CLOSED: Chamomile Cafe and Bakery

Try the lasagna! Dinner menu is all vegan. Breakfast and lunch have vegan options. The tofu skillet with cashew cheese on the breakfast menu is very yummy. Excellent vegan bakery too. The owner is an inspiration of hard work trying to run a vegan restaurant ( mostly all organic) in a small town in a not so vegan world. Organic wine available.

Based on the reviews, and the fact that there is a major lacking of veg. options on the Central Coast, we drove down to try the food.
A Sunday around Noon. There were only 3 tables occupied. We waited some 5 minutes before someone came to seat us, as per the sign at the door. Another 20 for our order to be taken. About the same time frame for the food to come out.

The staff were not rude, yet seemed either wiped out, generally un-happy, or something along these lines.
My meal (Tofu skillet) was bland. I'm told that the non-vegetarian meal was good. We never saw the waitperson again. We went up to the counter to retrieve the check and pay.

Overall, okay food at best, service that needs a big shot of energy and the fundamentals of hospitality, make this, for me, a non destination.

We drove north towards Santa Barbara and stopped in Carpinteria to have breakfast. The food was amazing. We both had grilled vegetable pannini. The food was very generous and our sandwiches came with a great salad. We also had a side of sweet potatoes, which were amazing. The service was great and the atmosphere was very comfortable, it made us feel like we were far away from home on a great vacation. After our meal we decided to look at baked goods (which are always my favorite) we settled on a piece of chocolate cake, even though we were stuffed.

We spoke to the owner at the counter and she was very friendly and welcoming. Once we had the cake in hand we intended to eat it on the road but we ended up enjoying it on the beach just minutes later. We both agreed that this was the best cake we had ever tasted, vegan or not, and I am a cake-oholic.

We will be returning soon and telling other people about this wonderful place.

I went with my friend to this place last Sunday at around 1pm. They were very crowded (a good sign) but we had to be on the road by 2 pm. So the manager made a special effort to get us our food. It was delicious and we made it in plenty of time. I will definitely go back here the next time I pass through town.

I have been going here for years. The new menu has more vegan options for both breakfast and lunch and dinner is entirely vegan. There are a lot of organics, and many vegan baked goods. I actually found the prices to be low, especially for dinner. The service can be choppy sometimes, but I have never had food that wasn't worth waiting for. Everything is made from scratch so I don't expect it to be fast food. This is one of my staples as a vegan. Try the seitan side dish. The best I have ever had!

The food was good but terribly over priced. The service was terrible and even the owner had an attitude. Never again.

Our family is vegan and after spending the day shopping with my wife, two daughters ( birthday trip) and four of their friends we tried The Chamomile Cafe. It was a great experience and the service and food was great. The Cafe is very friendly, like your favorite casual diner. Their vegan dinners are excellent. A great place to go after spending the day at the beach.