Est. Jul 2014 a modern vegetarian cuisine restaurant. Menu of Mediterranean-inspired dishes including items such as mushroom tacos, grilled polenta with braised garbanzo and baby okra, and pickled radish and summer squash. Makes a rose petal kombucha. Interior has an industrial and natural wood feel. The landscape is tropical. Reported to serve honey January 2024. Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-9:00pm.
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1919 Cliff Dr, Santa Barbara, California, USA, 93109
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Last update on 01 Jan 2024 by SarahS88
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Added by jmohleca on 09 Jul 2014
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127 Reviews
First Review by steveveg
Pips
Points +1510
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.
Read moreGuest
traveljunkie00
Points +204
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.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Great flavor, Nice atmosphere and service
Cons: Lack of parking, Bit pricey
Guest
sglcklch
Points +2919
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.
Read moreOne 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
Guest
tsubbass
Points +501
AMAZING!! - Edit
Incredible food, amazing staff! Super diverse tasty menu.. Cannot recommend this gem of a restaurant enough. If you're in Santa Barbara you must go here to wine and dine! Special compliment to the friendly and super tentative staff and to Jamal the owner. All round incredible place, so happy I know about this gem now :-)
Read moreGuest
MatB
Points +21
must visit SB spot - Edit
Great food and service. All vegan lunch menu is amazing. Get the tacos! Great desserts, smoothies and juices too!
Read moreGuest
LisaSandblom
Points +79
Best vegan cheese ever tasted! - Edit
Had the cheese brick for starters and it was so so good! We stayed in Santa Barbara for only two nights and went here both nights :) All of the food we had was awesome but the cheese was the best!
Read moreGuest
Happy2behere
Points +35
delicious plant based food - Edit
Great place for all, especially plant eaters.
Read moreNice comfortable place.
Good prices.
Great menu
Guest
moretofuplease
Points +449
Return to Vegan Paradise - Edit
The flavors, the colors, the taste -- it's all amazing. The ingredients are all spelled out: Rajas Tacos. Grilled Poblano and Spanish Onion, Black Beans, Smoked Vegetables, Butternut Nacho Cheese, Pickled Carrot, Cilantro, Radish, Avocado. Same thing with the soup, a broth with a variety of notes worthy of fine wine. It's all beautifully presented, served humbly and efficiently. When I win the lottery, I'll eat at Mesa Verde every day.
Read morePros: Flavors, Freshness, Clearly labeled ingredients on menu
Cons: Too far to drive from my home, A little pricey, Parking is very limited
Guest
vegbenzboy
Points +242
Mmm Good - Edit
Deliciously beautiful prepared food. My go to restaurant.
Read moreGuest
SonjaCPA
Points +5270
delicious - Edit
During our trip to Santa Barbara, we ate here twice. Once for dinner and again for brunch. Both times were lovely. The food is beautifully presented and flavorful. The atmosphere is a chic rustic and there's seating both outside and inside. The owner is friendly and accommodating (one person in our party has several allergies). It gets busy, so a reservation is recommended.
Read moreWe came with another couple for dinner and we shared many of the plates. We started off with polenta fries, street tacos and macadamia nut butter crostini. The tacos were made with jackfruit which I adore and the crostini was crisp, but not so hard that it fell apart upon biting. For entrees, we got the mushroom risotto, smoked mushrooms, polenta and macro bowl. All delicious! For dessert, we got them all. Chocolate cake, baklava and pumpkin pecan cheesecake. The cheesecake in particular was amazing.
For brunch, the four of us were joined by another friend, so we split two plates of the empanadas while all of us got the potato latkes for the entrée except Dirk who got the couscous bowl with veggie sausages. All of it was wonderful and the presentation of the latkes was like a sandwich with tempeh and avocado. The only thing lacking were some sweet options for brunch as it was all savory.
We would all come back for sure. We just wish it was all vegan as they are so close to being so already. No need for dairy. The food is amazing and would please anyone.
Pros: amazing vegan cuisine, friendly owner and staff, nice atmosphere
Cons: not all vegan
Guest
ShantiPeace
Points +496
Original vegan fare - Edit
I went to Mesa Verde today and had PICADILLO EMPANADAS. It was a good black bean and tortilla dish done with creative twists. It was very tastee and satisfying. They are a kind bunch, and one person gave me a small vegi drink on the house. Many of the dishes I cannot eat though because I don't do mushrooms (they taint my dreams) and I try not too eat nightshades. Mushrooms and nightshades are in most of their dishes so it will not be a regular dinning place for me.
Read moreGuest
AHSNinja
Points +20
Good food - Edit
I am grateful to Mesa Verde to provide an all vegeterian option in Santa Barabara(as I dont eat at places which cook meat) We ordered Vegan falafel and Empanadas, food was tasty but if you are Indian ask for spicy. Good service and owner was very passionate about making it all vegan restaurant which cheered me up. Even the utensils used ro make fried egg are separate.
Read moreThanks,
Nitin Jain
Guest
EemaGila
Points +108
delicious food - Edit
Yummy veg and vegan food. Lunch was a pleasant surprise. Creative but not too sprouty.
Read moreFabulous dinner and amazing desserts. Cheesecake. O M G. So delicious.
Baklava a taste of heaven
This is a destination worth the drive.
All servers take time to explain the ins and outs of what's good.
A lot of attention to detail. Lovely presentation of all foods.
Guest
leahk
Points +294
Over-ambitious food - Edit
I've been three times to Mesa Verde. I find the food to be heavy-handed on the spices (esp. cumin, paprika, and/or salt), too complex for its own good (too many ingredients, mismatched flavors), and frankly just not as delicious as it looks and sounds like it will be from the menu. At times, I had to wonder, did anyone even taste this before serving it? Kombucha is hit or miss.
Read morePresentation and atmosphere are very nice, though.
Pros: Only veggie place in SB, Edible flowers, Nice outdoor seating
Cons: Unfortunately, the food :-/
Guest
weera
Points +32
Tasty food - Edit
We had a nice dinner at Mesa Verde. A portion of the Street Tacos was a good appetizer for two, a combination of salty, spicy and sweet. For main courses we had Pulled smoked mushroom dish and Peruvian purple potato burger. They were full of new flavors and very creative combinations of ingredients. The burger dish was a bit too much bread to my taste and too little other stuff, otherwise great. The baklava made a satisfying dessert. The interior design is rugged but fun. The staff is friendly.
Read morePros: Imaginative dishes, Tasty food
Guest
Diannemap
Points +20
Yummy Food - Edit
My husband (non-veg) and I (vegan) both loved the food here. We are from AZ and were on our way to Santa Maria. We stopped by for lunch and enjoyed the food so much that we decided to try their brunch on our drive back down from Santa Maria. Neither of us were disappointed. Our lunch consisted of the polenta fries which were yummy, the pulled mushroom sandwich and the portabello tacos. Everythng was so tasty. We were so full but then the owner brought us the Baklava on the house. We both thought it was delish. Not dry at all as they serve it with vanilla ice cream. On our next visit (brunch) we, again, had great food. My husband ordered the grilled potato, cauliflower, garbanzo, asparagus dish and added a soft fried egg on top (I mentioned that he is not a veg. so he was being creative in his own way) I enjoyed the BLTA. The staff is very knowledgeable about the menu, the presentation of the food was inspiring, the patio is lovely, and the food was great. It definitely is a place to visit if you are anywhere near Santa Barbara.
Read morePros: excellent food, friendly staff, lovely patio
Cons: limited parking during busy time
Guest
corinal
Points +1623
Interesting experience - Edit
They have a diverse menu, which was fun to try, but the food wasn't as amazing as it looked on paper. The wild mushroom tacos were great, but the street taco was a bit plain, and the dessert (there is only one choice: baklava) was dry. My friends rave about the polenta fries, but I wasn't impressed. The service was great, the atmosphere trendy, it was fun.
Read morePros: Diverse menu, Trendy atmosphere
Cons: Food is mediocre
Guest
jpransom
Points +20
Awesome spot! - Edit
Vegan pizza, polenta fries, polenta bowl, California salad + hummus and flatbread, all delicious! Wasn't crazy abt the taste of the ginger tea or the green juice (which was pulled from the fridge instead of juiced on the spot), but the food was delicious. The bill was $63 and some change.
Read morePros: Quaint and cozy atmosphere. Excellent service. Exc
Cons: Green juice was pre-juiced and in a sealed bottle
Guest
steveveg
Points +2188
Pleasant & vegan friendly - Edit
We had lunch at this pleasnat restaurant. The menu clearly shows what is vegan and gluten free. There is a lot of variety to chooose from. We had the street tacos and the black bean, walnut and kale burger. Both were good. Service was friendly. The website omits some key information, such as hours of operation.
Read morePros: vegan options clearly marked
Guest
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