It’s Dinnertime at Esau’s

It’s not quite as historic as Esau Café’s founding by Tom Esau as State Street’s preferred pancake place in 1961. Nor is it as significant as the purchase of the restaurant by Scott and Arti Stanley in 1978, the subsequent expansion to Carpinteria in 2003, the move of the original location to Chapala Street five years later, or the latter’s closure in 2015.

But the fact that this longtime breakfast and lunch joint on Linden Avenue just expanded into evening service could go down in the Esau’s archives as a game-changer so long as Carpinteria’s crowds realize that dinner is now being served. 

“The main driving force was that our menu and our atmosphere fit so well with Carpinteria, the locals, and the travelers that come visit, especially in the summer, that we had to offer our services for more than just breakfast and lunch,” said Justin Fitzgerald, the Stanleys’ son-in-law, who’s been working in restaurants and hotels for about 20 years. He came on at Esau’s about six months ago to help his wife, Taylor Fitzgerald, who’s been managing the restaurant for seven years.

“Our menu is exactly what you’d want on a nice summer day after the beach; juicy burgers stacked tall, tri-tip sandwiches smothered in BBQ sauce, refreshing salads, ice-cold milkshakes,” said Fitzgerald. That includes many of the same dishes found on the lunch menu, like the ever-popular beer-battered fish and chips and even those silver-dollar pancakes. But they’ve added new things as well, including appetizers like “grande” nachos, carne asada fries, and popcorn chicken, plus sandwiches like the Philly cheesesteak and Nashville chicken. The cheesesteak, fries, and nachos benefit from the fresh cheese mornay sauce that’s whipped up before each shift.

There’s dessert too, like the double fudge brownie bowl with vanilla ice cream and the cinnamon roll bread pudding. “We have these awesome cinnamon rolls we sell for breakfast,” said Fitzgerald. “As an homage to that, we dice them up and toss them in a wet mixture and bake until you get this warm, chewy, cake-like treat. It’s been a favorite since we started making them.”

Their dedicated diners, some of whom visit multiple times per week, are just starting to realize that they can now enjoy Esau’s surf culture vibes at dinner too. “Dinners have started slow which is to be expected, as this is brand new for us,” Fitzgerald said. “We’ve been getting great feedback from anyone who does join us and I’m confident in what we’re doing and we’re ready to really start rocking and filling up this restaurant.”

Longtime kitchen manager Leo Rodriguez is helping to lead this evolution. “He’s been instrumental in helping us transition into dinner and train the new kitchen staff we’ve brought on to deliver the same high quality food we’ve always been known for,” said Fitzgerald “The support of Scott, Arti, and Taylor to let me get creative with the dinner menu and overall operation has been immense and great motivation for me to try and make our restaurant a top dinner destination in Carpinteria.”

Esau’s Café is seven days a week, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m., and now serving dinner Thu.-Sun, 5-9 p.m.; 507 Linden Ave., Carpinteria; 805-684-1070; esauscafe.com

The beachy vibe at Esau’s compliments a menu that’s “exactly what you’d want on a nice summer day after the beach.” | Credit: Ingrid Bostrom