Awesome food and staff. I had the seared ahi tuna which was cooked perfectly, but the sauces they dribble on the plate really made the dish along with the noodles. The bread they put out on the table was also delicious. read more

Zookers Restaurant - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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Fantastic place for lunch! This is another 5 stars, because: -they have great outdoor seating -wonderful food -great service -fun water glasses -yummy pita chips -had about 4 different people check on us -in the beautiful land of Carpinteria I loved Zookers! My first experience was just a couple weeks ago and I will definitely have more to come. I went there with my Dad on a date, and we had such a great time. Although we weren't supposed to have a dog, they let us sit outside with my little doggy, Noah. They had wonderful service! I ordered the Zookers Tofu Sauté: Sautéed mushrooms, onions, zucchini, chilis, tomato, spinach & cheese with brown rice. It was so good! My Dad ordered the Zookers Chicken Sandwich- which was incredible too! When they first brought out my order, they brought out the wrong thing. They were quick to apologize and brought me a free delicious soup while I was waiting for the fix. During our time there, we had about 4 different people check on us, including the manager. The service was fantastic! I will definitely be back to Zookers! http://healthyhitsthespot.tumblr.com/post/3712068028/date-with-daddy Healthy Hits the Spot read more

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No thank you. My office told me not to try this place and they were right. I ordered something simple like a chicken Caesar salad and it was probably the worst one I'd ever had. Won't be returning. read more

We actually really liked Zookers. It's located in a shopping center not far from the beach (but you'll want to drive). The food was really quite solid. We had the spring rolls to start, which my wife went crazy over. They had nice tropical undertones with the shrimp, mango and cilantro. For the entrees, my memory is fuzzy, but I think my wife and I may have both gotten specials. I think she got a lamb shank and I got fish. And they were both really, really good. I also got a beer. Their beer list is decent, as there were a few on there I haven't had and others I've had that are good. The bill, however, was a touch higher than I would have expected from a place in a shopping center. Even given the fact that its food was good, the following night, for example, we ate at a relatively more upscale restaurant in Santa Barbara across the street from the beach, sitting with a view of the water, and ordered approximately the same amount of food -- but our bill was lower. It wasn't a huge difference. But I'd say, given the casual (but pleasant) ambiance and non-thrilling location, I would have expected its (admittedly) excellent food to fetch a slightly lower price point. So we definitely liked the place, but thought it could have been priced a touch lower. read more

Zookers Restaurant - Lamb shank - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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Once again, Jeannie & her team did an excellent job. TLC goes into everything they create! read more

Zookers Restaurant - Chocolate & Coconut Creme Brûlée---- OMG so delicious - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

They're Great!!!!I've never been disappointed... I like the Zooker's chicken sandwich, my fav!!! I like the blue corn chips & pita chips... read more

Food was good. Interior was well lite. The staff was very friendly. Hours pre-Covid were interesting given its location in Carpinteria. Haven't been back since Covid began. read more

I really wanted to give this restaurant 5 stars because the food is absolutely superb. Unfortunately, the service left so much to be desired. Maybe they forgot we were here? The waiter took our order and we never saw him again until after we'd had our plates taken away and had asked for a dessert menu. My husband had the filet wrapped in bacon and I the Scottish Salmon. He came back to take our dessert order, then disappeared again for an inordinate amount of time. Maybe he was really busy, but as a former waitress, I can tell you under any circumstances, the service was mediocre at best. read more

Sometimes I wonder how an establishment can rate themselves as gourmet with prices to match and carry on this charade with a straight face when they apparently are very average at best. Zookers must rely on the travelers passing through because I can't imagine the locals eating here on a regular basis. Our party was in the area for three days on business. A local contact said Zookers was "pretty good " but that he hadn't been there in a few years. Other reviews have suggested Zookers has new ownership and they recently changed it from a funky beloved burger joint into an attempt at upscale located in "The American Riviera" (LOL) similar to what other eateries in the area are doing. My experience with Carpinteria is that it's blue collar and houses a lot of the Hispanic population that commutes to Santa Barbara, so good tacos in town, right? Wish we would have went that route. Zookers is located in the busy Albertsons shopping center on the main drag. On a pre dinner bike ride I noticed this area had a noticeable homeless presence, which made it seem unwise to leave my bike locked to go shop, so I skipped it. The corner location has a busy light with lots of cars turning and accelerating to the 101 Fwy., so out door seating is going to be trafficky with fumes. We left our hotel at 6:00p and were seated by 6:20p. Upon entering we were warmly greeted by several staff. The place was almost empty, a red flag. Good places are always crowded, right? The staff were doing busy work polishing glasses and such. The decor was a themeless mish mash with apparently local artwork that didn't match anything. Our waitress seemed a bit disheveled, just this side of frumpy, and it had been a while since her black uniform had seen an iron. She was nice but with a slight hint of condescension. Menus were given and water was brought, unfortunately it was warmish tap water with a noticeable chlorine taste and very little ice. I noticed a small sign informing a 3% surcharge would be added if a credit card was used. So, if I pay cash I get a discount? I figured this would mean upcharges for any substitutions off the daily specials, so I bypassed the Halibut with "black rice" and ordered the $48.00 ("48") LOL menu speak Ribeye with mashed and seasonal veggies, as did several others. Also included "bone marrow butter" on the steak, yuk. Can't we just do garlic butter, or add marrow in and keep it a proprietary secret, I don't need to know "how the sausage is made". Since a good ribeye already has substantial fat is any butter even necessary? Our waitress took our orders apparently by memory, just nodding using no notepad, perhaps she recorded us on a phone in her apron, but I found this to be odd. One of the steaks was to be extra extra well done, NO PINK. Somebody ordered a glass of wine, the only Cabernet Sauvignon on the wine list by the glass for "15". (Paso Robles!). When it arrived I noticed the wine glass wasn't the preferred wide thin rimmed Grand Cru used by most gourmet restaurants for a cab allowing the wine to swirl and breathe but a taller thicker fluted style more suitable for a white. This also reduced the size of the already non generous pour. A newbie faux paus or more likely tight fisted management? 30 minutes in, dinner still was not on the table, I joked that perhaps they had to run over to that Albertsons to grab a few ribeye's for us. At about 45 minutes wait time our waitress brought over a little basket of cold sliced sourdough, commenting that usually they charge for the bread, but since we were waiting, there would be no charge. Chlorine water was refilled repeatedly as well by random staff. Mmmm, bread and water. Um, thank you? As mentioned, this place was dead, its not like they were swamped with orders. Finally, here comes dinner. All the ribeye's had pink ( remember "NO PINK") and after cutting away the fat and gristle, yes gristle I was left with what I would consider "The Petite Cut". The chunk of "marrow butter" was huge for my size steak. Off it went. The mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies were good but VERY small portions, maybe 6 or 7 green beans and maybe 5 or 6 tablespoons of mashed, and a few cauliflower that were grey in color. The steak had good flavor to be fair, with a Burgundy style sauce saving the day, but also serving to camouflage the meat. My joke about Albertsons suddenly seemed prophetic, and from the Price Reduced for Quick sale section as well. Any thoughts of a steak approaching Maestro's or Ruth Chris were completely vanquished. This was Cracker Barrel on a bad day. At this point I knew we would not return. Ever. Extra Extra well done but Pink person offered me half their steak, at $3.50 per bite I couldn't say no. Finally, thankfully this dinner came to a close. With tip, the bill for dinner was about $250.00, a ridiculous amount for this experience. Arrived back at the hotel 1 mile away at exactly 8:00p. Almost two hours of our lives we'll never get back. read more

I've been a regular since pre pandemic. Not nearly as good as in the past. For example 2 weeks ago, I had their sea bass special, it was raw and I had to send it back. Tonight, my wife and I dined. My Cioppino was delivered with sauce spilled all over the side of the plate. Although the waiter commented on it, he failed to take the time to wipe the outside of the bowl clean. The sauce was unremarkable and the fish over cooked. My wife had the duck. It was blue and inedible. Maybe this is the new post - pandemic reality for dining out because these types of experiences are becoming more common place. And forget ever getting an apology or mea culpa. Gives us more reason to stay at home and cook ourselves. Too bad. read more

Very nice restaurant with kind and friendly staff. The owner is present , kind and engaging. The environment is clean and orderly. Service is swift and always with a smile. I highly recommend enjoying the exquisite delicious delicacies at this fine establishment and don't forget to pick up some great food to take home from their adjoining meat market read more

Wish i could give a thorough explanation about this place but the best thing i could say is, ive never had a bad meal here. Which i get may not be everyones experienced but they have me as a happy customer read more

Bright and bustling atmosphere. We were seated by the window with a nice view. Clearly a popular dining establishment for locals. The best part about the quiche is it had flavor--plenty of tomatoes and spinach and ham. Nicely seasoned, but not overly so. Clearly fresh, local greens in the Caesar and mixed salad. Lots of grated cheese and delicious dressing. The bruschetta has goat cheese under the chopped fresh tomatoes and basil. The mixed greens were lightly dressed. It was the perfect light lunch. Emmy took great care of us seating us and taking the walker to a safe place and bringing it back, most importantly. Our waitress was excellent. Would definitely return. The dinner menu also looks appealing. read more

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This place is amazing. The burgers were fantastic and the wait staff fabulous!! Definitely recommend for a burger or sandwich. The tuna melts looked amazing too, lots of others got that. read more

Zookers Restaurant - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Located in a small plaza, Zookers is easy to miss, but well worth going. The bruschetta and tuna tartar were great appetizers for a seafood centered meal. Had the cioppino, delicious! Lots of shellfish, and delicious broth! read more

My husband and I are camping at the nearby State beach, and we rode our bikes here. We we're very pleasantly surprised! I ordered the Cioppino, my husband ordered the Sea Bass, and both were amazing. Great wine selection too. Our waiter , Scott, was top notch, even with a busy Friday night crowd. We will definitely be back next time we are in Carp. read more

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Location: difficult to find, especially if it's your first time visiting Carpinteria. It's in the corner of a plaza and the signs are easily missed. Service: not terrible, although they did forget to bring our house bread. Our waitress was friendly, she made sure my food was satisfying. She was also attentive because she refilled my water whenever my glass was half empty. Food: the food was amazing. The food was the reason I give this place 4 stars. I ordered ceasars salad for starter and I was already in love. I am not usually a salad girl but if I can make salads as good as this, I'd eat it everyday! I ordered the turkey meatloaf for my entree. It doesn't sound too appealing, but they mixed the meat with mushrooms and flavorful gravy on top. Every bite was just as juicy as the first. I've never had meatloaf this good anywhere else! My friend ordered the ravioli and it was amazing as well. The sauce had squash and sausage in it and the ravioli was cooked to perfection. The cheese wasnt too thick so it literally melts in your mouth. I am very happy with my choice. I would definitely recommend this place for other visitors. read more

Now this is what i'm talking about! A great restaurant with good drinks! Had the pork chops with kale spanish which was very tasty! Best bruschetta i had in a long time! Scott behind the bar was very nice and helpful with the menu and always checked on me if i needed anything. Just a great experience and i will for sure be back! The hummas and pita was ok but the pork chop was the high light of the night! read more

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Always drove right past it till my brother let me know it's was a restaurant, anyways stopped by got a sandwich was incredibly delicious with potatoes on the side. Really yummy and would recommend for anyone!! read more

The wedges were very garlicky but other than that everything was good! It's a small cafe Very quite and relaxing read more

Zookers Restaurant - Sirloin Burger and Tuna Sandwich - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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We had delicious food and a wonderful server, Riley. He worked really hard, remembered all of our names, and got us everything we needed. The halibut special was DELICIOUS, the salads are huge, nice wine and the salmon was delicious. And I had the steamer clams and tempura cauliflower -- yum! Thanks Riley! read more

Zookers Restaurant - Muscles appetizer - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Poor seafood cioppino! I didn't have any piece of scallop and a quarter piece of salmon, 6 pieces of mussels and 6 pieces of vongoles. Not worth of almost $30! read more

Great food. Great service. Nice ambiance. And a small seafood and meats shop next door. Their products looked fantastic.

The best place ever , their burger was heaven I went from Santa Clarita to just try their food and I am happy with their food

Zooker's is easily one of the best restaurants for dinner in Carpinteria. I travel to Carpinteria for business and my team has ordered from them a few times. We are always impressed by the quality of food and prompt and careful take-out preparation! I always appreciate great customer service, and the staff at Zooker's always ensures we have utensils and plenty of napkins for the team. This is crucial as we're eating in our audit room (shout out to public accounting)! Some highlights of Zooker's menu include: -Filet mignon: absolutely delicious! It was perfectly cooked and the crust was amazing. -Lamb sirloin: The raspberry sauce was an excellent flavor companion. The orzo risotto was oversalted, but the sirloin was so tasty that this was easy overlooked. -Grape leaves appetizer: Perfectly rolled with lamb on the inside! In short, Zooker's has quickly become one of our favorite dinner spots, and we will gladly keep coming back! read more

A friend and I were at Zookers for dinner recently. This was the fourth time I have eaten there. Each time was a good experience! I have only had seafood, and each time is was pretty awesome! Their seafood stew (cioppino?) is my favorite! Super filling, loaded with tons of goodies! Oohh...I wish I was there now!! read more

Had dinner there last night, 4 people on the deck. There is a bit of traffic nose, given the closeness to the street, but tolerable to be able to sit outside. Our waitress was efficient, polite and helpful! 4 people, we had the spring rolls and Cauliflower appetizers, Spring rolls were phenomenal! Cauliflower was very good, but given the peanut sauce, it is not a very attractive dish. 4 entree's - eggplant paremsan, Chicken Saltimbocca, Banana crusted salmon and the the special ONO served over a blakbean, corn relish. Everyone seemed to love their dishes, my ONO was excellent, I want to try and replicate the dish at home! Will definitely go back! read more

Service was really really nice but the food was just a-ok.

I've been going here for a decade...or however long they've been open....and we eat dinner here about once a month. I have had lunch here a handful of times and it's also great but dinner (to me) is the reason to go to this place. And I have literally never had a bad meal. EVER. Ditto for the service, which is excellent and friendly every time. They don't hover, but they're there when you need them and they know the menu so you get honest recommendations if you ask or if you have any dietary restrictions. Wine list is great and you can find something to complement nearly every item on the menu. When you walk in, you feel like you're in someone's home. Sure, it's busy during peak dinner hours, but they treat you like you're an individual and they're happy to see you and accommodate you from the very first visit. I can't rave enough about Zookers. If you're a local like me or if you're passing through on vacation, this is quite literally the best restaurant in Carpinteria. read more

Made an unexpected visit here due to the crazy traffic on the 101 and it was worth the stop. We were on the way to Paso Robles from LA. We decided to make a stop for dinner since the road was backed up. I ordered the cioppino and it was one of the best I've ever had. For dessert I ordered the creme brûlée and tiramisu. If I ever end up near this area, I will definitely be back! read more

Zookers saved our evening.. After waiting at another restaurant way past our reservation time my husband found Zookers through Google. The staff at Zookers is incredible. Our late dinner here turned out to be one of the best we've had in a long time. I had their Scottish Salmon and my husband had the Rib eye steak, both meals were incredible. Thanks again Zookers. read more

The best place eat! If you order make sure to get the Cobb salad and Zookers sandwich together... A must you will not be disappointed. Service is top notch. read more

Zookers Restaurant - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

You know when your stomach feels like it's just been in heaven? That's this place. I honestly don't think I've ever had a better meal, minus maybe the gnocchi I had in Italy. We got the hummus and pita, as well as the bruchetta (sp?) for appetizers-which were amazing. My brother ordered the salmon, which looked divine. My Dad got the Caesar salad and I got the fettuccine with chicken instead of shrimp. The flavors and spices on everything, made your mouth water. Then we got the brownie sundae and fruit crisp for dessert. Everything was just so, so delicious. I would highly recommend. read more

Zookers Restaurant - The chicken fettuccine - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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Wonderful hidden gem in Carpinteria! Read up on YELP and was not disappointed with anything. Ordered eggplant and it was so full of flavor with a light sauce. The menu is well balanced and the staff was excellent. Go go go!! read more

Zookers Restaurant - What a meal! Outstanding eggplant on a bed of fresh Spinach and artichoke plus a few olives. Flavors were a delight. Light flavorful sauce. - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Wow! That's what I want each time I go out to eat. The staff was friendly and you can tell they CARE about your experience. I wanted to write a great review by the time I placed my order. So they won me over before the bread got there. Food is great! I had a Cuban black bean soup that was delicious and comforting. Almost didn't order it but I'm so glad I did. I went for the burger.... this is no boring burger! I added cheddar and bacon. The bacon was smoky and salty but good salty. I'm not from around here but I can't wait to come back. Thanks for an awesome experience! read more

Always good. Slightly fancy, but California casual. Their specials are always creative and delicious. I also like their hamburgers (ask for blue cheese), stuffed potatoes (not sure they still have them but an old favorite), huge salads, chicken shish kabobs, and mushroom ravioli. read more

We go to Zookers when we have the liberty to take a longer lunch. Service always seems like it could be improved- there's always new staff/ or an order will be delayed or wrong. The food is actually quite good - Zookers chicken sandwich and the Mediterranean plate are group favorites - if they could perfect the service aspect it'd be a definite 5. read more

I was happy to eat Gere for my last day in the santa barbara area. The service is fantastic! However u feel the food I ok. My steak was alright it was drenched In butter and grease. It was ok. My biggest complaint was my child's pasta with red sauce. They put a glow of stringy pasta that'll serves 10 it tastes as terrible as it looks. My kids chicken skewer was a dry and they put it over brown rice. The presentation was pretty bad. The waiter was nice and they did attend to us. The food was just ok. Thus probably not coming here again read more

For the first time, my husband and I ate lunch at Zookers Cafe and we were impressed. I ordered Cioppino and my husband ordered Fish special for the day. Both of us enjoyed our food. So good and tasty read more

This is our favorite spot for lunch and dinner - wonderful food and service and owner Jeanie is hands-on greeting customers and making sure everything works perfectly. Highly recommend!! read more