A review of Joe's Cafe at Santa Barbara.com

Joe's Cafe
536 State St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 966-4638

Category: American
Hours: Mon-Sun 7:30am-11pm
Price: $10 - $20
Serving: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Map
Write a review of this location!

Reviews by the General Public

Pete Noble the Surfer?, 8/8/2010
Reviewer: Roger from Santa Barbara, CA
I had to comment on the last review about Joe's cafe, just because I think Pete Noble is the esteemed surfboard collector from Monterey, and he deserves to know. If not the same guy, well, you should know, anyway. This Joe's Cafe is not the same one as 30 years ago. The original was down the street, where Holdren's is now- when the move was made, the patrons at the bar walked up to the "New" Joe's, and bellied up to the bar. For a while, it was pretty much the same- then it was sold again, to a guy who has a pile of restaurants, got rid of some of the greats on the menu, changed some, and "cleaned up" the restaurant. Many of the same employees are still there, the drinks are still powerful, and the food is "not bad", but who goes to Joe's for the food?

Say it isn't So JOE'S, 8/8/2010
Reviewer: Pete Noble from Monterey, CA
After a thirty plus years love affair between my family and Joe's it was rattled Easter Weekend. Service was unusally, BAD. Prices have increased and portions have decreased. Not all items on the menu are great. There are some bad ones and do not let your comfort zone fool you! (Meatloaf is bad). It is not like the old days! Where the entire menu was good and you got big portions!! Joe's was a must for our family for 30+years, now it had moved to a maybe on our two annual visits to Santa Barbara. This review pains me to write, however my son has been on me big time to get the info out there. Maybe Joe's can go back to the way it was! The problem is you usually can never go back!

Not to order side order -sauteed mushroom, it is too salty, 8/5/2010
Reviewer: Ming Qin from Santa Barbara, CA
Time: August 05, 2010, 12:30 pm. I ordered Beef Ravioli and Sauteed Mushroom. Beef Ravioli dish has 8 pieces with meat sauce which is delicious. Unfortunately, sauteed mushroom was so salty that I have to rinse them by my drink water,but it was still not bearable. I complained to waitress who talked with a Mexican Chef and offered me another one. I rejected the offer since Chef could not find what wrong with his way to make Sauteed Mushroom. Why should we waste my time.......

Best Breakfast Ever..., 6/24/2010
Reviewer: Janeane from Geelong Australia
Great atmosphere, really good coffee, and the breakfast was perfect hot and plentiful. When we entered the cafe we were greeted and seated straight away our waitress was terrific and very attentive. We are tourists from Australia and can't wait to come back again. Thank you Joe's for a breakfast experience that left us so satisfied that it was the only meal we ate that day. If you go to Santa Barbara it is a must do Breaky at Joe's.

Great atmosphere, love the salsa, 5/19/2010
Reviewer: Doug from Portsmouth, NH
Joe's is great old SB steakhouse, and I loved the bread and salsa.

Joes Cafe, 5/17/2010
Reviewer: charlotte from goleta
We love Joe's BUT, the last 2 times we have been the service has been TERRIBLE! The sound of crickets if you will. We sat at our table for 15 mins. until I flagged down a waitress and it wasn't even busy! When she finally graced us with her presence, she kept forgetting things like our appetizer (shrimp cocktail) which we got 40 mins. later WITH our meal! our drinks sat at the bar for 10 mins. and then I got up and got them, she forgot what my husband ordered and when I asked if she had written it down she said that she couldn't read her own writing!!!???? My french dip had hardly any meat in it and the meat that was in the sandwich was tough, grey from last week I think and when I complained, I got" the eye roll" from our waitress... EXCUSE ME!! So needless to say, there was no tip left and I don't know if we will return. There's always Harry's!!!!!

Chowder not authentic, 5/8/2010
Reviewer: Elena from Santa Barbara, CA
Does anyone in this town make a real bowl of New England clam chowder? What they served was much too thin in consistency and too many potatoes. The tartar sauce for the fish and chips was essentially mayo with a dab of relish. Also it's more expensive than I would've liked to pay for food. The service was attentive though even as it was full on a late night. The elderly gentleman waiters remind me of those I encounter in the North End of Boston. Helpful and grumpy in an endearing way.

Pleasant Experience Despite The Price, 2/13/2010
Reviewer: P. Doherty from Santa Barbara, CA
After reading the previous reviews I was a bit surprised. Wife and I were heading from LA at 5am up to Cambria and really wanted to hit central coast as we had never been there before. After finding a parking spot (difficult during peak season/hour) we took a walk. We were hungry (8am) and saw 'Joe's'. Loved the place the moment I walked in. Seated right away and coffee (great, btw) was liberally poured. The food was great....can't complain about anything. Service was great as well. Town is very, very snobbish so some of the reviews here seem a bit asshole-ish. Price was a bit steep but so is the town. Overall.....great experience.

Out with the old...in with the awful, 1/1/2010
Reviewer: Mike from Santa Barbara, CA
With the new owner comes new ideas, this I get. The place is definitely cleaned up. What I don't get is why they changed the recipe for their fried chicken. It is smothered in a batter that is way too thick and has a rubbery texture. It was overcooked and tough. They use the same batter on the onion rings which made them inedible. The veggies served were cold and bland.The prices were reasonable but it just doesn't have the same vibe that the old Joe's had. The servers seem a little grumpy too. I hope that the leftover box of food made the homeless guy that I handed it to happy! Oh well...writing this just makes me think about not returning.

LOVE IT, 1/1/2010
Reviewer: Frode BOe from Bergen Norway
I lived in Santa Barbara many years ago ( 24 years). And I loved Joe`s Cafe Hapy New Year

Management needs a clue!, 12/24/2009
Reviewer: Douglas A from Santa Barbara, CA
Being always under staffed, it's a 50/50 chance on how well you will be served. The food is fair at best. if you get a To-Go order and they screw it up, don't plan on them fixing it, apologizing for it or in any other way taking care of the problem.

Why cook for Thanksgiving, 11/28/2009
Reviewer: Tom from Northern Virginia
We visited a friend for Thanksgiving and did not see the need to cook a big meal for three so we were on a mission to find a meal for the big day. We went to Joe's and had a very good Thanksgiving day meal with all the trimmings. The home made cranberry sauce with a touch of orange topped off a great day. Booth #11 offered a great view of the world as we ate. If we lived in Santa Barbara we would be eating at Joe's far too often.

old stale french fries, 11/27/2009
Reviewer: Marianne from Santa Barbara, CA
I have dined at Joe's many times, normally the food was alright. Today it was unacceptable. When the waitress finally came back to our table, eventhough the restaraunt was half empty, never inquired how everything was, never offered refills, just to clear the table and to present the check, we told her the french fries were awful and old. They were still on our plates, her comment, they make new ones every morning, no apalogy for serving old food. Joe's cafe what do you have to say for yourself?

Long Time Tradition, 11/20/2009
Reviewer: Tracey from Santa Barbara, CA
We have lived in SB all our lives and have always loved Joe's. My husband and I have spent time here before we were married, had our wedding rehearsal dinner here and have brought both our sons in since they were babies. We are always greeted with warm reception, have always enjoyed the food (bread and salsa are the best!) and even though we were hesitant when the remodel took place, it still carries the charm we remember from when we first began.

Service Sucks, 11/12/2009
Reviewer: Shawn Reilly from San Dieo, CA
I gues when it is crowded and you are by yourself at a table you are inconvienent. I was ignored and treated very poorly. I spent $54 dollars on a steak and three beers and I had to ask for everything.

Crappy Condescending Service, 10/3/2009
Reviewer: Janet King from Torrance, CA
This was the 3rd time we visited Joe's Cafe. The 2 previous times were good. (I have to admit we LOVE the coffee.)But this time was a deal breaker I don't know if we will be back. I did not get my complete meal (Breakfast, it sat under the heat lamp with 3 requests to please bring it to me.) We were over charged, when we pointed this out to the waitress she was so condescending.."Oh gee I am so sorry do you want it to go? No that is the right price (when it wasn't) she kept running away from us! It wasn't crowded I don't know what the problem was, perhaps the owners feel that they don't need to keep customer service to an optimum as they rely on their reputation. Not a good idea in this economy.

Frankie is a god, 9/7/2009
Reviewer: Bruce B from Oak Park, CA.
25 years? I remember helping move the place to the new location.. I love basic fare and a stiff drink. Joe's gets that. One time 25 or so years ago we had a beautiful girl in our group, Frankie was in love with her rear and asked if he could touch it, she said yes and we all got a free drink. Frankie is still there, no hair but all Frankie. Enjoy this place, have a drink and soak in the local color.

BLAH FOOD - RUDE SERVICE
Reviewer: Gabriela from Oxnard, CA
My family and I came here on Sunday, after a wedding in Oxnard on Saturday. We were a party of 8 with 3 children under 2 yrs old. It was probably about 2pm when we arrived and upon entering and informing the manager that we were a party of 8 with 3 children his face turned sour as he said it might take a moment. I also told him we would need 3 highchairs but were ok if there weren't enough. After about 15 minutes we were finally seated on the barside of the restaurant. The server, although sweet, had the face of not wanting to serve such a large party but she managed (a little slow on the refills). We are usually pretty easy and dont have special request and very respectful of the servers, we know it's hard work. After a few minutes of reviewing the menus my nephew began to cry loudly and you could see the annoyed look on the managers face. I dont have kids and have very little patience so I can understand how annoying a crying kid sounds and maybe about 30 seconds, he approached my sister and told her, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave". WTH! I was so mad when he said that, for an establishment that has highchairs, kids menus and crayons for kids to color, I cant believe he didn't have the patience for us to handle the situation, which we were going to as we always do, remove the child and take them outside, but to ask my sister to leave because of a 2 yr old crying, that's out of line. She left and then the server comes and asks us if we're ready to order. Well, you just ask someone in our party to leave so no, we're not ready to order. I could not believe the attitude of this person, who was the day manager. Aside from that incident, the food was blah, Two orders were brought wrong, the sloppy joe I ordered looked like it was a MANWICH and the buns were soggy from sitting in the juice for so long, my nephew's mac and cheese looked like it came from a box of Kraft's Macaroni and Cheese. The dressing was oily, and overall the food was nothing to rave about. The manager's service and attitude was uncalled for and I will never return to this place or ever recommend friend's to eat here when they are in town.

Pleasant Surprise
Reviewer: Nicole from Santa Barbara, CA
My friend wanted to eat here despite all the mixed reviews and I'm glad we did. We went for dinner and it was a weekday so there were virtually no wait for a table. I got the Omaha steak sandwich, open faced. It was huge! It also came with salad and french fries. I liked everything on my plate, the salad seems like that kind that comes out of a bag, which is a shame given the local produce. However, the price was very reasonable, $12. We got an appetizer of bread and salsa as well. Yes, bread and salsa, not chips. It was interesting and the salsa went well with the steak sandwich I was eating. I would definitely come back here again. Service was a little slow, 2 servers for the whole place.

UNSANITARY and less important BAD SERVICE
Reviewer: D. Lee from Santa Barbara, CA
I've never felt the urge to ever write a review on a restaurant until my experience here. I can deal with the long wait to get seated (even though the place was half empty). I can even deal with waiting for the wait staff to come take our order (even though they took over 10 minutes and the hostess had to take our order bc I think she noticed we had been seated for some time). WHAT I COULD NOT DEAL WITH IS, BEING SEATED IN FRONT OF THE "OPEN" KITCHEN AREA, AND WITNESS THE COOK, WITH HIS BARE HANDS, GRAB AN ENTIRE SERVING OF BEACON FROM ONE DISH AND MOVE IT TO ANOTHER DISH BECAUSE THE WAITRESS, WHO WATCHED HIM, PROBABLY TOLD HIM HE HAD THE ORDER WRONG. NO GLOVES, JUST HIS GREASY BARE HAND FROM COOKING. IN ADDITION, I HAD TO WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN AS THE WAIT STAFF WALK OVER TO THE "FINISHED" DISHES AWAITING TO BE SERVED AND TOUCH THE FOOD WITH THEIR BARE HANDS EITHER TAPPING THE PANCAKES OR FLIPPING A SANDWICH TO SEE IF IT HAD CERTAIN SOMETHING WITHIN. All the while, there was a gentleman walking in and out of the kitchen area. He was wearing blue jeans and a blue denim type shirt (I hope he reads this and knows who I'm talking about) bc he looked like either owner, or management and watched all this going on and just lets it happen. Mind you, we were seated 5 feet from the area, there is no mistake or exaggeration from what I saw. Anyways, absolutely disgusted.

I would stop here again...
Reviewer: cHAD bURCH from Santa Barbara, CA
Great drinks, great food!

Wouldn't stop here again!!
Reviewer: Julio from Los Angeles
My wife and I were heading home after a long weekend. We saw the cafe and it looked decent from outside. We were first asked for our name and whether we were there for breakfast or lunch. We chose lunch and the wait began. We were initially told the wait would be a 5-10 minutes. That turned out to be 37 minutes.Mind you the place was not full to capacity and it was just my wife and I. We were then seated and waited for another 10 minutes before the waitress finally came over or should I say until we flagged her down. We ordered coffee and another re-fill did not come for another 20 minutes. When we finally placed our order we had already been in the place for a total of 57 minutes. We ordered our food and yes, we waited again. The food was less than average and I would not recommend this place to anyone. This from a guy that is very patient and doesn't like to complain.

Best Veggie Omlette Ever!
Reviewer: Diane Treptow from Simi Valley, CA
My husband & I stopped in on a Saturday morning for breakfast and the atmosphere was great, food was even better and service was just fine. Reading some of the negative comments, made me wonder if this is the same restaurant. The veggie omlette was absolutely one of the best I ever had! Coffee was excellent too!

Mediocre Food, Tardy Service
Reviewer: Louis from Burbank, CA
The burger meat was flavorless. The fries stale. The waitress seemed not to notice us. Refills on drinks? Forget it. This place is a tourist trap.

The new Joe's sucks
Reviewer: Matt McLaughlin from Santa Barbara, CA
I have a 50$ guest certificate and I have a hard time goin' in the door. AND I USTA EAT THERE TWICE A WEEK! I like to drink at a place like the Old Joe's...an atmosphere like a fishing lodge...ya know???...hunkered down, easy to get warm, down home people running the place... It seems as though the owner has taken the last cheap place to eat Downtown and made it into some kind of transparent, West L.A., drafty beautiful-people place and charging in some cases $7 more for the same food. The place is so well lit that I walked out snow blind. And what is so bitchin about glass jars on glass shelves. God, the place radiates wann-be-ism and mamby-pambyism. The new Joe's sucks. And you took the last good-deal place Downtown away, too. Matt McLaughlin Santa Barbara born, resident for 40 years

Rude Management
Reviewer: CCC from Ventura, CA
I tell everyone who has never been to make sure to check out Joes for of course the drinks...but also the friendly faces that work there! I have been going there for years. But I was not happy with what I saw about a month ago. I saw some male manager speaking to one of the female waitresses and he was clearly upset with her. I couldn't believe how rude he was to her in public. My suggestion...at least pull employees out of where the customers can see you if you are going to speak to them in that manner. Managers should know better.

excellent
Reviewer: jane rubin from Santa Barbara, CA
I am from florida and we stayed in santa barbara I am from england my husband is american i am very fussy about my food I like my meat well done Not only was the new york strip the best I have ever eaten and the lady that helped us was so nice.

Have you eaten here? Write a review of this location! Terms of Service