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Kozmo's
718 State St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 845-2254


Reviews by the General Public

Affordable, family-friendly., 8/28/2010
Reviewer: Amy from Santa Barbara, CA
Went to Kozmo's for the second time recently. I was with my children, a friend, and her children. We were looking for a place that had something for kids and adults, that was healthier than fast food, quick, affordable, and kid-friendly. Kozmo's was perfect! We could choose between burgers, salads, sandwiches and pizza. There was something for everyone. The staff was extremely accommodating. The food was cooked fresh to order and was delicious. I think Kozmo's is a great place. I really like the low-key atmosphere where you order at the counter and seat yourself. Yet you also get to eat on real plates using real silverware. This is the perfect p[ace for affordable casual dining.


Food quality has declined, 8/24/2010
Reviewer: Dave from Santa Barbara, CA
When they first opened, I used to go all the time, but ever since they raised their prices (and changed their name) I have noticed the food quality is slipping. Used to be a good value as cali crisp, when they had pizzas for $7-$8, now the pizzas got worse and the prices went up? Also, the drinks are way overpriced. the service is pretty good, although sometimes the phone answerer can be rude. I stopped going to "Kozmo's" as of today - paid $10 for a pizza that has no form (it looks like a big glob of cheese), cannot even pick up the slices they are so soggy.


PLEASE POWER WASH YOUR ENTRY WAY, 8/23/2010
Reviewer: Robert from Santa Barbara, CA
When they first opened as California Crisp... the owner (who is still the same guy) said that they would POWER WASH the entry way which just looks ATROCIOUS That alone has kept us from eating there... Show some pride and clean it up. I am happy to see that the new menu seems to be "fitting the bill" and "filling a valuable need".... But cleanliness around the restaurant is very important to us. We eat out 5 nights a week on a minimum - look forward to being surprised with the clean entryway and trying out one of your gourmet burgers


Simple recipe for food here that works great, freshness, 8/18/2010
Reviewer: Eric N from Santa Barbara, CA
I have been here a couple times now in the never-ending try a new restaurant for lunch quest and have been throughly satisfied. Just had the half tri-tip and cesar salad combo and it was excellent. The food here is always fresh and the employees friendly. If you are looking for a very reasonably priced and tasty lunch give this place a go. Also make sure to grab some of their hot sauce it's good stuff.


Great Call !!, 7/21/2010
Reviewer: Ruben Sanchez from Santa Barbara, CA
Am new to Santa Barbara, Discovered this place when they had just opened. The entire family has been putting in the hours sharing with their community GREAT FOOD! From the Salads to the pasta dishes you cant go wrong, and besides..........Its hard not to like KOZMO! Coach Ruben


Authentic reviews, 7/20/2010
Reviewer: Tom from Santa Barbara, CA
I have been here once before they changed the name. The food was okay as well as the service. When I read these reviews I can't help think that they are very checkered. One thumps the restaurant for this or that the next one can't say enough to praise it. It makes me wonder if family members or friends are writing the positive reviews and the actual customers are writing the negative. Whatever the case I have found that if the food, service and atmosphere are not the best the restaurant won't last in Santa Barbara. Restaurants make their rep by offering the best of everything not be fabricating one on the internet.


Not bad... if you get lucky., 7/14/2010
Reviewer: Landon from Santa Barbara, CA
I used to grab a sandwich to go here around once a week. The accuracy of my order was hovering somewhere around 50%. The Tri-Tip sandwich is delicious but for some reason the phrase 'no chipotle sauce' ends up meaning 'with chipotle sauce only.' Friendliness is good; Accuracy is better.


Awesome, 7/13/2010
Reviewer: Brian from Santa Barbara, CA
I've been here a few times and honestly it is my new favorite place for sandwiches in all of Santa Barbara. The Tri-Tip Roast (served on warm ciabatta bread with melted mozzarella, creamy chipotle pesto, onion rings, and BBQ sauce) is absolutely unbelievable! I probably don't want to know about the number of calories in it, but MAN it's good. Prices are a little on the high side ($8 to $9 for most items), but I think it's worth it for the quality (i.e., the turkey on a turkey sandwich is an actual breast of turkey, not sliced, processed stuff) I work about 7 blocks away and will definitely be trekking down there at least once a week for lunch!


perfect!, 7/11/2010
Reviewer: mimi from Santa Barbara, CA
Great sandwiches and great pizzas. All the ingredients were fresh and flavorful and wonderful! It was a perfect lunch after a day of shopping on State Street. They have great specials that I have to come back for. The pizza was large enough for 2 people to share. Very fast and friendly service and outstanding quality. Will be back.


Kozmo's restaurant WOW IT"S GREAT, 7/1/2010
Reviewer: Carl G Hopkins from Santa Barbara, CA
Went in to see how it changed from the old California Crisp.... i was very pleased with the new look and big screen TV,s showing the Laker game and it was packed...Great food and great prices for the menu, we had Tri-tip sandwich and ceasar salad along with a $2.00 draft beer. and alot of people seemed to have pizza and salads.Also the service was very good and they made sure we enjoyed everything.....I will be back with my friends.


What happened to California Crisp!? Bring it back!!!, 5/20/2010
Reviewer: Allison from Santa Barbara, CA
I'm so confused and dissapointed! California Crisp instantly became my favorite spot for lunch. It had good fresh food, which was reasonably priced and had a nice charm to it. Now all of a sudden they raised prices by 2-5 bucks, added a tacky make-shift bar and are pretending to be some new hip place? Kozmo's is like Madison's meets silvergreens, in all the worst ways. If you're going to rack up the prices-how can you not increase the food portions at all? The plasma screens and beer bar make it feel like a bad sports bar. In itself it's not a terrible place, but it is no California Crisp! I wish they'd just go back to the way it was. if it's not broken don't fix it!!! My lunch there the other day will sadly be the last meal I have there. Too bad...


Best BBQ Chicken Wrap in Santa Barbara, 4/28/2010
Reviewer: Erica from Santa Barbara, CA
A small group of us stopped here for lunch while shopping downtown. The staff was friendly and attentive and the food was great! One of us ordered the Turkey sandwhich, which was good; another ordered the spicy Tri-Tip wrap, which was great; and I had the BBQ Chicken Wrap, which was amazing! The wraps are HUGE and the BBQ sauce was really tasty. I saved half for lunch the next day and it was still really good. I'm a sucker for anything "BBQ Chicken" and was very impressed. Prices typical for Santa Barbara, but worth it for the size of the wraps!


Great Food, Great prices, Great Service, 4/23/2010
Reviewer: Astrid from Santa Barbara, CA
It's hard to say what I liked best. The food was unbelievably delicious and the service was great. Also, the prices were reasonable for the amount of food and quality of food you get. We went in with a family of 8 and all of us loved our food and commented on how helpful and friendly the staff were. We were visiting the Santa Barbara area and we all commented how we wished there was one closer to home. Definitely check it out!


Much Better!, 3/1/2010
Reviewer: Justine from Santa Barbara, CA
After my initial review several months ago, where I described leaving after waiting a long while without so much as being greeted, I ended up trying California Crisp again. While out with some friends and looking for a quick and economical dinner, we stopped in on a whim. It was a 180 degree change! The service from the gentleman behind the counter was friendly and helpful, and the food was quite tasty and well-priced. I will definitely be back!


Good food, decent prices, 2/28/2010
Reviewer: Mallika from Santa Barbara, CA
I ordered the Margherita pizza - it was quite good. It was just $6.00, so I paid in cash to help them maintain the low price (by avoiding visa/mastercard fees). I also felt that my feedback was well received - when I expressed that I didn't like getting plastic cups for water, the proprieter said they'd look into it (they actually have non-single-use glasses for eating in, but they'd mistaken my order for a take-out initially). The take-away boxes weren't plastic, but I was happy enough with some foil for my left-over pizza, didn't need their 12 cent box.


Good food Priced for a tight budget, 2/23/2010
Reviewer: Sylvie from Santa Barbara, CA
I dropped in during the SBIFF for a quick bite. What a surprise! My wrap was fresh, delicious and brought to my table in timely manner. I'll definitely visit again


first in five months, 2/6/2010
Reviewer: Chris C from Santa Barbara, CA
We tried a Caesar chicken wrap, a salad and soup with high hopes. The ingredients of the salad and wrap were fresh and, indeed, crisp. The dressing was of the creamy mayo-style - not much to it. The wrap was mostly lettuce with sparse chicken and even less flavor despite a decent Parmesan. If you want to stay far away from spice, this is the perfect dish. Likewise for the soup which was under-seasoned and flat. A Caesar salad ordered as gluten-free without croutons came with a liberal dusting of croutons plus a cheese-roll plunked on top. The attentive manager(?) asked how things we were and we responded that it was disappointing and short on flavor. The house reply was 'too bad, nobody else has said that in 5 months of operation.' OK, so chalk one up. The service that had seemed friendly turned out to be only a veneer with little regard for real customer satisfaction or interest in feedback. Unlikely to return.


Thank You, 2/1/2010
Reviewer: Brooke from Santa Barbara, CA
Finally, affordable, yummy food in Santa Barbara. Soup/sandwich for 8.50 with prime ingredients. I will be going back.


great place!, 12/29/2009
Reviewer: Nicole from Santa Barbara, CA
I went to this place today for a quick bite with some very picky eaters, and we were able to find something for everyone on the menu. The food was great, and the staff was friendly. My only complaint was that it took a bit longer than expected to get our food, but luckily we weren't in a hurry. I will be back!


Affordable, plentiful, delicious!, 12/3/2009
Reviewer: Lindsey from Santa Barbara, CA
Ate lunch here yesterday and was more than pleased with the experience. I ordered the Thai Chicken Pizza and it was HUGE for $7, also very fresh and not skimpy on the ingredients. Could have easily been split between two. My friend ordered the Sweet Sensation Salad - it looked great although she wasn't a fan of the dressing. We split a piece of lemon cheese cake and it was very tasty. This place seems like a great deal for the money. Not as expensive as Silvergreens, and perhaps better quality food. The manager (?) was also very helpful and obviously cares about the experience of his patrons. I will definitely go back!


Cheap, tasty food, great service, 11/10/2009
Reviewer: Miles from Santa Barbara, CA
Kind of an odd mix because the food is somewhat fancy and inexpensive but the restaurant itself is very informal (you order at the register and then pick a table). A great place to take a casual 1st date!


loved the food, even if not what ordered, 10/15/2009
Reviewer: Steve from Santa Barbara, CA
This is a great change from Fatburger. I realize that it takes a while to work out all the kinks. Suggest chief use gloves when handling food. Cashier should have more experience, and training. We all have to learn, but need help at first. Menu is hard to understand. Be more attentive to customers to help with menu. otherwise a great addition to State St. I will try again, as the food is great.


wonderful new addition to state st, 10/11/2009
Reviewer: Nancy from Santa Barbara, CA
What a beautiful, clean, bright, organic space...love the tiling and soft natural colors. Our lunch was delicious - had the soup and 1/2 panini. Broccoli soup was fantastic, the roasted veggie panini with pesto delicious. I liked the serving size - healthy (ie not huge) but the food is very fairly priced, rich and filling. My husbands tortilla soup seemed to have cream added - it was also delicious but a lower cal version would be nice. Before we ordered, we asked the cashier what the "onion fries" were, and she handed us a sample of very thin onion rings - fantastic! We had to order some. I look forward to returning soon. As for the previous reviewer saying that the place is locally owned - I prefer to "think globally" - and value ALL people - if the restaurant owner does a good job, I will patronize the place. Why does being from SB even matter?


They're Working On It, 10/5/2009
Reviewer: Rob from Santa Barbara, CA
The food is great, never had a problem there. They are new and you guys out there just have to be patient while they figure out the kinks. I've heard some rumblings about slow service and the wrong order getting delivered, and have any of you that have experienced this not had the problem corrected and always with a smile? This is a Santa Barbara local owner, and we should be patient as always with new establishments. In the end the food is great, the price is right, so what if you have to wait an extra 5-10 minutes, the food is worth it. Plus, the place looks 100X better than when Fatburger was in there.


Great lunch spot!, 10/2/2009
Reviewer: Joe from Santa Barbara, CA
Had the tri-tip sandwich w/ ceasar salad and was very good! Service was nice and friendly. Tri-tip sandwich had great flavor and the bread was perfect.


Not so much as a "Hello" , 9/24/2009
Reviewer: Justine from Santa Barbara, CA
I went into CC Sunday around noon. I'd read about it on this site, was curious and like to support local restaurants. Once in the door, I stopped to look up at the menu, high on the wall behind the counter. No one else was waiting ahead of me and the place was mostly empty. A few employees were behind the counter, making food, talking to each other jovially. The man right in front of me was wearing a chef's hat and garb. I stood there, feeling increasingly awkward as not one of them made a move to greet me, not so much as a "Hi--be with you in a minute." After a few long minutes of being ignored, I turned around and walked out. It seems to me that a new restaurant would do well to be welcoming of customers and make a good first impression. They didn't. I don't feel inclined to return unless I start to hear some really good buzz from trusted sources.


Waited 20 Minutes for the Wrong Sandwich, 9/22/2009
Reviewer: Allezan from Santa Barbara, CA
Out of curiosity, I tried California Crisp for lunch. I went at 3:00, well after the lunch rush. I ordered their tri-tip sandwich, one of their signature dishes, with a side salad. After waiting over 15 minutes, and seeing two other customers who had ordered after me be served, a server told me it would be just another minute for my roast beef sandwich. I told him I had ordered tri-tip, and he said "Oh yeah, right." This did not inspire confidence, but I thought maybe it was an honest mistake. Then me said my order was being held up by the fries. The only thing is, I didn't order fries, I ordered a salad with balsamic. I told him that and he said "Oh, you ordered pasta primavera?" I corrected him, again, and he blamed it on the music being too loud. If the music is so loud they can't hear their customers, they should turn it down. They didn't. After a total of 20 minutes I finally got my order. One look confirmed it was roast beef, not tri-tip. But, I didn't have another 20 minutes to spare, so I didn't ask them to correct it. Unlike the other customers, I was not offered an appology for the wait time. Fortunately, the food was tasty, even though it wasn't what I ordered. I will return if and when they get their service up to par with their food.


Amazing food, clean and bright location, friendly service, 9/18/2009
Reviewer: Meghan from Santa Barbara, CA
My sister and I just went to California Crisp for lunch and I was so impressed with our experience that I came home and wanted to write a review! The establishment itself is clean, bright, well decorated and inviting. You stand in line and watch the food being made and everything looks as delicious as it tastes! The portions are large without being huge and the food is fresh and well seasoned. I had the margarita pizza with a side salad which came out to under 10 dollars. My sister had the soup and side salad and her salad was bigger then mine! The chicken on her salad was fresh and delicious. I am making this place a regular for my lunches, it was wonderful. I gave the service 4 stars instead of 5 because it was a little slow, but that is to be expected with a new place. Their friendliness made up for it. :)


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