Backyard Bowls

Goleta, United States

4

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 805-770-2730
Website:
www.backyardbowls.com
Address:
5668 Calle Real, Goleta, CA, 93117
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
350 ftCalle Real Center
610 ftCalle Real & Kingston
0.2 miCalle Real & Kellogg
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Brunch
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Hipster
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
No
Caters
No

Today

Today 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Goleta) 12:49 Sunday, 29 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Backyard Bowls is a revolutionary eatery specializing in acai bowls, real-​food smoothies, and much more. They provide a healthy, delicious, and fast meal option.

Open at 3 Locations:

Downtown: 331 Motor Way Santa Barbara, CA, 93 101

Calle Real: 5668 Calle Real Goleta CA 93 117

La Cumbre: La Cumbre 3849 State Street Unit #I-​157

History

Established in 2009.

Backyard Bowls is the creation of two friends, Pete Heth and Dan Goddard. They met their first year in the dorms at Santa Barbara, and have been close friends ever since. After graduating college, both of them proceeded to spend some time in the working world. Not satisfied with their direction, they each decided that some serious change was in order. Dan picked up and moved to the island of O’ahu, Hawaii, where he spent his days surfing and working in local restaurants. Pete went on an extended voyage to a number of the far reaches of our globe, culminating in a few months living with Dan in Hawaii. Aside from surfing, one of their favorite things about living on O’ahu was the acai bowls. For breakfast or lunch, before, between or after surfing, there was absolutely nothing better than an acai bowl. It truly is an incredible meal– it fills you up, does not weigh you down, and gives you the energy and nutrition you need to flourish.

Read On: at back​yard​bowls​.com

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20 reviews of Backyard Bowls

No registration required
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Backyard Bowls is my ultimate FAVORITE place for Acai Bowls!!! My only regret is that I wish I had discovered this place sooner when I was attending UCSB years ago lol. UGHHH! It’s okay. I make sure to go to Backyard Bowls whenever I am in SB though! All of their locations are great, consistent, friendly service, massive portions, and absolutely delishhh!!!
Sooo I came here today w/​the BF for a snack before a 5 hour drive back to the city. He claims he wasn’t hungry and didn’t want an acai bowl. that’s until we got there! We both ended up ordering our own «small». We went for the Diego and the new Gainz Bowl! We are obsessed with peanut butter so that already makes it 1000x better for us! I’ve tried many of their bowls so I can’t decide which one is my favorite. you cannot go wrong!
I live in SF now so I have to settle for what’s here. But I would greatly appreciate it if Backyard Bowls can open up a location in SF! I would dieee
Place rating: 4
Isla Vista, CA
I’ve waited so long to try this place! Heard about it my freshman year and I just tried it now as a third year.
After having done some community service it was nice to have a fresh, fruity pick-​me-​up to replenish my energy. I got the island bowl (yum coconut on top)!
The acai had a good consistency — wasn’t too watery. They put a lot of chunks of granola so if you’re a big granola fan you can find some here! Personally I like it when acai bowls have more acai than granola since I don’t really make/​eat acai at home, but I can eat granola when I want.
Truthfully these bowls are overpriced but it makes a nice treat once in a while, and the small is really filling so you won’t leave hungry.
Place rating: 1
Lake Forest, CA
If I could give zero stars I would. The woman at the counter’s attitude was not appreciated, she yelled at us when we came in the door that they were closed (even though they were still open for a couple of minutes) very rude, will not be coming here again.
Place rating: 4
Westwood, Los Angeles, CA
Loud atmosphere. I think that’s where I would take a star away. However, their island bowl is so delicious. I agree with everyone in that you should order the kid size because it is a pretty hefty bowl! I would definitely come back!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
The Acai berry bowls here are amazing. They top it off with fresh strawberries and bananas which are always on point. The small bowl is enough to get full of off. They have variety in their bowls, but my personal favorite is the island bowl. Very cleansing and light.
The staff is usually local college students and they are very friendly. They got dope tables as well.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
It’s pretty hard to find places to eat that focus on good organic foods. We were really happy to find this place on our way home from a mini vacation. Diego bowl was amazing and I loved the crunchy texture of the granola. My husband got the cocoa smoothie. I highly recommend the bowls! Very filling!
Place rating: 3
Santa Barbara, CA
The wait after you order your bowl is ridiculous! I ordered 2 bowls togo and I waited 30 minutes before walking up to the counter to watch some girl who walked in 10 min ago walk out with my 2 bowls! What is the point of asking the customer for their name if you aren’t going to make sure the correct customers get the correct bowls? I thought the point of togo was to get it quick and take it away, in the time I sat there I could have eaten a for here bowl. I’m happy with the quality and amount of bowl I got. But the wait time and the lack of making sure customers are served properly really sucks!
Place rating: 2
Santa Barbara, CA
It should be mandatory that when an employee calls an order that they mention the name of the person who ordered as well (like Starbucks or Blenders). I have been to two locations and twice I have had someone take my bowl who had literally just ordered because only the name of the bowl was called. I waited 20 minutes, watching people continue to walk in and out with their orders and when I mentioned that I’d seen someone take my bowl, they tried to pass it off as if they just hadn’t gotten around to mine yet.
I received a refund but with no apology and with blank stares, even though I’d explained my situation and asked very nicely.
Place rating: 2
Pocatello, ID
This is a great idea and great food but this particular one, well while using the restroom which you have to go through the kitchen to get to I noticed quite a lot of mice droppings in the bathroom, which leads me to believe they are also right outside in the kitchen. So even though I love the shakes and bowls I’ll try another one before returning here.
Place rating: 4
Columbia, SC
Great little spot, fresh, and delicious!
It’s a healthier choice but I wouldn’t call it super healthy. So many people are ill informed and don’t understand what «healthy» means. Do your research before hand if you’re going to comment on this place being healthy or not. Fruit has an immense amount of sugar in it so if you don’t understand portions, this can become unhealthy.
It does seem a little pricy but for the kids bowl, they give you a ton of fruit. Nice place to hang out with friends. And the service is great! I’d come again.
Place rating: 2
Los Angeles, CA
I do not understand this place. I wanted a healthy breakfast, I ordered the yogurt bowl and expected just fruit and a little honey. What I got was slimy strawberries coated in what they called honey and 4 blueberries and the grossest granola I’ve ever tasted. The entire bowl tasted like there was some sort of artificial sweetener in it. I couldn’t even eat it. I managed to pick out the banana slices in it and eat those because I was starving, but the rest– cloying and nasty.
The employees are nice, it’s reasonably fast. But the“healthy” food was not good, this «yogurt» didn’t taste anything like the Strauss yogurt I normally buy.
Whatever that crazy taste is, I couldn’t eat it.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
I thought I loved acai bowls but after Backyard Bowls, my love for them was reaffirmed. If only I lived in SB… I would come here pretty much every morning!
My sister got the Berry Bowl and I got the Island Bowl in the «kids» size. Both of us were so full after that they certainly didn’t seem like kids portions! My sister loved hers especially the Goji berries sprinkled on top. I especially loved the consistency of the bowls, as they weren’t runny at all and were more of a sorbet consistency! The workers are definitely generous with the amount of fruit toppings, and while they all come with honey, there is a bottle of honey (or agave? my memory fails me) if you want to drizzle some more on top of your bowl.
I love love love this place, there’s plenty of parking (what’s not to love about that??), the workers are nice, the prices aren’t ridiculously high, and the bowls are amazing. Next time I’m in Santa Barbara, I know exactly where to go for a healthy, delicious breakfast!
Place rating: 5
Mill Valley, CA
LOVED my delicious bowl. They gave lots of fruit on top and the flavor was delicious. I love all the options and sizes they have. It was great and I will definitely go back.
Place rating: 5
Charlottesville, VA
Oh goodness, I love this place! I am just upset I found it a week before I was moving.
Location: I can’t street park to save my life so I loved that this was part of a small strip mall. This location was really clean, small inside with limited seating but there is more outdoors.
Food: I’ve tried both the Berry Bowl and Green Bowl and they were equally amazing. I subbed the juices for cashew milk. The acai base for both bowls was so thick and creamy. The fruit taste amazing — you can see the employees chopping it fresh in front of you. The granola toppings is a must — adds a nice crunch without being too sweet. Surprisingly filling as well — didnt even think about food until 4⁄5 hours later.
Service: Helpful and willing to accommodate substitutions!
Place rating: 4
Albuquerque, NM
Wow! What a place. I really enjoyed it here. The food was great, the staff was great. I don’t know why everyone was talking to much smack about their customer service… Maybe y’all just need to get there when they open, because I really enjoyed how happy and helpful they were.
I enjoyed the Diego bowl. While it is expensive, you’re getting a LOT of «food.» The flavors were mild, but very filling.
Worth a stop if you want something light yet filling.
Place rating: 4
Cupertino, CA
I love backyard bowls! It’s my go to on weekends for a quick breakfast before hiking or studying. I usually get the island bowl and it’s amazing. It’s super refreshing and I love the sweetness of the honey with the crunch of the granola! I love that have a kids size for it because sometimes I’m not too hungry and it’s the perfect size. I’ve tried the island bowl, pitaya bowl, yogurt bowl, greenie bowl, and baobab bowl, but the island bowl is still my #1! Backyard bowls is a SB staple and there’s a reason why it’s so packed every weekend.
Place rating: 5
Goleta, CA
I love Backyard Bowls!
I come here a couple of times a month, usually for the smoothies. As much as I love the bowls, I just prefer sipping on a smoothie for some reason. So far I’ve tried the acai, popeye, and pitaya smoothies – all delectable! The flavors are great, and the consistency of the smoothies is always perfect – not too thick, not too thin.
The staff here are always super friendly and in a great mood. They’ve got quick and efficient service, and the establishment is always very clean. Makes for an enjoyable experience!
Place rating: 4
Orange County, CA
Docking a star because they «forgot» the third bowl in our order. then proceeded to fill several other customers’ orders before finally attending to us, when we brought it to their attention two times that they hadn’t finished our order. Everyone was completely done for several minutes before my friend even got her bowl, and the employee was not very apologetic or sincere when it eventually came out.
However, the food, as always, was delicious. Service needs serious improvement.
Place rating: 5
San Gabriel, CA
If you love acai bowls (like the rest of California), then THIS is the place for you.
Warning: the large is ENORRRRMOUSSSSS
Berry Bowl (Kids Size) ($ 4.95)
Nice size if you’re just stopping in to get a snack. So much fruit and granola (unlike MANY MANY acai bowl places). If you’re stopping here to get a meal, I definitely recommend getting at least a small.
I saw a few people ahead of us order the large, and I couldn’t help but think, «How in the WORLD are you going to finish that?» It’s great though that they have a size like that. I love it.
Obviously, I love this place. I wish there was one closer to home (LA). Maybe in the future? ;P
Place rating: 5
Foster City, CA
Backyard Bowls are bomb! After hearing about and seeing friends posting their instagrammed pics of the bowls I couldn’t resist. After the outrageous halloween night in isla vista, the boyfriend and I headed to backyard bowls to regain some nutrition.
The place is in a cute little plaza, not that hard to miss but its a great place to stop by for a snack or quick breakfast. We got the island bowl to go because I didnt think I would finish it, but the boyfriend who claimed he only wanted a bite ended up eating half (does this happen to anyone else?!) thus we ended up scraping the bowl clean at the end of 5 minutes. Loved the coconut on top and the acai smoothie on the bottom was so refreshing and all of it carried me over till lunch. It was great.
I wouldn’t imagine it makes great leftovers and as others have said it is a bit pricey for one, but I thought it was the perfect portion to share making it at least a little more affordable. Anyways, sharing is caring, right? :)