I came to SB a year ago for work and stayed at the inn and I have been thinking about their chili ever since. For a year. I don't know if it's because they cook it with bell peppers or what they put in it but it is seasoned so well, it tastes so homey! I literally drive from San Diego to get Just the chili to take home (i don't even like chili like that ). Everyone is so friendly and we all enjoyed our food (especially the chili) read more

Live Oak Cafe - Street view of cafe and inn - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Just had a fabulous quiet lunch in the back courtyard facing the hotel pool during happy hour. Lovely energy. Great decor and stain glass artsy windows. Happy indoor plants and succulents. Great local craft beer selection. My gf had a great ceasar salad with avacado. Quality live oak lemonade (alcohol) drinks. Loved the chicken sandwich special with pineapple and bacon! Big fan read more

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Absolutely loved my breakfast. I got a skillet with eggs, kale/spinach/quinoa side and it was oh so tasty. My best friend and I were on the way to the Santa Barbara Mission from LA and we left really early thinking there would be a ton of traffic. Much to our surprise, it wasn't that bad so we decided to stop by and grab a bite to eat. The location is real easy to pass by, but there was plenty of parking, and no one was there which was nice. I definitely want to stop by again because the food was healthy, tasty, and fresh! read more

Great service and food. On our way from Monterey to Ojai, we visited for our breakfast. This place has great reviews, but we weren't sure because not many are reviewed. When we entered the parking lot, the restaurant belongs to Best Western. So clean and cozy environment. I ordered Veggie omelet with the side of sweet potato. The ingredients were all fresh and tasty. read more

Wow, the food here is delicious. Ive only had their dinner menu, but anything I've ordered previously. Was all sooo good! You can't go wrong with any food choices, they all super tasty. They even accept axxess cards here for the SB locals. Came the other night with my SO, and ordered the fried shrimp app for $6 off their specials. Neither of us wanted to share so we ordered 2 of them and we were not disappointed. They were meaty, crispy, and lightly battered, accompanied with a sweet and sour sauce with a little kick. We should have ordered 2 more plates, that's how good they were. We ordered wings, and again, didn't want to share, so we ordered 2 plates. The chicken was fried perfectly, although a little on the smaller side, in comparison to other places in town whom serve wings (not many places) we opted for the sauce on the side (as usual) so the chicken stays crispy and we can control the amount if sauce per wing. The wings came with a slightly hotter, yet sweet undertone sauce. My SO ended up dipping her shrimp in the wing sauce, and liked it alot. Lastly, my SO ordered the caesar salad. While I didn't have any(she offered to share actually) it looked good and she finished the plate. We will for sure be back! read more

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Cute cafe with nice service. Honestly, I would give the food a 3.5. I got the live oak Benedict and was satisfied, but it definitely wasn't one of the best eggs Benedict I've ever had. I ordered a latte and it was pretty plain, so I would recommend getting a flavored latte! My dad ordered the pancake combo and said that it felt healthy and was flavorful. I don't think this place is a must-go, but it was a fairly good meal for the price. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Live Oak Benedict and Pancake Combo - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Live Oak Cafe has a nice happy hour deal where appetizers like wings or quesadillas are reasonably priced. It's also features a beautiful little patio area with a slow-paced scene. Quality service because it's not busy at all. I had the Live Oak Burger and I must say it was good. Meat was cooked perfectly and the spicy sriracha mayo was a perfect complement. The brioche bun was solid, my only regret is that is was a bit too soggy. The fries were decent, comparable in texture and taste to McDonalds but lacking the heat and salty goodness of the golden arch fries they resemble. Would highly recommend this spot if you're looking for a vacation from Santa Barbara among real vacationers. read more

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Nestled next to Best Western hotel off of Bath St. If we weren't staying at a bed and breakfast with great breakfast already, we would have been here every day while I. sB. Simply great food. Great service. We ordered fresh fruit cup, an omelette and Pacific Rim fried rice. The highlight was really the fried rice. The thick cut up bacon and perfectly cooked egg on top really made up for it's breakfast purpose. The omelette tasted great with spinach and feta, my Dave's combo. Additionally their homemade hit sauce was a delight! The service was quick, friendly, and the interior was cozy and clean...so, why not the 5 stars. I really don't think this is the restaurant's fault. But there was a prostitute wearing a pink wig approaching tables trying to get some business. She seemed friendly and did not cause a commotion but she approached the male-dominated table next to us twice..and it was awkward. It's fine that she dines here as a patron here but perhaps she shouldn't be allowed to promote?? read more

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What impressed me the most was the service. The owner of the cafe noticed, from across the room, that I needed something. It turns out, the pancakes have spices in them. I am allergic to spice. She swapped them out for me, no problem. Also, they let people swap avocado for meat on their egg plates. Most places that I've been to do not allow that. These things combined left us feeling well taken care of and happy. One request-please carry more plant based options, like almond milk, plant based butter, plant based sausage. Everyone at our table enjoyed his/her/their meal. read more

Everything was made fresh and tasted good. Easy parking and the interior of the restaurant was nice.

Amazing food and outstanding customer service! We love their curbside service and the online ordering is easy. Our favorites are the ahi salad or BLT for lunch, and the chicken piccata for dinner. This is such a hidden gem and you need to check it out!! So delicious!!! read more

I genuinely don't know how this place has 4.5 stars. It is the most misleading Yelp rating ever. The eggs benedict was served on a frail piece of toast not an english muffin. "Poached" eggs were more like medium boiled eggs. The french toast was poorly done. I was expecting a thick fluffy toast but it looks like they used some store bought thin sandwich bread. Way overpriced for what we got. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Eggs Benedict and french toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

My husband ordered the grain bowel and I ordered the Thai chicken. The grain bowel was good and he enjoyed it. However my Thai chicken was disappointing. There was barely any dressing and the chicken was so chewy. On the menu, there were supposedly peanut and cilantro in my Thai chicken salad but all missing. The waiter did bring the missing items to my table after I asked for them but the salad just so plain and no Thai flavor whatsoever. read more

Great breakfast and lunch place. Across the parking lot from a Best Western, but this place is a gem. Inside decor looks updated recently. Food is so good and service is really excellent too! And we didn't have to wait like at some of the other breakfast spots nearby, which I didn't think were worth the wait. Definitely coming back here when I'm in SB. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Veggie omelette was so good and big! Had some of my hubby's bacon waffle and bacon. My daughter had the fried rice with egg and loved it. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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This little hidden cafe is located at the best western and can be missed if you drive past too quickly. I enjoy the grain bowls and I love that you can pick up to go orders! They also serve alcohol and have a lovely collection of desserts! If you're not in a rush, you can sit in the patio area where you can enjoy the lovely singing of the birds in their display. It's definitely relaxing. Enjoy! read more

Live Oak Cafe - Pacific Rim Bacon Fried Rice Grain Bowl - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

This place is a great hidden gem in Santa Barbara! Wonderful food--friendly service. You can't go wrong. If you work in the Cottage Hospital area go here. Trust me. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Banh Mi Sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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I can't believe I've never written a review for this place. Tried it years ago because it was on axxess and was conveniently located next to the hospital. I usually hate restaurants attached to hotels. The food is usually overpriced and either overly seasoned or not at all. Not this place. Their fried rice is ridiculously amazing. Like borderline obsessed must have. I tried the Bahn mi for the first time and it hit the spot. Same with the lasagna. I also like their fried calamari and anything seafood - salmon is great. Every time I come here. I leave happy and full. And also order a few extra items to take home for lunch tomorrow. Pleasantly surprised by this place. read more

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I wouldn't normally frequent a restaurant attached to a motel and wouldn't have thought to try Live Oak Cafe had I not seen rave reviews on a "support local business" Facebook page. We have since ordered from them a few times during these COVID times. Parking and pick up is super easy. The food is fantastic. We have had an array of entrees and enjoyed them all. They are closed for the holiday (through 1/3/21) but should reopen on the 4th per their website. We have enjoyed the mushroom pot pie, tacos, calamari appetizer as well as soups and salads. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Mushroom Pot Pie (Super yummy) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The service was great and the food is very tasty and the birds are wonderful!! Every time my daughter comes to Santa Barbara from Oceanside (once or twice a month) we come here. read more

So I was at a retreat and wanted a walk and lunch. A few blocks away was a Cafe - Live Oak. - Looked like a good choice, so I hoofed it over to Live Oak Cafe and am I glad I did. Even though my lunch was very simple, a hamburger (their Live Oak Burger) and a simple salad (cucumber and carrot and black sesame seeds), everything was flavorful, tasty, well presented, and just plain yummy. The facility is ultra clean. The floors simply shine, and everything is all so clean and inviting. The service was prompt, and delightful. This is a wonderful place for lunch, and I now have it on my 'lets go back' list. read more

Such a great little spot. We were driving through SB Yelping our way to find a breakfast spot and this one popped up. My husband got a grain bowl from the lunch menu with Kalua pork. Which he devoured. I stuck with an omelette overflowed with bacon topped with avocados My side was a fruit bowl which was super fresh and so yummy. Great stop. Cute place!!! Speedy service read more

Great brunch! Friendly, chipper service. We will love to come back. Lemon Zest Brioche French Toast was amazing! read more

Live Oak Cafe - French Toast Combo. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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My husband and I and family members ate at this Cafe while we stayed at Best Western Plus last week. The food was fresh, delicious and filling. There were very heathy items also on the menu. The expresso and pumpkin lates were our favorites. read more

Live oak is a great little neighborhood gem. They have a nice greenhouse patio next to their little birdcage full of cute little tweety birds. There is also a nice bar inside and they always have a decent selection of rotating local beers. The menu is unique and has plenty of healthy options. I really like the quinoa patty eggs benedict on the breakfast menu. They have a lot of Asian fusion so it's nice to have these unique options. Great happy hour. I order the potstickers and chicken wings often. I consistently have good service from friendly staff here. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Aviary next to the greenhouse patio. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Great atmosphere all around! Located next to Best Western on Bath Street this restaurant is a must try. I came here on a Friday night with a party of 4 and it was pretty much a ghost town! I was surprised by that since this place has 4.5 star rating. Does it live up to the hype? Not sure after one visit but the food we ordered didn't disappoint. They have very reasonable prices and some great choices on the menu. Happy Hour is from 3-6pm I wanted to order a margarita but our waitress explained something about the alcohol being fermented and it was only 20% alcohol. Just give me a regular margarita please. She made me second guess my choice so I just opted for a glass of wine instead. But my friend ordered the margarita and she let me take a sip. It tasted like a watered down lemonade but it was still kind of refreshing. The Food ~ I ordered the pan roasted salmon. It came with fennel pollen mashed potatoes, asparagus and carrots. It was a very generous serving and it was cooked just right. Tender and flakey. I loved the mashed potatoes. They were creamy and flavorful. Citrus Arugula Salad (not pictured) ~ Sliced grapefruit, smoked almonds, shaved grana Padano cheese, dressed with a lemon and olive oil dressing. Omg soooo yummy!!! A perfect salad if you like arugula. My friend ordered it and she shared it with us. Thank you Comadre! Complimentary Rosemary garlic knots ~ I can eat these like popcorn! Crab cakes ~ I didn't get to try them but I managed to get a picture. They look good and pretty though right? BLT Sandwich ~ My friend said it was pretty good. The bacon was thick and crisp. They take the 2015 Axxess card and it's Buy one get one Free Entrée! Great deal as I split the cost of my $17 meal with my girlfriend and she ordered the same thing. So I paid about $10 after tax gotta love the Axxess card! Overall this restaurant is a place I look forward to trying again. Their breakfast menu looks great too. Check it out if you want to try something different! read more

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Restaurant as part of (or connected) to the Best Western Hotel in Santa Barbara on Bath Street (which I hear is very nice, by the way). You won't have any trouble finding parking here, so no hubbub or chaotic mess from State Street. It's a cute place that features an enclosed patio setting. It has a little of everything on the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. But the uniqueness comes from the owner that brings a Polynesian/Hawaiian influence. Want some Kahlua Pork? Come here. Want some Spam & Eggs? Come here. Want some Bacon Fried Rice? Yep, come here. PACIFIC RIM BACON FRIED RICE ============================ Made with mixed veggies, brown rice, avocado, green onion, black sesame seeds and a sunny side up egg for $10 -- this sounded really good. Nice presentation for a very large portion, I ate half and took home the rest. Execution? Well, carrots, peas, and green beans from a bag out of the freezer took away from the healthy side of town, but the bacon was tasty. (4.0 stars) FINCHES ======== A very large bird aviary with about 100 Finches is directly connected to the restaurant. So very cute, and not served on the menu. OVERALL ======== The service is cordial, friendly, polite, and very accommodating. It's a no-brainer if you are staying at the hotel to grab a convenient meal or two during your stay, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Pacific Rim Bacon Fried Rice ($10, 4.0 stars) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Loved the ambiance. Food was good but a little bit pricey. Service was fast. Will recommend for brunch

Came here for brunch after staying in the nearby Best Western - they have a huge menu, which seems to be polynesian themed. I got the bacon fried rice which was really tasty - some of my other friends got benedicts and french toast that looked awesome too. Quick service also read more

Got takeout from here twice since I was at a clinic session across the street all day. Everyone at the clinic was saying how this is their go-to when ordering out! Had the bacon avocado omelette sans bacon for breakfast. Came quickly and tasted good. Seasoned well but your standard omelette. For lunch got the grilled salmon salad. The lemon dressing was great and it was overall, really filling. Salmon was cooked very well and was still warm when it got to me. The cucumbers, edamame, and spinach tasted super fresh as well. Great little spot! read more

Eggs Benedict but too much mystery and stiffed us $5 BW breakfast credit. Still in business?

The Live Oak Cafe (formerly Las Aves) is hidden away in a Best Western Inn near the hospital. The location may not be the best, but the food is top notch. They even make their own maple espresso bacon, how can you top that? The service is good, prices are decent, and they've got a very good beer and wine selection. The quality of the view depends on who's diving in that day (it overlooks the motel pool). The BLT and that homemade bacon is tasty and unique, while the Pork Belly Banh Mi is delicious. I'm glad we found this place, and I hope they do well. I can't wait to try their breakfast! read more

Live Oak Cafe - BLT - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Live Oak was a great spot to grab good breakfast at. I ordered the Santa Barbara Wrap and my boyfriend got the Avo Bacon Omeltte. Everything was pretty good, a few of the side potatoes we got were uncooked which was a bummer because they tasted great. Otherwise service was good and it was a cute little spot. read more

Our family stopped in several times for breakfast. The restaurant is part of the Best Western Plus but is independently run and operated. First off...this is not hotel food. It is really great! When our family visited we tried several dishes. One favorite was the Santa Barbara Breakfast Wrap and the Bacon Waffles. The service was off on one visit but was fine otherwise. read more

I am usually hesitant to go into restaurants that are in hotels. The Live Oak Cafe was very good. We stayed three nights and had three breakfasts and one dinner here. There were four of us. We had several items such as eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, wine, fish, coffee, hot chocolate... all very good and reasonably priced. The service was excellent and everyone friendly! Recommend this restaurant. read more

This restaurant is located at the best western plus. Came here for breakfast and lunch over a weekend. For lunch I ordered the bacon fried rice and Parmesan fries. The fried rice was amazing and super delicious! The fries were MEH. When we ordered breakfast the next day to bring back to the hotel. My friend waited an hour and when she checked the food, something was missing. They wanted to apologize to her and offered a complimentary cup of coffee while she waited for the last order. When she got everything and paid, turns out they charged her the coffee. Since my friend waited so long she didn't want to ask them to remove the coffee since she knew how slow the staff were. The breakfast was really delicious which is why I still gave it 3 stars but service was not great. read more

Live Oak Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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I ordered the Bahn Mi, pork belly and onion rings. Worst onion rings ever, not in long enough to be anything but soggy, it had more oil than a motorcycle engine. The Bahn Mi was not for me. It looked good, I had a few good bites, until several bites of nothing but fat. You are what you eat and this sandwich goes down to defeat. read more

We checked into a Best Western adjacent to this little restaurant. We (8 of us, 3 kids and 5 adults) came here for lunch. We all really enjoyed our meals the salads that were ordered were very fresh with a variety of veggies. The calamari appetizer was good. My BLT Sriracha Sandwich and Jalapeño Soup of the day was just enough for lunch. The Jalapeño soup is not spicy at all. All the sandwiches ordered and soups and salads were really good. They have good bloody marys too. Overall, we all enjoyed a good lunch meal and the service was good. The restaurant is observing covid-19 guidelines and they're wearing masks and enforcing social distancing too. We were all very pleased. We checked out their breakfast menu and it looks like they have good options. We may return for breakfast another day before leaving town. read more

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Came here for breakfast the other day. I was expecting a place that was maybe airier or newer based on the look of their website, and it's pretty dated. Why outdoor furniture if you are seated indoors? The server was great, attentive, very nice. My daughter had the lemon zest French toast, which she liked. I ordered the garden veggie omelet, which was just weird. The vegetables were not really cooked enough, and the eggs were draped over. There were huge hunks of red onion, nearly raw, and small pieces of woody kale stalks, almost all of which I pushed to the side. I asked to add cheese and most of it was stuck to the plate, under the vegetables. The "scallion potatoes" on the side didn't have enough scallions to advertise them by that name. I think if I had ordered something else it would have been better. read more

This place is really lovely! It has an aviary next door and the interior is really pretty! We went for breakfast and ordered their Eggs Benedict, Kids combo (eggs, bacon, and bread), and kids pancakes. Don't judge us for ordering kids stuff. The portion sizes are smaller and had exactly what we wanted :P All the food was great! Especially the eggs benedict! Definitely recommend getting that. Pancakes were while wheat and came with fresh strawberries and blueberries. It wasn't too sweet and was really tasty as well. It took us some time to get our menus but other than that, service was good. read more

live oak was really amazing! there were too many vegan options on the menu but i had the hash browns, and the avocado toast. the hasbrowns were very solid! especially considering the price. the quantity was very good the avocado toast was pretty much what expected. the tomatoes were raw and the seasoning was alright. but i added some siracha to it and game changer! also tip: i got some extra slices of toast and cut them up and dipped them into maple syrup for easy instant vegan french toast! read more

Live Oak Cafe - avocado toast and hasbrowns! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California