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Paradise Cafe
702 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 962-4416
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Reviews by the General Public
Awesome Burger, 6/2/2009
Reviewer: Nik
from Santa Barbara, CA
The Burger was amazing. Honestly the best burger I can find in town. Cooked Medium well it was still juicy and very flavorful. The option to have both salad and fries is great too since usually I cant decide between the two. Service was a little slow. But the Quality was above standard. Amazing food. Honestly
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Math is off-Paradise cafe, 5/30/2009
Reviewer: Jennifer
from Santa Barbara, CA
the review on 12/25 by eddie says that he has been going to Paradise cafe since the 70's. This week is their 26th anniversary so they didn't open until 1983.
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Manager yelling at waitress - part II, 5/27/2009
Reviewer: Elliot Michaels
from Santa Barbara, CA
So check this out! I was there the same evening that the manager was literally yelling at the young girl that was an employee. After the entire tasteless incident the manager refused to make eye contact with us. I have been dining at Paradise for at least 15 years mainly because of the atmosphere and not the food as I find it to be just so, so....with the exception of the burger that I love!
A group of friends of mine (vesparados) will be dining at the cafe on the 3rd of June to support their anniversary celebration and I refuse! How disappointing!!!!
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VERY dependable every week....suspicious about negatives, 5/16/2009
Reviewer: steve
from Santa Barbara, CA
We go here 1 to 2 times every week for burgers...we would notice if something were significantly off. The owner is cheerful enough, and always waves and occasionally wishes us a nice evening(nice because we don't like to be overasked how things are). Out of several hundred times here over the years....maybe a few things weren't perfect...but something seems funny to me that these two negatives came in on the same day?- Competitors jealous that they aren't as popular as here? Mayby they had a bad week?...I don't know, but just haven't ever seen it. Mothers day everything was perfect, and I even caught the owner helping bus tables to keep things moving along(a good sign I think)...they were packed but efficient. Jeez...go back twice before you dice somebody if there was a one time thing....especially when they've been consistant!
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Manager yelling at hostess in restaurants, 5/15/2009
Reviewer: Monica
from Santa Barbara, CA
I used to love going to this place and would go often...but not again.
I went 2 months ago and the manager was really rude to the hostess and yelled at her in front of the whole restaurant.
She had agreed to seat us at a table inside and began to take us up when the manager guy stopped us in our tracks and told her that he had reserved the table for a couple who had been waiting a long time. But he didn't say it calmly or professionally. Instead, he started yelling at her about how he couldn't believe that she would just start to seat us without checking with him and how the other couple had been waiting a really long time and was getting mad at him. She obviously didn't know and it was a simple mistake that did not deserve such treatment. It was really awkward for us, standing on the stairs watching this poor girl get yelled at. We were outraged that this happened at such an established place.
They seated us outside instead and even our waitress knew it was not cool- she was nice and apologized like 3 times over dinner. For about 15 min after we sat down, the manager guy would walk by us and not make eye contact. We were not happy at all over dinner and discussed how we wanted to leave a comment. But then he came over to apologize- but not for his behavior, for the waitress's! He went on about how the couple had been waiting forever and was getting really mad at him so he had to get them in as quickly as possible so they wouldn't leave. We were obviously pissed and asked if we could have a comment card. He said no and instead gave us his card with no contact info, just his name. Would have loved an email address!
We felt so bad for the hostess. We will not go back to a place where management treats staff that way. So unprofessional!
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Why do we continue to eat here?, 5/15/2009
Reviewer: Caitlin
from Santa Barbara, CA
My co-workers and I go to Paradise Café relatively frequently for lunch and happy hour. Service is always pretty good, usually better at lunch than happy hour, where they always seem to be understaffed but are clearly working hard. My main gripe about Paradise is their food. I usually order a turkey burger or a cobb salad, both of which are consistently mediocre but I always know what to expect so I never complain. Their burgers are thin and very dry, and the grilled onions are almost always cold. The salad is tiny, especially for what you pay, and is always served at what seems like room temperature and with wilted lettuce. I decided to try a club sandwich the other day, usually a club sandwich has four sections but mine came with three, so it looked like someone took one of them right off the plate. I was okay with that until I tasted the sandwich which was on gummy, untoasted sourdough bread, with a teaspoon of brown avocado smeared onto it. The turkey looked and tasted like soggy lunchmeat and there was one small piece of bacon rationed for each section. They compensated by stuffing it with loads of iceberg lettuce. The sandwich was gross, but I didn’t say anything so I paid $12 for three quarters of a cold, rubbery, lettuce sandwich. Paradise used to have a great reputation so locals remain supportive, but I just can’t take the awful food anymore so I give up. I’ll still go to happy hour but there are too many good restaurants in SB to waste money on terrible, overpriced food.
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What has happened to Paradise?, 3/26/2009
Reviewer: Eliza
from Santa Barbara, CA
I have been going to Paradise for over 15 years and last week may sadly be my last. I took a friend there to enjoy the classic Paradise Burger, which I had been boasting about. Our server was brain dead. Smile lately? Check on your tables? My water glass had a huge chuck of melted and washed cheese on the rim. How is it that nobody saw that? My guest ordered lemonade with fresh lemon slices on the side, 4 refills later and another request, she never got lemon slices. The burger order was completely messed up, neither was right. My friend accepted hers, removing the unwanted items. When mine came back, fixed with bacon added to it, the bacon was raw. Back it went to the kitchen where they must have thrown the bacon in the fryer it came back to me so quickly and dare I say the burger had been reheated in a microwave, way too hot for the amount of time that had gone by. I did get new, crispy fries. About the only thing right. In this economy a restaurant cannot afford service and kitchen staff that don't care. And where was the manager so I could inform him/her? Nowhere. In case your wondering it was about 1:15 on a Wednesday. Shame on you Paradise.
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What a nice place to have lunch, 3/24/2009
Reviewer: Fran
from Valencia, CA
I have been coming here since the early 80's. I now live in Valencia, CA. This is one nice place to get an awesome burger! The service was spendid, and prompt. Contrary to other reviews, the portions were large, and quite fresh. I highly recommend this cafe! Get the Paradise burger, you cannot go wrong!
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Very Good but What is That Smell?, 12/25/2008
Reviewer: eddie
from Santa Barbara, CA
I have been going to Paradise since the 70s and have always thought it is one of the best "Cafes" I have been to in this country and western Europe. Food is very good, service is better than average and it is a very comfortable place to eat. However, recently I have noticed an unpleasant smell in the bar area of the cafe, not sure what it is or how long they have had the problem. I don't notice it outside or in the dinning area upstairs. Still I will continue to go and enjoy this wonderful SB cafe, after all it is Paradise.
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Best Burger in town...
Reviewer: Taylor
from Santa Barbara, CA
Always a great place to go for a burger or good conversation with the bartenders. Born and raised in SB and this is a great classic restaurant.
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ambiance
Reviewer: carolyn
from Santa Barbara, CA
Six of us went for one of many dinners last nite.
Regretably, when asked why there were no tablecloths on the inside tables, we were told that they bought nicer tables (wood finish), and that "we're doing our part for the environment".
I know times are tight, but ambiance is a large part of why I go there, and between the noisy wood floor and environmentally friendly tables, I may not go back! Charge me extra for tablecloths!
ps to a prior review, we all need to eat a little less,
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Too much portion control!
Reviewer: karen
from Santa Barbara, CA
I have loved almost everything at the Paradise for many years, but lately, their prices have gone up too much and the portions have gotten too small. I am not looking for a bargain nor a monster amount of food, but I have recently left there not satisfied that I ate a meal. They've overdone the portion control and overdone the increased prices.
Service has also gone down.
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Fallen Paradise
Reviewer: Ron Jones
from Solvang, CA
What a pleasure it used to be to dine here. I've done so many times over the past 15 years or so, and one of my all-time favorites has been the Mussel Pasta Salad. When ordering this dish once again recently, the mussels were unfortunately cold and tough, as though they had been cooked long in advance. Given the "team server" approach evidently used at Paradise nowadays, we never exactly knew who our server was -- and no server ever returned to our table to find out whether our food was satisfactory. Adding insult to injury, after a ten-minute wait we had to remind someone to bring the wine we had ordered, the check was summarily dumped on the table without so much as a simple "thank you," and no one said anything on our way out. The location is wonderful, but how Paradise has fallen.
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Really?
Reviewer: Jenny
from Santa Barbara, CA
I really just don't understand why Paradise is such a popular place? I believe that its ok, but by no means is it great. I mean the patio is definitely nice, but thats about it. Food is bland and for what they charge I just don't get it. I know they have been around for years, but isn't it time for people to demand something more... like a new menu with flavorful food? Or maybe servers that will come back to check on you or bring items that you need and ask for when you have gotten your meal? I don't know why I keep going back...
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Expensive
Reviewer: John
from Santa Barbara
Sandwich was small, but tasted very good. Shocked to see that the fountain sodas cost $2.95. Cup of soup, half salad and a sandwich for $32 before tip at lunch?
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Rock solid. Have been enjoying Paradise since they opened
Reviewer: John Alexander
from Marina del Rey, CA
I grew up in Santa Barbara and go back to the Paradise time and time again. It is like "home" to me. Just a very comfortable place to be. Have done small dinners, dinner for 20 family members, business lunches and just stopping by while on a motorcycle ride for a burger to get me back to LA. Service is very good, just enough, without obsequiousness. Salads are fresh and just right. Ice tea is nicely out of the ordinary. Santa Barbara at its best - friendly, quality driven and not ostentatious. Like my favorite pair of slippers, if they could cook.
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Great burger, service and salads, so-so
Reviewer: Laurie
from Los Angeles, Calif
We always visit the Paradise Cafe when in town. Burgers were top notch, as always. However, the salad dressings were weird. The Blue Cheese looked and tasted like it was based upon plain yoghurt and the Thousand Island was just plain weird tasting. Also, everyone there seems hard working but no server ever returned to refill out soft drinks. Nevertheless, we will return on our next trip, hoping for a few improvements.
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Profound...BaconBurger...Memorable....beguiling...
Reviewer: steve
from sb, ca
Over the years we have had a hundred of them here. Words cannot say. Exceptional tasting coarse-ground 1/2 pound huge. Owners adamantly only keep using the best bun, upscale bacon, wonderful fries, secret sauce, RICH cheese. We have to always ask for a second napkin....because it is so naturallly juicy and huge to eat. In our lifetime...we have eaten at some of the best and hippest restaurants all over the US and many countries...but never a one like this!- The different woods they cook over does a final Coup-de-Gras..the aromas and taste will litterally make you moan. I think I am UNDERSTATING how good it really is. Best ordered med rare...because sometimes the wood fire that crusts the outside so tasty...can be a little hot and come out more med/med rare...so depends on what you like.
Big tip. Ahi is not something we like unless it is almost "Wiggle Fresh"...and someone here is paying attention to detail (they must only like truely Pristine fish also)...but somehow they get a succulent depth of flavor(it's pretty thick)-perhaps again the wood they grill over)-It's just better than the other places....tender..fully cooked on the outside and even med/hot on the inside yet still med. rare...yum. Bruce behind the bar is always fun...ask him to show you his trick of being able "flip" a bill 20feet through the air that a waitress can catch walking by. Very classy. Anchor Steam and Firestone Double Ale on tap....Yum. We start with a drink in the bar....and sometimes move out to the magically lite Patio with heaters(they are glad to adjust them for you to be really toasty if ever needed) I'll stop...discover the other goodies yourself.
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Great food and service, but a bad odor!
Reviewer: Sue
from Goleta, Ca
All in all, our party of 4 had a great server and enjoyed the food. However, there is a plumbing problem or something going on! We walked into the bar and immediately noticed an unpleasant smell. It was strongest smelling in the bar, and noticable in the dining room. I think they have a serious pumbing issue on their hands!
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