Natural Cafe — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

We really wanted to like this place, which advertises itself as vegan and vegetarian friendly. We were clear with the staff upon ordering that we're vegetarians, even asking about the ingredients of the various salad dressing options. Of the several dishes ordered by our party of 13 were a veggie burrito, a kids pasta, and a side of garlic bread. The burrito we were given was a meat burrito, which we had unfortunately taken a bite out of before this was discovered. The kids pasta came with an ultra-spicy salsa - certainly not intended for children. The garlic bread had cheese on it - this was not mentioned anywhere in the menu description. The manager was apologetic, but did nothing more than acknowledge the error and provide a replacement. Strangely, they asked for all my information for "liability" reasons. On the plus side, portions are large, prices are decent. Unfortunately, this experience meant that Natural Cafe doesn't really understand food sensitivities and perhaps doesn't have the level of quality control it needs to deserve the title of a vegan and vegetarian-friendly...

We went for Father'sDay. Our whole family went. They have a wonderful menu. The problem is the even though they call themselves 'natural' they cannot cater to people with food allergies. Almost their entire menu either contains Soy/Corn/Gluten. The staff will try to accommodate one, but the options aren't many and NONE of their fabulous desserts are safe for food allergy sufferers. They told me it's not possible to find any in Santa Barbara. I find that hard to believe, because other restaurants have no problem accommodating us. This restaurant is located on Hitchcock, just beyond the Sbymca. The restaurant is very clean, well maintained and has a wonderful ambiance. It's great for big or small groups. It's not fast food. It's mainly healthy....

You know it speaks for itself when you have cravings for something that just feels a little healthier for you! I love their food and don't know that I've ever been disappointed here (other than my better half's plate coming out and looking bigger and better than mine)..... want to feel well nourished and not dragged down by heavy, greasey or fake food? This is your spot! I prefer the Hitchcock location, and they recently got a nice little revamp on the interior. NEVER GO TO THE JACK'N'THE CRACK up the street. By far the worst place in town with staff that doesn't care, about getting things right or...