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Jungle George Grill
5722 Calle Real, Goleta
Phone: (805) 845-3333
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Reviews by the General Public
Not going back., 7/16/2010
Reviewer: Ildi Palmer
from Santa Barbara, CA
I bought a cheap gift certificate on restaurant.com to try this place before ever setting foot inside. Our group was 2 adults and 2 toddlers.
First- no booths. Okay, that doesn't work well with toddlers (and this isn't the kind of place you'd bother with if you aren't with kids).
Then we order a chicken burger & fries to split, 3 sodas, onion rings, 2 kids meals- 1 mac 'n cheese & 1 grilled cheese, plus 2 burgers to go (to make up our gift card minimum). We wanted to get desserts not extra burgers but they didn't have any left at 6 pm.
They had no kids juices left so they had to have soda (no!) or water (4.99 for a kid's meal w/drink, but there are no drinks?). They got pink lemonades.
The waiter /cashier was very good. And, the food DID come very quickly.
The chicken burger was so chewy I couldn't bite it. I took out the meat and ate it without. My friend ate hers. The kids' mac 'n cheese was not kid friendly. It was not macaroni, it was penne (too large for a child's mouth- had to be cut in half) swimming in a drippy hot cheese sauce (as in burning hot mess). Not practical for kids but my friend thought it was delicious and much better than boxed.
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Excruciatingly Slow, 7/12/2010
Reviewer: Laura
from Santa Barbara, CA
Wow - 40 minutes for a turkey burger? You've got to be kidding. There were only 5 occupied tables, of which only one had received food. Not ok when you only have an hour for lunch!
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Very slow service, 6/4/2010
Reviewer: DD
from Santa Barbara, CA
First time I tried, the food was ok & service very slow. Months later somehow I ended up here again because I couldn't decide what to eat for lunch. I ordered & never was asked if it was for there or to go & I asked how long it would be? The lady said 15 mins. The lady then brought me my salad after a while, but not in a to-go container, I told her I wanted it to go. She took it back & my sandwich took 30 minutes, after I was told it would be 15 minutes. If I would have known it would have taken double the time, I would have gone elsewhere. I won't be back as the mediocre food isn't worth the slow service.
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Jungle George Catering Service, 4/12/2010
Reviewer: Alyce
from Goleta, CA
I used Jungle George to cater my sorority's Bid Day, a very large and important event. Everyone there was super nice and helpful. I went in with a budget and they promised to beat any price. I knew that I wanted a Hawaiian theme but did not have a specific menu in mind. Not only did they help me create the menu, but they also kept their promise and beat every price in town. Then, on the day of the event, they almost doubled my order of food, for FREE, just to make sure that no one went hungry. Everyone there was very nice and accommodating. I have already referred them to one of my sorority sisters and they have offered to donate money back to my sorority for doing so. They are truly just amazing and I will defiantly be working with them again in the future. I really could not have had a better experience.
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Food was inedible, 3/26/2010
Reviewer: Lori
from Santa Barbara, CA
The description on the menu was great but the food was a disappointment. The gorgonzola salad was swimming in dressing and tasted moldy. The ingredience need to be fresh before I will return.
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Pretty disappointing, 3/14/2010
Reviewer: Carmen
from Goleta, CA
My husband and I went for veggie burgers. He got the garden burger, I got the blue cheese burger with a garden patty (they charge .99 for the substitution). The burgers were small and just lacked any kind of love. Seriously. In and Out or The Habit is much, much better. We left hungry and disappointed, and we spent about $17--just for two burgers. I would tell people not to go to this place. If you really want a fancy burger, go to Kahuna Grill, which I think is also overpriced, but at least the burgers are hearty and really tasty!
Oh, the service was fine. Nothing special. It took 10-15 minutes for our burgers to come out, but that seems fine.
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Bison Mushroom, 2/25/2010
Reviewer: Adam
from Santa Barbara, CA
I just drop by to this jungle so i decided to give it a chance so I enter to the place after a few mins. looking at the menu I asked 4 the bison mushroom it was just delicious so juicy and the taste was great 4 sure i will returnd to this local jungle bussines hah btw the staff was really friendly.
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Great food and good service, 1/24/2010
Reviewer: Jim
from Goleta,ca
The blue cheese burger is the best in town. Service is always great and prices are fair. I know I'll be back
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great fish tacos, 11/18/2009
Reviewer: pat
from Santa Barbara, CA
This was my first time at the restaurant - and I ordered the fish tacos. They arrived nice and hot and were fresh and delicious. The others at the table ordered burgers and onion rings on the side. They were happy with their meal.
It was great service, very friendly. I/we will definately go again. It is a great restaurant for family. The price is right too.
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GREAT for catering, 11/17/2009
Reviewer: kyndal
from Santa Barbara, CA
I have used this restaurant for catering several times for my company and I could not be happier! The food is always amazing and it is always delivered on time and in great condition. Our office is downtown and even though the restaurant is in Goleta, they never seem to mind delivering the food to us. Something else that is great is that they ALWAYS give more than enough food and don't try to cut costs by being skimpy. I highly suggest their great catering!
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New England Clam Chowder - Excellent!, 10/25/2009
Reviewer: Mallika
from Santa Barbara, CA
So excellent, in fact, that I decided to get up from bed and write a review!
Both guests that I took here this afternoon were also very pleased with their food and complimented me on my choice of restaurant :)
I'd ordered the plantain falafel sandwich combo (w/ salad), my friend ordered the salmon burger combo (w/ clam chowder - which I tasted and then ate most of), and his Dad ordered the garden of Eden burger (w/ vegetable soup)
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2nd visit and I'm still not impressed
Reviewer: Christine
from Santa Barbara, CA
Last time I complained that the green bean fries were a mushy, tasteless mess. This time they were really good! The outside coating was tasty and crispy and the green beans weren't overcooked. They were great plain, without Ranch dressing. I'd give them 4.5 stars. However, my Tiger burger (basic cheeseburger) was RAW. I ate the very rare edges but as soon as I bit in further, I got nervous - it was bleeding raw. Too bad I got my order to go, because if I had eaten in the restaurant I would have taken it back. I'd give it 1.5 stars. The lady at the counter seemed nice and told me the specials were enchiladas and something else "Mexican" but I thought they were a grill, specializing in burgers? I still think they should put the menus on the wall above the kitchen, because you don't see a menu until you get up to the cash register to order.
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Loved it!
Reviewer: Laura
from Santa Barbara, CA
I have been to your restaurant a few times now, and really love the food, the chicken wrap is so yummy! and I love the sweet potato 'air fries". It is one of the few places that I can find a nutritious and tasty treat at 3 in the afternoon, when most places are closing or preparing for dinner.
What I like the most is that the food tastes fresh and healthy, The service it has been great in my experience, very friendly employees, from the cooks to the ones serving or taking your order,
Also I noticed you use earth friendly "to go' containers, thanks for caring about the enviroment!
Keep up the great work!!
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Tasty burgers, slow service
Reviewer: Nancy Kim
from Santa Barbara, CA
I came by for dinner with my boyfriend who had heard of the place on the radio. I forget the exact name of my burger, but I ordered a turkey burger that came with fresh jalapeno, pepper jack and grilled onions. The burger was delicious and all the ingredients were very fresh. My boyfriend enjoyed his burger and said he wanted to come back another time to try some of their other choices. The green sticks were crispy and had a great crunch to them - not like other reviewers that had issues with soggy green beans / onion rings / etc. Overall food was great for the price and though service was very friendly, they were pretty slow. We weren't in any particular rush though so it was a nice leisurely dinner. Am planning on trying it for lunch to see how they do with the lunch rush, but would definitely recommend it to friends.
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Still Diggin' It
Reviewer: Jason Koivu
from Santa Barbara, CA
I've been back three times in the past month. I've gotten an ostrich burger, bison burger with gorgonzola, and their Thai sauteed chicken plantain sandwich. All of them were quite good. Drawbacks were an unequal spreading of sauces or cheese across the entire sandwich (I mean they got clumped up in one area), the ostrich burger was slightly dry, and the bison burger was a little less well done in the middle than I'd prefer. But the flavorful ingredients and freshness compensated for these minor flaws.
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Horrible
Reviewer: Alex
from Santa Barbara, CA
My boyfriend and I ate here about a month ago. The food was terrible. The burgers were overcooked, hard, and dry; the bun also was not very good. We were excited to try their "air fried" I believe it was, fries and onion rings. We got our food to go but decided to eat in the car as to not lower the quality of these side items. Both were soggy, flavorless, and really just awful. We hardly ate them. The burgers and fries/onion rings were all we ever tried there. Since it was a safe menu choice I figured it could only speak well for their food. It did the complete opposite and we'll never be eating there again. Not only that being bad, but all the items were a la carte. No combo meal. You paid for your bad burger, soggy fries, and medium size drink all seperately. $20 for two bad meals.
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Sure, I'll be back
Reviewer: Jason Koivu
from Santa Barbara, CA
Interesting menu. Mostly burgers, but plenty of fish items and healthy choices. I tried the plantain falafel sandwich and it was good. The service was cheerful and on top of things. I wouldn't have known the place was here if I wasn't a regular at Panino just down the way a bit. The facade at George's doesn't exactly scream "RESTAURANT!". The sign reminds me of a computer gaming store.
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Yummy
Reviewer: Lori
from Goleta, CA
I have been to this place three times and each time I have ordered the basic burger and the sweet fries.... Im no much for browsing... It has been great every time! I will return... possibly tonight~
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Free meal, please!
Reviewer: Don
from Santa Barbara, CA
Probably not appropriate, but YES I do remember the "onion ring" lady! I'm the owner and truly sorry for our bad behavior. Please come back and have a free meal on us! Please? (Ask for Don or Freddy, when — if — you come back.) The person who took your order incorrectly got a "spanking!"
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Nice try, but I will not be coming back
Reviewer: Janet
from Goleta, CA
I really wanted to like this place, I did. Interesting menu, sweet potato fries,and my takeout order wasn't in Styrofoam. When I placed my order for my burger, the cashier asked if I wanted anything else, I said "Yes - onion rings" and she said something to the effect of "No problem!". Then when my order was up, I checked inside the bag and...no onion rings. When I brought this up with them they checked their copy of the receipt (I never got one of my own and wasn't offered one) and the cashier (same one who said "No problem" to said onion rings) curtly held it under my nose to show me that I only paid for a sandwich. So I got what I paid for, just not what I asked for, and they clearly considered the error to be mine, not theirs. Not wanting to have to wait another 15 minutes, I did not (re)order the side that I had originally asked for and left with less food than I wanted and money in my wallet that could have been theirs. Yes, it could have been worse, but it is not the kind of dining experience I care to go back for. I wish them the best and hope they work out their service kinks, but they will not be working them out on this customer again.
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Jungle George
Reviewer: "Cletis"
from Santa Barbara, CA
I totally disagree with the "disgruntled" eater! The food is great at a reasonable price. I love the ahi tuna wrap. Interesting menu for a fast food place: buffalo burgers, ahi tuna, ostrich, and fresh burgers (not the typical fast food stuff), chicken and veggie stuff. I had air fried sweet potatoes.
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Not Impressed
Reviewer: Audrey
from Santa Barbara, CA
We did not like the food at all. The burgers were the same as a fast food patty from any of the local chains. They said they did not have mayonnaise, c'mon a burger place with no mayonniase? The service was mediocre, the girl who took our order was not familiar with the menu and the food server seemed to not notice she had two drinks and three customers. We will not return.
They did offer us a free soda to make up for the poor service we recieved.
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Dish Cafe w/ a new name
Reviewer: Katie
from Santa Barbara, CA
Before Jungle George replaced Dish Cafe, my boyfriend and I used to frequent Dish for their bison burgers. I am gluten-free, so I especially enjoyed having a bison burger on the delicious plantain "buns." Jungle George is in MANY ways the reincarnation of Dish Cafe - they still have all of the burgers and sandwiches, with regular or plantain bun, and some additional menu choices. We had our "usual" bison burgers with sweet potato fries and both of us agree that the quality was exactly the same as we'd remembered. We will definitely return when we are in the mood for a bison burger - as for the rest of the menu, I could care less -=)
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great sweet potato fries and burgers!
Reviewer: lauren
from Santa Barbara, CA
the burgers were great and the sweet potato fries were awesome. i wasnt a big fan of the green bean fries but thats just me.
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Not impressed but not bad
Reviewer: Christine
from Santa Barbara, CA
I had a bison burger and green sticks, take-out. The bison burger was really good, the meat was tasty and cooked to medium as requested, and the veggies were really fresh and good looking. They put a little "special sauce" on the bun but nothing else so you can add condiments as you like. The green sticks are a disappointment. I too heard Julie on KTYD promoting the place and these sticks, and all of this "air frying" business, I assumed they would be crunchy green beans with maybe a light breading. Nope, these are very heavily breaded and the green beans inside are mush. They make a great vehicle for Ranch dressing, but after all the breading and dressing I'm not sure this is a "healthy" alternative to french fries. Maybe it was the 5 minutes in the car on my drive back to work that made them wilt, but i doubt it. I think putting the menu on the wall above the ordering area would be helpful. The place is a bit stark otherwise, and the plants are very very fake. Work out a few kinks and I think this place could be good, my burger was really 4.5 stars but the green sticks brought my overall food rating down.
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What's up with the name of this place?
Reviewer: Nate
from Santa Barbara, CA
I listen to the KTYD morning show at work and Julie has been doing the advertising for this restaurant. She really sincerely sounded like she liked the food here, so as along time Goleta resident I decided to give it a try, even though judging by the name I thought it was a kids restaurant or something. My wife and I ordered a burger, a plantain sandwich and a hot dog. All were disappointing, I wanted to really like this place because it's a local small business, and Julie from the morning show recommended it. I really wish I had just gone to Hamburger Habit. My burger was so over cooked it was almost inedible. I've had better dogs at Costco and my wife's sandwich was just "alright."
The staff was very friendly but we will not be returning. In this economy right now, after all the money we've lost, and searching for good value and good food, George of the Jungle Cafe or whatever this place is called doesn't cut it. The prices are reasonable but the quality of food is not.
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Lots of Variety and many Unusual Items
Reviewer: Krista and Tony
from Goleta
First time at Jungle Georges and I give it a hearty "Not Bad". My compatriots really enjoyed the Wrap, Gardenburger and "daily special" and we all loved the sweet potato fries. As for me I had the Congo burger which is basically a bacon-cheeseburger. I'm a bit of a burger enthusiast and while I wasn't at all disappointed with the Congo I wasn't blown-away by it either. I think the "regular" burgers here play a supporting role to the exotics, which seem like the real stars. I'll probably go for a garden-burger or perhaps a plantain sandwich next time..
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Disappointing
Reviewer: Matt
from Santa Barbara, CA
My girlfriend and I tried the Jungle George Grill for lunch this week, and were very disappointed. She got a veggie burger, which seemed no better than a frozen patty from the grocery store. It was served on a soggy white bun with way too much mayonnaise. I got a plantain red snapper sandwich, which was also disappointing. The plantains lacked flavor, and the fish was over-breaded. They compensated by covering the sandwich with tarter sauce... not so healthy as they claim. Finally, we shared a gorgonzola salad, which was equally disappointing. The service wasn't bad, but it felt a little too corporate for my taste. The food is overpriced for what it is. I know we won't be returning.
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Top garden burgers
Reviewer: Irwin
from Goleta, CA
I have visited three times now for their garden burger with their sweet potato fries. I do take out. They are delicious, one of my new favorite meals. They are always very nice in there. My only suggestion would be to do something with the interior of the restaurant, spice it up a little. I highly recommend their garden burger and fries. Try it.
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Very good burgers!
Reviewer: Debbie
from Santa Barbara, CA
I've been to Jungle George 3 times now and have loved it everytime. The burgers are great! Very fresh ingredients and the sauces on the burgers are delicious. We also tried a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich and it was delicious too! Great service!
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Ok food/service
Reviewer: Glenn
from Buellton
Similar to Dish Cafe it replaced inside w/ a Big Screen TV added. Funky American style menu items. Food I had was just Ok and slightly pricey.
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Getting Started, Wonderful Service
Reviewer: Nicole
from Santa Barbara, CA
I placed an order to go there last week, a falafael with 'green sticks' (air fried, NOT DEEP FRIED green beans). When I got home to eat the food was still warm and had everything I requested - ranch on the side and extra tzatziki sauce on the side. The falafael came with loads of delicious, fresh sprouts and instead of bread it was a plantain sandwich. The plantin presses were ok, a little soggy when I got them and the falafel was ok too. I think they're specility is burgers, they might want to do away with the falafel all together. Except save the sacue, it was the best tzatziki sauce I've ever had, that includes what I ate at the Greek Festival too!! The green sticks were good, not as crispy as they might be if you eat in but they weren't soggy/greasy which was a welcome change. The service was exceptional, the woman who is the wife of the owner was very sweet and attentive. I will definitely go back, but stick with burgers when you're there. Also, they need to put a "real" sign out front, it'll make it easier to find. Go visit them please!!
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Needs help...
Reviewer: Ta
from Santa Barbara, CA
My husband and I tried Jungle George grill over the weekend and both ordered turkey burgers, what a disappointment! They were pressed patties with the texture of a precooked chicken nugget. There appeared to be "fake" grill marks on them as well. Neither of us came close to finishing our meal. It reminded me of something you would order in a cafeteria...
The staff were friendly and attentive although they seemed to be a bit confused when taking the order. I understand that they are a new restaurant and it is normal to have kinks to work out. I would just highly recommend that the owners use a more natural, quality product - even if it means raising the prices a bit.
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