Mesa Verde Restaurant

Absolutely incredible! Nothing I write can accurately relay how remarkable the food is, or how magical my experience was. The food is the most elevated vegan dishes I've ever experienced. I'm from the east coast so this includes places in Boston and NYC. I was passing through, and lucky enough, found Mesa Verde randomly via Google. I was extremely pleasantly surprised. I'm fairly certain if I brought my non-vegan friends they would be blown away as well! What really made the encounter so magical was my waiter. Edgar was the type of person who created a container for my experience to organically evolve. He's a huge fan of the artistry involved with each dish, which made for an authentic connection. His genuine and down-to-earth interactions made this one of the most memorable dinner's I've had. Bravo to the rest of the staff, too; my water cup never reached empty. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I cannot wait to return. I will visit, and/or go out of my way to experience this gem again. (Thank you, so very much!)

One of the best food and drinks we’ve had since turning vegan over a year ago! Interesting ingredients, creative choices, perfectly cooked and incredibly delicious! Service was extremely attentive and kind, super welcoming and warm, we loved it! We’ll honestly be back tomorrow to enjoy the whole experience once again before leaving Santa Barbara! 🤍 Would highly recommend this place, no matter if you’re vegetarian, vegan or a meat eater - you’re gonna love it!

Fabulous vegan desserts! The food was tasty, and superb. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and patient. If you are into vegan dining, or wanting to try for the first time, this place is the "golden ticket". Truffle fries are a must try. Kenneth, our server was amazing, charming, and sincere. All in all, it was a wonderful, first time experience in vegan dining. It's expensive, and worth it. Located on Cliff Drive, on the Mesa, in Santa Barbara.

Food excellent!!!! Service is even more excellent!! Kenny was our EXTRAORDINARY amazing waiter. He went above and beyond in providing great suggestions and was very polite. No matter how many requests we had, he was always polite and patient. Loved this place! 100% will recommend to any vegetarians :) we loved Green plant Bowl and polenta fries- which both recommended by Kenny.

Really loved the Mediterranean bowl and the Jupiter smoothie. It was enough to share for a lighter lunch. All the flavors went so well together, and all the ingredients were super fresh. I can see how they received a Michelin star award in 2019. It’s excellent! Service was a little slow, but the people working here are really nice.

Pleasant outdoor dining ambiance. Great, attentive service. Amazing food (one of the best meals we've had in a while) and the best smoothies we've ever had. Highly recommend the green bowl and the poseidon and sun smoothies. Will definitely be back! 2nd visit: Service was great again but took a little longer and was stretched thin when it became busier during a late Sunday afternoon. The grilled flatbread with hummus was good (excellent hummus) but only came with 4 small pieces of flatbread; not quite enough for 4 people or the amount of hummus that came with it. The triple fried Belgium potatoes were delicious and the mildly spicy aioli was the perfect complement. Highly recommend the brussels mushroom tacos and the street tacos. The impossible burrito was good too but the tacos were more of a hit. The Jupiter smoothie was pretty sweet and made dessert unnecessary.

It's so hard to find a vegan-friendly restaurant, let alone a dedicated vegan restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised to find Mesa Verde and the wealth of options! I ordered the street tacos and they were delicious. Great flavor and texture. If rating on the food alone, this would be more of a 4 or 5 star review. However, the service left something to be desired. We were not given menus when we sat down and needed to get up ourselves to find them. We asked 3 times for water before receiving it, and it seemed that outdoor guests were given priority over those sitting indoors. This also resulted in us needing to flag down the server just to put in our order. The staff was nice and friendly, but seemed a bit frazzled, perhaps a result of understaffing on a Saturday afternoon. Be warned: parking is at a premium directly in front of the restaurant, and nearby lots specifically call out that they are NOT for restaurant parking. Unless you get lucky, don't bother. My recommendation would be to try Elise Way just behind the restaurant and walk to from there. Overall, I'd recommend for the food. Take out if possible and enjoy at a nearby park or at home.