7010 Market Place Dr.
Goleta
805-869-2247
Hours: Sunday-Saturday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Food ****
Service ****
Ambience ***
$$
Bodacious burgers, bro
For those that have visited Mesa Burger at its original location of 315 Meigs Rd. in Santa Barbara, you know that your mouth starts watering just seeing the sign from the road.
You loosen the belt a little bit, maybe slide the sweatshirt over your pant buttons so you can hide them being unbuttoned, pick up a menu and ask yourself, “What am I going to stuff my belly with today?”
Yeah, it’s a divine experience.
And their new Goleta location — while a bit sleepier due to being, well, new — isn’t any different.
The burgers are still to die for — but, man, I’ll die happy.
Took the spousal unit on this trip to Camino Real Marketplace, with the smell of Costco hot dogs in the distance, as well as the grind of fruits being smashed next door at Blenders. It’s a competitive spot, but Mesa Burger will be just fine if this meal was any indication.
On this day, I decided to go to the Goodland — meaning their burger that features not only a substantial meat patty, but also sliced bratwurst, onion straws, bacon and smoked BBQ sauce. I went minus the cheese, you know, to watch my waist line.
The burger was too big to just shove in my mouth, so cut it up into pieces and devoured it. The bratwurst was tasty and crisp, while the BBQ sauce wasn’t overdone and actually a nice complement to the sandwich. Normally, I have the BBQ put on the side, but happy I didn’t do in this case.
The spouse went with the Hope Ranch, a good-sized piece of chicken breast with lettuce, tomato, bacon (!!) and subbed in cheddar cheese. And, it was gone in minutes, an abnormal turn of events, as normally there are always leftovers.
We strategically chose different sides, the best way to have a date, sharing off each other’s plates (or stealing, however you want to look at it). I had onion rings, the spouse went with french fries. Both were tasty, fresh and we honestly protected our plates to make sure the other didn’t “share” too much.
The service was fantastic, with plenty of staff available for every need or question, super friendly and wanting to make sure the experience is top-notch. And they even seemed to get along themselves, with plenty of laughter heard from the kitchen.
The ambiance is very relaxed, a perfect spot for a no-commitment-yet date, or an we’ve-been-married-20-years lunch.
Now, let me try to get the belt back to its normal spot . . .
High points: Burgers, burgers, burgers. So fresh, so lean. And the unique combos allow you to go to the restaurant and rarely have the same thing twice. That’s different for a burger joint.Low points: Keep the ketchup bottles filled, it was like Where’s Waldo, but looking for a full red bottle. And, there wasn’t enough pomp and circumstance around the opening, here’s hoping that more signage is on the way, as this restaurant deserves the attention.
