This place has GREAT food but not great service. We sat outside and out of her way I suppose but out waitress rarely came by our table :/ We came here for bunch one day and really enjoyed our meals! Full breakfasts, pancakes, sandwiches, the works. We were very tired and needed a lot of coffee, but unfortunately our server rarely came by. After our food was delivered she barely came by again and my party and I were left waiting for 45mins hoping to pay so we could leave. Eventually just as we were getting up to find someone to try pay she brought us the check. Dont go here when its busy :/ read more

Had dinner at mesa cafe...i ordered the honey chicken. It came with mashed potatoes a corn on the cob that was old n salad . The salad was turning brown. My husband has the salmon salad. There was more salad and a small piece of salmon. I thought for the price it was not worth it. read more

So close to my house...I wish it was better. Yes it's a fun atmosphere. Yes it's great people watching. The CA Eggs Benedict had un-cooked spinach on it, and the English muffin wasn't toasted. But the eggs were great and the hollandaise was good too. The Bloody Mary's hit the spot after a long night on the town with the girls. Cheap and easy. read more

Went here with a couple of friends who live in the apartments near by. Pretty quaint place. The menu seems American. I ordered an omelettle with bacon, green onion and cream cheese while my one friend ordered the "Monday Special" and my other friend ordered regular bacon and eggs. Since I was on the Paleo kick I got my food with fruit while my friends got hashbrowns. The food came SUPERQUICK. inwas shocked! I could have sworn we ordered just a few minutes ago, but I guess they're just fast like that. Oh man for a simple omellette it was SO GOOD! The eggs were moist and and creamy from the cream cheese and the bacon was crisp. Really good service and very clean. Will come back again next time I'm in town for capoeira with Sul Da Bahia! read more

Great breakfast! I come here a lot on the weekends to have their omelette specials. The location is nice and parking is great, since it's located in the shopping center on the Mesa. Highly recommend this place! read more

local haunt great breakfasts fabulous blueberry muffins generous portions friendly service provided by Maria fast service provided by cook staff This restaurant was recommended to us by friends that travel to Santa Barbara often. We went there twice for breakfasts. If we lived in Santa Barbara, we would become frequent customers. read more

Waited 15 min no waitress. Previously they screwed up 5 breakfast orders in a row. Manager was rude when confronted about horrible service. Will never go back. read more

Service was friendly but borderline incompetent. I ordered the California Eggs Benedict, which came out sans avocado. When I inquired about it, he said that's the Classic, you wanted the California? Yes, that's why I ordered it... And the classic doesn't come with tomato. Clearly, someone just forgot the most important ingredient. I'm not sure what's worse: admitting something is missing from a plate or making shit up on the fly. If you're going with the latter, be a better liar dude. Just a couple minutes later and my plate is returned, complete at last. It was smothered--no, DROWNING--in hollandaise sauce. And the eggs were closer to hard boiled than poached. Bummer. Points for the fresh fruit, though, and thumbs up for always keeping my coffee cup full. However, I did not appreciate the bill being dropped off without even asking if I'd like anything else. It's not like I was a prick about you screwing up my order; I was smiles all the way. Wouldn't come back. The locals can keep this place. read more

Go there early or they will sell out of Blueberry muffin and cornbread, which are my favorites!! The ambience is a little bit noisy, but I accept that as free style! read more

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I have lived on the Mesa for years, this is my go- to spot for a quiet dinner with my husband. The dishes are always consistently good, the service spot on. Nothing cutting edge on the menu, this is where you go if you want a big plate of comfort food:) read more

The employees are such sweethearts here, met Billy and the bussers make you feel like you're right at home. Always receive great service from the staff and their corn bread is UH MAZING. Mimosa with a dash of pinnacle whipped cream vodka is where it's at! :) Keeps me coming back for more read more

Mesa Cafe - Perfect day for a mimosa - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Ho Dang! Could this be Santa Barbara's best breakfast spot?! My stars are based on a place living up to its expectations - mesa cafe is reasonable, casual, great service, lots of choices, big servings and the food comes out fast and is DELICIOUS. fair fax is awesome sauce. Bloody Mary was top notch. Love when a place thinks of everything you could need to go with your meal. Atmosphere is local style easy breezy family friendly and no stuffy attitudes. Loved it. read more

Mesa Cafe - Bloody Mary and Mimosas $6 - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Really neat vibe! It was not like I anticipated. The patio was just as nice as the inside & the weather was perfect

Nice cafe and quick service. Awesome Bloody Mary's for a great price! I got the crab cake Benedict and it was so yummy. My boyfriend got the corn beef Benedict and it was just as amazing. Will definitely be visiting again! read more

Mesa Cafe - Corn beef Benedict and crab cake Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Homemade corned beef hash is getting more difficult to find. Mesa Cafe makes it for real. Always consistent food and service. Kinda like a locals place. Check it out. read more

Mesa Cafe - Corned Beef Hash with poached eggs & tasty hashed brown taters. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Ok, you guys were already my favorite breakfast spot. However, this past Sunday you really exceeded my expectations. The power was going on and off all over town. You were still open! Even as the power went on and off you stayed open and were taking orders and rapidly putting out orders when the power was on. All I wanted was eggs Benedict and hash browns that morning and you did not disappoint despite the insanity of the Thomas Fire. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! read more

Not going to lie, every time I eat here I ONLY get the chilequiles with steak BOMB!

God bless you, Mesa Cafe. We have to come here for breakfast regularly because of the A+++ top quality bloody mary's (Jake's Super Bloody Mary) and their corned beef benedict. The service is always great and our food always comes quickly. Along with Cajun Kitchen and Garrett's, Mesa Cafe is one of the breakfast institutions of Santa Barbara. Honorable mentions go to their chile verde, biscuits and gravy, and sausage benedict. read more

I would give this place 3.5 stars if I could figure out how to do half stars on my droid. The food is good, but not a culinary escapade to write home about. That being said this is my favorite breakfast place in SB. Great patio, solid omelettes, and just the right vibe to work your way out of a hangover. read more

Mesa Cafe - pork chile verde omelette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Great place for locals, not gonna lie. Best drinks in the Mesa area with an awesome bartender crew. Also try their breakfast menu. However ***** beware of the young blonde hostess called Carlee (sic?). She acts like she wants to be anywhere but there. Dont be offended, just dont tip. read more

During Thanksgiving week I was visiting relatives during a time when they had to work. I love the Sarah scramble, so decided I would have breakfast there. For those who do not know, that dish includes scrambled eggs with cream cheese and salmon - all soft. I put a forkful in my mouth and felt something hard - thank God I didn't bite down! I took it out of my mouth, and put it on the edge of the dish - it was a very large cockroach - dead and cooked, I guess - but a cockroach just the same. I took a picture of it with my phone. I called the waitress over and she offered me another plate of food which I declined. I had ordered coffee and a mimosa while I waited for her to take my order. The manager or owner came over, tried to tell me it was a potato root, but I had the picture. Since then, I have shown it to many people, and everyone agrees it is a cockroach - it even had two feelers (or whatever they're called.) They charged me for my coffee and mimosa, but did take the cost of the plate of food off. Shanna, my daughter, called them to complain about the fact that they charged me anything. During that call she spoke to someone who said he was the owner and would have to talk to the manager about it. But when she called it a cockroach, he said: "It was too big to be a cockroach." So I suppose he and the manager are the same person. When I came to Yelp to write this, I saw other people have at least seen cockroaches on the table and so forth. But I HAD IT IN MY MOUTH! So it is very possible that cooked ones are in any dinner you have there when gravy or sauce may hide them. I WARN YOU - YOU SHOULD NOT EAT THERE, OR YOU MAY BE GETTING PROTEIN FROM A SOURCE YOU ARE UNAWARE OF. This used to be my favorite restaurant, but I will NEVER eat there again, and I will NEVER stop warning people about Mesa Café. They gave me a cockroach to eat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Breakfast was great. Like many reviewers, I got the California benedict and a bloody mary ($3.50!) and was totally satisfied. Service was pretty fast, especially considering how busy it was. As for the atmosphere, Mesa Cafe is no greasy spoon but nor is it what you might expect from a cafe. It's a big space that can be loud on a weekend morning, but still comfortable and friendly. Overall, easy to see why this is a favorite local spot. read more

Been going here for years. Last few times have not been good. Breakfast has been cold and things burnt. Last night I ordered two turkey dinners and the Yader sandwich to go , The turkey was dry and there was only stuffing on one plate and it was HORRIBLE! Dry breadcrumbs under the turkey, and it tasted stale. The worst I have ever had there. The Caesar salad that came with the sandwich could not be eaten because it was drenched in way too much dressing. Oh and the good steak fries? No more, they seemed like frozen fries, and they were cold and gross! Not sure if I will go back to my local spot for awhile. Sad. read more

Snooty, rude, racist, mysoginistic jerks. Horrible experience, the fish and chips barely had flavor and the steak fajita dinner had more vegetables than a salad. Definitely do not recommend. read more

I went there with my coworker today, 10/3/17 and I hated the service provided by the server. He had such an attitude with us since the beginning. At the end, we asked him to separate the bills on our cards by the items we individually consumed. The server ignored all our instructions and did whatever he wanted charging our cards with wrong values. When I called him to tell about the mistake he committed, he was just there staring at us and did not offer any solution to correct it. The only thing that got out of his mouth was: "But you guys are ok with this, right?" - of course, NO! We did not leave him a tip and of course we are not returning. read more

My husband, teacup Pom mix and I really enjoyed the patio seating. The service was very good and "Steak Oscar" I ordered was excellent! Too bad we are not locals... would love to try their breakfast and chocolate martini next time! read more

A local favorite. The logical pub of the Mesa. Always fun and great for groups as well.

I ate the Tuna melt and felt bad after eating it. It smelled funny or a bit off, but I couldn't tell if thats how it's supposed to be because it's canned fish and I was very hungry. I have made tuna melts at home and they were not so fishy smelling. It was also a bit soggy and greasy. read more

The Yater's grilled sandwich (roasted turkey breast, tomatoes, bacon, avocado, and jack cheese served on grilled sourdough) is the best turkey sandwich I've EVER had - the turkey is so moist and delicious, definitely freshly roasted here. KUDOS Mesa Cafe, I'm impressed! read more

Terrible service, we waited 10 minutes to be seated. We were ignored and customers who walked in after us were seated before us. The hostess/waitress didn't even make eye contact with us. We walked out and will never ever go to this place again. read more

I only come here, I come to Santa Barbara every 6 weeks. There staff is great & happy. One of fastest great food restaurant. Great tasty food. read more

Great place for breakfast, I like the corn beef hash. They allow dogs in the outside area, that's kinda cool or annoying depending on the dogs. Plenty of seating inside if some one brings a yelping dog. read more

Ate here for the first time today and loved it ! Had the Tri-tip passiilla with fruit bowl as the side and was suprised about how reasonably priced it was, the server was also very quick to help out read more

Food was trash waiter was trash only gets 5 stars because Brennen Conklin is the best busser I've ever seen he was polite checked on our table more then our waiter and he's cute ;) read more

Mesa Cafe is a staple on the Mesa, I have been going here for I don't even know how long.. 25+ years. The food has always been .. ok.. nothing great, but good and some good comfort foods on the menu. On Saturday my daughter and I went to breakfast here, I put our name on the list and we waited about 10 minutes - not too bad. A few tables opened at once and the host, who has been there for ever, wanted to seat us next to the door under the overhang. My daughter is high risk, so I really preferred to be out in the open and not by the door where there was a lot of traffic. I asked the host if we could wait for a a table to be cleared that was available in the 'parking lot section' , he was so condescending and rude about it, a complete jerk - he kept saying 'is this one ok for you? We want to make you happy, are you sure this table is ok for you? After that, 3 tables were seated after us, all 3 of those tables got their orders taken and drinks before anyone even came to our table., We finally ordered, and received our food after a long long wait - I get it, it was busy and a Saturday. The food was horrible, the omelette was folded over to look like it was a big omelette when really it was t, the hash towns were cold and small portion and the rest of the staff were jerks too. Not sure what happened to Mesa Cafe, I'm not buying COVID as an excuse anymore, the business is making money and so are the employees - stop acting entitled and get your food together! There are too many other options out there - I would suggest going to Chad's, Leadbetter Beach Cafe, Cajun Kitchen, Cody's, Scarlett Bagonia - anywhere else really. read more

Came in for my lunch break from work ordered a burger and french fries fast service they were very friendly order with me to perfection got me out of the nick of time to make it back. read more

I have been a couple of times to get food to go since covid-19. Both times, the front desk staff were not attentive or welcoming. The orders both times were missing items, and the food is not cheap. The last time there , they brought my food out just to have it sit for 5 minutes on a counter I had to ask if that was my order, while 3 of the front staff were searching through the trash looking for a missing receipt. This is not the place you want to go to. read more

Affordable, clean and friendly staff. The food is great. really big portions (if you like that :) tons of parking. We enjoy breakfast here!

Stopped in early on a Friday morning. First time....oh tri tip and eggs!!! Biscuit and fruit. Tri tip very flavorful. Salsa very good too. Great service. I will be back!! read more

Mesa Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Good, but not great. If this place had Cheese Cake Factory prices, I would give it 4 stars. However, the food doesn't meet the standard signaled by the price point, so I give three stars. read more