Restaurant Open

We've been to the Mercantile a thousand times, in fact, I belong to the Womens Athletic Club and I've never even seen this place. Too bad because I would have been coming here all the time. This will definitely be a regular place to stop. The atmosphere is relaxed, the cook (and likely the owner) is warm, friendly and accommodating. Mostly locals seemed to be coming in and out, giving the place a cozy, comfortable feel. There is a window into the kitchen and I saw the cook in there cleaning. Always a plus in my book. The punk was highly impressed with the money inlaid bar. Today is Taco Thursday, so I split it up and had 2 chicken, 2 veggie. The veggies were amazing, just roasted to the perfect tenderness, still a little bit crisp. I overheard one of the guys say the Autumn Harvest soup is like Thanksgiving dinner in a bowl. Well, I had to try that and, sure enough, one of the better creations I have tried. The punk had the chicken fingers (sans pepper) and french fries. She said it is her favorite chicken - real chicken chopped up and fried to perfection. Overall, the Punk summed it up with, "This place is awesome!" which is a big compliment from her, since yesterdays place was, "Not the best place in the world."

This place looks like a little hole in the wall. Looks are deceiving. The food was excellent. I went with two others because of a Groupon we had. My chicken salad sandwich was so good. The bread was toasted to golden brown perfection. The chicken was more like shredded than ground which made it so much better. It was seasoned just right with the right "add ins." One of the ones I was with ordered a side of fries. There were enough fries for all three of us to share. And even by the end of the meal they were still delicious. The other two meals were also excellent.

Restaurant Open has the best breakfast sandwiches! My husband loved their breakfast burritos until he took a bite of my sausage breakfast sandwich on English muffin, now that's his favorite too. They also have great burgers, but parking is tough during the week. We catch them on Sunday mornings. Love this place!

My wife found this place through Groupon and their food was great. It is a tucked away in a business park and I can definitely say that it is a hidden gem of Santa Barbara. We came in for breakfast, which was very delicious and if and when I go back I would definitely give the rest of their menu a try.