Wonderfully fresh food ! Beautiful atmosphere over and above for particular orders as I always request something to be added or instead of.

We have experienced Zooker's frequently for many years now, both for lunch and dinner. It has never, not one single time, disappointed. The service is always super friendly, efficient, and well, fun! (looking at you Alphonzo). The atmosphere is great; dinner is calm with a nice low buzz, lighting is soft and 'flattering?' (none of that glaring stuff where you might as well be in Denny's or IHop-no offense guys but you really need to do something about that.) The noise level is below moderate (meaning you can actually hear your dining partners when they are talking.) Now for the food; just WOW! A few of our Go-To dishes that never fail to knock our socks off are the vegetarian stuffed poblano pepper (swimming in the most delicious sauce ever), pan seared halibut is to die for (just had that two evenings ago) my husbands favorite is the chicken saltimbocca. Our friends' fave is the eggplant parm, pozole soup and tuna melt. Yes I said tuna melt. This is a tuna melt like no other, I'm telling you. It's one of our favorite lunch items, along with the fish tacos, when they're on the lunch menu. My secret wish (well, not so secret now) is that they do a cook book so that we can have these wonderful dishes preserved for eternity. Pretty please? read more

From the pisole Verde soup to the pork belly heirloom tomato salad salad to the Scottish salmon. entree, the fresh and incredible flavors kept on coming! The staff is so attentive and the service is top notch. We have never been disappointed stopping here for an incredible meal when we are in the area. read more

My in-laws have lived in Ventura for 30 years and have never gone to Zookers in Carpinteria. We made Reservations for a table inside. We were treated with very special care. The food was delightful, the veggies and the steak we're prepared perfectly. Our service was A-1. As we left they were discussing they're anniversary dinner. read more

It's been a long time since I had lunch at Zookers but when I ordered the pastrami sandwich it was so salty I had a tough time eating it. And $20 for a sandwich??? Their prices surprised me. read more

Service is 5 stars; friendly, attentive, efficient and sincere! Food is 2 stars; pork chop on the Saturday Special and the Seafood Tostado. The pork chop; disappointingly dry and chewy - the plate was unbalanced with a heavy salty sauce and a too sweet citrus glaze, the greens were not charred - they were burnt and bitter, sweet potato cake is meh. The Seafood Tostada is a mound of colorful confetti; delicious broth with tender sweet shrimp and generous with its over cooked bay scallops. Reviewing the yelp comments, I'd return to order the appetizer of both clams and mussels next...and a brew. The Avocado Honey Ale from Island brew is tasty. read more

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The food was amazing here! Super sweet staff and very accommodating to my picky pallet. I even left my purse and they ran out and handed it to me!! The restaurant was very cozy. No wait on a Saturday night too! read more

Try the pastrami Sammy. Sooooo good. You can get a half with a ceasar salad (not on the menu). Super garlicky and delicious! Apparently, the owner isn't very nice (to put it lightly) but the cooks are great! read more

Great neighborhood lunch place with friendly and efficient service. The whole family enjoyed our selection of tuna melt, soup, burger, and tasty pita chips. I would definitely come back for a meal on the way to or from the Central Coast. read more

OMG!!! Guess what y'all, I went out to dinner Saturday night and the food at Zookers was AMAZING And the service was AMAZING as well, which makes the food even better If you are on a romantic date, or you want to impress your wife or husband, then I recommend you to go to Zookers in Carpinteria Ca. for dinner. They have an AMAZING CHEF‍‍, the food was delicious to the tastebuds, Atmosphere was great, Dessert was amazing. The people that works in the restaurant make sure you have everything you need at your dinner table. I normally don't write many reviews, but this one I give five stars for sure Pamela read more

An exceptional place to have dinner. The menu is varied with lots of choices to please the whole family. My grandson said the burger was the best tasting one he has had ever. A nice wine list and beers. The daily specials are interesting and fairly priced. The service is attentive and friendly. You can tell locals frequent the place which is always a great sign. The staff make you feel very welcomed. Perfect. read more

Zookers has an amazing menu. The staff tries hard but sometimes you get the inexperienced, new employee. read more

Great little butcher shop! Got some very nice ribeyes The fresh bread was delicious too! read more

We don't have AC in our house in SB so we got a hotel in Carp for the hottest weekend of the year (Labor Day weekend) which just so happens to be or anniversary weekend. We hardly eat out because we love to cook so we are very critical anytime we do. During COVID we have done take out and staying in a hotel that's pretty much the only option. Looking online we found Zooker's which had many options that sounded fantastic. We went to the restaurant and ordered to-go to bring back to our room. The BF had his heart set on Cioppino (one of my faves) but I couldn't make up my mind. They had the heirloom tomato salad and fish tacos on their daily special and we got both. The salad had bacon, basil, goat cheese, red onions over mixed greens and was tossed in a vinegarett and it was AMAZING! And looking at the picture you cannot see how many tomatoes they're are, there's an abundance, which was a pleasant surprise. Everytime I order fish tacos I am disappointed but it has never stopped me from ordering them. The fish tacos at Zooker's are hands down the BEST I've ever had. Honestly, I never do a review unless I'm super disappointed or super impressed, and these impressed both me and my BF. We hope they will put them on special before we head home on Monday, but if not, we will make the trip to Carp to get them again, that's how good they are! The Cioppino did not disappoint either, it was hearty and flavorful. We are Cioppino snobs and can tell you this past our test. Overall, we found a huge win on our first meal out for the weekend and can only hope to find more. read more

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I consider myself a J Wellington Wimpy..you know from Popeye, the hamburger Co usurearé, always in search for that most perfect hamburger...ok in Wimpys case, any hamburger ~ Look no further than Zookers my friend. And don't be shy, order it with cheese (Gorgonzola) bacon avocado grilled onion. IMO your gonna enjoy one of the most flavorful burgers..EVER! Worth every red cent. The service was very prompt for a busy Friday lunch crowd, friendly and most accommodating. We were walk-ins and given a cozy patio table upon request. The staff seemed to work as a team, all very friendly and like I said, accommodating. I realize everyone has their own experience. This was mine. :) read more

Thank you Zookers for the amazing dinner! Third time and always delicious. Duck tacos are to die for and so the chicken saltimbocca. Thank you Chef! read more

A true Carpinteria landmark. Great food and atmosphere. My go to place when someone asks where I want to eat.

In support of the newly opened meat market. I ordered a Hot Pastrami sandwich. One of the best I have ever had. Amazing ingredients and huge. Going to be two meals for me. Highly recommend. read more

Finally - a chance to go to Zookers for dinner! Previously, we'd been there only for lunch. The dinner menu is an extension of the lunch menu, with some of the same items (clams & mussels, our favorite) and some great items only available at dinner. Service was attentive, even though the kitchen was leisurely tonight. That's fine; we enjoyed talking to one another, and to guests at nearby tables easily as happy as we were. We'll be back. read more

Overall excellent experience. Staff was welcoming and took time to keep us comfortable. Excellent waiter and great suggestions.

Atmosphere: So...very cool that the staff was super diverse and cool. Our server was funny and helpful. The customers at this place are NOT diverse at all. Probably exactly what you would expect. This place has an upscale vibe that seems more like a wine drinkers spot rather than a beer drinkers spot. Food: The food was great! From farm to table, American traditional food with seafood as well. I had a ribeye and my wife got chicken. Both had mashed potatoes but my wife had sweet potatoes mashed. The vegetables were also great. They have bok choy here. Very expensive place. I thought I saw 2($) signs but it should be 3($$$) signs. For what you get, the price makes sense. Service: Great, server as mentioned earlier was cool, helpful and funny. Overall: Great for special occasions but not likely that I would go back. For the price the food is worth it but not really my type of place. read more

Zookers Restaurant - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

I ordered the local halibut with lemongrass cream sauce and black rice. Amazing! The fish was perfectly cooked, the sauce complemented the fish well, and the rice and roasted broccolini added to the experience. I heartily recommend this. And we've been to Zookers a number of times as we passed through Carp and have never been disappointed. read more

I have had some good meals there, and some less than great meals, so it seems 50/50. I have to give them credit for at least attempting something gourmet though. Pleasant place to dine (assuming you don't walk around the awful plaza after dinner) if your expectations are "medium". Unfortunately there is a new counter as you walk in that displays raw meat, so being a vegetarian it's a huge turn-off. If that's okay with you, then expect a moderately pleasant but unmemorable meal. read more

I lived three years in Carp and for some reason I never thought about going to Zookers. I think the name threw me off even though people would tell me I should go there. Finally after driving through Carp on my daily commute, my son and I decided we should give it a try. He really wanted the fried chicken sandwich however that item was not available on the dinner menu so he went for the burger instead and I had a tofu dish. We got some bread too. Let me tell you we were shocked how good everything tasted! The food was incredible - every bite a delight. His pup style burger cooked and seasoned to perfection. ( mind you my son is a burger snob) - and the potatoes crispy and super tasty. My tofu waiter dish was also really good. Pretty much every bite including the bread basket was amazing. We really wanted to try the dessert and the staff was so nice to split it for us since we were too full for the whole portion alone. The presentation was spot on too. Even though it's in a mini mall once you enter this culinary oasis you immediately forget that the sketchy albertson parking lot. The next day we decided to order the fried chicken sandwiches to go. And let me tell you they did not disappoint either , probably the best fried chicken I had in a long time. We could not wait to eat them at home so we started to nibble on them outside Starbucks and had many people approach us where we got these incredible tasty looking sandwiches. I still can't believe we have not gone there sooner and most reviewers on here seem to agree with me that this is the best restaurant in carp if not Santa Barbara. It had a very inviting feeling to it, a place where many people seem to return for a meal and beautiful local artwork on the wall for sale. We will be coming back for sure! read more

Great atmosphere in an amazing town. Wanted a quick weekend getaway to relax and regroup and got that and more. Once in town wanted to grab a nice dinner. Zookers was walking distance of were I was staying. Made reservations although didn't need them but from the reviews it is quite a popular place. You can never be sure. Once arriving the staff was friendly and welcoming sat us down right away. The server Isabelle was attentive and sweet. Answer any questions we had. We both got Ribeye steaks that were outstanding and incredibly delicious. Melts in your mouth good. We went for double veggies for sides, you can taste the freshness. Delicious as well. Had a bottle of wine with dinner and there nothing more you can ask for. Get restaurant and service. I definitely will be back. read more

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Excellent food; excellent service; ambiance was perfect! Everything was Devine; including dessert! I highly recommend! I usually don't leave reviews , but this is definitely worth mentioning! read more

This was our staple one-night-a-week restaurant, and we loved it....but.... they started messing up our order, and sadly haven't stopped. The last three times I ordered my fave, the chopped salad, I clearly stated 'no egg or cheese' anyone lactose intolerant or allergic knows how dangerous this can be, and yet even when you check and recheck the details, it arrives with egg. Beyond disappointing as we lost our fave. read more

Everything is so fresh and delicious. I always love no matter what I order. Always a great choice every time I am in Carpinteria

What a surprise! This place is in a grocery store strip mall and us definitely on the "DL" ... I honestly thought it was a neighborhood bar kinda place. My boyfriend looked it up and WOW..We had to try it. He had Chicken Saltimbocca and I had Curried Seabass. Prices are not over the top and service was very nice. read more

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So, this was kind of weird. Rated on food alone this restaurant is DEFINITELY 5 stars. I had the BEST hot pastrami sandwich and Caesar salad IN THE WORLD. But something my guest and I witnessed was disgusting and turned us off to this place for a second visit in the future. We were greeted by a woman (assumed) to be the owner. I was correct on that assumption. She was rude and grumpy to us as we entered. Not a smile from her, not a welcome. Nothing. The young man who took our order was very good. After our food was served my guest and I observed this woman (owner) berate another staff person right in front of us. She yelled at the employee, "this isn't your job. Go over there." (The young employee was at the bar working - at least she was staying busy and doing something!) It was a horrible display of unprofessionalism by that owner and I was embarrassed for that poor girl. I really doubt I'll be here again. read more

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A Carpenteria favorite! I ordered their pastrami Reuben and was impressed with the quality. Good deli is hard to find in Santa Barbara County, and Zookers nailed it. I will definitely be back for the dinner menu. Service was perfect, ambiance was upscale yet homey. Three thumbs up. read more

Finally tried the Zookers meat and seafood. Beautiful setup and service is excellent . Brent was there and gave me an excellent idea to get a New York ! I grilled it to perfection and the flavor was amazing . Congrats Jeanie and Brent to a great addition to our small community ! Next time I'll try some of the gorgeous fresh fish ! read more

The best restaurant in Carpinteria!! Hands down, Zookers rock!!!. My husband's favorite is the turkey meatloaf! Yummmm!!! They have so many dishes that are just plain fabulous!. One of my favorites, pasta and sea food! read more

Great Experience!! First time here for my wife and I and we loved it! I had the seafood soup which was flavorful and delicious. My wife had the Tofu Sauté and that was delicious too! Our server was very nice and responsive. We will be back. read more

Bland food! Will not be dining here again. I'm glad I only ordered 1/2 sandwich and soup. Tuna has the potential to be good, but the "cook" completely missed the seasoning cabinet. The food definitely isn't for a "groomed" palate. The staff was friendly! read more

I enjoy having a hamburger and always trying to find the best one, lt is right here at Zookers. That ground sirloin burger was the best! The wedge fries were seasoned perfectly and complimented the hamburger. Service was excellent. read more

Food is great. So is the service. I had the Turkey meatloaf sandwich. It was delicious! My husband just had the burger but it was big, juicy and crave-able. . read more

This restaurant was absolutely delicious. It was really nice and all the waiters were wearing masks and following covid guidelines. They have a dog friendly patio which was amazing and really pretty. The food was top notch, and so was the service. Highly recommend the salmon, bruschetta and the creme brule. read more

Zookers Restaurant - Creme brûlée - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California

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We just dined, sort of hit or miss. Really fresh tuna but their Cioppino was super underwhelming. Specifically the shell fish they used was not fresh. My wife thought it was actually spoiled, but probably just not fresh.. read more

I found this restaurant because I was looking for farm-to-table restaurants in Carpinteria, and honestly I am not that familiar with this town despite its proximity to my place of residence. The food here is fantastic. I ended up getting the penne with beef, a daily special. The beef was tender and juicy, with a great pasta-to-meat ratio. The artichokes added a nice level of acidity. The gorgonzola cream sauce was pleasant without overpowering the rest of the ingredients. I also got to try the pumpkin bread pudding which was an excellent dessert; not too heavy, but very flavorful. One thing that I noticed immediately upon entering is the care that is taken in raising several very nice orchids throughout the restaurant. Perhaps the owner is an orchid enthusiast, but I noticed several blooming cattleyas and oncidium throughout the restaurant that were obviously well cared for. I'll definitely be coming back to Zookers the next time I'm in Carpinteria. I'm excited to see what they have for dinner. read more

Zookers Restaurant - Penne with beef special - American Near Me - Carpinteria, California