Cal Taco

The double burger was spectacular. It was charbroiled to perfection. I highly recommend this establishment!

Delicious burger and crunchy rings. Just the right amount of messy. 10/10 Would pick lettuce out of my beard again.

Really good I haven’t eaten here in 10 years but tried it again today and it was way better than I remember. I remembered it tasting like hamburger habit and it does the way habit used to taste before they got cheap with ingredients and stopped changing their oil for the fries. This burger was perfectly cooked and the fries were too and delicious. The cheddar cheese used was good quality and tasted amazing. This place is a hidden gem.

The people working here are lovely. And when you have an early start to the work day and lunch falls around 9 or 10 in the morning, I don't think there's an experience quite like having a chorizo burger with fries and a cherry coke at this place. Delicious.

Cal Taco is A++ food taste and serving size fir your buck in town. Slightly pricey but its got to be with all the damage from our federal government. But cal taco is MY favorite restaurant in Santa Barbara or Goleta. You cant beat Cal Taco. Thank you for your awesome food and service wuth a smile.very friendly people!!!!

Forget In-n-Out Burger. This place has burgers more fresh and delicious with a far shorter wait time than the big name franchises. Toasted buns make these extra special burgers, exploding with lettuce and onion and available with a selection of cheese (or not). Because they also offer Mexican food, you can opt to get your burger with chips and salsa rather than fries and I strongly encourage this option! Indoor and outdoor seating available.

Delicious! Love the chorizo Burger and the monkey bowls!

This place has some really good grindage. It's up Hollister pretty close to 7 / 11. If you've hit that you've gone too far. It's next to the liquor store. My favorite here is the breakfast burritos. Really yummy and pretty large so a really good value. There are a ton of other great items on the menu. There tacos are really good as well. Nice little local spot in Goleta.

Was told by an old surfer that these were some of the best burgers in the area. Was seriously not disappointed.. hit the spot and everyone enjoyed their meal. Good place to grab a beer as well.

Steak Crispy Taco and Steak Taco Salad (Monkey Bowl) are EXCELLENT! We drive from SB and the kids LOVE it, well worth the short drive to Goleta.

Can you say service with a smile? This place brings you great service and delicious food all at a quality price! I was very pleased with my visit and it's something I would definitely recommend to others.

Legit burgers and a nice variety of Mexican food, with a free salsa bar. Their shakes, fries, onion rings and zucchini sticks are great too! And their monkey bowls are massive and so filling, they’re enough for two separate meals.

Great place for a mom and pop shop type of burger. Excellent quality burgers with great chill atmosphere. Workers were friendly and were diligently working.

The prices are cheap here. Super cheap. There's a decent menu selection, with a small salsa bar and a small but impressive selection of beer on tap. Staff was very friendly. I was told I had to try their Char Burger and I'm glad I listened. They even give you a choice of cheese to top your burger. Well seasoned, comparable to Chubbie's or The Spot. I also tried a beef taco and it was very good. Her taco combo came with decent rice and refried beans. Not canned, real beans. OK, these were dang good beans. Our only complaint? Too much topping on the burger and tacos. All that lettuce, tomato, onions, etc., makes it a little harder to bite into and a little harder to taste the meat.

Why do I love Cal Taco? Ever noticed that when you buy a burger from a fast food restaurant, the marketing photos of their burgers look nothing like what they hand you to eat? Here is a picture of my Cal Taco burger. No enhancements, no special handling, just a fresh and delicious, "home-made" burger, with an amazing Char-Burger flavor. ○ Friendly staff ○ Clean restaurant ○ Great food. You have to try this place. 👍

The fajitas plate is not traditional fajitas, they're 2 flour tortillas stiffed with cheese and fajita mix. It's so dang tasty!!! Steak is juicy and flavorful, yuuummmm. Ordered the zucchini sticks too, delicious. Their fries are good too. Everything is good, even their salsa. Always good stuff, always worth the visit.

Amy Prince

Legit burgers and a nice variety of Mexican food, with a free salsa bar. Their shakes, fries, onion rings and zucchini sticks are great too! And their monkey bowls are massive and so filling, they’re enough for two separate meals.

Roe C

Great place for a mom and pop shop type of burger. Excellent quality burgers with great chill atmosphere. Workers were friendly and were diligently working.

Mark Y

The prices are cheap here. Super cheap. There's a decent menu selection, with a small salsa bar and a small but impressive selection of beer on tap. Staff was very friendly. I was told I had to try their Char Burger and I'm glad I listened. They even give you a choice of cheese to top your burger. Well seasoned, comparable to Chubbie's or The Spot. I also tried a beef taco and it was very good. Her taco combo came with decent rice and refried beans. Not canned, real beans. OK, these were dang good beans. Our only complaint? Too much topping on the burger and tacos. All that lettuce, tomato, onions, etc., makes it a little harder to bite into and a little harder to taste the meat.

Matt Mosby

Why do I love Cal Taco? Ever noticed that when you buy a burger from a fast food restaurant, the marketing photos of their burgers look nothing like what they hand you to eat? Here is a picture of my Cal Taco burger. No enhancements, no special handling, just a fresh and delicious, "home-made" burger, with an amazing Char-Burger flavor. ○ Friendly staff ○ Clean restaurant ○ Great food. You have to try this place. 👍

Suzy Ruiz

The fajitas plate is not traditional fajitas, they're 2 flour tortillas stiffed with cheese and fajita mix. It's so dang tasty!!! Steak is juicy and flavorful, yuuummmm. Ordered the zucchini sticks too, delicious. Their fries are good too. Everything is good, even their salsa. Always good stuff, always worth the visit.

RobO

Steak Crispy Taco and Steak Taco Salad (Monkey Bowl) are EXCELLENT! We drive from SB and the kids LOVE it, well worth the short drive to Goleta.

Jesse Zepeda

Can you say service with a smile? This place brings you great service and delicious food all at a quality price! I was very pleased with my visit and it's something I would definitely recommend to others.

Carlos Curiel

Well I must say the food taste like home cooking.really tasty flavourful food salsa bar great menue. Friendly service as well.about time I find good Mexican food in goleta.

Amazing burgers and fries been coming here since I was 16 years old this is the way hamburger habit used to taste like 20 years ago

So delicious, so affordable, staff is very friendly. Gotta get the Monkey Bowl or Steak Fries. This is the best stop after a hard day at work.

The young girl at the front was absolutely amazing she had the greatest service I’ve ever seen at a fast food spot, I took my family of 4 and got the burger combo for my two kids and wife, she even brought the food to our table and made sure we were well taken care of. The ranch there is also really good as they make it in house and fresh. Definitely coming back here just based on her service alone.

Cal Taco is unique; it's not quite a burger place and not quite a Mexican restaurant. I would call it California-style. The veggie monkey bowl is my go-to and it does hit the spot. Good selection of salsa and toppings.

Ernesto

Amazing burgers and fries been coming here since I was 16 years old this is the way hamburger habit used to taste like 20 years ago

daniela cabrera

i love coming to eat here! staff very friendly and helpful!

katrina storton

So delicious, so affordable, staff is very friendly. Gotta get the Monkey Bowl or Steak Fries. This is the best stop after a hard day at work.

Daniel Toumah

The young girl at the front was absolutely amazing she had the greatest service I’ve ever seen at a fast food spot, I took my family of 4 and got the burger combo for my two kids and wife, she even brought the food to our table and made sure we were well taken care of. The ranch there is also really good as they make it in house and fresh. Definitely coming back here just based on her service alone.

This place used to be great 30 years ago. It’s still pretty good but things have changed. For the most part it’s pretty good but whatever you do don’t get a breakfast burrito if they’re made the same as they were 10 years ago, stick to the burgers they’re real good here and they have cherry Coke.

This place is a little off the beaten path, but that wasn't stopping people from filling the place for lunch on a typical Saturday. Made me feel like people must love the food and the friendly service, or they wouldn't be there. Prices are reasonable for the time...

The burger was quite good; it's similar to the ones from Habit. The burrito was decent; not anything to go out of your way for, but if you are in the neighborhood, it's a very fine burrito. This is a basic, strip mall joint that makes decent food.

Great fast food. Nice people running the restaurant

Nostalgic, the food doesn't take too long to get to you and it tastes real good. The burgers fall apart but are worth the mess. Staff has always been friendly and there are always open seats.

It’s clean and well maintained. 2 beers + 3 tacos was $59.71. Tacos are fairly large though. The adobbada taco was bursting with flavor. Fish taco and carnitas also delicious. The staff who helped us was friendly and kind. Salsas and condiments were yum

The atmosphere was quite casual, perfect for a quick lunch with friends or family. The service was quite prompt. The burgers were delicious, especially because of the juicy patties and the rich, crispy bacon 😋 The fries were good though a little too deep-fried. Ironically, I did not favor the tacos. The meat was too bland for my liking, and the vegetables were added too much. If anyone working in this place happens to see this, I sincerely recommend specializing in burgers. The burgers are this place's strong suit for they are frankly, quite fresh and delicious.

FACT: Taco places often have the best burgers and fries. No exception here. I had fish tacos (+ they are grilled not fried) and beans with cheese. Companion had burgers and fries and raved about them. Salsa bar super fresh and tasty.

Thao Nguyen

The atmosphere was quite casual, perfect for a quick lunch with friends or family. The service was quite prompt. The burgers were delicious, especially because of the juicy patties and the rich, crispy bacon 😋 The fries were good though a little too deep-fried. Ironically, I did not favor the tacos. The meat was too bland for my liking, and the vegetables were added too much. If anyone working in this place happens to see this, I sincerely recommend specializing in burgers. The burgers are this place's strong suit for they are frankly, quite fresh and delicious.

Erin Kelley

FACT: Taco places often have the best burgers and fries. No exception here. I had fish tacos (+ they are grilled not fried) and beans with cheese. Companion had burgers and fries and raved about them. Salsa bar super fresh and tasty.

I use to come here a lot until I moved up to Oregon just under 15 years ago. Im now living back in Santa Barbara since the end of last year. Their ground beef hard shell tacos where a favorite of mind so I was driving past and was pleasantly surprised to see that the business was still in operation. Naturally, out of habit i ordered two beef tacos. The price of each taco was $7.00+tax. I believe the last time I ordered a taco they were just under $3 each, right around 2012. Im not certain, but I noticed that the ground beef tasted like some type of meat filler had been added. It didn't have the same texture, it tasted different, and the beef seemed to have a slightly artificial color to it. otherwise everything was freshly made and served quickly.

P. Anthony: Santa Barbara, Ca

I use to come here a lot until I moved up to Oregon just under 15 years ago. Im now living back in Santa Barbara since the end of last year. Their ground beef hard shell tacos where a favorite of mind so I was driving past and was pleasantly surprised to see that the business was still in operation. Naturally, out of habit i ordered two beef tacos. The price of each taco was $7.00+tax. I believe the last time I ordered a taco they were just under $3 each, right around 2012. Im not certain, but I noticed that the ground beef tasted like some type of meat filler had been added. It didn't have the same texture, it tasted different, and the beef seemed to have a slightly artificial color to it. otherwise everything was freshly made and served quickly.

Steven Samrock

It’s clean and well maintained. 2 beers + 3 tacos was $59.71. Tacos are fairly large though. The adobbada taco was bursting with flavor. Fish taco and carnitas also delicious. The staff who helped us was friendly and kind. Salsas and condiments were yum

Had the steak tacos with onions and cilantro. I was expecting real mexican style carne asada, the flavor was pretty good but the steak was in long strips, somewhat chewy. They forgot the cilantro. The hot salsa was homemade and very good. I won't have the steak tacos again. Next time I'll try a burger which appears to have good reviews.

Good is great every time. Depending on who is there the welcome vibe is sporadic. Sometimes they are very friendly, others they seem put out. That's why only 3 stars. Customer service is the easiest hard job. I find that just simple manners, a smile and some professional etiquette go a long way. But the food is bomb for sure? The price is a bit over the top. My son and I got lunch at $40+ . For a fast food kind of place that was just as much as going somewhere I get served at my table . But that's the trend these days.

Last place in town to get an awesome charbroiled burger done the correct way. Try here then the others and you will taste what I am talking about. The only flaws are the prices that have gone through the roof! I left and even saw a one dollar charge for extra Mayo on my burger… say what!!? I think there may have been new ownership recently, the vibe has definitely changed. But nice spot for a first date. Can get a beer and Mexican food or American. Lots of room, salsas, and time to chat. Close to the beach too…make a trip in I know you will enjoy it.

Update 11/1/2020: Sad to report that the owners still add a 55c fee for credit card orders. No signs about the fee, no mentions when paying, and literally the total price I was verbally told when rung up was not what was charged on my card. Owner is also far less friendly than previously. Totally distracted my grubhub orders and didn't even acknowledge/respond to my nice hello greeting prior to ordering. No longer a neighborhood place to hit and not meant for locals. I'd go somewhere else. Too bad. I've been going to this place for many years as a local but the quality and friendliness has been on the decline as prices have been increasing. Food is typically good. My most recent visit was so disappointing. I used an Axxess deal for a buy-one-get-one and paid with credit card. They charged me full price and added a 58c credit card processing fee (for the first this in my 10 years of visits), then oddly gave me $6.50 back in cash for the "free" item. I ended up overpaying tax and paying a fee so the meal was 15% more expensive than it should have been. The owners definitely recognize me by now but still are cold as ever. Maybe it's time to find a new local spot to visit.

Hard shell taco shells are the prefab kind you buy from the grocery store. The chicken is frozen chicken patties, reheated and cut up and served in your chicken taco. Sadly, the steak had a good flavor, but was over cooked. And the hard shell was prefabricated and awful. My husband said the Coke Zero was good. We do not recommend CalTaco as a place for good tacos.

Decent burger and fried zucchini sticks. The customer service is bad. No friendly greeting and the girl seemed irritated when I had to ask for anything. I tried to order a chocolate shake before they closed and was told they already turned off the shake machine. Wanted to give this place a try but not worth it at all. Take my money somewhere else.

Ron McConnell

Decent burger and fried zucchini sticks. The customer service is bad. No friendly greeting and the girl seemed irritated when I had to ask for anything. I tried to order a chocolate shake before they closed and was told they already turned off the shake machine. Wanted to give this place a try but not worth it at all. Take my money somewhere else.

I ordered 2regular burgers from Cal taco and Grunhub only delivered 1 burger. I was charged $16.95. I will NEVER order from Cal Taco or Grubhub. How did a $7.00 burger turn in to $16.95 when I live a mile away?

Used to be good! Now its questionable with a very high price tag. Also, they change a extra service fee either there orders. I ordered a combo cheese burger. They brought to me no fries. They did i had to order them separately. O, brother. So I did .. I ordered some fries to go with your burger but then they were going to charge me another service fee for the fries which was a dollar add on. I ask them if they could wave the service fee since I already ordered my meal and since they forgot the fries I thought it wouldn't be a problem. But they said no its an extra dollar with the price of the single order of fries. I told them that was very unprofessional and never mind on the French fries. However when our group was getting ready to leave they bring out the fries, I asked them o you guys are just giving us fries now. They said no you paid for it they said they didn't hear me cancel the order of fries and they said we already charged your card. I couldn't believe this. Not only did I cancel my french fri order because of the 2 service fees of a one dollar each order. But they changed me anyway and gave us the order as we were leaving. We used to come here twice a week or so. But not anymore. There extra dollar charge cost them to loose thousands from me and all my company workers. I told any of my employees that cal taco is off limits to all of us. Fyi, cal taco that is about 9 people that would have gone there a couple times each. You guys are cheating and scamming customers. My company or employees will not be back. Were all locals and there's way better food and service else where.

Terrible. Went in there to order lunch. We ordered a combo cheeseburger meal. Fountain drinks and fries didn't come with the meal and had to pay separately for both. Grilled onions and cheese had to be bought separately even though it was added on the menu. They made me pay extra for cheese just for a cheeseburger. I am pretty sure cheese already comes with a cheeseburger. Even a service fee for $1.04 was on the receipt. Once I got my food, I questioned them about the fries and they said it's paid separately for the fries. I told them forget it and then they came out with the fries 20 minutes later with another service fee and after I said forget it. This happened before and this time I have to make sure I never come back. I wish you could put 0 stars.

First time and last time I ever come to this Cali Taco 🌮 I never been to a restaurant where they charge you a……service fee, and too grill your onions 🧅 in-N-Out grills your onions for free she never told me she was gonna charge me to grill my onions or a service fee??? I don’t recommend this place they overcharge!!

I’ve been going here for years. They messed up my take out order a couple days ago. I called when I got home and they said the owner would call me back the next morning and leave a note with the issue. Neither was done. I went in to get a replacement sandwich and after a few minutes of explaining the issue they finally agreed to make a replacement. After sandwich was made and ready for me to take the owner’s daughter got on the phone and told her worker that he couldn’t give me the sandwich until the owner came back another day. Horrible customer service!!! Don’t waste your money or time here. Worker was abusive and swore at me on my way out.

Matthew Komaiko

I’ve been going here for years. They messed up my take out order a couple days ago. I called when I got home and they said the owner would call me back the next morning and leave a note with the issue. Neither was done. I went in to get a replacement sandwich and after a few minutes of explaining the issue they finally agreed to make a replacement. After sandwich was made and ready for me to take the owner’s daughter got on the phone and told her worker that he couldn’t give me the sandwich until the owner came back another day. Horrible customer service!!! Don’t waste your money or time here. Worker was abusive and swore at me on my way out.

Jared Clark

Used to be good! Now its questionable with a very high price tag. Also, they change a extra service fee either there orders. I ordered a combo cheese burger. They brought to me no fries. They did i had to order them separately. O, brother. So I did .. I ordered some fries to go with your burger but then they were going to charge me another service fee for the fries which was a dollar add on. I ask them if they could wave the service fee since I already ordered my meal and since they forgot the fries I thought it wouldn't be a problem. But they said no its an extra dollar with the price of the single order of fries. I told them that was very unprofessional and never mind on the French fries. However when our group was getting ready to leave they bring out the fries, I asked them o you guys are just giving us fries now. They said no you paid for it they said they didn't hear me cancel the order of fries and they said we already charged your card. I couldn't believe this. Not only did I cancel my french fri order because of the 2 service fees of a one dollar each order. But they changed me anyway and gave us the order as we were leaving. We used to come here twice a week or so. But not anymore. There extra dollar charge cost them to loose thousands from me and all my company workers. I told any of my employees that cal taco is off limits to all of us. Fyi, cal taco that is about 9 people that would have gone there a couple times each. You guys are cheating and scamming customers. My company or employees will not be back. Were all locals and there's way better food and service else where.

Dylan Clark

Terrible. Went in there to order lunch. We ordered a combo cheeseburger meal. Fountain drinks and fries didn't come with the meal and had to pay separately for both. Grilled onions and cheese had to be bought separately even though it was added on the menu. They made me pay extra for cheese just for a cheeseburger. I am pretty sure cheese already comes with a cheeseburger. Even a service fee for $1.04 was on the receipt. Once I got my food, I questioned them about the fries and they said it's paid separately for the fries. I told them forget it and then they came out with the fries 20 minutes later with another service fee and after I said forget it. This happened before and this time I have to make sure I never come back. I wish you could put 0 stars.