Reader Peter tells me that Mesa Burger is now open for lunch and dinner at 315 Meigs Road, replacing Mexican Fresh Taqueria. Spearheaded by Chris Chiarappa and led by Iron Chef Cat Cora, the fast-casual concept sets itself apart with “a robust chef-driven menu featuring Cora’s signature touch and a focus on local tastes and flavors.” The menu offers gourmet burgers and salads, locally-brewed beer, Santa Barbara County wine, and McConnell’s ice cream in scoops, hand-spun shakes, and ice cream cookie sandwiches. The produce is sustainably grown, ingredients are conscientiously sourced, and sauces are made fresh daily. The beef burgers are 100% all-Angus custom blend of chuck, brisket, and short rib, served on a locally baked brioche bun. There is also a selection of turkey, chicken, fish and vegetarian sandwiches and “farm-inspired salads.” The 75-seat space includes indoor and outdoor seating, a roomy, heated patio, and three big-screen TVs. Call 963-7493 or visit facebook.com/mesaburger
Good news. Will be interesting to compare it to Yellow Belly.
(featuring the “montecito burger” not the best local move… lol) Hope they have potato and plain white bread buns too.
Where did you see they have a “Montecito Burger” on the menu, Gerald? And is this really a problem? The Mesa is 6 miles from Montecito.
Of course it’s not a problem. Though they could’ve called it the Mesa Burger, right? Whatever. It’s on their FB page, which is cited in the original article/post. Indeed, there are much bigger problems to attend to!
“You’ll have many new favorites! This may be one:
Montecito
griddled goat cheese/bourbon glazed mushrooms/house onion ring/truffle aioli/arugula/pickled red onions”
Looks like a nice varied menu, I look forward to seeing all of it and tasting a burger.
I just read in my FB feed that while they did open Monday, they had a technical issue and will reopen again as soon as they have it straightened out.
I think they had a 1 day soft opening this past Monday. Can’t wait for them to officially open! The menu sounds fantastic.
I hoped they kept that old Fiesta poster from when it was Mexican Fresh.
I hope I can get a parking spot.
You said it all.
They must have had some major issues with the opening as I just drove by and there are signs up all over the place saying they are closed indefinitely. Bummer!
I am just guessing….but maybe a permitting issue?
one of my friends is the sous chef there, he says they are hoping to be open again on Monday the 12th, but its not for sure.
I stopped by the other night and talked to one of the operators. It sounds like they got crushed with more customers than they expected on opening night and weren’t happy with their ability to deal with the onslaught. Kudos to the operators – they prioritized fixing the operational bottlenecks over keeping the cash flowing and will hopefully re-open ready to receive the quantity of customers.
I live around the corner and will probably wait until the hype dies down to give it a try. Excited to see a new fun option on the Mesa!
This is a fantastic place for lunch – great quick service and delicious burgers, best fries ever … went twice within 4 days. Second time with my long term gourmet international traveler girl friends – they loved it too! Congratulations on a great all-over design & quality food!