. Themed. Brunch. read more

Came here for breakfast after running a half marathon. I was STARVING, so at this point, anything would have satisfied!! I ordered an omelet with some type of spicy sausage in it, home fries and a buttermilk biscuit. DELISH! read more

My grandson and I really enjoyed this place! The food was incredible and the staff were friendly and efficient. We always come here when he's in town and will keep doing so. read more

I found this spot on Yelp and it is by far the best food I have had in SB. The wait was not long(10 min) despite it being busy and parking was easy. The service was excellent and the food was as well. I ordered the Jambalaya w/ Eggs (spicy) and my wife ordered the Crab Cakes with Pouched Eggs. The Jambalaya had an authentic taste, true to its Cajun roots with a little spice. The Crab Cakes were also delicious even though my wife didn't care for the English muffin they were served on. Nonetheless this spot is official and I highly recommend it. read more

Cajun Kitchen Cafe - Jambalaya w/Eggs - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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I really like Cajun for an easy weekend breakfast. Good food, good prices, good service. A solid place all around. I have never had lunch or dinner there but I love the breakfast! If you don't want to wait for a table on the weekend you can usually snag a bar seat if you're paying attention! BTW the Chapala location does not have out door seating read more

I came here thinking this place was going to be super awesome, but it was just meh! I ordered the pork chop with rice and gravy. Just mediocre. Tasted like a high-end high school cafeteria. I guess I'll have to try something else when I come back next time. I knew i should've gone with the jumbalaya. It sounded more promising. But for now, this place is overrated like the Miami cHeat. read more

The food was good but the server who helped us didn't listen well. We did an order to go and I had to repeat myself 4 times. My friend ordered their plain beignets and I ordered the only other beignets on the menu that come with bananas, strawberry, caramel and whip cream. The lady was like what did you want? I told her the only other beignets on the menu and read it as written and she was like so you want banana with it? I told her I wanted it just like it says on their menus and read it to her again. She still didn't get it. read more

I frickin' love this place. In my opinion its worth the 2 hour drive from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara to wait another 30-45 minutes for their California-style Eggs Benedict, and hash browns with that oh-so delicious creole seasoning. Everytime I stop by in Santa Barbara, I always have to stop by and get my Cali-style eggs benedict. read more

Such a quaint little breakfast place! Came here at the recommendation of a friend who goes to UCSB, and brought my whole huge group of approx 20 people. The servers were really friendly and very accommodating. Got the California eggs benedict (poached eggs, advocate, tomato on an English muffin w/ Hollandaise), but requested to add on Canadian bacon on since it didn't come with it - pretty much my best idea ever. Mimosas with breakfast added a really nice classy touch to the meal. Tried some of the jambalaya and corn bread, and everything I tasted was great. Would definitely come back the next time I'm in town! read more

genders me and says "he is eating here". Then the second lady says, "you can sit over there". I was a bit taken aback by the rudeness. I decided to just ignore it and sit down. I returned and I proceeded to ask for a glass of water. As I asked for a glass of water the lady tells me to "....go and have a seat". I was already walking to my seat. I was that passive aggressive action necessary. I wondered if she would be so passive aggressive and rude with a white customer. Why would you demand a customer to sit down?!!! Why would you do so when they are wearing a mask? I pre-tiped well (20%). Honestly, I was so embarrassed as all these other customers were starting and it she characterized me a an extra difficult angry black person. I will never visit this restaurant again. I will be contacting the local NAACP and LGQBTQ Center. read more

First Review EvaR!! ok, so i was out working in the SB and thought i'd find some place to chill and have some lunch. i tried the shrimp/chicken Jambalaya... the waitress told me that it was watery and I don't know why but i just expected it to be more on the dry side... Well in the menu it says its a descendant of the Paella so i guess that's what i get. it came with some cornbread, it was pretty good. oVerall i think it was ok, I'd probably go back to try the breakfast burritos, if you dont like spicy don't try the jambalaya. i like spicy and i can tell you it was pretty spicy... one thing that bothered me was that it was sooo freakin hot i couldnt eat it for maybe a good 10minutes after it sat there cooling down. i blew on it so much i almost passed out... read more

It seems like every time I am in SB, I end up coming here for breakfast. Just like most places, sometimes it's better than other times but overall I like this place. Most recently, I got one of the daily specials, which was the crawfish omelette. I got it merely because you don't see this at most restaurants nor have I ever had it. It was good but got old after a while. I could have done without the hollandaise sauce, too. The biscuit and grits were good especially after the waitresses recommended putting brown sugar into the grits! Yum! My brother got the cornbread instead of the biscuit subsequently getting every table around us to order it- really funny but also outstanding! read more

I love that this place serves breakfast all the time. That's why they must always seem busy. I had the California eggs benedict with home fries with lunch. The creaminess of the avocado and the freshness of the tomato made a typical eggs benedict even better. And the creole seasoning makes everything taste better. Everyone else in the group was happy with their food too-- from the Tri Tip sandwich to the Blackened Catfish lunch. I also second the comments about the cornbread, delish. My only problem with the place was that one of the servers (not ours fortunately) was eating her lunch at the open counter while she was serving other customers. This wasn't just taking a sip of something to rehydrate, this was eating a whole sandwich (with her hands) and salad, in between carrying out trays, for at least the 45 minutes were watching her. Even though this is a casual place, that's still not professional. read more

A little better than your average breakfast chain place with a southern twist. The corn bread is a little dry and tastes like a store bought mix. One of the middle aged waiters was very rude when I dined here because he kept staring at me like I was crazy. It may have been because of the mass amount of food I was eating or that I looked somewhat disheveled, but that is terribly rude and made me feel very uncomfortable. read more

My absolute favorite breakfast place! Their hashbrowns are always perfect along with everything else. One day I'll try the lunch menu but when I get breakfast cravings this is where I go. I love the servers, they usually have the same people working there which shows good management and I like going places that I recognize the servers, makes for a consistently good experience. The few bad reviews makes me wonder if the writers just like to nit pick and torture the service industry. Cajun Kitchen is top notch! Never disappointed. If I was I know the staff would rectify it with a polite ask. read more

STEVE'S SPECIAL...I haven't come across a better chili loaded omelette (with extra sour cream) in my life. I hate not having this in my local stomping ground anymore. Cheap! Fabulous food that won't leave you hungry! Great service! You won't be talking much throughout the meal, but it's certain you won't shut up about it afterwards. Chili verde special, chorizo special all very delicious. Oh and the cornbread and buttermilk biscuits are to die for. Expect to wait, the line is never short. read more

You know why I like this place? When I ordered my breakfast and asked for bacon to go with my spicy sausage scramble, the waitress didn't bat an eye. She just smiled and said sure. There is nothing worse than an uppity waitress thinking I eat too much swine. The food was pretty good. The coffee was hot and the price was just right! If I ever end up in Santa Barbara for a wedding again, i will be back here the next morning. read more

Consistently just as delicious as the one in Ventura. Had the Rancher's omelet (cheddar, bacon, tomatoes) n smothered it with cajun seasoning and cholula..yum! Their bacon is very hearty and they don't skimp! Biscuit with a side of gravy is never a disappointment. Biscuits are massive. However, side of gravy is $2.70, but you get a whole bowl, so split it with a friend. It was fun to sit n eat on the porch. read more

I love breakfast in SB. Cajun kitchen is one I frequent. The food is just fine, and I usually enjoy myself. So why the three stars? One time there was a baby cockroach in my creamer, which I did not notice until the creamer and cockroach were spinning in my coffee. At first I thought it was just a coffee bean floating on the top until I saw the antennae. Ok, sorry. Probably too much information. Anyways, the waitress was like, "Oh sorry, must have been from the creamer." She just grabbed our creamer and swapped out a new, cockroach-free creamer. No big deal. As if this is a common occurrence. She comped our coffee though, which was appreciated. Still, I will think twice before drinking their coffee again. read more

I was in Santa Barbara for a weekend and saw great things about this place on yelp so I decided to try it out, and it did not disappoint!! The wait was 10-15 on a Saturday morning and the food was delicious! We ordered biscuits and gravy, an omelette, French toast alongside eggs and sausage and it was all yummy! So much food we could barely eat it all! I will definitely come back next time I'm in Santa Barbara, I recommend the French toast! read more

Cajun Kitchen Cafe - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Cajun Kitchen Cafe was probably the best meal I had all weekend. We went here the morning after Halloween. We had a party of 9 and made sure they would be able to accomodate (their dining room seats only about 70). The host also informed me that it'd be a 20-30 min wait. The wait, at 11/11:30am, was quite accurate. Our server was very nice and our orders came out quite quickly, except for one which they obviously forgot and had to whip up real quick. I had the first special - the scramble with tiger shrimp, onions, tomato, and feta. It came with a choice of hash browns or homefries, and your choice of toast. My scramble, hashbrowns, and wheat toast were good. The Fiance had the jambalaya and he let me have a taste before scarfing it down. For 9 people, our bill came out to about $110. Not bad for a satisfying breakfast after a long night of partying. read more

Food is probably great in Santa Barbara, especially for it's price, but coming from a big city, it's simply average. It's a good place to eat if you're in the area. read more

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One of my go to spots in SB for breakfast food good most of the time and fairly fast service

its amazing here!!! Almost always a line, but it's worth it! Friendly service and yummy food! I love their jambalaya. Giant shrimp, spicy sausage and wonderful spices are always abundant. I usually get it with their amazing cornbread, tastes so good together!! My family have always Loved their meals too. My mom is partial to their giant breakfast burrito, which I love as well. But since Cajun food is so hard to come by, it's always the jambalaya for me! read more

My boyfriend and I literally ONLY came through Santa Barbara for brunch. This place sounded really interesting and right up our alley. We came in very close to their posted closing hour, and were seated without hesitation. All of their dishes were great! We shared a heaping plate of biscuits and gravy and a sausage and egg dish. Both were delicious. They kept the coffee coming and our food came out pretty quickly, which was a big deal because we were starving :P We'll definitely be back to this place! read more

*Late review Came here on Father's day hoping for a decent meal with family. I didn't even get to judge the food (though the menu looked appealing). By far the worst customer service I've received. The waitress rushed us (I get it you're busy and packed) and when we asked for patience, she became curt with us and told us to be ready. When we asked for a manager, another waitress showed up and pretended to be the manager. The original rude waitress came back and interrupted, letting us know we would not be permitted to speak to ANY manager. At that point I gladly left, we were told EXPLICITLY they get plenty of business, they were apathetic to our leaving. Unbelievable. I've never experienced such atrocious and hostile customer service. I'm not sure why the employees felt so justified in such poor customer service, maybe it was race related. I don't know. But I will never recommend this place nor return. read more