If I could give this restaurant more than five stars, I absolutely would. From the moment you walk in, the staff is genuinely friendly, welcoming, and attentive, which immediately sets the tone for a great experience. The service is impressively fast while still feeling thoughtful and unrushed, something that's hard to find these days. The food is outstanding. You can truly tell that all the ingredients are high quality and organic, and that care really comes through in every dish. Everything we ordered was incredibly fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. A special mention has to go to the complimentary jalapeño rolls they bring out when you first sit down--easily the softest, most amazing rolls I've ever had, and a perfect way to start the meal. I would highly, highly recommend visiting this place to anyone. It's hands down the best restaurant in the area, and one I'll be coming back to again and again. read more

Friendly servers. Excellent food. Like seriously excellent. It's a rather unassuming place from the outside but once you're inside the atmosphere and ambience is fun but thankfully not obnoxious. I had the sea bass special and oh my god, it was the first time in a while that a bite of food made my eyes roll into the back of my head. I wish I had seen the dessert menu before I ate most of my entree, because the desserts looked really good. Next time I'll make sure to save room. read more

See all

Let me start off by saying I totally misjudged this restaurant!! My husband and I drive by this place and he would constantly say, " let's try this place." And I would say, "nah, meh." But today I agreed. And my perception was totally miscued!! Walking inside it is quite cute. Decor is very colorful and cheery. The service was nice and the waitresses were very helpful. We came on a Tuesday and saw they have a fried chicken dinner special. I tried the Russ fried chicken sandwiches and they were very tasty. The jalapeño cheese bread fell apart a bit, but it was ok. Still delicious‼ My husband had the fried catfish and it was cooked just right. The hush puppies were so good ‼. Both plates were presented well and the taste was on point. We shall return. read more

Chef Rick's - Russ fried chicken sandwiches - New American Near Me - Orcutt, California

See all

The food is absolutely delicious. The jalapeño cheese rolls to start are so soft and flavorful. We had "the Archie's" shrimp which was the perfect amount of spice and seasoning. If you like spice and garlic, TRUST ME- this is the dish for you. To finish, my husband and I shared the "little Billy's" prime rib sandwiches which were tender and flavorful. We are so happy to have discovered this little gem in Orcutt! Coming back asap! read more

If you're looking for a meal that will pleasantly surprise you, and wake up your taste buds, look no further than Chef Rick's Ultimately Fine Foods in Orcutt. The flavors are bold, meld well, and one can tell that only quality ingredients are used. The menu offers cajun-like flavors and something for everyone, including several vegetarian options. The service is suburb, and we were not rushed through our dining experience. I had the Sea Bass Special, which was pan-seared to perfection, with a crispy, golden skin that gives way to buttery, flaky white fish inside. Layered below the sea bass is tender asparagus and fried mashed potatoes. And, topped with a beautiful cream sauce. It is absurdly delicious. My partner had the Grilled Monster Cheeseburger, with Rick's secret sauce. It was cooked to perfection and paired well with broccoli slaw lightly coated in a sunflower seed vinaigrette Scrumptious! Do not leave without ordering a slice of the Chocolate Pecan Pie. This pie is the "supreme" of desserts. It is baked perfectly with homemade crust, gooey dark sugar center, and drizzled with chocolate. I ate the entire, generous slice. One cannot help but notice the artwork on the walls. The restaurant doubles as a gallery, showcasing bold, colorful pieces from local artists that give the space a creative, soulful energy. It's the perfect backdrop for a meal that is, quite literally, a work of art itself. This is a "must visit" restaurant for locals and those passing through the Central Coast. read more

Chef Rick's - Sea Bass layered over tender asparagus and deep fried mashed potato, with cream sauce. - New American Near Me - Orcutt, California

Our family came for a celebratory dinner per the birthday lady's request. Off the bat, some of the service left more to be desired. The waitress repeatedly placed clean utensils directly on the table. When I discreetly asked to get a dessert for the birthday girl, the first thing she told me was that she wouldn't comp it despite my asking to order it. There were just little things that made me feel less than perfectly welcome. The main focus, however, was the food. As someone who is a huge fan of all things savory and someone my husband asks to use less salt, I found my shrimp and grits nearly impossible to eat. They were SO salty - like someone threw in the salt shaker salty- I couldn't bear eating more than a few bites. Not wanting to make things awkward, I didn't say anything. However, when I tried my husband's gumbo special- I realized his was also very salty. My MIL tried the green fried tomato and later in confidence mentioned that it tasted like it was day old. All in all, I would be afraid to return and have another over-salted dish. I'm hoping this was just a one off. read more

Save a trip to NOLA Come here instead and taste the flavors from a real chef and get spoiled from his attentive and professional staff I have been here many times and the last time we.noticed they were waiting for the Liquor License to be renewed. They are still on hold for this but it should not steer you away. Save the calories from the drinks and get dessert! I know. They will get their license back soon but their food stands on its own. Try the salads, soups, and pasta dishes. I LOVE the Linguini with Garlic Shrimp and Mushrooms. It is a revelation, an orchestra of flavors, a delightful creation. This place is a GEM The ambiance is eclectic, perhaps a little eccentric and fun and inviting. read more

See all

Some friends recommended we go to Chef Rick's for lunch but they close at 2PM so when we called they told us to come on in even though it was 1:50! We were so grateful! It was my first time there and we ordered appetizers and entrees. It was incredible. Every single part of the meal! The next day I was dreaming about the dinner rolls they started us with! their portions are big as well! Everything is homemade! Absolutely incredible! read more

Chef Rick's - The best pasta! - New American Near Me - Orcutt, California

Food was okay and service was very slow. We went at opening time and it seemed the staff weren't ready. We want to go back to give a second chance but not sure yet. Restaurant was unique and different indoors than most places. read more

Chef Rick's - Chef Rick's Grilled "Monster" Cheese Burger - New American Near Me - Orcutt, California

See all

Shrimp n Grits is Amazing. Reminds of the City Grocery in Oxford Mississippi. If you know, you know. Hotty Toddy.

Came by for an early Thursday dinner. Arrived when they just opened. We were promptly greeted when we entered and given the choice to sit where we wanted. We ordered their "archie's new orleans-style barbequed shrimp" ($18) and their dinner special "16-ounce prime ribeye skillet steak" ($48). Complimentary warm bread basket was provided. Food came out timely and at the right temperature. My Archie's appetizer was excellent but I would prefer a harder bread for dipping up the broth as the bread provided kept falling apart when sopping up the broth. Steak option looked fantastic. The corn mixture was very tasty as well as the fried onion strings. The steak was cooked as requested but, to me, fell short in taste and texture. Staff was very friendly and welcoming. Service was on point. read more

See all

Ok, I went from loving this place to watching it fall apart. And I feel sad. So I went there with my friends a couple of months ago and noticed a big down turn in the quality and quantity of food. And was told that the food had not been changed. Well, I chocked it up to a bad night. Everyone has one, I didn't want to make a federal case out of it. Until tonight. We had reservations for taking our best friends there for a birthday celebration only to told that that liquor license had been gone for a few months now. Um, need to give a nice cheers to our guest of honor. Thanks for the heads up! Let's go to plan B. read more

Chef Rick's - Indoor eating at Chef Rick's. A hidden surprise! - New American Near Me - Orcutt, California

Chef Rick's is one of our favorite restaurants in town. We scheduled a reservation for my mom's 82nd birthday and they surprised us by having a handwritten menu with MOM's 82nd birthday at the top. They gave us a private table and they even gave us a dessert and the chef came out and sang. happy birthday with his staff. and my mom was so happy. All the food is absolutely delicious. read more

Chef Rick's - This is vanilla ice cream with blackberries and blackberry sauce. It was delicious so is everything I've ever gotten there. - New American Near Me - Orcutt, California

Fine Choice in South Santa Maria..... Pros: Interesting menu. Very good food. Big portions. Friendly service. Cons: Kitchen seemed to fall behind the orders Star Ratings: - Overall: 4 - Location: 4 - Ambiance: 4 - Menu: 5 - Food Quality: 5 - Food Quantity: 5 - Service: 5 - Price: 4 - Parking: 4 We've heard about Chef Rick's from several people, but never got around to going. Finally, in mid January, we made it down for lunch with another couple. Here are the pros and cons: Pros: - Location: It depends. It's at the south end of the airport in Santa Maria so great if you're in Santa Maria. Okay for Nipomo, Arroyo Grande or Los Alamos. A bit of a stretch for other places. - Ambiance: Comfortable. It's homey without feeling too much like grandma's house or a dusty barn for horses and cowboys. - Menu: Large and attractive. Lots of great sounding dishes. - Food Quality: Pretty good. My wife and I shared a tasty bowl of Roasted Garlic Soup ($12). I followed that with Fish (catfish) and Chips ($28) which was a large portion of fish and medium amount of fries. She had the Avocado grilled Cheese Sandwich ($21) and called it "fine". - Food Quantity: Big. Dinner was leftovers from lunch. - Service: Neighborly. Our server was friendly and helpful and didn't seem to mind stopping as she hustled between tables. - Price: Reasonable. Cons: - Location: Depends where you're coming from or going to. - Kitchen: Slow? It was busy for a weekday afternoon - so I was told - and most tables were taken, but our friends waited 45 minutes from when they ordered to the time their food arrived. Luckily for my wife and I, our bowl of soup tied us over until the entrees arrived. - Parking: Usually enough. There was only 1 small space left in the lot when we got there at 1240 PM so you'll probably need to park down the street for dinner. Our first visit to Chef Rick's went well so we'll definitely be back. read more

The food was delicious and the portions were HUGE. We ordered the shrimp quesadilla, patty melt, and grilled chicken sandwich. The chicken sandwich was the favorite read more

See all

This is probably one of my favorite restaurants ever. There is nothing like Chef Rick's. The menu is creative and unique. There is something for everyone here. The Salmon Pear salad is my favorite, my father thinks the burger is the best thing he has ever experienced, and my mother loves all of their shrimp dishes. There is never any wait time and your food comes out quick too. The decorations and style of the whole restaurant makes the meal all the more entertaining too. I would love to shake Chef Rick's hand and tell him thank you, I love you; but also to lower the price of my salad back down to 26 instead of 28 unless he is going to throw in a second pear. read more

Chef Rick's - Cathy's BBQ Salad and the Monster Burger - New American Near Me - Orcutt, California

See all

I stopped going here about a year ago when I was charged 5$ for a small side of avocado. I figured I'd give them another shot because it's close by my house. Well, I won't be back anytime soon. Server was great, but everything was very slow. I ordered desert and it took 30 minutes JUST for a brownie and scoop of ice cream. I ordered 2 burgers and a brownie- all in all and dinner took about an hour and a half. In and out burger next time... read more

Came here for dinner with my hubby. Staff is friendly and attentive. They brought us bread and water as we browsed the menu options. My hubby ordered a patty melt with the broccoli slaw and it was tasty. I ordered a grilled chicken, bacon, avocado sandwich with sourdough bread with sweet potato fries - perfect fries yummm! Both meals were yummy. Chicken and beef patty were cooked perfectly. It is a LARGE meal so just know you can share a plate if wanted. The bottom bread of the sandwich does get a bit soggy - that's what I noticed. read more

One of the best ! If you are looking for gourmet creole and some great homemade dishes you will be amazed ! Chef Rick, Tabby and crew are all so wonderful too ! read more

Little quaint eateries that have a niche seem to be a dime a dozen. There are many places that say they deliver big flavor with a small-town vibe but fall short of the calling; Chef Rick's lives up to the hype of bringing their "unique style to you." Classified as a "New American" by Yelp, I would venture to say this is Creole/Cajun based more than anything. They have po-boy sandwiches, gumbo, jambalaya pasta, blackened catfish, and all the other dishes that a New Orleans native would want. Now of course, Chef Rick's add their own little flair to each dish but the main component of the Bayou dish is still present. They start you off with a cheesy jalapeño roll which are freshly warm, flavorful and dense. My appetizer was the garlic soup; this dish is any garlic lover's true fantasy. With plentiful bits of garlic and flavor, it is creamy and has just enough salt to negate any bitterness. If there were some kind of protein in that garlic soup, it would set it apart from all other soups I've known. My main course was a "Wednesday Special" which was Georgia fried chicken and smoked sausage gumbo with couscous jambalaya and green onion remoulade; I added blackened shrimp for extra protein. It was a well-balanced dish with bite sized pieces of crispy chicken and the jambalaya's Cajun roots of flavor to bring everything together. I would order this every night if I could. Chef Rick's is a bit out of the way off the 101 freeway so you really want to dine here if your cravings desire. But if you indeed decide to eat here, you'll be glad you made the effort and your taste buds will too. read more

Chef Rick's - Wednesday Special - Georgia fried chicken (cubes), smoked sausage gumbo, couscous jambalaya, and green onion remoulade. - New American Near Me - Orcutt, California

See all

Great menu. Food was very good. Atmosphere was unique. Comfortable setting. Recommend trying it!! Fine American cuisine with purple napkins. read more

Food is always excellent. The rolls and garlic soup are our favorite. The service was good, food was a little bit of a wait.

I love Chef Rick's. I have always enjoyed the food & service is always great. My disappointment is because for some reason they decided to do a special Valentine's Day menu. Valentine's Day is the reason we went there for dinner. However their special menu didn't include any of our favorite entrees. The menu was minimal. I don't know why the regular menu wasn't offered. This menu offered really nothing I wanted, but I ordered the Spinach Ravioli. Won't order it again. read more

Always something new on the menu. Ambiance is clean and fun, and the service is hit or miss. Sometimes it's slow and sometimes it's the best. Always nice though read more

Never did try the food. Made a reservation. Showed up on time. Staff seemed clueless. Told us they were getting our table ready; other people came in and were invited to seat themselves. After 10 minutes and realizing that our table was going to be next to a group of prom goers, we decided to leave. Went to another busy restaurant and got excellent service. read more

I really wanted to like this place however we didn't have the best experience and after our server explained to us that there was.a "new line cook" and a server called out, it made since as to why the grits were undercooked (twice) the chicken sandwich had zero flavor. The ambience is nice as long as it's not cold and the door keeps opening and you're not sitting in the draft! I'm willing to try this again... maybe read more

See all

This review is long overdue since I ordered in February as a Valentine's Day dinner! But my experience still stays in my mind. Chef Rick's made our stay at home Valentine's Day unexpectedly great. We ordered the Blackened Tri Tip Caesar salad, the Fried Chicken gumbo, and a slice of Sweet Potato cake to go. When we got home I noticed the entire fried chicken entree was missing, and promptly called the restaurant. They apologized, offered to make one fresh, and said it would be ready by the time we arrived. They also threw in some rolls and a free cookie for our trouble! That's service that will get a return visit from me every time. The Tri Tip salad is easily one of my favorite salads I've ever had, something about the char sets it apart. The fried chicken was not exceptional, but the gumbo tasted authentic. The sweet potato cake was like a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting--I was not expecting this, so if you're not a fan of carrot cake you might want to steer clear. The cookie, however, was delicious and large! This restaurant is a great addition to the area and I'd recommend it if you're interested in Cajun food and great desserts! read more

Chef Rick's - The sweet potato cake, much like a carrot cake. Delicious! - New American Near Me - Orcutt, California

I was unsure at first!! However this place really impressed me!!! Service and food were outstanding!! Great job to this establishment!! Had the New Mexico patty melt and it was more than I bargained for!! Place is definitely worth it read more

Great place for lunch! Good parking. Even when they're busy I've always been able to park and get seated within 5 minutes of arriving. It has a very homey, southern vibe but feels modern at the same time. I went with my team during lunch and while they weren't too busy, our food did take awhile to come out but we enjoyed the delicious, warm bread and our drinks were quickly refilled while we waited. Everyone who works there is super friendly. I love the BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad - it's pretty big and can easily be shared or saved for later. My friend got the Eggplant po'boy and said it was tasty but lacking texture - could have used some crunch or something else. I definitely want to come back to try their dinner options soon. read more

See all

Great food and service, sauces are the best!!! Nice vibe and great look in the restaurant.

Amazing food. Very unique and flavorful, with cool combinations and influences. Chef Rick is a very sweet and humble guy, and all of his staff embody that sentiment. There is art all along the walls and he always has groovy music playing. Such a great spot! read more

The food and service was outstanding. I had the jambalaya and my wife had the shrimp blt and guacamole. We each loved our dishes. The server was very friendly and helpful. Definitely will go back soon. read more

Third time trying this place and it's just so hit or miss. Was really wanting a big juicy burger and opted for the Mexican patty melt. The fries were stale. Like they had been sitting all day or something. Flavor was ok but the staleness was unpleasant. The burger itself was ok but not for the price. No peppers that I found unless they mean the chili sauce had the peppers, so a little confused there. Overall lacking flavor and just disappointed. Wish there was consistency but all 3 times have been different. read more

Chef Rick's - Prime rib sandwich - New American Near Me - Orcutt, California

Very unusual menu that delivers. My dish was more Mexican influenced than New Orleans, delightful. Clearly Rick is skilled and knows what he's doing. A bit tricky to find but worth it. read more

The cheerful ambiance sets the tone for some amazing food. We're always greeted with pleasant smiles and courteous hospitality.

Delicious and creative food served by friendly people. Overall an excellent experience, I will definitely be back

Chef Rick's doesn't disappoint. The food is so delicious and the quality is evident. We love the coconut shrimp appetizer, the blackened shrimp quesadilla, the homemade rolls, both plain and jalapeno. Soooo good! I've had several of their desserts and they are fantastic! Friendly staff and ambiance/decor is very nice. read more

Chef Rick's is an amazing place with a beautiful colorful decor and food to match. The menu has lots of great choices. The shrimp gumbo has some amazing flavors. The staff here along with Chef Rick are very friendly and the customer service is amazing. Definitely will be back soon to try some of the other amazing dishes on the menu. read more

The only complaint about Chef RICK is the fact that they don't serve wine or beer. The food is outstanding!

Been here multiple times but as always another fabulous meal. Treated myself to the dessert as well and let me tell you it did not disappoint. Reasonable prices (for the quality you get) and fabulous service. Be sure to check it out read more

See all