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Cafe Shell (formerly Barcliff & Bair)
1112 State St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 965-5742

  • Category: American
  • Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-3pm, Fri-Sun 9am-5pm
  • Price: < $10
  • Serving: Breakfast & Lunch
  • Reservations: No
  • Map
  • Menu
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Reviews by the General Public

Disappointed, 10/23/2009
Reviewer: Jeanette Carpenter from Santa Barbara, CA
Much to my surprise, my chicken sandwich was so bland that I poured my salad dressing on it. The chicken was a grilled breast which was totally without taste. Very over-priced. Side salad was only a pile of greens. Service was just fine.

Wow so good... , 7/5/2009
Reviewer: Amanda from Santa Barbara, CA
We tried Cafe Shell last Sunday and were really impressed. It is without a doubt our new Sunday breakfast/lunch spot. The bread they serve before the meal was perfect. I had the pasilla quesadilla for lunch with a lemon bar for dessert, they were both amazing. Shelley is doing a really good job, I don't know how people could not enjoy eating there, in fact we heard other patrons sitting near us also saying their food was delicious and that they wanted to come back as well. I would definitely recommend Cafe Shell to others; they have a large diverse menu full of delicious options.

Shell Cafe, makes me want to come back to Santa Barbara!, 6/3/2009
Reviewer: Aja Talbot from Charleston, South Carolina
My three girlfriends and I were on a road trip up the coast and decided to stop in Santa Barbara for some shopping and lunch. We happen to find Shell Cafe by walking by. We were greated by the owner, which at the time we were unaware she was the owner. She sat us outside with a heater, as we had requested. She and the staff were very accommodating. We ordered drinks and brunch. The food was excellent and the drinks hit the spot! The owner came up and talked to us a few times and by the end of the meal, we felt like we were good old friends with her! Before the end of the meal we had all agreed that we were wanting to come back the next time we made it out to Santa Barbara. Everything was great about the whole experience...not one single complaint! I totally recommend Shell Cafe to anyone that's looking for a relaxed place to have a great meal with friends!!!!!

Tried it three times but struck out, 5/21/2009
Reviewer: annelyn callahan from Santa Barbara, CA
After having to listen to the owner tell us about her "background", we were expecting a superb meal. The tuna sand was dull and just plain tuna without the pizazz. Service was slow and the servers seemed confused...not trained well. No introduction, not sure about the soup choices and please get some real potato chips...kettle chips rather than cheep ones we got in a bag. I would love to buy this place and restore what has been lost. The owner disappeared in the office and when we asked to speak to her "She was in a meeting!" What has happened to customer service. We tried 3 times but were disappointed each time. I now to to 3 Pickles....that's a sandwich.
Needs to step it up a notch, 5/2/2009
Reviewer: Smith from Santa Barbara, CA
The crab sandwich wasn't anything special, nothing an average Joe with basic sandwich assembly skills couldn't put together. The bagged/"Ruffles" style potato chips were a bland and uncreative side, and the bread on the table was blah. The service was decent and good. They need to get more creative and put some love into their food. Good, not great.
Baby-friendly Service and Delicious Food, 4/30/2009
Reviewer: Pamela Hoyem from Pasadena, CA
Food is great - light meals consist of hearty soups or tastey salads. The amazing thing about this place is the way they cater to families. Sweet waitresses, babyfood and snacks on the menu, and diapers & wipes in a clean bathroom that housed a proper changing table. This was our favorite place to stop in Santa Barbara when we were a young couple stopping at Barcliff & Bair, now that we're a young family it's going to be a long time family favorite.
basic fare and shaky service, 4/19/2009
Reviewer: chee from Santa Barbara, CA
me and my friends went to Cafe Shell for brunch, and we ordered the pancakes, two egg breakfast, and ricotta scramble. though our drink orders were provided pretty quickly, it took a LONG time for the waitstaff to come back to take our orders. seems like they are a bit understaffed. everything tasted fine, but we were underwhelmed by the offerings (e.g., small details like their use of sandwich meat for breakfast ham, not providing enough cheese in the scramble, and chewy pancakes). the thing that made the meal "worth it" was the discount card deal for breakfast--buy 1, get 1 free, but still, 2 brunches and 3 drinks came out to $40.
Rude.
Reviewer: Patrick from Santa Barbara, CA
We chose this place ONLY because Andersen's was closed. The food was fine, although a bit overpriced. I pretty much got a Root N Tooty French n Fruity minus the fruit for $10 and TEA for $3.99 (Did the teabag really cost them $4?) Anyways, the food was fine (note my 3.5 rating) but the service was abysmal. We had four different servers, none of them introduced themselves. None of them came to the table other than to bring or take a plate. One of the servers asked my friend if he was finished, he said "no im still eating" and he still tried to take the plate. Our brunch took two hours because we didn't get our orders in until 20 minutes into the debacle. The owner found it "hard" to split a check and tried to have us go outside and wait 10 minutes because of the "difficulty". The owner was rude and immature and tried to give us the red bulls that the Red Bull Girls (who were walking down the street giving free soft drinks) to appease us. Rude rude rude

Very nice outside seating- good food- good service
Reviewer: Willi Welton from Eureka Ca
We have eaten here several times- and it looks a little stuffy when you first come up the the business- but the food sounds so good it drags you. The nice thing is you won't be disapointed- it is as good as it sounds! We love to sit and watch the people walk by on state street and the staff never hurries us on. Coffee is excellent as are the choices. The only time I was uncomfortable was when we sat inside.

Thank You!!!!
Reviewer: Ian Thomson from Goleta, CA
I had brunch here with my neighbor's mother on the morning of the Solstice Parade...Busy.....BUT.....Great, PERSONAL service. A1!!! Had lunch on my own on the street side on 7/2/08 and had a chicken cassidea, service was SB OK (Take your time and enjoy the view!). Should have spriters (white wine with soda) available. If you want faster service...Tell the server. If you're not happy with anything tell whoever appears to be in charge in a polite constructive manner there and then. If still not happy, politely go somewhere else...I know you'll come back!!! I have no involvement with this establishment other than as a satisfied client. Thanks!!!

cobb salad
Reviewer: sbrown from santa barbara, ca
I can't speak about the other items b/c ever since I tried the cobb salad that is all I order. Now I try to eat healthy and get my vegtables in but it is not often tastey however, but this salad is so good I could eat it every day. The meat and cheese portions are just the right amount, not cheap nor skimpy but not gobbed on and unappetizing and the bacon pieces are all meaty, not fatty - that's impressive! And, I didn't have to ask for another type of lettuce (it is NOT the non-nutricious iceburg lettuce that I hate and most cheap businesses like to use). The ranch dressing is good too, homemade - the way restaurants should make everything b/c the rest of us know how to open a can or bottle. If that's what we wanted we would eat at home for that. It is not the cheapest restaurant but in this case, you get what you pay for. I wanted to praise a restaurant that makes good dished. I normally would not comment but I have been so frustrated w/ restaurants lately. It is obvious when a restaurant is trying to pinch every penny possible and give you loads of the cheapest ingredients in your dish - the bread, rice or whatever, and especially, w/ miniscule portions of meat (obviously the most expensive part of the dish). For other restaurants: JUST MAKE THE DISH GOOD and charge what you need to for it. Anyways, I just wanted people to read this and if this dish sounds good, go for it. I know I appreciate other people's comments b/c eating for me is usually just a nuisance and since I have to pay for it, I can get quite irritated paying for something that I would never even have keept the recipe for. To B & B - please keep the cobb salad forever and never change it a bit. My requests and hopefully many others - please put a menu online and stay open till later on in the day. Thanks
When will this place be up for sale
Reviewer: James from Santa Barbara, Ca
Had a business lunch the other day and was very dissapointed. Service was lacking and slow. The server was not informed and had trouble answering questions as easy as "what's the soup today", his reply was "not really sure". Had a bottle of Brander SB....was corked! The sandwiches were ok except for the tuna sandwich, was all bread and no tuna salad. This spot has much potential, as a restaurant owner is SB, I would love to take it over and revamp it. Let me know if you are ready to sell. (Mean that in a good way).
I much preferred the old management
Reviewer: stacey from santa barbara
I have been eating at Barcliff & Bair for over 10 years, since I work within a couple of blocks of the place. As far as I am concerned, the quality of both food and service have suffered significantly since the new owner took over. I don't care about her "qualifications"; I do care about the dining experience. The brownies used to be the best in town. In truth I'm glad they are dry and substandard now, because eating them as often as I used to was an indulgence in which I probably should not have partaken. That being said, I admit that I still occasionally eat at B&B, but never enjoy the food or the experience as much as I did in the past. I have found the service to be slow and less polished, and my old favorites are not prepared with the same care as they had been. As far as the wine list goes, I'm happy to hear it has expanded, however since I always go at lunch on work days, I am not able to benefit from what another reviewer feels is an improvement at this restaurant.

Cafe Shell (formerly Barcliff & Bair) writes: Thank you so much for this feedback. I have taken new measures to continue to uphold our best brownie in town title. I have trained more staff to make them consistently since your review and we are making them more often, rotating them properly, and covering them at night to ensure freshness. I do hope you will try them again. We now offer them in $1.00 bite-sizes, as well and introduced Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownies , too. Thank You, Barcliff & Bair
Big changes with new ownership
Reviewer: Adrienne Matt from New York, NY
If you haven't been to B&B in the past year, head back now. With new management by a veteran in the hospitality industry (the new owner grew up in the hotel/restaurant biz and is a former pastry chef at the Ritz Carlton and Opal), the menu has changed for the better and (thank goodness) so has the service. Fresh food, seasonal menu and -- gasp -- a wine list! Yes, there are more tables but there are actually more waiters, too. Anyone else experience a difference in the past year?

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