So for Valentines Day Weekend, I was stupid enough to think that I did not have to make reservations at any restaurant and could some how just get a table. Not to mention there was a film festival going on that same weekend. So when my BF and I got into Goleta we saw this place and were saying how lame it looked. Then when we were desperately trying to find some place for dinner we ended up here. Well I am glad we did because I was pleasantly surprised. Our waiter was great with recommendations and he was very attentive. I really liked him. I got some chicken and it was pretty good. My BF got ribs and they were so good the meat just was so tender it fell of the bones. Yum! We also got dessert which was apple pie a la mode and it was tasty as well. All in all I would definitely come here again when I am in Goleta! read more

My boyfriend and I come to the Nugget at least twice a month. They are so nice and welcoming. The waiters/waitresses and the busboys are very attentive. We like the attention. The food is good, satisfying, good portions and served hot and in a timely manner. My boyfriend's favorite is the bbq ribs, full rack. He also likes the pork chop dinner. I usually have the wedge salad and the buffalo wings for dinner. I've also had their cobb salad and steak salad. Clean place. read more

Comfortable place to take the kids for dinner on a Friday night - they love it too and usually get the pasta for dinner & share the appetizer veggie sticks. Dad can get prime rib, babyback ribs or some man food off the menu, and I can get a BLT or a chicken salad. You won't leave hungry, and beware of the (good but) strong well drinks. read more

Been to the Nugget several times. Made a point to stop at the original in Summerland whenever I was driving through. The Goleta location was crowded when it first opened. The food is good but a little pricey. I was there this week and had a Ortega burger. Went at lunch and surprisingly the place was almost empty. It took 15 minutes before the waitress even acknowledged us. My Ortega burger came without the Ortega and to my disappointment it could have been mistaken for a slider. (very small). I don't believe that is the typical service you will receive since the previous times I visited the service was fine. The burger tasted great and that is why I gave them 3 stars. I would go back but it's not the top of my list. read more

Cool old school feel...beef stroganoff is my favorite!!!

Stopped by for lunch. This was my first visit to the Goleta location. Good patty melt, service was fast and friendly. Kind of cool decor inside and a fairly nice patio. Good place to stop for a good burger, fry's and a beer if your looking to relax a little and want something better than fast food!! read more

This place is awesome! We always eat in ths place everytime we go to Goleta.I like their food, the staff are very helpful either you are a spanish or white. read more

Our server Olivia gave us 5 star service. We enjoyed the home style cooking and large portions. It was a break away from chain store restaurants and typical pub food when we travel. read more

The Nugget - Pasta pomodoro - American Near Me - Goleta, California

See all

4 stars for what we received. Ortega burger for me, cheeseburgers and potato skins for the kids, wedge salad for the wife. All very enjoyable. Hostess was eye candy, but cold; waitress (who matters) was very friendly and attentive. Solid meal. Decor was a little odd, but I wasn't eating it, so I didn't care. Sports on tv's kept me interested. Will come back. read more

I used to rave about this place but not so much any more. Went for lunch today and when we arrived, it was empty. Was greeted by a server who asked if we wanted a booth or a table. We said a booth and he promptly tried to sit us at a table. Ok, guess he didn't hear. Then it was time to order and I ordered a patty melt without onions. When he repeated my order, he said ok, with onions. NO!!! No onions. The food arrives and guess what! Pieces of onions on the place but no onions on the patty melt. Hmmm Took one bite and it was obvious they scraped the grilled onions off. It's not like he was so overwhelmed with guests, he couldn't hear or get the order right. Also, the food is now mediocre and definitely not what it used to be! I definitely will not refer out of town customers to the Nugget as I have in the past. read more

Everytime I have a visitor we come here for lunch. The burgers are the best. I recently had my staff meeting here. the food and service were excellent. I have been coming to this place for 3 years and have never had bad service or food. It is rare that I am able to eat everything on the plate. the portions are large. Great place for kids. read more

Absolutely awful food. If you would like to pay upped prices for concession stand quality food, go to the nugget. This place is horrible. The service is awful and so is the food. It's overpriced and the rest room is putrid. read more

Quaint little country restaurant in,goleta. Good, well priced food and our server janelle was wonderful.

Portions are massive! Prices are reasonable but service was mediocre. Food took awhile even though there were only two other tables, (each with two people) who already had their food... read more

If you like boiled ribs that dissolve into gelatin eat here. Also they smelled old. Bummed because I was starving. Ate one and a half ribs and left the rest of the full rack on the table. read more

I get a kick out of the Nugget. It's like being transported to a different time, and a different place. I've only spent a little time in the Midwest, but from what I've seen, if you're a transplant missing home, this place might provide some comfort. On top of that, the food is pretty good, for what it is. The burger is a good bet, so are the ribs; the Cobb salad too. Drinks are relatively cheap and strong (liquor; the beers are surprisingly expensive.) read more

The food was good the service was alittle slow but I think that is because of what I ordered at lunch time they were not ready for it but good food read more

We love eating at the bar! Food has always been great, drinks are good & the service has always been great. One of the best Local spots in Goleta for sure. read more

Not sure why the ratings are low on this place. I think it's one of the better spots for food in goleta these days. It kind of replaces the style of food that the elephant bar once had but with a better home town feel to it. Kind of rednecky but that's part of the fun, it's goleta, not some wine tasting joint in down town santa barbara. Enjoy the food. read more

I imagine the burgers here are good. My experience was salty, greasy, bland food. An overall meh experience. If your in Santa Barbara go somewhere else there is a lot of good food here! -Ben read more

Very good atmosphere, and food. We were a guest at a local hotel and decided to walk over for lunch and it was so good, we went back for dinner and breakfast the next day. Well worth the travel, food is excellent and the service was great, friendly and quick. I will be back read more

Love this place. Enough said I think. Great food. Close to home. Always friendly. Did I say try the meatloaf, yum. read more

I was excited when I saw the nugget because from the outside it reminded me of one of my fav diners, black bear. The atmosphere was quaint, like the black bear diner but I will say the food wasn't nearly as good. It wasn't terrible but I wouldn't go back. I give it threes stars because the staff made up for the food. read more

The Nugget - American Near Me - Goleta, California

Went there yesterday 12/31/16 for a late breakfast. I ordered the Classic Eggs Benedict. The potatoes that came with it were under cooked. The egg was perfect and the hollandaise sauce was okay but so surprised that there was no Canadian bacon but a sausage pattie???!!! What gives? My friend ordered chicken noodle soup and it seems that they have a base soup and add stuff to it....there were chunks of tomato it in...their base soup. read more

The service is non exist any if you sit at the bar, the on tap was ok. I think if you are hungry find a McDonaldsor there is a dennys. Next door read more

Food is good, however the service is horrible. We went this past week and after not being waited on for quite a while, we got up, walked out and walked over to Petrini's and had a great meal. read more

This place is a joke. I went over with my girlfriend and her friend and we were all disappointed. The food is bland, it's as good something you would buy in the frozen section of a grocery store. To be honest I wouldn't mind if the prices matched the quality of their food, but this is a ripoff. I wish I had gone into the KFC next door. read more

Eat here often with friends. It's always an upbeat spot with great service. Love their specials, but their ribs are my favorite. Next time I go, I plan to expand my choices and try the Crunch Burger, sounds yummy! read more

Went to the Nugget, great neighborhood place. The Cioppino special was amazing!! Would definitely order it again and again! Our server Francine was very friendly and made the experience a great one. Recommend this place. read more

This place is disgusting. I ordered a 25$ filet mignion and it came to me looking like a dry piece chicken. When I asked the waiter why it looked and tasted so strange he agreed it was strange and said he would go ask the cooks. 3 minutes later he comes back with a NEW steak. He tells me that the other steak MUST HAVE BEEN OLD!!! I said OLD?! What do you mean!! Am I going to get sick?! I kept questioning him and asked if it was frozen. He replied that the steaks are kept in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Later on I concluded these 25$ steaks are cooked already, old,reheated and served to customers. The waiter was so rude and tells me to try this steak and if I don't like it then he will take it off the bill. Keep in mind he came out 3 minutes after taking my old steak with a brand new steak. The second steak was even more DISGUSTING it was hard as a rock and tasted terrible. I even had my boyfriend taste it too and he was appauled. I told the waiter and he grabs the plate and says ok I will take it off your bill. Well, I came here to eat dinner and a restaurant should try to make up for that so I leave satified, instead of telling me they won't charge me so I just have to leave hungry. I told the waiter I could have gone to a grocery for a fresh steak but I came here to have a fresh steak not an old one. Now he deciedes to offer to make me a fresh steak!!! He says it will take 15 minutes. He in other words told me that the 2 steaks I had gotten were precooked old steaks. WHAT KIND OF A RESTAURANT THAT CALLS THEMSELVES A "GRILL" SERVES OLD PRECOOKED STEAKS. The waiter tried to explain to me that restaurants make mistakes. To me this isn't a mistake. This is how they run their restaurant and it is unexceptable. There was no manager to tell. However, I will be calling them tomorrow to inform a manager and I will never return there again. read more

I'm from San Diego and enjoy good food. My family and I stopped here on our way to San Fran. Let's start with the drinks. The orange juice was warm and the root beer was flat. I got the tri tip dip and it was dry and had no flavor. My youngest got the kids pasta with red sauce and it wasn't even as good as a microwave dinner. The only thing that was remotely decent was the Mac and cheese my oldest got. I would not come back here if I was getting the food for free and paid to eat it. read more

How hard is it to mess up meatloaf and mashed potatoes? Both were inedible in my meatloaf dinner. The meatloaf was spongy with an unnerving orange color and the mashed potatoes were just strange, in the worst kind of way. Veggies were a little salty but okay. Nothing worth going back to at this place. read more

I have been disappointed once again at the Nugget, which I always go in prepared to enjoy. I do think they are great with steaks and burgers, but other things, not so much. I had the pastrami sandwich, which is described at 1/2 pound. Hardly 1/4 pound and very tough. Had the consistency of meat that had been microwaved. From a past visit found out they don't have baked potatoes (at least in Summerland). Can you believe a steak house without baked potatoes?! read more

It was a quiet Tuesday afternoon. The burgers were tasty and the atmosphere is great. I will definitely go again.

So, felt the need for some fish & chips close to the hotel at a reasonable price. Decided on The Nugget. Was presently suprised. Had fish with onion rings and cole slaw. Fish was crispy, onion rings were not over battered. Coke slaw was the best I've had in a long time. Beer was cokd too. Service was excellent. read more

Lunch. Great service and salads. Sat outside in shady garden. Sounds of freeway but not a problem. Definitely recommend. Waiter happy to bring tastes of beer and wine. read more

Came here specifically for apple pie and it did not disappoint. Generous slice served with a heap of ice cream and whipped cream. Service was fast and courteous, and I loved the ambience of the place. Also appreciated our waitress's honest recommendation to get one dessert between the two of us, as they are HUGE portions. read more

Love that Gaucho burger! Super drinks from the bar too! Harry's style.

THE NUGGET - Summerland, CA. Discovered a wonderful restaurant in the beautiful seaside town of Summerland, CA., just six miles South of Santa Barbara, off the 101 Freeway. Summerland is a place former President Clinton vacationed during his Presidency, and he even played his Saxophone in THE NUGGET during his stay in this charming town. With Christmas lights on all the walls and ceilings, THE NUGGET also has the most fabulous collection of Western memorabilia on the walls,m as well as vintage posters and photos from Western movies, and hundreds of celebrities' autographed pictures. As for the food, their menu features burgers, sandwiches, salads, all fresh and attractively presented. My friend and I each had a chicken Caesar salad, with a lot of chicken and just the right amount of Caesar dressing. They have beer and wine, as well as many other drinks and a full bar. The restaurant's manager was very helpful and gave us all the time we needed for our visit with our out-of-town friend. THE NUGGET's booths are very comfortable and private, and it's definitely a sweet stop on any journey up the coast from LA. read more

I used to come here often and I would have rated it 5 stars for a long time. However the service has gotten so bad I will never come here again. The food is still good and some of the staff is good (Antonio is amazing and a notable exception) but most of the staff is downright AWFUL, not just bad. Conservatively, I've eaten here between 50-75 times since it opened but you couldn't pay me to go back now. The manager seems like a total pushover who isn't up to the task of running a restaurant. I hope the owner of all three restaurants reads this because this restaurant could still be very good. I used to defend the bad reviews but I cant anymore. Also, in the times I've been there I've often seen people come in and wait to be seated, only to leave about five minutes later after no one says anything to them. For awhile my family would come in every Sunday but after about six months or so we stopped because of the bad service. We've gone out on Sundays for breakfast for years but I guess they don't like return customers, we go somewhere else now instead. There are so many better options out there, don't waste your time or money on a restaurant that simply doesn't deserve it. read more