Came in on a lovely Sunday, to grab a drink before our nearby dinner reservations. We had our eye on BarLou previous Montecito dates. Unfortunately, the service left much to be desired. Hot or Not? Spoiler! it's a NOT. What a coincidence, it's happy hour . . . YAY ! Upon arrival, we were the only party on our end of the patio. (aside from a group of women on their way out.) We ordered our drinks promptly, but over the next 30m 3 small parties arrived, placed their drink orders, then their food orders, and were served well before us. disappointing. Despite being reassured multiple times over 30-40m period that our drinks were "on the way" they hadn't arrived long after having ordered--far before all the surrounding parties had arrived. We were checked in on plenty and added Ratatouille to our order. My Spicy margs finally arrived and (1) glass had visible lipstick stain on it. Luckily Bf double ordered for HH deal so I had the clean one while we waited to be checked in on to no avail. Beau had to wave down a server but 20m after a manager/owner ((it's unclear) she was casually dressed not in uniform like the servers.) but This woman came by and checked in we told her about the stain, she took the dirty glass, asked our drink and we get brought the wrong drink. Spicy Marg : 2/5 sips light refreshing and with a hint of spice not too overpowering. ($12) Bloody Mary: Beau thought it was ok would not order again.($10) Overall the experience felt dismissive and disorganized. We love to go for an experience, the ambience/atmosphere was great but the service we received ruined the experience, as the Idiom goes, IT LEFT A BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH. Ratatouille never arrived, we gave plenty of time and grace, decided to Cancel our order and request the check. Note: When we arrived the hostess said "it's just us two" so I gave the benefit of the doubt, on another occasion I would have left to avoid a situation like what we experienced, I understand. But we only came in for a Drink ?? :(( read more

Bar Lou - Wine Bars Near Me - Montecito, California

Food was delicious We requested patio, we were seated on the side overlooking Coast Village Road ,had our dogs with us and they were very accommodating, even brought a water bowl Glad we picked Bar Lou for our birthday dinner , all our dishes were memorable and will definitely go back . Inside is very cozy and modern. read more

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Had dinner here with some friends and we shared a bunch of things that were ALL fantastic! We had the duck, the steak au poivre and the beef bourguignon...my mouth is watering right now thinking about this meal. All of our dishes were cooked perfectly and the sides and sauces weren't overwhelming or too rich like French food can sometimes be. Our staff were so attentive and wonderful. We sat outside and the vibe was perfection - they have great heaters set up in different places so you're never left cold on one side. I was shocked we could get in on a Saturday without a reservation. I cannot wait to come back! read more

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I will be going back! My husband and I went tonight for a little date. We shared the crab cake, the chicken gyro, the steak frites and vanilla ice cream for dessert. The service was amazing, so attentive and friendly. The space is gorgeous, romantic, and cozy. The food was all so delicious. I want to go back and sit at the bar with a girlfriend or go back with a group of friends and order the whole menu to try it all. We are big fans! read more

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So we tried the Crab Cakes (excellent), the chickpea toast, and for our mains we bad the Cast Iron Seared Fish Provincial w/ Ratatouille and the Beef Bourgeois w/ Pappardelle pasta. Everything was cooked to perfection. My husband is the best French and Italian chef I've ever had (and he's Taiwanese). He has ruined restaurant after restaurant for us for 15 years, leaving us very few options for date night, until tonight. This place is truly the real deal. Will be back for everything else on the menu. The service was perfection as well. Thank you for giving date night back to us! read more

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Carrots and mushroom skewers were soooo good. Baguette a little pricey but texture and salted butter was delicious. Chairs a bit uncomfortable and stiff read more

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Lovely spot. Inside is very classic. They have an area by the outdoor fire place and a patio over looking the street which is where we decided to sit. Service was wonderful. Got the -chicken liver: bread was incredibly warm. I generally like my liver a little bit sweeter, but it was still quite fantastic. -crab cake: very very good. Wish it was a bit larger, but flavors all hit the right notes -beef Bourgnon: mash potato's were perfect, meat was incredible tender. If you're looking for a hearty dish, this definitely hits the spot bar steak: cooked perfectly, the garlic was a nice touch. French fries were a 9/10. Think elegant high quality micky Dee's (no higher compliment exists) read more

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I don't think the name fits the restaurant. It's a really pretty space and the food is outstanding. Had the chicory salad (enough for two) which was the best salad I've had in a long time. Dressing counterbalanced the slight bitterness of the greens without getting too sweet and the grated manschego kind of melted as I ate it - delicious. Ordered the local fish which was grilled and served over ratatouille. Side order of sautéed greens. Nice bottle of decently priced Monterey county Chardonnay. Was told that no seed oils are used, fries are fried in olive oil, nothing was over salted, no off tastes from releasing oil or artificial ingredients. Service was attentive, professional and very hospitable. Prices were reasonable for location. Portions were generous. Definitely going back. read more

Love this local Montecito cafe. The outdoor patio is so lovely and romantic. We like to sit by the fire for an aperitif then move to our dinner table. Everything we've had was excellent. The steak frites, Branzino, Ham sandwich, stuffed squash blossoms and of course the apple fritters and avocado chocolate mousse. Drinks are also delightful. read more

Extremely delicious and friendly! French toast had a subtle caramelized coating. Even the simple salad was so fresh and full of flavor and great for dipping warm baguette! read more

Let's start with the good news first. The atmosphere and service are excellent. Our server was friendly, answered all our questions and was quick to point out portion size and that we may have over ordered for the table. That was greatly appreciated. One pet peeve was that our server pretty much insisted that we order everything at once, at the same time. We were starving and would have liked to order a couple quick appetizers first while deciding on the rest of our dinner, but we opted to take her advice and order everything at the same time. Give the Kitchen credit for their spacing and timing of the dishes as they arrived at our table. There was time between courses, but not too much time. We looked at the wine list and then asked if there was another Wine list. There was not. What we read was fairly disappointing. There was no Cabernet. No Pinot Noirs. No Chablis, no Sancerre, Just a bunch of unrecognizable, natural wines and as one of our guest at our table pointed out almost none of the wines would go with the food. As for the food itself, we were very disappointed. The spice cashews were fine but there were only a few for $13. The marinated olives were fine. Again just a handful for $11. The roasted carrots read well on the menu but came out cold and for $21 we were served two carrots cut in half. The charcoal beets were dry and shriveled. The only highlight was the almondine cod. The fish was cooked to perfection however almondine denotes a fish that is coated with almonds then cooked this dish just had almonds thrown over the top of the fish with some overdressed string beans. We would like to go back and give this place a second chance, but we'll wait a month or two and probably bring our own wine next time read more

We were passing through and saw this place on google search. It was a quiet night. We received great service. The food was quite tasty. A great find for our travel. read more

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Went there for my anniversary. The wait staff is super friendly and glad that you are there. We were early for our dinner reservation so we had a cocktail in the bar. It was slow, but it still took a long time to get our drinks. My wife was disappointed that her martini was cloudy. The food on the other hand was outstanding. The mushroom appetizers were tender and delicious. The beef bourguignon was out of this world. read more

This place is a gift to Montecito and severely underrated. I believe this place is from the same people that gave us Little Dom's and Little Dom's seafood, so you know quality is top-tier. Debatably the best bar streak frites and chicory salad I've ever had. The service was impeccable, friendly, and willing to go the extra mile on the details that matter. Ambience was incredibly tasteful, yet still cozy and unpretentious. Although you may be tempted to do something safe and obvious like go to Honor Bar, I strongly urge you to keep moving and make your way over to Bar Lou. read more

We had reservations last night at 6pm and when we arrived they wanted to seat us outside even though it was raining???? No cover on the patio, I guess they thought we liked eating rain soaked food while we were getting soaked? When I asked to talk with the manager, he said, "Oh, I was about to call you to tell you it was raining"......Really? We walked across the street and got a table at Ca'Dario and had a lovely (dry) meal. read more

Wanted to try a new place on coast village and wanted to give this independent spot some love. The only reason I'm giving two stars is because we were seated without a reservation on a Friday night. It was dark, we could barely read the menu, the food was terrible. Got the tartare, mixed green salad w a couple artichoke hearts, daily catch which was covered in tomato sauce & the steak frites. $68 steak frites that was just covered in black pepper & so bad I couldn't eat it, or take it home. I can't say one good thing about the food here, unless you like French fries & potato chips with pricey food. read more

A group of six had dinner at Bar Lou last night. Three of us ordered a glass of the same pinot noir and then realized that ordering a bottle made more sense. The waiter brought out a bottle already opened and began pouring. I immediately noticed that it was not the correct wine. Waiter: "Oh, we're out of that." Me: "Shouldn't you have asked if the substitution was ok with us?" Waiter: "Well, we'll charge you the cheaper price." Me: "The price is not the issue." Unacceptable. in no good restaurant that is serious about its wine selection was this OK. Nor was the lack of toilet paper in the ladies restroom acceptable. There are too many great restaurants in the Montecito/Santa Barbara area. We won't be back. read more

Beautiful place - we had a weird experience though where we took our friend out for her birthday and hoped to surprise her with a dessert (we could sing, the whole thing). When we made the reservation I mentioned it was a birthday and the hostess staff seemed excited to help us be strategic and asked who the birthday girl was, etc so I thought "ok this will be good! She will be surprised..." and then our waitress came over threw down the dessert menu in her lap and was like "I guess it's your birthday?" And walked away. Okkk, way to ruin the surprise! It felt cold and rude and wasn't the vibe, unfortunately. read more

We had a great experience at Bar Lou. The food was delicious, the outdoor seating was lovely, and the staff was incredibly attentive.

Decided to have dinner at Bar Lou to catch up with an old friend. I have dined here once before and LOVED it. I forgot that they make you order your entire meal all at once which isn't my favorite but they course it out well so that's not an issue. We sat at the bar and the bartender was great. She gave us suggestions and made us both cocktails that we enjoyed- a night in Paris and the guillotine. We started with the mushroom skewers and beet appetizers. The mushrooms were over seasoned, not sure if it was cumin and we ate them but didn't love them. The beets were served with a horseradish cashew crème that was overpowering so we simply at the beets and avoided the crème. Our steak au poivre was served with French fries that were oil soaked and soggy and we asked for a new batch of fries which were much better. The steak was cooked well and the sauce was quite good. It wasn't nearly as good as my previous experience and my friend who was visiting for the first time will not be going back. It was a slow night so maybe the kitchen crew was off? read more

Best branzino ever! Cozy, delightful and delicious spot Excellent service! Can't wait to go back read more

Bar Lou - Such a cozy delightful and delicious spot Best branzino ever&fabulous service!!! - Wine Bars Near Me - Montecito, California

Looking forward to going again! I've been three times, and enjoyed it each time. I especially enjoy sitting outside on the patio. The food is divine! I loved the beets, the smoked fish on whole-grain bread, the Uni pasta, the Branzino, the steak frites, just about everything I've tried! Service was excellent. The ambience was excellent, looking forward to the next time. read more

The restaurant is so loud in the front room better to sit in the dining on the side. Food was good not amazing. Service was good. Takes a long time to clear dirty dishes. I had to ask them when there was like seven dirty plates sitting on our table. Other than that we had an enjoyable meal. The fish was the best dish we ordered. read more

Went for V-day with my wife. Overall experience was slightly better than okay; not great, definitely not bad...just a little above okay. For what I spent ($300), would rather go to Clarks down the street. Ambience: 10/10 Stunning restaurant decor, very warm, unique, and beautifully designed. Would love to come here simply for a drink because both the outside and inside areas are beautiful. Food: 6/10 Everything needed more salt. Crab cakes: pretty good, not great Smashed chickpea toast: definitely not what we were expecting. Was the equivalent of a large heaping of cold chicken salad (with chick peas) on toast. Felt more of like a sandwich you'd eat on a picnic than an app at a French restaurant. Nothing about it was a smashed spred Chicken au jus with chanterelles: good not great, once I asked for salt and seasoned it more it was much better Steak frites: good not great. Fries were very good (needed more salt), steak was cooked nicely but the sauce felt a little too heavy. The steak at bouchon is much better IMO Wine: we were wanting champagne or brut to start, but they didn't offer any...got a cab franc rose that was okay. For dinner we got a Bordeaux and it was also okay. Seemed more like natural wine selections then what we were looking for Would definitely give this place another shot because there's a lot of potential. But for the price, meh... read more

Finally a restaurant in Santa Barbara that moved away from the stark, cold, glaring white, industrial trend! My friend and I went to check it out and the ambiance was like that of an traditional established brown bar/restaurant in Europe. We had waiter Graham who was super nice, people behind the bar were friendly, and aspiring waiter Miguel was great as well. No stuffiness here! We had crabcakes as an appetizer and swordfish provencal and both dishes were delicious. We tried a Pinot Noir and another red wine and both complimented our dishes perfectly. The only thing we could ask for is that they would have salmon on the menu, which is our favorite fish. We can't wait for weather to get better so we can sip on a cocktail in the beautiful patio area. Thanks to the owners for this wonderful gem! read more

We tried Bar Lou last night and expected some of the usual growing pains of a new restaurant, but there were none. The food was amazing, the service great, and the atmosphere beautiful. The only minor issue was that it was far more pricey than I would expect, but not enough to take away a perfect night. We'll definitely be back! read more

Fabulous night at Bar Lou from cocktails to coffee! The Steak Au Poivre was excellent, the ambience romantic and the apple fritters were out of this world! read more

Had a great dinner with family last night. Great ambiance and food. From the start over the phone the host was so friendly. Once we got there he greeted us with the same warmth and was very accommodating. Wish I could remember his name he was lovely! We were gonna be seated in the patio but when asked for a table inside we were seated in a booth after a very short wait. Our server was very knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. Loved seeing such young staff be so on point; offering great customer service. The food was delicious. Yes, a bit pricey for the portions (mainly the starters) but still very tasty. Main dishes portions were okay. We ordered olives, baguette, crab cake, mushroom skewers and chickpea toast to start. Then we had the halibut, steak and frites and a salad as main. Cuddos to the chef! It is not a traditional menu but everything was delicious. Pleasantly surprised to have such a lovely experience knowing they just opened. Keep up the good work. We'll definitely be back. read more

We had chicken Gyro and it had bone in there. I almost broke my teeth and we had cuckoo. Sabzi witches taste very strange compared to my mom is Coco Sabzi read more

We went to Bar Lou with friends for the first time last night. The charming patio entrance is so pretty with lovely lighting everywhere, and the interior bistro decor is beautiful and inviting. We enjoyed every selection ordered on the menu. Although the restaurant was very busy, our service was excellent. So thrilled to know of a wonderful new dining choice in Montecito! read more

My friends & I tried the new Bar Lou in Montecito yesterday, it used to be Peabodys & Oliver after that. First the good news: the atmosphere & service was fantastic!! The food, menu & wine list were very disappointing however. The outside patio is beautiful and the menu & food needs to match or they will be gone too soon. The wine list was underwhelming- with only 4 reds by the glass ( $18-$21!) no Cabernets, no Pinots, very unrecognizable wines & not local. The food was overpriced & a very strange menu. Bread was $12 for a small baquette with fancy sounding butter. The only thing that we all thought was good was the crab cake. It was 1 crab cake for $28 served on a huge plate with some sauce. Appetizer portion for entree price. Our many servers were the highlight. We didn't lack for anything assuming because it was not very busy. I can't recommend this restaurant until they seriously change the menu & wine list. read more

Amazing new hot spot with incredible food and vibe. Can't wait to go back. Highly recommend the steak au poivre with fries and loved the beets. read more

It's not great. Staff is nice, but service wasn't very good. Apps, entrees, and cocktails were all mediocre. Disappointment and won't be back. read more

Beautiful patio, great service, and tasty food and cocktails. Just an insanely relaxing and chill place to spend an hour in the afternoon.

Why don't they improve and adjust on their disastrous menu, instead of adding gimmicks like theme days? It is dumbfounding that they don't care that the locals don't return and their almost empty restaurant on a weekend night is cause for introspection. Their business is struggling not thriving and the one LA visitor who can't find another place in Montecito to make a reservation on a weekend night is forced to choose Bar Lou. The proof is in the across the board reservation availability. I have gone back a few times hoping that they've stepped it up and instead I was even more dissatisfied and walked out feeling like I flushed my money down the toilet. I was also embarrassed that I took my guests there. I feel bad writing this because it is not coming from spite but from genuine concern over the lack of insight and ability to see that it's not working... The Monctecito locals were and are so ready for a new restaurant as we are all foodies. Too bad you missed the mark and won't adjust. Whoever is in charge has sunk the ship.... read more

Such a great ambience!! So cute! Great friendly service and such yummy food!! The restaurant and bar is beautiful. We had great cocktails and wine. read more

Went there for anniversary dinner. Had our 12 month old with us. When I made our reservation, I requested a high chair. When we got there it Took them 15 minutes to get us a high chair. The host said they had kids pasta but our server said they didn't. After the waitress went to the kitchen, after another 15 minutes they told us they did have kids pasta. The food was ok. My husband and I kind of felt sick after. Wanted the caviar, they were out. We wanted another dish, they were out as well. We brought a bottle of wine and when we asked if it could be put on ice, the host told us the corkage fee instead of being accommodating. The manager was the only highlight of the night and was very nice. I wanted to like this place because I've been going since it was Peabodys, then Oliver's but I don't think we will go back. read more

Nice vibe. Barbara behind the bar provided warm, authentic service. I'd say the food was just ok.

Meeehhh. Interesting menu but very small portions and high prices. Nothing special. Service is wonderful and ambience is very nice.

I went here for cocktails with my mom and her friends visiting from out of town. We were looking to burn some time while waiting on other friends to meet us for dinner across the street. They sat us in a semi-private patio area surrounding a fireplace in the center. We thought the drinks were tremendous, I had a bourbon cocktail that was very dynamic. The host and waitress were courteous and playful, the service overall was great! I would definitely recommend the Affogato as well as the Apple and Ricotta Fritters for dessert. I can't wait to find a reason to go back! read more