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Cold Spring Tavern
5995 Stagecoach Rd, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 967-0066
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Reviews by the General Public
Excellent Service, 9/25/2009
Reviewer: Chris
from Downey, CA
Sept. 23, 2009 12:30 pm was my first visit to the Cold Spring Tavern. We were greeted by a very cheerful hostess, Kris, who led us to a very nice window table. Within a few minutes our server, Matt, arrived with a big smile.
After reading all of the bad reviews I was amazed by the cheerful help and the fast service. My companion order the chile which she said was excellent and I ordered the special (fiata-spelling?] which was also good.
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Aloha Wednesday Visit, 8/27/2009
Reviewer: Don
from Santa Barbara, CA
Decided to visit after hearing about the Hawaiian entertainment and "Bar Dinners" offered at the bar next door to the main restaurant. There were quite a few people enjoying themselves inside and outside. We sat outside and took in the beautiful surroundings. Meals were standard fare. The fish was a little dry but the tri tip was very good. My companion loved the veggies and the bread was tasty. I do have to say they should've had more than one waitress. We waited an extreme long time between the salad and the main courses and we had to ask several times for the bill. The one waitress was running all over the place. The biggest complaint is that their signature $8 Kaleo Cocktail tasted more like pure fruit juice witout any hint of rum. It tasted good, but noone should pay $8 for a small cup of juice with and umbrella. Also, don't expect fancy and romantic, like the main restaurant; not with paper plates and plastic cups! It was really nice to experience and enjoy the music, but once was enough for us driving all the way out there.
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Used to be much better, 6/29/2009
Reviewer: Dr. McMullin
from Orange County, CA
Must tell you, we have been coming up to the CST since before we were married in Montecito (1992). This past weekend (6-20-09) was definitely not up to our expectations. We cancelled at Bacara just to reminisce at CST. This turned out to be a mistake. Our food was cold and "average". The service was terrible. We felt as though we were really imposing on our server just by our presence.
I insisted on coming to CST for my birthday. The drive was nice. I'll stop there.
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The Greatest Food But Horrible Service, 6/12/2009
Reviewer: T. Colin
from Santa Barbara, CA
For the last couple of years i have been a loyal fan sure the service hasn't been consistent but I love the atmosphere and the food is amazing. I do feel the the service is bringing the place down specially the slim older man and the middle aged man, 8 months ago i was very unhappy with the lack of customer service and the waiter treated me and my friend as if we weren't even there, the sad part is that the place wasn't packed for this to happen, only the back fireplace room and three front tables were occupied, we were the only table in the center room. After brushing off all of these bad moments time after time i decided not to return, but one month ago i missed the food and decided to give it the millionth chance. At arriving the waiter kept passing us and didn't sit us till he felt like it, the place wasn't packed like it usually tends to be, the waiter processed so whine about he being the only one there and us having to wait or we could leave if we wanted (who says that, managers need to check that) after sitting and waiting 15min and not even getting a glass of water at our table, we also saw people who were sitting when we arrived, leaving. I didn't feel like paying the price of terrible service for good food and decided to leave as well.
Manager's You Need To Fix This!!!!
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Cold Spring Tavern, 3/30/2009
Reviewer: Chuck Urso
from Rancho Cucamonga, CA
The first time I visited the Cold Springs Tavern, I received terrible service and wrote a review about it. Well, I went against my better judgement and revisted the Tavern about 5-6 months ago. After our meal, I left what I thought was a 20% tip for our blonde waitress. Once we exited the tavern, the waitress followed our group outside and told my wife that the manager was concerned about the service, because we had failed to leave the proper 20% tip. NOTE: We were 70 cents short of 20% I was never so humiliated and embarassed. My wife being the sweetheart that she is, gave the bimbo waitress another $5.00 which exceeded the normal and expected 17-20% ratio. In closing I would like to say that they got me again with their crude and rude service.
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Unique dining experience, 2/25/2009
Reviewer: Deb and Jim Long
from Lompoc, CA
What started off as a simple dinner turned into a wonderful dining experience! My husband and I had heard about Cold Spring Tavern but had never been there. We will definitely be going back again. The meal was absolutely the best filet mignon we have ever had and the service was supurb! We had a wonderful waiter by the name of Matty. He was not only our waiter but this particular night he was the only employee working the floor. We were amazed watching him seat people, wait on them, be attentive to everyone, not just us, and he still managed to answer the phones and book reservations. This was a night we will not forget anytime soon.
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Good food , nice atmosphere, AWFUL service
Reviewer: Natalia
from Santa Barbara, CA
I was exceited to show this place to a friend of mine. She loved the atmosphere and the location. However, the impression was quite spoiled by the bad service! We were not treated with any attention. We came at a time when there were not too many customers dining, and still had to wait forever even to order drinks, and never got refills for our much needed water. When coming back there a month later, I was hoping for a change. NOPE! Exactly the same! I had to get up and get my own water, even after I asked a waitress for a refill, because she never brought it for me. The waiters and owners were not friendly or welcoming. I guess they have no competition and do not strive for excellence any longer. Too bad!
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An absolute treasure
Reviewer: Maritza Barshkaben
from Santa Barbara, CA
My husband and I had the BEST experience at the Cold Spring Tavern, the servers are darling and knowledgeable about the menu, and wine. I had the Lamb which I can not stop raving about! Delicious, best rack of lamb I have ever had, and my husband had the quail and it was so exotic and tasty!! Their meals are FULL meals, your entree comes with a mash potato baked potato or rice pilaf and you also get soup, salad, or chili with you meals, TALK ABOUT A DEAL! Just about everything is home made and you can taste the difference. If you haven't been, go. If you have been, go again. This is by far my favorite restaurant, it's worth the 15 minute drive from downtown santa barbara, Im going for lunch and breakfast too as soon as we can! Amazing food and service, absolutely flawless.
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Good place for a romantic dinner
Reviewer: Nicole
from Santa Barbara, CA
I've celebrated two anniversaries here and both were great experiences. The duck is great! The rabbit was not that good, but I'm not sure what else you can expect from rabbit. The venison is pretty tender and in a delicious sauce. The service is fair, the hostess is not the greatest but both waiters were very polite and very knowledgeable. The best part is the chili! Your meal comes with soup, salad or chili. Pick the chili and you will not be disappointed!
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Personal attention with caring service.
Reviewer: Ms. Lillian Agapoff
from Santa Barbara, CA
Briefly , after enjoyning a perfectly lovely dinner of scrumtious BABYBACK RIBS at the COLD SPRINGS TAVERN in Santa Yanez, Our party had a very freightening accident upon leaving the establishment.The personnel, MATTY and ROLANDO immediately came to our assistance. Their concern for our safety and comfort was greaty appreciated.We cannot express our extreme gratitude for their assisance.
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Back after all those years
Reviewer: Jason
from Santa Fe, NM
Well, it's been years since I was here last, this time in a SUV and partially bald..the last time on a Sportster with hair in a ponytail. Cold Springs like myself seems to of lost a bit over the years, the food was fair (quite frankly it was truly never all that good) but the service had gone from slightly forgetful to just one step short of ignoring our party. It was nice to be back, but I think if there's a next time, it'll be on a Sunday afternoon for a tri-tip sandwich
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Why the hapless service in this pricey dig?
Reviewer: Todd Fahey
from Santa Barbara, CA
Been there many times, from 1983 - present. The rabbit medallions are gorgeous; venison is pretty good. Breakfasts are a treat (not easy to go wrong with breakfast grub). Outdoor Tri-tip sandwiches are the highlight, on a Sunday afternoon with bikers, both outlaw and yuppie. Good bluegrass music as I recall; today, other varieties.
Service blows jones. I always wonder if the owner(s) hire only their nieces and nephews, as it appears they don't fear being fired.
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The Best Days of My Life
Reviewer: nancy quebedeaux
from san diego, ca
I lived in Santa Barbara for most of my younger years. I recall going to red rock and cold springs every Sunday. Swim in the early afternoon, stop by on Sunday for a great tri-tip sandwich. GREAT is an understatement. Plus, the atmosphere and live bands were/ARE the ultimate topper. I remember these timeS sooo fondly, I will be returning next month. 20+ years in the making. These clearly were "The Best Days of My Life."
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My First and Only Visit to the Tavern
Reviewer: Chuck Urso
from Rancho Cucamonga, Ca
Several months ago, my wife and I along with several middle-aged biker friends visited the Cold Springs Tavern for the first time. We rode our bikes all the way from San Bernardino County just to visit the location and enjoy their food. Well, the food was great, but the hospitality was lacking. The hostesses were rude and the service was mediocre. Although it is a very beautiful place to visit on a bike, I will never return because of the poor hospitality. I don't need an attitude from some young woman who I don't even know.
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HORRIBLE MANAGEMENT!!!
Reviewer: Chris
from Orange County, CA
While I was a student at UCSB from 1979 to 1984, I used to go to Cold Spring Tavern as a special treat, oftentimes with friends or a special date. At THAT time, I was never disappointed.
Well, twenty-five years later, the place looks the same and, for the most part, the food appears and generally tastes the same. But the service and management is quite different; nearly non-existent. After reading a very convincing story about the Cold Spring Tavern's latest owners, I called on a Friday morning to make a 7:30PM Saturday night reservation. The gentleman who helped me identified himself as one of the owners and did quite a sales job over the phone, telling me how nothing had changed about the restaurant since he bought it.
On Saturday afternoon, I called the restaurant and asked if I could move the reservation from 7:30PM to 8:00PM. The woman who answered the telephone said that they were booked and that moving the reservation time couldn't guarantee a table. So, I, along with the rest of my party, rallied and we made it to the restaurant by 7:30PM.
As we entered the restaurant, the main room was completely empty and COLD, COLD, COLD. A dark-haired woman with a bad attitude stood at the counter, saying nothing and just staring. I decided that since she must be a mute, I would tell HER that I had a reservation. Remarkably, she spoke her first words by pointing to a table in a corner of the COLD front room, saying "sit over there" and tossed a couple of menus on the table and walked away. As we tried to wedge ourselves into a cocktail-sized table, we realized that we weren't able to sit at an undersized table in a freezing room. I then walked over to the "hostess" and asked her if there were other tables available in any of the other three rooms, she instantly answered "NO", all the while, warm air and laughter was coming from other rooms in the restaurant.
A couple of minutes passed and I decided to look around the remainder of the restaurant. As I suspected, there WERE other empty tables in WARM rooms! I then showed the hostess where the available tables were and she reluctantly moved us to a new table, again, tossing our menus on the table and leaving.
Our waitress was nice and pleasant and tried her best to make our meal enjoyable, however, everyone else who worked at the restaurant seemed to be pretty unhappy and grumpy. Food was okay - New York steak had a lot of fat and the Cold Spring Chicken was pretty good - cheesecake was EXCELLENT!
Overall, I should have been content with my past memories of Cold Spring Tavern.
Be warned, don't sit in the front room if you don't want to freeze!
Overall, Cold Spring Tavern is poorly managed and the hostess is a royal pain in the a%#!
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Just reopened
Reviewer: Bill
from SB, CA
Guess they just reopened tonight for dinner after winter. We stopped after golf at La Purisima about 6:30. With a just reopen night you'd think there would be problems. Not. Food was great. Service was great. Fire in the fireplace. Cozy. Nice people. Affordable prices. Always seems like we're a million miles away from SB when we're there, yet we're just 15 minutes from home.
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