Goat Tree — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

2 Stars = RAW (straight pink and very soft) CHICKEN

We were very excited to try this spot on our first day in Santa Barbara- we went in for brunch and the 2 eggs and a toast plate and the chicken and waffles. For appetizer we got the olives and mozzarella dish.

Let's start with the reason we are giving this place two stars: 1 - The chicken from the chicken and waffle dish was straight up RAW inside (very soft and pink) and raw goobly disgusting raw fat. We call our waiter to let him know and he took the plate immediately. 2 - Their response to the raw chicken. They came back saying THIS WAS THE WAY ITS SUPPOSED TO BE. They frustratedly explained us that because of the way the brine their chicken the bright pink and super soft chicken was completely normal. In our book eating bright pink soft chicken IS NOT NORMAL. And raw white gobbly fat is plain disgusting. Overall, eating chicken like this is DANGEROUS. 3 - Prices are far too high. $10 for a cup of orange juice? No thank you, $5.50 for a cappuccino? I'll pass!

On the positive notes: The two eggs+toast dish was good. It came with a arugula salad and it was good. I personally enjoyed it! The olives were probably our favorite, great and generous portion for good olives... Sign me up! Other than the chicken incident, the service was good. The host was super nice and very attentive... The only reason we are giving then 2 stars instead on 1 is because she was attentive and very nice when seating us and checked up on us a couple of times.

Wouldn't recommend anyone to try their chicken here... Straight up RAW CHICKEN and if you politely let them know, they'll be clearly frustrated....

Let me start off by saying the girl at the register was nice enough and very helpful when I ordered. I just wanted a coffee and a pastry/treat before my long drive back to east LA to keep me awake.

The place was very clean. Not as inviting as I hoped, but the girls behind the counter hollered hello from across the restaurant. I honestly wanted to sit down and have a coffee to let the traffic die down, but it looked like I needed to order and then sit? I wasn’t sure.

I ordered a flat white, but I’m not sure they knew what that was (even after asking if they could make that) because I received a giant coffee cup. I was so tired, I walked away thinking maybe it just happened to be in a 16 oz cup. When I finally sat down to have my bite and opened my coffee, I realized it was filled to the brim. A traditional flat white is around 6ish oz (smaller than a cappuccino—less foam). And I usually put one raw sugar packet in for the sweetness. This was 16oz of watered down coffee, and I ended up using 3 packets to get it to taste okay…

I didn’t have energy to walk back and buy another coffee. I needed to get my fix and go at this point.

The macaron was alright. A little overpowering with how much filling was in the middle, but still delicious.

I think I’m a little taken aback that a place would say they “can” make a drink, when really they don’t. Again, the girls were sweet, but I definitely...

Disappointed by The Goat Tree Experience

I had high hopes for The Goat Tree in Santa Barbara, but unfortunately, my experience was far from what I expected. The ambiance is lovely, and the location is great, but the food and service left much to be desired.

First, the wait time was excessive, especially considering the restaurant wasn’t even that busy. It took nearly 45 minutes for our food to arrive, and when it did, it was lukewarm at best. I ordered the avocado toast, which is supposedly a signature dish, but it was bland and lacked seasoning. The bread was soggy, and the avocado had clearly been prepped much earlier, losing its freshness.

The coffee was another letdown. For a place that markets itself as a trendy café, I expected a decent brew, but it was bitter and tasted like it had been sitting in the pot for hours. My partner’s omelet was overcooked and dry, with barely any cheese inside—definitely not worth the price.

Service was lackluster, to say the least. Our server seemed disinterested and inattentive. We had to flag them down multiple times just to get water refills, and they forgot one of our sides entirely.

Overall, The Goat Tree is a miss for me. With so many other fantastic dining options in Santa Barbara, I can’t see myself returning anytime soon. MANAGER WAS ALSO USELESS TO...