The Creekside Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Goleta

If I were still in the south their barbecue would be aight (that's "all right" for you yankees), but since we are in Santa Barbara they have no competition. Chicken and ribs are meaty, cooked well, and have a subtle but tasty sauce.

Fries are perfectly seasoned, their slaw is OK. The BBQ beans are an A+ and rate among the best I've had. Bacon and jalapeño... so good. Their burnt ends, the chicken, and the ribs are all delicious but could use more sauce. Burgers aren't bad.

Basically, the food gets a sold four stars.

Creekside is popular and noisy. TVs are on the walls playing sports, but nobody pays attention. There's a good chance children will be running around and an even better chance someone at a nearby table has had a few too many drinks and can't control their volume. Atmosphere, three and a half stars.

The staff does a good job. They are kept busy running around and are all polite. They earn a four. Maybe a three and three quarters. Can I give a B-minus?

So why the three stars? Management. A sign on the door says seat yourself, and then the next sign says please wait to be seated. You get seated, look at a menu, try to remember your table number, and then go back up front to place your order.

Someone brings your drinks and has to ask who ordered what. Someone brings your food and has to ask who ordered what. Someone else comes by and makes sure we have everything we need. Someone else... I think you get the idea. The wait staff is getting stiffed out of better tips by their system.

This isn't fast food, so I don't like having to go place my own order. Especially at the prices they charge, which is the next demerit. They ain't cheap. Not outrageous for the area, and not out of line for a good barbecue joint.

But the prices aren't acceptable if I have to go place my own order. Not if the signage is confusing. Not if kids are running past my table screaming or we can't hear ourselves talk over the drunks across the room.

I know things have gotten complicated since the arrival of the apocalypse, but they shouldn't have gotten that complicated. Straighten out the signage, let the staff do their jobs, and we may be back up...

The Bartenders were great. Specially Behnom. Super friendly and always smiling. Unfortunately I'll be never going back. The owner allows a hoodlum to live on site and even work the door sometimes. This same guy has allowed minors in and even started fights with other staff members. Cops have been there multiple times to serve a warrant on this guy and the owner seems fine with it. My favorite bartender is no longer there because he didnt get a long with the hoodlum This is to the owner who commented on my post. Are you serious? First: I've been there once since July 2018 since that's when I left santa barbara and came to Colorado. Even before that I came in maybe 5 times total since you opened. Second: that's why he doesn't work there? Really? That's how you're gonna try to save face here by making up lies. Why dont you address the fact that your tenant has had the police there looking for him multiple times. Or the fact that he assaulted one of your employees and you did nothing. How long before he does something that you cant ignore? It's just a matter of time. You're probably ok with the fact that he sent my brother a message after I posted the review practically threatening him because of what I wrote. Way to represent your business👎👎👎now explain to me if anything I just wrote is untrue? What damage am I trying to control? Fake news huh? Ok Trump. You obviously are a supporter of his cuz he never lied...

Trapped in Their Bathroom for Over an Hour – No Help, No Apology, No Human Decency

If I could give zero stars, I would. My experience at Creekside in Santa Barbara was not just unacceptable—it was traumatizing. I was locked inside their bathroom for over an hour, and the way the staff and co-owner handled it was utterly disgraceful.

I suffer from anxiety and was having a full-blown panic attack while trapped. My family pleaded with staff to take action and explained what was happening. The bartender’s only attempt to help? He tried to open the stuck deadbolt with a butter knife. That was the extent of their emergency response.

Even worse, the co-owner stood by with her arms crossed, watching the situation unfold with zero urgency. When my family told her I was panicking and needed immediate help, her response was: “She’s fine.” Let that sink in.

My family had to physically kick down the bathroom door to get me out. No one from the restaurant called the fire department. No locksmith. No apology. No concern. Just indifference.

This wasn’t just bad service—it was a complete failure of basic human decency. Do not support this place. They showed a total disregard for customer safety and well-being, and the lack of empathy from ownership was...