I used to come here for the atmosphere more than the food, but the place recently changed ownership and seems to not recognize regulars anymore. The food is solid and the menu mentions everything on the burgers, tacos, etc so it's easy to order stuff without tomatoes or whatever. read more

Since I am native to the Ellwood area, I have been going to this place since high school and all I have to say is that I will fight you for a Cal Burrito when I come home! read more

Just a really good hole in the wall burger joint/Mexican place. Would highly recommend. Had to stop for food on a road trip and decided we'd give this place a try. Friendly service, really awesome food and great portion sizes. read more

while visiting a friend in sb, i was craving something american and my friend i was visiting decided to head out near isla vista. however, it was already 3:40pm and my die hard-warriors fan friend did not want to miss the game which was going to start in the next 20 mins. knowing i like fried zucchini, he brought me to cal taco ! its one of those small-business fastfood joints that we all love to go to when were in highschool. first thing i noticed that the menu is half american and half mexican. craving a burger, we both ordered a char burger with jack cheese, chocolate milk shake, and zucchini sticks. They have a salsa bar and yellow peppers available on the side. the owner is a nice guy who seems to love his job and i noticed he posted photos of his kids and their crayon drawings on the side of the wall. when we got our food, we raced home for the game. Unwrapping my burger and with the first bite, it feels like that homemade kind of feeling. Melted jack cheese, tomato, lettuce, cheese, mayo and the char beef: nice and simple. Zucchini sticks were nicely fried and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Enjoy them alone or cooled with ranch dip. It was a good lunch :) but the warriors lost.. my friend was groaning the rest of the day while secretly i was chuckling at his sorrow. BTW THE HIGHSCHOOL NEAR THIS RESTAURANT IS KATY PERRY'S OLD HIGHSCHOOOOLLL! read more

Good food reasonably priced. On our way home from Lompoc (watched SpaceX launch) to Los Angeles and found this gem thru the Yelp app.

Meh. I wanted to like it more, but it was just okay. The prices are cheap which is nice, but the food quality is pretty low.

Boy has this place gone down hill . They are not friendly, the prices have gone way up, food is just ok, and the people dress like they are going out to a nightclub. It's so strange. I miss the old owners and staff. read more

After living in Boston for a few years, I returned to Goleta to visit a friend with a craving for something they just don't do that well on the East Coast; a breakfast burrito. The staff happily accommodated our sleepy and disorganized group and even sold me coffee that I was pretty sure was for the employees. The burrito was delicious and came with a great number of options for add-ons up, none of which disappointed. The only reason I settled on four stars instead of five was that I felt that the potatoes could have used a bit more spicing up. So if any employees are reading this, a friendly suggestion, cook up those potatoes with some salt and chili powder, and I'll be there every morning I'm in Goleta. read more

Oh Cal Taco. I love that I used to live right down the street from you and used to have your yummy burgers. Never tried the tacos, which is pretty weird, but the burgers and fries are super good. Plus, I love that you were located next to the liquor store that was owned by a very disgruntled man. Too cute. :) A whole in the wall, nothing fancy. Good times. read more

Things were a little rough during the change of ownership so we haven't been here in a while. We were hungry after dropping off some recycling so I had a choice when hitting Hollister. Turn left and go to the Habit or turn right and stop at Cal Taco. Well, I took the direction towards home and we ate at Cal Taco. Walking in the first thing we noticed was how much brighter it was. The backlit menu added a lot of light to the place. Nice and clean. I had transitioned from amerimex to burgers when they had the 1.99 sunday burgers but today I went back to the amerimex menu. I had a steak taco and a chicken taco. My wife had a pair of fish taco's. My son had the double cheesburger with bacon he usually has plus an order of fries. Wandering over to the salsa bar I noticed they eliminated the fire roasted salsa. That is a shame since I really liked it. My wife went for the regular red salsa and I had the salsa verde. The food was ready shortly and the first thing I noticed is the portions had increases along with the prices. The taco's were huge. The steak tack was dissapointing with the steak being dry and overcooked. The chick tack was sliced, grilled chicken breast. It too was a little dry but nothing a splash of salsa verde couldn't fix. My wife said the fish taco's were fine and my son reported the burgers as "about the same as before" which was decent. So, in summary, the new management has not changed things much. You can still get a bargain if you go during happy hour monday-wednesday. Otherwise, three of us ate for 25 dollars which isn't bad these days. read more

Good food, they didn't rush us when we were eating last closing. The fish tacos were BOMB!

Ive eaten here a few times in the past and the food was really good. But it's going down hill a bit lately, not sure why. I'll try one more time to give them a last chance but if it's anything like last time I won't be back again. read more

My girlfriend received a salad with a fly in it. It was very gross and I will never go back there again. Their restaurant is not sanitary and their food is subpar at best. The habit is much better than cal taco which is strange because they are owned by the same family. read more

The tacos made me sad. The beef had no flavor, the cheese wasn't melted (this is just not acceptable!!), and the only toppings were a few shreds of lettuce and 2-3 pieces of tomatoes. So moral of the story... don't come here for tacos! read more

The food here is delicious but the manager is horrible shes disrespectful and very rude. I used to come in and have lunch at least once a week but now I just can't make myself go into the place. I've never felt so uncomfortable to order in a restaurant. Really wish they would get rid of the rude women so I could come back in to enjoy the wonderful food. I'm giving this place a 5 stars for the food but for customer service I have to give a -1 star. I've walked into the restaurant and have witnessed the women yelling at the cooks degrading them, when you try to order food she rushes you and gets your order wrong and blames you for it. This little burger joint can be the best pearl in goleta but she just runs the people away. Very sad. read more

I love this place. Delicious burgers, mellow atmosphere, decent prices, what more could a girl (and her man) want?

Breakfast burritos here are amazing... Get the fajita breakfast burrito and you can't go wrong. Add beans to make it even better!

Went to Cal Taco for my very very late lunch brake, I have been to this establishment before but this time I felt like they needed a review. went in pretty close to closing time. Walk in hungry unsure of what to get, and meet cashier/associate Rachel she helped me get/find what my stomach truly wanted to eat their new chorizo burger. It was amazing will get again! Her attitude, since of humor, and professionalism made my dinning experience one for the ages can't wait to go back to this establishment and get my Burger on 5 out of 5!!! Or maybe I'll stop by for their morning scrumptious breakfast burritos. read more

Steak taco salad is awesome! The perfect size to finish and not over eat. Not in the nicest building and its not obvious as you drive. But the food is good and they dont skimp on the meat here. Service was fairly quick. read more

I come here every Saturday morning before work for the Breakfast Burrito's. I was really excited when I heard Cal Taco was serving breakfast! These breakfast burritos are basic but delicious! Eggs, potatoes, cheese and your choice of breakfast meat all for $6! Where else in town can you get a sizable, filling and inexpensive breakfast burrito? On average I'd say they run anywhere from $7-$9. Give it a try, the price is right and they're good! read more

Loved this place! Yummy fresh food at super reasonable prices. Nice people, too. Fixed an order goof with sincere good will and an appreciative attitude. read more

I wish there was another one closer to SB and not in deep goleta - no, the habit is not the same. Habit chars their burgers just a little too much. Cal taco is way better in my book. $3.50 for a charburger with cheese? Can't go wrong! In the 20 years I have been coming here it still has yet to disappoint. read more

I ordered a breakfast burrito and to my surprise there was a thick black hair inside of it. When i complained they decided they were gonna make me a new one but I asked for my money back. Never did I get an I'm sorry. Sam which what looked like to be the manager was rude. I was with a group of friends and when they asked for their money back because of the incident that happened he rudely said no and basically said you're stuck w the food. The worse customer service anyone can ask for! Never will we return to this establishment! read more

First time here I thought their cal burrito was the same as a California burrito. It wasn't but they offered to make it into since it was my first time here. Excellent service and delicious food. read more

Not real Mexican food. The burgers looked really goos but was r sry disappointed with the quesadilla that was stored with lettuce and got soggy. The beans in the bean and cheese burrito did not taste authentically Mexican. The steak burritos had lettuce in it. But I saw someone get onion rings and they looked light and crispy. read more

I like to come here for lunch when I'm town. Friendly staff, clean, great prices, and food is always fresh and tasty.

The best. Very good and very friendly staff. Highly recommended. The name throws you off. Much more than tacos. The breakfast burrito is amazing read more

On Sundays they have a special where their char burger is only 1.50! It was pretty substantial in size and I had a side of onion rings. YUMMY! The decor was lacking, but who can complain when you're there with good company and food. It is a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. I love coming up to Goleta/Santa Barbara on the weekends to get away from Los Angeles. read more

So good! If crunchy, crispy onion rings are your thing, Cal Taco's are the best! It's the same burgers/fries as The Habit but with the added 'Mexican' menu. read more

This place is very underrated. It seems as if the locals only know about this place, but it has always been a favorite whether it meant grabbing lunch on the go or getting food after the beach. I spoke with the owner and this place has been around for about 24 years. I used to eat here when I was in high school and it's still nice to visit after college. The price is affordable so you can't go wrong by trying it. read more

The burgers are amazing! French fries are decent (so get the onion rings).

I was born & raised in Goleta, & this is my favorite place to get a burger! The staff is always friendly, & the food is always AMAZING!

I wish I could give this place six stars! It's fast and friendly. Great prices for great food! I've had the fish tacos, the chicken tacos, the steak tacos. All good! My review is short because there's nothing bad to say about this place! If you're in the area stop in! It'll make for a good quick tasty lunch. read more

My fiance and i eat here SO often, and we've taken all of our friends and family whenever they visit. I LOVE this place. We've tried pretty much everything on the menu, and it's all delicious and fresh. The staff are really friendly and helpful. If you're looking for a super casual but delicious meal, go there! read more

Placed a take out order and this is what I got: 5 tacos made from boxed style taco shells (like the kind that Taco Bell uses), and containers only half full of the rice and beans that I ordered. The tacos were bland and because of the shell, were awful. The rice was way over cooked and therefore hard and tasteless. The beans were good. I paid $18 for beans. The rest I threw in the trash. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE !!! read more

I'm not sure about all the bad reviews I come here all the time and I quite enjoy their burgers. Their ranch is great for dipping if you like to dip your fries and yes it's quite similar to The Habit but I like that. Thumbs up for me read more

Came here for breakfast ... They do not know how to make a good breakfast. Everything is canned/processed and bland other than the high salt content. The ham tastes like spam. Terrible coffee. Go someplace else for breakfast. read more

Love this place.. best burger joint in goleta! a notch above habit because they just started serving beer. Their Mexican food is good as well but i always resort to a burger and a beer with half fries half o rings. True local spot read more

We are regulars here for the Sunday-special charbroiled burgers. Less than 2 bucks for one of the tastiest burgers in town. But the secret is out so it can get a bit crowded. Milkshakes and fries are good, too. Must say I've never tried any of their Mexican fare except for chips and salsa, which were above average Owner is friendly and takes care of his customers. Give this little place a try. read more

Great eats all around the menu. The cheap burgers are always a hit, as are the taquitos, sandwiches and burritos. The service can a bit slow at times, but it's worth the wait for this relaxed and pleasant spot. read more