Cafe Equilibrium

DO NOT COME HERE!!! The manager is rude!!! while on a trip to visit my son at UCSB he took me here for a quick bite to eat before I headed home. The owner was working as cashier and had some staff on hand, who she spent the entire time criticizing. I asked a few questions about menu items that were met with disdain. Some questions went unanswered and she put our food down on the counter like she was angry when she called our number. We took our food (mediocre and overpriced) and left. NOT WORTH YOUR TIME OR MONEY! STAY AWAY! MANAGER IS NOT NICE!

I came in here not to long ago and was very disgusted. The place is tacky with all sorts or random pictures all over the walls, everything is really old– and not in a cool antique way. After looking around I decided to stay to study. I was hounded that I had to purchase something before given the wifi code and was given a dirty look from what seems to the the manager. I was going to purchase something regardless but was irritated at the fact I felt like I needed to before situating myself.
So I bought a California turkey. I was excited because I loved all the things that come inside but was surely upset when my order came up. It was rather small and I paid around 9 something for this meal. The bacon was fake, and nothing was fresh at all. It tasted as if she microwaved something that was 2 days old. I was really upset. I felt really uncomfortable being there as well. Not a good place at all I feel sorry for the people who work there if that lady is their manager. I wish the other guy working would have helped me perhaps he would not have been so rude and awkward. My advice, do not come here save your money and go somewhere else.

DO NOT BUY FOOD FROM HERE IF THE BLONDE GIRLS WORKING !!! She’s horrible she will ruin your food and experience. I LOVE THIS PLACE, and it’s food is spectacular. However every time I buy food from this blonde girl who looks doped out on some crack .She either gets the wrong order, burns the food … Gives u stale bread. Waste of money every time I get from her. However if u buy from the other workers there. The food is AMAZING WORTH EVERY PENNY. Please fire the cracked out blonde.

Friendly service, okay food ~ just typical place. great place to chill and have some sugar. Their drinks are okay as well.

The best crepes and service in town! I call in my order for pick up and the owner always asks how far away I am to make sure my food is fresh and hot before I arrive!
My favorite is the French Toast. I ask for no whip cream and no powdered sugar to avoid the extra calories. Ask for egg whites or wheat flower if you are trying to make it a healthy treat!

In one word: YUMMY
Really nice people work here :-)

Café Equilibrium is not bad not bad! It’s definitely not the best crepes you’ll ever have in the world but if you want SOME sort of crêpe you can get some here. I like the peach one cause I love that artificial peach flavor yummmmyyy. But it has the randomest hours and service is really slow because they usually only have one worker. It is on the more expensive side but that is because it is in IV and you know everything is expensive in IV. I’ve eaten here twice and i haven’t really had any bad experiences which is good. The restaurant is really small though which is unfortunate so don’t be thinking you’re gonna be bringing your frat bros and sorority sistas here.

Café equilibrium is a great place to study and get a crêpe! It’s much bigger inside than it looks. They opened up the back room so there’s extra seating in comfy booths. It’s also the best crêpe deal I’ve seen in town– there are a lot more toppings for the price than most other crêpe shops I’ve seen.

I ordered a decaf Americano, a frozen blended Green Tea Matcha, and a Strawberry Shortcake Crêpe. The service was mediocre. When I asked the lady at the register if there were any decaf coffee options she said no which prompted the lady slicing cheese on the counter next to her to say the Americano is decaf. When I received my coffee it was so full that it spilled as I was removing the lid to add sugar. The café has limited seating and was not air conditioned, there is also no restroom available to customers, instead they direct you across the street to a community center. The crêpe was average, there were maybe three strawberries worth of sliced strawberries in it and the whipped cream came from an aerosol can and tasted very artificial.

I ordered the caprese waffle sandwich to go and it was expertly made! They used Popsicle sticks to hold the delicious waffle with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, and vinaigrette sauce! Overall an excellent dish and the manager was lovely and very friendly. The café was very clean and tidy and had wifi and plenty of room to hang out with friends or study. Overall an excellent experience with gourmet food and friendly workers!

If i was just basing my review on the food I would give them 5 stars, but I had to knock a point off because the owner always came off kind of rude. I really enjoyed the crepes and miss them now that I no longer live in IV. They were also a little on the slow side… even when i was the only order, it would still take a good 15 minutes to get me my food, so not the best choice if you are in a hurry. I wouldnt say it is cheap, but for crepes with fresh ingredients I would say they are fairly prices. Really enjoyed the crêpe with brie and candied walnuts.

I’ve been here a good number of times and I’ve received nothing but great customer service from the owner and her coworkers! Many times they’ve given me recommendations and their own input on different gelato flavors or menu items.
The gelato always changes every so often, and there are seasonal items and flavors; there is always variety! I’m usually here for coffee or gelato, or for waffle dates (which are better and more filling than the crepes imo). The owner knows her coffee well, and I’ve liked what I’ve had so far.
When ordering, be prepared to wait for a while. The wait is worth it. As for prices, it’s pretty fair– around $ 6−9ish per waffle /​crêpe depending on which one you buy.
I highly suggest trying something on the menu other than the basic nutella and banana crêpe ’cause y’all can do that at home. Get out of your comfort zone and try one of her savory waffles or crepes!

Delicious gelato with a huge variety of flavors. You can get amazing waffles here. They taste like a waffle, cooked all the way compared to the ones from the dining commons.
My personal favorite is the crepes, there’s a huge selection of combinations dessert, breakfast, or lunch. It reminds me of when my grandma and I would get breakfast crepes after school. Not too pricey because the servings are big enough to share with another person or if it is just for yourself I don’t judge.

Some people may get turned off by the time it takes to create a crêpe, but believe me, it is well worth the wait.
This place is a breath of fresh air in the chaos that is IV. Time slows down in here, and it is a great feeling. This place can easily go unseen. I did not even know it existed until I had already lived in IV for a year. And yet now it is my favorite place to go to. It is quiet and it plays good music. The owner is the nicest lady in the world.
There is a wide variety of crepes to choose from; I have only tried the savory crepes, but I’m sure the sweet crepes are excellent. It is sad to see only one person working at a time, I feel it’s because they don’t get enough customers to be busy enough for multiple workers. I hope that soon the people of IV will learn of the greatness that is Equilibrium and the sweet owner gets more customers daily to keep her shop open.

Tired of IV drip but need that sugar fix? Here’s your solution!
We came to grab a bite before driving back up to the bay. It’s small and cozy inside. They only have one crêpe maker so you may have to wait longer if everyone in your group wants a crêpe. Wasn’t a problem since it was just us 2.
The cashier was a very friendly UCSB student and chatted with us while we waited. Redeemed my Unilocal deal with no problem. After 10 minutes we were handed our turkey pesto, lox of love and banana nutella crepes.
My turkey pesto had tomatoes, spinach, pesto and mixture of mozzarella, cheddar and provolone. Tasty but little too greasy for morning food so I pawned it off to my friend and ate the rest of the lox of love: P
With smoked salmon, cream cheese, eggs, green onion, tomatoes and spinach, this crêpe really hit the spot for me. We split the banana nutella crêpe. Yummy and the sliced almonds were a nice touch. Perfect portion for a quick brekkie and we left very satiated.
Café Equilibrium is my new go-​to for crepes in IV. Actually, it’s the only creperie in IV! Come check this cute family-​owned spot out :)

This place is cool. We came here with a bigger group and the employee made us the best crepes. The crêpe is soft and a little thicker. Everything is made to order. SO worth the wait.
If you’re looking for a healthier option to the pizza and Mexican places come here. If you’re really hungry order 2!

It’s taken me 3 times before I got around to writing this review, but here it is.
Café Equilibrium is easy to miss, tucked between a small tax office and the former IV Deli on Pardall. I was invited here after a friend pointed to their crêpe menu, and I couldn’t find a reason to not try it.
Small and cozy, Equilibrium offers a completely different atmosphere familiar to most of the establishment in IV, complete with an extended wooden bench along one wall and varying abstract paintings. I’ve ordered from both their savory and sweet menus, and each can carry its own weight.
Sure, this isn’t comparable to a true French bakery, but like everything else in life, it’s to be taken in context. Their Turkey Brie-​zy is a solid choice, moist and baked wonderfully together to make the most of that beautiful soft cheese. Their strawberry Nutella crêpe wasn’t too shabby, with sweet strawberries but perhaps a little light on the fillings inside.
Either way, I must salute Café Equilibrium for their services and food within walking distance inside of a college town! Cheers.

Crepes!!! Yeah I got to go in. I’m walking around IV and I spot this little spot out of the corner of my eye. The place is super small. One of the many new establishments In isla vista. You can order crepes or waffles. Savory or sweet. My sweet tooth was acting up so sweet it was. I had the lemony snicket crêpe… Well dayyyuuumm! Delicious. Buttery, delicious, lemony. Nice world world music playing. The owner was the only worker. Very nice woman. Was speaking with me and switched over to Italian. Dope. I’ll be back to work through the menu.

Waffles AND gelato?! I was sold! I’ve had this crazy OBSESSION/​CRAVING of waffles lately and Thursday night, I was itching for some. I went on Unilocal and found this place and decided to give it a try. Well, now I am HOOKED!
We got the banana split on a waffle with the Coppale gelato (a swirl of pistachio, vanilla, chocolate, and almond gelato) and dark chocolate syrup and it was just amazeballs! The waffle batter was perfectly sweetened, and was cooked to perfection: crispy on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle. Take a bite of the banana, gelato, and the waffle together and you might just experience what I like to call a MOUTHGASM! There aren’t many things that taste better than this trifecta. What I really appreciated was that even with the gelato and chocolate syrup, it wasn’t overly sweet.
+1 for the awesome service we received that night. When ordering we wanted strawberry syrup with our waffle, but changed our mind a couple minutes later and the worker was very nice about it. Also, half way through our waffle, we decided we needed more gelato, so we ordered an extra scoop of the coffee gelato. Instead of charging us for a regular scoop (like most places would) she just charged us $ 1.50 as an add-​on scoop to our waffle. I really appreciated that, especially considering it’s a little shop and not a chain. I really felt like a valued customer and my bf, belly, and I left very happy :)

How many places in IV have desserts. Like two. You don’t feel like cookiewich at IV Drip? Then you should come to Café Equilibrium and try some crêpes!
Their crêpe menu has varieties. They have sweet, savory kinds, vegetarian kinds, and etc. They also have ice cream, you can get that alone or just top it off with your crêpe!
It is just amazingly delicious here. Except that they do not have many employees and only has one crêpe maker which really slows down the service. If you are in a hurry, the wait might put you into a cranky mood.