CAJÉ Coffee Roasters — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

I had high hopes walking into this café — the kind of anticipation you get when a spot is glowing in blog posts and showered in praise online. The space itself? Beautiful. Airy, inviting, and clearly designed with care. It felt like the kind of place where you’d want to linger over a good book or catch up with a friend.

But for a place that prides itself on coffee cocktails, the drinks didn’t quite match the vibe. The mocha was just okay — nothing memorable — and the dirty chai seemed to skip the “dirty” altogether. If there was a shot of espresso in there, it was more of a whisper than a kick. The flavor lacked the boldness or spice that usually makes a dirty chai such a treat. Even the aroma, that comforting swirl of spice and caffeine, was noticeably absent.

A misstep with the kids’ steamer didn’t help matters. It was forgotten at first, and then hastily prepared. The milk barely got a steam, and it arrived lukewarm at best — enough that even my kids looked at me like something had gone very wrong. Milk dumped into a cup. Could’ve had it at home for free.

To be fair, the experience wasn’t totally unpleasant. The staff was friendly, and the setting is genuinely lovely. But if you’re coming for standout beverages — or a solid caffeine fix — this one will leave you wishing for more. It seems the aesthetic and the concept outshine the actual coffee.

Would I come back? Maybe for the atmosphere. But for a truly satisfying cup, I’ll...

This review is about sustainability only! ☺️

I really appreciate that you offer for here, reusable coffee mugs to customers who are enjoying their drink to stay.

By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish, and it means a lot to me as a customer to support businesses that give me the dignity of a beverage without trash.

Especially here in Santa Barbara, on this gorgeous ocean, it only makes sense to empower customers to not trash the very ecosystem that they benefit and learn from.

I also really appreciate that you offered me a discount for bringing my own cup! That is a great way to incentivize positive, sustainable behavior from your customer base. So thank you for that!

Looking around the room, it did seem that some customers are not clear on the availability of reusable mugs, as many were drinking out of throwaway, single use plastic ones. Perhaps it would be worth putting up a sign or having the barista explicitly ask the customer if they would like their beverage to stay?

Kind of like the sign I saw at this other local coffee shop (included here) that is really making a point to encourage circular, sustainable behavior. Just some food for thought!

Thank you again for your intentionality here, it does not go in notice. Much...

This coffee shop is beautiful, but they do not respect dietary preference or allergy at all. I ordered an avocado toast, which on their menu did not list dairy or explain it came with cheese. I cannot eat dairy. So when the toast came I politely asked if they could make one without cheese since the ingredient wasn’t listed and it’s not a typical ingredient in this dish so i didn’t think to ask. The server was extremely rude, refused my request and told me I’d need to order and pay for a second one. When I asked them if they could just use the toast they made for me for the next customer who ordered one (there was one in line behind me), they refused. Being hungry and in a rush I did what they asked, but paying $20 for three soggy, mediocre toasts was not what I was looking for. This place needs to seriously consider updating their menu to list allergens and also consider updating their staff to people who understand service. As a positive note, the setting was beautiful and the coffee tasted nice. Still, 0/10 would visit this...