The Fig Grill

I was a wedding coordinator at a wedding fresco north catered. They were the worst catering team I had ever worked with in my years of working in the industry. The owners were the only workers older than 21, which normally wouldn’t be a problem if they were professional. The «kids» (as the owners called them) stood around by the bar feeding each other the wedding cake and joking while there were dishes all over the tables. When I asked one of the «kids» for help, he said he couldn’t because he was drinking a soda! Un-​freaking-​believable! I informed the owner what the «kid» just told me and she basically told me I shouldn’t be asking the team to do things because I’m not their boss, but the other owner told me to ask the team for whatever I needed. Neither one apologized for his ridiculous behavior. This kind of stuff happened all night. At the end of the night, they were responsible for bussing ALL the dishes. Of course, they did not. I asked the owner to have the team finish up and she said they said they were done. We were both looking at the tables and I said that I see quite a few dishes still. Her daughter, one of the serving staff, grunted and stormed off. I would not recommend this catering team to anyone that is relying on the staff for an event. Indras, the owner, was very helpful before the wedding, but I didn’t see him much throughout the event. His wife was not so pleasant to work with.

The Fig Grill, having largely failed to meet the promise of its previous owner, Fresco, is no longer in business and the doors are now closed. While I never like to see a business close, this new owner failed to take requisite notice of customer reviews and numerous comments about poor food quality. Given the great location and former reputation of this restaurant, the owner worked hard to disappoint new and returning customers.

Do I really have to give it even one star? We have been to Fresco North countless times and never was disappointed but this new concept is beyond terrible.
I got a chicken caesar wrap which is hard to mess up but the tortilla was raw… Yes, raw. It was rather plain just salad and chicken and was waaaay oversized. It was two in one.
My wife got the grilled cheese with white bean soup. The soup was basic, minestrone style soup but it was hardly even warm. The grilled cheese was cold, in fact the cheese was already so cold it would just tear apart rather than stringy (Hope that makes sense).
My son had the small plate Mac n cheese. Not bad but also cold.
Nothing was hot including the restaurant. We thought we would walk into a warm place to sit and enjoy dinner with it 53 degrees outside but were blasted with freezing air from the AC! The AC was probably set to 60 something.
I should have known it was going to be bad from seeing all 4 cars in the parking lot. This is NOT the same restaurant it once was. I will NOT be back unless they bring back Fresco North.

I liked the layout of the restaurant. I ordered the Tri Tip sandwich and the Beef Chili with Jalapeño Cornbread (which was the soup of the day). Both were fairly good and were quick to be sent to my table. I feel I’m being unfair by giving four stars but I didn’t feel like my sandwich was particularly great. It seemed a little oily which is odd for me for a Tri Tip sandwich.
My total was 9.67 for the sandwich and a soft drink. Seems like a fair pricing for a dine in lunch.
I will definitely being going back though! I would like to try it again.

Tonight was my first night eating here since they changed from Fresco North. I was very disappointed.
After researching The Fig Grill on Unilocal,I noticed another reviewer had complained that there was no brie to speak of on the turkey cranberry sandwich. I thought I would give myself the best chance of enjoying my dinner by bringing this up when I placed my take-​out order.
ME: «I read a review that complained that there wasn’t enough brie on the turkey cranberry sandwich to taste or even identify on the sandwich. I want to make sure that there is enough brie on my sandwich.»
The Fig Grill Girl: «Okay so you want extra brie?»
ME: Sure I guess.
The Fig Grill Girl: «Okay extra brie.»
I foolishly thought I had avoided a brie-​less sandwich by paying for «extra brie». NOPE. When I got my sandwich home, the first thing I noticed that it looked very unappetizing. There were no greens at all, just dry white turkey, white sourdough, and sloppily applied sauce. For a $ 15 charge for the sandwich I hoped for a little more but I was taught never to judge a book by it’s cover so I took a bite. Ugh. Very subpar, and no brie at all. No they didn’t! I had totally wasted my time researching and discussing this with the girl who took my order. I peeled back the bread and saw the saddest thinnest piece of brie I have ever seen that covered less then ¹⁄₃ of the bread. I’m talking all white rind, broken, and paper thin. Not good at all. After peeling a few pieces of dry turkey off of the sandwich to give to my dog, I tossed it in the garbage.
I tried to cheer myself up with a bite of snickerdoodle cookie (my fave!) Gross, hard, tasted like it was made 3 days ago and left out. FAIL.
I then took a bite of the brownie my boyfriend ordered. Bigger fail! Rock hard, super dry, just gross. I will never waste my time or money here again…

I’ve ordered delivery from them through SBMenus twice now and have found numerous mistakes on my orders (asking for no onion and getting lots of onion, missing salads, additional meals we didn’t order, misspelled names, etc). Also, their customer service wasn’t quite what I expected (I had to ask for a food credit to offset their mistakes — I feel like this should have been offered on their end first). Their food is okay, but I think they’re over priced. I understand that they may still be «figuring things out» after the name and menu change, but so far I am unimpressed.

The brownies are great, the cookies are wonderful and the food is lovely. Prices are fair and people are very nice. Lunchtime is very busy at this place!

Love the new look, the menu is nice, the food is not quite up to par. For the prices customers should be seated and orders taken.
Having said that the person. Taking orders at the register seem to be a range of a mishmash of knowledgeable about our food to «I could care less»…
My wife asked if the fruit was fresh, she explained about her medical condition that she gets migrains from over ripened fruit after listening to her the person said «yes, it’s pretty fresh.» It was not only NOT fresh, but was bruised and had already begun to become mush on the corners.
My wife very much enjoyed the eggs benidict. But could not have the fruit, they offered a soup instead after the fact.
I ordered a breakfast wrap it was tasty but very greasy… I can get the same exact experience from a little sandwich shop down the road 2mins away for a $ 6.00 breakfast burrito.
Suggestions;
When it’s down time the staff should be cleaning, not standing at the juice bar four feet from customers giggling and gossiping about other employees and customers while there were things to do. This isn’t high school, it’s the workforce.
When the fruit isn’t fresh don’t lie and say that it is, if you don’t know, check the fruit. If your not sure what fresh fruit looks like you should probably learn or look for work outside food service.
To the owners, riding on the remnants of your Fresco clients? A new menu, sign and outfits does not a successful restaurant make. Take a walk in your community, discover what your missing. Your cooks shoukd strive to top shelf food. If your cutting corners to save money don’t. Serve something new to and unique for the community.
This is our fourth visit in as many months and the experience is lacking more with each visit, drop your prices a buck fifty or train staff to serve to reflect the price…
Also i thought the coffee was good. I doubt we will return… but maybe. My wife is more forgiving than I. If so I promise to add to this review…

We love the Fig Grill!!! Friendly staff, excellent menu, and great food. We go on a regular basis because of reasonable prices and fast service. You should try it.
Dennis and Patty

I just started going to the fig grill and I am loving it. The pure beef burger and Fettuccine Alfredo is delicious! Yum. Highly recommend the fig grill.

This restaurant was an easy stop for dinner. You order your food at the front, and bring your number to the table. The menu is diverse with many sandwiches (hot or cold with an option to just get half), soups, entrees, and pasta. It’s very quick and the waiters are very attentive. Overall the food was good and decently priced. We’d come back!

I was very disappointed with my first experience with this new restaurant. I was originally told it was the same as Fresco North and had been there a million times and was always happy eating there. It was NOT the same restaurant. First of all they were out of gluten free pasta so my friend could only have a salad. Second, they were out of sweet potato fries. Third, they used PIZZA DOUGH for quiche crust. It was rock hard! The quiche was also slightly burned on top. And all they had were brownies for dessert. They got rid of all those yummy fresco desserts! So sad. I went with a group of 6 and none of us were happy with our meals! I was really hoping it was going to be good and we were all sad it was not. None of us will be returning unless we hear things have changed!!!

We’ve dined at this previous Café Fresco North location many times since moving up to the Santa Barbara area from LA 3 years ago. We’ve always appreciated the food, the friendly staff, and the other patrons who frequently dine here. As with most restaurants, we tend to gravitate towards our favorite dishes, including our 6-​year old twins. The kid’s menu has always been perfect for our kids, and we’ve enjoyed our favorites and found them to be reliably good.
We were a little concerned when it changed names, not knowing if we had lost our favorite go-​to place for the family and out-​of-​town guests. We’ve now been there several times and love the new menu even better. The owners are the same as before and almost always present. They listen to customer suggestions and have made quite a few improvements since re-​opening as the Fig Grill. As before, they are eager to accommodate customer requests and listen to suggestions.
Tony is our favorite on the wait staff. Like many restaurants, you’ll find seasoned staff and newbies that are learning the ropes. As a business owner, I can appreciate how hard it is to open a new business or transition from an old model to a new one. I’ve worked as a bus boy, waiter, and bartender and tend to have a very critical eye when it comes to service and the wait staff at restaurants. So much so that my wife fears my criticism of waiters at restaurants whenever we go out. I find the staff here to be friendly and committed enough, but the newbies could be a little more earnest in their work ethic.
The kids menu is the same, so that makes it easy for them. My wife loves the Asian Crunch salad. I’m enjoying some of the newer dishes such as the trip-​tip sandwich, hamburger sliders, and others. We’re not a dessert family, but those look as tempting as they did before.
We’re glad to have the Fig Grill to turn to and look forward to their ongoing improvements. As it is now, we’re very pleased.

Adequate but not stellar. My quiche was tough with burned areas… had to cut the crust w a knife. Potatoes were not completely cooked – pieces of pepper and onion were raw in the home fries. Nice space, ample parking, wifi w big tables. My hubby’s omelet & potatoes was «okay». Omelette has cheese options which he liked.

Nothing really stood out with this restaurant. I would rather pay for expensive food at a more expensive restaurant setting. I would like to be waited on for the prices I’m paying here.
Facilities were clean, and staff were professional and friendly.

We are so pleased that The Fig Grill is still owned and operated by the same folks who were formerly Fresco Café North! The food and service remain at the same high quality we have come to expect from them. Although the menu has changed, we are pleased with the new offerings and have enjoyed trying new sandwiches, salads and entrees. I especially enjoyed the Linguini Pomodoro made with fresh tomatoes and basil. Delicious!

We dined over 100 times at Fresco North and enjoyed it a great deal. The Govender family is a very generous family to the local community and are very nice people. But, the Fig Grill we visited on Saturday was a colossal disappointment. The meatballs were dry and overcooked; the marinara sauce was not tasty. The steak frites (New York strip steak) was grisly. Our guests had a salad that was not tasty. Either the purveyor has changed or there is a different chef — but all in all, it was not good. I don’t think we will go back. It’s too bad — but it seems like there was a decision made to make more of a margin (nothing wrong with that) at the expense of good quality and preparation.

I was hesitant to visit given the less than positive reviews — but I like figs and they won me over with the new name. So I decided to give it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised! I had the clam chowder, french fries, and grilled cheese. I thought all three had a nice flavor and I had a nice experience at the restaurant. I would go again :)!!

I stopped in to check out the «new» Fig Grill (formerly Fresco North) and I was completely underwhelmed. I ordered the Southwest salad and left with question marks in my eyes.
A) There was nothing Southwestern about it. The description states: «Red Peppers, Onions, Peas, Corn, Shredded Cabbage, Carrots and Tomatoes with our spicy Vinaigrette (No Lettuce)».
Ok — I knew there was not lettuce included in the salad, as the menu stated, but there were also no onions or corn or spice to the vinaigrette (as the menu states).
B) I got this to go and when I opened the bag, the container had been closed with cabbage sticking out from all sides of the box. Messy presentation.
C) I tried it anyway because I was on my lunch break and really hungry and, wow. I just have no words. I’m sorry guys at Fig Grill, but you’re going to have to try harder with this one. Please don’t call it Southwestern (chopped up sugar snap peas in it???). Just call it a box of underwhelming cole slaw.

I don’t like writing bad reviews but here goes!
This restaurant use to be Fresco Café North, but has now turned over a new leaf and decided to change their name to «The Fig Grill». Same owners but a different name, and a revamped menu is the concept of this new change.
I checked out their menu on-​line and they offer a good variety of choices such as hot/​cold sandwiches, wraps, burgers, salads, and small plates (tapas). It all sounded so appetizing and I couldn’t make up my mind but I opted to try the Turkey Cranberry hot sandwich. This comes with your choice of soup or salad.
The turkey sandwich consists of oven roasted turkey breast, caramelized onions, cranberry sauce, and brie cheese on sourdough. I ordered half a sandwich and salad for $ 8.95.
Sounds great right? Well, sorry to say but this was not appetizing at all. The turkey tasted like it was about a week old, I didn’t see or taste any brie, and the cranberry was too sweet for my taste. Everything was just wrong with this sandwich! I thought about taking it back and complaining but I didn’t have much time being on my lunch break.
The side salad was the only thing I ended up eating but it was lacking the balsamic vinaigrette.
Tip: They do have Wi-​Fi but you need to ask the cashier for the password.
Alcoholic Beverages: They offer Beer & Wine
They do have a small kids menu and their dinner menu starts after 4:00pm.
Prices are pretty reasonable here so I’m not totally writing off this restaurant. I hope my next visit will be a better experience so I can update this review.