Opened Jul 2014 a modern vegetarian cuisine restaurant. Mostly vegan. Its menu of Mediterranean-inspired dishes includes items such as mushroom tacos, grilled polenta with braised garbanzo and baby okra, and pickled radish and summer squash. Makes a rose petal kombucha. Uses some dairy. Interior has an industrial and natural wood feel. The landscape is tropical. Prices moderate to slightly higher. Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-9:00pm. Hours are flexible - call ahead.
Categories: Vegan-friendly, Lacto, American, Mediterranean, Juice bar, Take-out, Fusion
46 Reviews
First Review by Sadiediff
Contributions +13
Seriously Good Food - Edit
Lovely little outdoor patio. Very cute and not too stuffy. Could have a casual dinner with friends here or a casual vegetarian date. Large selection of beverages including beer, whine, kombucha, teas, and herbal mixes. Food is all take offs of traditional American or Southern Californian cuisine, but with the flair and presentation of an upscale restaurant.
Pros: Almost an entirely Vegan menu full of many varying
Cons: A little on the pricey side.
Contributions +26
is it rude to lick the bowl/plate? - Edit
Ok I’m only half joking about the licking thing but the food at Mesa Verde has been so terrific for these two vegans that we did briefly discuss table etiquette. We’re visiting SB from Seattle and were so in love with this place we’ve been back two more times. Wishing the ow we would open a Mesa Verde in Seattle or its Eastside. Service has been warm, knowledgeable, and friendly.
Pros: Many vegan choices all great, Quality of food , Terrific service
Cons: We live in Seattle, Mesa Verde is in SB
Contributions +20
Amazing vegan food!! - Edit
Super good food, I had the Grilled Cheez and the Chocolate Cake and was not diappointed in the slightest. The staff was really friendly and made sure I was always being tended to. The atmosphere was great as well! If I lived in Santa Barbara I would eat here all the time!
Pros: Almost completely vegan, Super yummy food, Really friendly staff
Cons: pricey
Contributions +297
yummy - Edit
The food was delicious. I had vegan gluten free empanadas. I’ve never eaten them before and they were delicious. When I visit Santa Barbara I will have them again.
My husband had the tacos which were also good and we took the leftovers for breakfast.
The mushroom risotto and jackfruit were also very good.
Pros: I think this was the only vegan restaurant in Sant, the menu was clearly marked vegan , gluten free , staff knew their products. !
Cons: none
Contributions +121
Appetizing & Aesthetic - Edit
The tacos here were especially wonderful, and the way in which they present their food is so pretty! The ambience is chill and the staff is great, too... A must try if you are in the area!
Contributions +30
Amazing flavor - Edit
Everything is vegan. Food so freaking delicious. Best vegan food so far 💚😋
Contributions +18
Excellent food, Friendly service, Chill vibe - Edit
Excellent food, interesting menu options, many GF options. Very friendly service. Nice outdoor patio, dog-friendly. Highly recommend.
Pros: outdoor patio , dog friendly, gluten free options
Contributions +29
Excellent food... - Edit
... and lots of it! It's so great in a country like the USA to be able to order freely off a menu and enjoy vegan food of such high quality.
The restaurant has a great, lively atmosphere, fast and friendly service.
We had to accept the offer of boxes at the end of our meal as there was too much to finish.
Pros: Almost completely vegan, Friendly and helpful service, Very pleasant surroundings
Contributions +27
Ah-MAZ-ING! - Edit
This is probably one of my favorite restaurants of all time. The food is incredible. Definitely get the cheese plate. The staff is so friendly and hospitable. You will definitely fall in love with this place. My only regret is that I don't live in Santa Barbara, so I can't go more often, but will definitely be back whenever I am in the area!
Pros: Delicious Food, Friendly Staff, Good variety of food
Cons: None
Contributions +20
excellent food and service - Edit
Excellent food and service. I had the vegan burger and it was the best burger I’ve had in my life (vegan or otherwise). I also tasted the baklava and that was amazing. Highly recommend this place- dangerously good.
Contributions +20
what a gem! - Edit
Was looking for a vegan place in Santa Barbara. This place is amazing. All the food looked so good. The mushroom burger and the falafel bowl were delicious. The vegan baclava and ice cream were a great
finish. Owner was so sweet. Highly recommend.
Contributions +18
a wonderful experience - Edit
From the moment we arrived to the moment we left we were welcomed and very well taken care of. Our waitress was so sweet and helpful...eager to answer any questions and prepared with great answers once we asked them. We had the Caesar salad and the Macadamia ricotta flatbread pizza(so so yummy)...and two of the best lavender lemonade kombuchas...it was all so GREAT!!! And the Baklava was AMAZING!!! Seriously I wish I lived closer...but I will definitely be back at least a couple times a year...WHAT A WONDERFUL PLACE WITH WONDERFUL PEOPLE.
Cons: more parking is needed for this popular little pla
Contributions +90
unbelievable - Edit
best vegan meal of my life. Every bite was delicious, potions huge and innovative, atmostphere and ambiance like a nice restaurant and not a little
Hippie vegan joint. Loved everything about it and wish we had something like it in SF.
Contributions +19
Amazing place! - Edit
This place was absolutely beautiful. Great location and beautifully styled. All the food was superb, some of the best I've had in my life. Got the jasmine bliss kombucha, Patatas Bravas Tacos, Macro bowl, Ceasar Salad, strawberry cheesecake, and baklava (I shared). The tacos, bowl, and baklava were INCREDIBLE, and the kombucha was my favorite ever. The baklava is the best you will ever taste (these were the owner's very true words) and the soy ice cream it comes with is extremely creamy and delicious. If there was one thing I would not get again, it would be the ceasar salad, though it was still good. The owner came out and talked to us energetically, and upon hereing it was our first visit, he gave us a complementery taster of the baklava. It was obvious how much he loved the food and his restaurant. There are so many vegan options, though do watch out for honey if you do not eat it, some of the options marked as vegan do contain it. Overall, I highly recomend this place!!!
Updated from previous review on 2017-09-03
Pros: Superb food, Great Ambience, Friendly Staff
Cons: Pricey, but definetely worth it
Contributions +16
Amazing place to eat - Edit
The food was absolutely amazing and the staff were extremely nice!
Pros: Excellent and flavorful food, Amazing staff
Contributions +25
Wonderful place with mostly vegan food. - Edit
Everything is delicious and the atmosphere is nice. Most of the food is vegan, but a couple of dishes aren't.
Contributions +18
ridiculously good! - Edit
Decided to go here because of the great reviews on here and the menu and pictures on Instagram looked incredible. It didn't disappoint. Amazing tacos - make sure you get the Californian salad and portobello tacos!
Pros: everything! service, food, drinks menu
Contributions +16
The real deal - Edit
I see the chefs shopping at our Farmer's Markets.
My friend and I share get together lunches here and always enjoy the excellent foot. There are many vegan choices and the cooking is creative, inspiring, and very tasty. I think it is the best restaurant in Santa Barbara
Pros: Excellent food, Friendly staff, Good vibe
Cons: Sometimes you have to park across the street
Contributions +81
The best - Edit
The food here is delicious with some interesting and unusual ingredients. I have enjoyed everything that I tried. Most items are vegan and there is a V on the menu next to these items. Some dishes contain real cheese like the lasagna, unfortunately. It's a nicely decorated location with ample outdoor and indoor seating.
Pros: tasty and beautiful
Cons: a bit on the rich side. parking can be tricky
Contributions +63
Amazing Food and Beautiful Presentation - Edit
I used to live about 3 minutes away from Mesa Verde and loved going there every few weeks. The food is always super fresh (and I believed sourced locally), presented beautifully, and is very, very tasty. The menu changes often which is nice for us locals. The only downside is that the food and drinks are pretty expensive. I believe just a smoothie is $10. Though they are super delicious! The atmosphere is really nice, too, especially at night when the outdoor heaters/torches are on. Definitely a great place for a mellow date. :)
Pros: Amazing Food, Nice Ambiance, Fresh and local produce
Cons: Portions are a little small
Contributions +1553
"Happy cow knows nothing!" weird situation with the owner - Edit
I felt very uncomfortable because the owner started yelling "happy cow knows nothing!". He came to our table as he does with all the customers, asked us how we had found about the place. We told him it was through Happy Cow, then I suggested he should mark the vegan items on the menu to be easier to spot. He said the food is all vegan, I told him I tought it was Vegetarian, he said he did have some non vegan items and he started yelling "Happy Cow knows nothing" several times so that everyone could hear him.. It was so embarrassing and auckward. He just left.
About the food: We ordered hummus, strada tacos and polenta fries. Food was really nicely presented and the tacos were my favorite. The polenta fries were tasty but the hummus was a disappointment, watery and not at all creamy.
Updated from previous review on 2016-12-27
Pros: mostly vegan
Cons: small portions, you need to get appetizer to feel , expensive, owner dislikes Happy Cow
Contributions +18
Beauty on your plate - Edit
I have nothing but good things to say about this place. The presentation made the food look like works of art and it didn't stop there. The flavors were intelligently designed and each bite was delicious. The staff was also very sweet. I look forward to returning here the next time and every time I pass through.
Contributions +124
Wow! Delicious!!! - Edit
We had the jack fruit street tacos, empanadas, hummus and flat bread and the baklava. We loved all of these dishes. The flavors are so refined and unique. You won't taste anything like this anywhere else. Well worth a trip to Mesa Verde. This place is awesome. I'm dreaming about the baklava right now. It was the best baklava I've ever had, served with vegan ice cream. I couldn't believe this was a vegan dish. Incredible place. We highly recommended this place to anyone that loves quality plant based food with incredibly unique flavors.
Pros: Baklava, Great Atomsphere , Awesome staff
Contributions +22
Fresh and bold flavors! - Edit
I didn't have much expectations nor did I know much about this spot, but when I arrived and saw the dishes that were coming out of the kitchen I quickly got excited. To summarize, the food was creative, flavorful and the presentation was really nice! All the dishes I ordered were really solid but the Jackfruit tacos and vegan bahklava were the highlight! The presentation on the Taco plate was splendid and the flavor combinations were so good! The best thing that really put it all to test was their handmade corn tortillas that held up all weight of the fixings!
To me a real taco takes into consideration the tortilla as important component to the taco experience fresh hand made tortillas is where its at! You'll know the Chef at Mesa Verde is thoughtful about his ingredients and takes into consideration the experience of the diner. Bravo!
Contributions +302
Tasty Clean Food - Edit
We are both vegan. We both enjoyed our meals. Some dishes could be better seasoned. This place is well worth a visit.
Contributions +89
Delicious! - Edit
Everything on the brunch menu was vegan, though you have the option of adding eggs to some items. We ordered the flatbread and hummus, BLTA, grilled peach salad, and baklava. Everything was great and I would order all of the items again. The flatbread/hummus and baklava really stood out as the best items. We liked lunch so much that we're considering going back for dinner. It's a little pricey ($51 for the items listed above), but we thought the quality and service made it an acceptable splurge.
Pros: Lots of vegan options, Great flavor, Nice atmosphere and service
Cons: Lack of parking, Bit pricey
Contributions +1996
Loved it! - Edit
Came here for dinner with my partner. We ordered the street tacos and empanadas for apps and the pulled mushroom picadillo for main course to share. Everything tasted fresh and delicious. Although, in retrospect, the empanadas and the mushroom dish were quite similar; I wouldn't recommend ordering these two together. On to dessert, after a bit of struggle as to what to choose, we decided on the baklava as our waiter said it's their signature—and it didn't disappoint! The serving size was very generous as well.
One minor issue was the parking. Their lot is tiny. There was no parking space when we got there and the restaurant wasn't even half full. They said we could park at the commercial plaza next door since it was after hours, but we'd rather not risk getting towed and just went a little further down the road to find parking.
Pros: great food, friendly staff
Cons: limited parking
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