Food was super tasty and innovative and the service was great

The dinner is great, but the restaurant seems to be very particular about the timing of their reservations. The bar is never quite as welcoming as I hope- they always seem a little overwhelmed or is it snob-ish?! I can never get a real read on it. The bartender did make a drink I described having a few months ago that was no longer on their menu, so I really appreciate that. Overall, I'll continue to come back because I like the food/ drinks. The service could be friendlier and more welcoming though. read more

We were fortunate enough to be able to have dinner at Finch and Fork on a visit to Santa Barbara from Columbus, OH. We read a lot of great reviews about Chef James Siao and his team and they did not disappoint. We started off with the deviled eggs. The smoked trout was a nice unexpected touch on the dish. We followed our starter with the sea scallops. The sea scallops were light and refreshing. I had to refrain myself from using my fingers to scrape the remaining chorizo vinaigrette out of the bowl, it was that delicious. The citrus was a great combination with the scallops. I was sad to see that dish end. The trout was a nice option that we rarely get to order off a menu. It was cooked perfectly and on this rare occasion was plated with the kale salad, which was fully consumed. The short rib had great flavor, we love the mushroom and red wine reduction, and it melted in our mouths it was that delicious and well cooked. A little while later, the buttermilk fried chicken had been delivered. Our fabulous and well timed server, Brett, told us people from all over come in just for that dish. The portion of breading to chicken was remarkable. The breading was not soggy or too crunchy. It was very easy to eat and after trying it, I can clearly see why it was a highly recommended dish. It was accompanied by cauliflower and crispy capers. Who knew that could be such a tasty side:) I will now be comparing all fried chicken to that dish. We finally ended on the sticky toffee cake and the s'more pot. Normally, I am not a fan of smores and even argued that we try the milkshake instead but I took all of that back once I tried the smore pot. It was not overly sweet and the marshmallow graham mixture was so good. I am pretty sure i didn't share that portion very well. The tone of the restaurant was extremely comfortable and stylish without being stiff. We were not in a rush to leave once we finished our meal.For a Thursday evening, it was busy without being overly loud but we did go later in the evening. The manager Marc, stopped by to visit our table. We had great conversations that weren't forced. We could tell he genuinely cared about how our evening was going. Our bartenders and mixologist, Andy, made the bar a fun environment. Andy turned our beverage service into art. He did very well with recommendations based on our preferences. It was fun to see what he was creating for other diners. He really knew his stuff. The only complaint I have is that we don't have access to this place back in the Midwest. We have a lot of great restaurants but the menu selection/price, the food preparation, and the overall full service we received here made for a truly memorable experience. I hope to travel back soon. read more

The service is not very good. The food is OK, and the atmosphere isn't bad. There are so many other great places to eat in SB.

Maybe an off night?? Yes the deviled egg was good ...but it's a bad thing when that's the highlight of the meal. The ribeye steak was thinly cut with chunks of fat and gristle. The scallops were covered with a "compost" of corn and guacamole with WHOLE grapefruit sections overpowering the fish. The clams over gnocchi smothered in a white cream disaster was an inedible creation. Mac and cheese, flat bread and fried cauliflower were passable. Santa Barbara has some great wine producers yet the buyer for this restaurant seems bent on selecting too many average offerings from esoteric producers. The food suggestions made by our server were the worst on the table. No second chance here. read more

Hands down this was the best place we ate during our 3 night stay in Santa Barbara. None of the other restaurants compared and my only regret was that we didn't come back again for dinner. The kale salad was the best I've ever had and the burger with the creamy melted cheese with caramelized onions was delicious. It came with a blueberry sauce which I opted to have on the side. Surprisingly it was great and something I would have never dreamed of putting on a burger. The cheese board was delicious and the presentation lovely. Ambiance was very pleasing and staff very attentive. Quality all around. read more

Great service - Nicole was our server and she was super! Best short ribs ever!!

We love this place! For lunch or dinner, the room behind the bar with the big booths is our favorite place to be seated. The service is always really terrific and the food is excellent. The lamb burger is outstanding and the chicken wings as starters are great! We love that we can valet park as downtown places are usually difficult for parking. We live in Montecito and recommend this place to all our friends who ordinarily don't want to drive downtown and have to find parking. read more

Excellent service, food and ambience!!! A must go in Santa Barbara. Let's support this place. Awesome Mac and Cheese and everything on the menu is delicious!! read more

Delicious trout, cooked to perfection and lovely glasses of wine. My only complaint was being told that bread was "a la carte" when I asked for some to eat with my meal. I can appreciate a restaurant not wanting to waste bread by automatically bringing it to guests, but charging for it? This charge comes off as cheap and inhospitable and soured my desire to return. read more

I was there for a weekend for my son's graduation. We found this restaurant by accident on open table. It turned out to be the best food experience of the weekend. Fabulous food, attentive polite and extremely helpful waitress. We will not go back to S.B. without stopping by and eating here again. We loved loved loved it! Unusual, tasty, well prepared food. A little noisy but bearable. A don't miss! read more

Super nice staff/service, delicious food, nice & comfortable interior ambiance!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE their mac and cheese. They have a pretty stellar breakfast as well. The last time we went to dinner, the server was lovely but it did take a long time for our apps and then dinner to come out. Other than that. . .its one of our favorite little gems in SB! read more

Outstanding! Flat bread pizzas and great apps.

2 Stars. That's it. My daughter and I fell upon Finch and Fork during a day trip to Santa Barbara. Not knowing many eateries in the area we did a quick Google search and this place came up as being close to where we were going for the day. We had to sit in the bar because the restaurant was at full capacity with full reservations. The Hostess could have told me that when I called to confirm location. We did not mind sitting in the bar but the bar was not staffed to take on the magnitude of food orders it had. We waited at least 5 minutes at our table before anyone came by to say 'Hi' and take a drink order. One of the food items I ordered got forgotten and since the waiter - or waitress only made one visit to our table post food delivery I did not bring up the oversight. Plus it's not my job to remind the waiter who did not write anything down what I ordered. The food was decent - kind of pricey for what it was but we ate it nonetheless. I would probably not go back or go out of my way to go again. read more

We were in town for the evening for a show and stumbled upon this place. What an incredible place - the food, the decor, the service, the atmosphere! Seriously, everything you want in a nice restaurant. First, the drinks were fantastic! I had the Secret Garden - lavender infused gin, say no more. It was incredible. My friend has the guava Margarita. She said it was delicious and a good amount of spicy. We split a bunch of the starters instead of going for an entree. It was the Wild mushroom flatbread, the Mac and cheese, the Local greens salad, and the Fresh ricotta cavatelli. It was all so delicious, I would recommend them all. Our favorites were the salad and the cavatelli. For dessert we had the Fire roasted milk shake. It was so good! There were hints of banana and graham cracker crumbs throughout. Plus the top was flame torched for a nice finish. As for service, everyone knew it was my birthday and said so from the moment we walked in the door (noted it on our online reservation) as well as that we were time constrained to get to a show. The server asked when we needed to leave and was very attentive. I'll come back here next time I'm in Santa Barbara! read more

Just dined here for a special New Year's Day meal. My boyfriend and I love to come here for special occasions since this is a fine restaurant with a great ambience, and it is a treat just to dine here. Tonight's appetizers were excellent - we had the macaroni and cheese and the brussels sprouts. The macaroni and cheese is always a sure thing. The brussels sprouts were a wonderful surprise - very tasty and mildly sweet since they were tossed with bacon and almonds in a maple dressing. My boyfriend had the salmon which he was happy with. I ordered the short rib, which has been my staple entree for the last few visits. The short rib tonight, unfortunately, was a disappointment since they changed the presentation. The short rib itself was still tender and melt-in-your-mouth, but it was served with a parsnip puree, broccolini, and cooked grapes. This combination, albeit creative, was not the magical combination from prior visits. The short rib that I would go back for was served with a red wine mushroom sauce and caramelized onions that complemented the meat very well and should never have been altered - that was the winning combination! It was savory, comforting, and mouthwateringly memorable...it's the thing that one comes to crave, and I feel somewhat cheated that I didn't get the dish that I went here for. The new combination did not "wow" me - the parsnip puree had a fine flavor, but it left a sticky texture on the palate which I didn't like. The broccolini added color, but was otherwise uninteresting. It's texture was more like kale, and it just didn't seem to go with the dish. I understand that sometimes restaurants want to experiment, but this was not the dish to go messing with. I really hope Finch and Fork resurrects the previous version of this dish. In the meantime, I will stick to the mac & cheese and brussels sprouts. read more

Terrible. I can't remember the last time I walked out of a restaurant but today I did. We arrived at 10:45 am and were told that breakfast was over and we could have a continental breakfast only. Ok. We sat, we were given no menus and no one greeted us for 10 min. We asked for coffee, another 10 min. We asked for menus and never got them. Someone from the kitchen came out and told us that they could "make us toast and maybe whatever fruit was left". At that point, we said "No thanks" and left. My husband and I spent the whole time talking about how if we were the owner, having invested millions in the decor and location, we would feel furious/heartbroken that staff seemed incapable of handling two customers that arrived just past breakfast service. Next time.....just out a closed sign on the door would let us know you weren't interested in our business and be a lot better than pretending that you were. read more

Went here with a friend and it was pretty good overall. We ordered a few plates to share and I really enjoyed the vibe of this place. The space is really cool and comfortable. We had the fennel sausage flatbread which I loved. The deviled eggs were pretty good although I won't order them again. The fried chicken sliders were tasty. they had some good flavors going on there. The Mac n cheese was good although I enjoy my homemade Mac n cheese just as much. Nothing special. The ff with jalapeño aioli were alright...but some truffle oil or something would put them over the top! The spiel the waitress gave was drawn out and a little endless. Really long and there was a spiel about everything. Liked that they gave pickled veggies. Something different. I really wanted to try the milkshake but I'm allergic to bananas...so I got it with cheesecake ice cream. Although they gave me vanilla instead. And the vanilla ice cream was standard and unimpressive. McDonald's is better. Too bad. Was really looking forward to that milkshake too! Definitely go back there again though...saw a few other things I want to try. Plus I really dig the atmosphere. read more

My husband and I came here to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary on May 1st. I was excited to try the restaurant because it is Kimpton, I have had nothing but great experiences with Kimpton Palomar in Chicago. I thought that the ambience was nice, and the food was delicious. Plus we were able to use our axxess card! Our waitress was great as well, I wish I remembered her name. I had the duck and my husband had the steak. Both were great. I also tried the roasted cauliflower. Was just ok for me, could have used a little more flavor. For desert we had a shake, I can't remember the name but it had some liquor in it and was sooo good! I would go back just for that shake. The only disappointing thing for me was that I had told them it was our anniversary when they called to confirm our reservation. It seems like they forgot, since from reading reviews they usually do something special. In any case, that didn't happen for us. Does not mean that I won't be back though. I really want to try out the Happy Hour which looks amazing. read more

Based on Yelp reviews we went looking for an amazing dessert tonight. We found ourselves here for the so called wonderful banana shake. After waiting 15 minutes to order and another 15 to get it, we were presented with a shake that had the consistency of water. We each took a bite (or in this case, a sip) and pushed it aside. Five min later the waiter asked how it was and we told him. He quickly said he would bring another one as there were 8 sitting there and ours was likely grabbed last. Needless to say the second one was not much better. A little thicker at first then totally melted by 3rd bite and basically no meringue. We pushed it aside and told the waiter, he proceeded to walk away and bring our check. We are in the restaurant business and could not believe that he didn't ask if we wanted an entirely different dessert or at least comp what we had as we literally did not touch it. We had also made a dinner resv for tomorrow night but cancelled immediately after tonight's experience. Not to mention the menu online shows a much different looking shake in a good size mason jar with lots of thick meringue for $8 and the one we got was in a much smaller looking glass with very little for $9. A total miss on many levels!!!!! read more

Good service but mediocre food and inaccurate information on their website. We went on a Saturday afternoon for lunch at 1:30pm. The restaurant was practically empty. Then they gave us a brunch menu when we had planned for the lunch menu we had seen on their website. Our server did say many people come expecting the lunch menu and did agree that the website does not inform people about this weekend menu change. Then I we asked if we could have items from the lunch menu but the chef told the server no (even though these items would be available at the lounge in an hour). The burger was ok but the ahi salad was terrible. The menu doesn't even mention that there is lettuce and that it is a salad (the server also informed us that many people have complained that this detail is left off the menu). The ahi tuna had no flavor other than really fishy and the salad had no flavor. Basically two huge lemon sized tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, radish slices and quinoa with no seasoning or dressing. I asked the server for soy sauce to try and cover up the low quality fish but the manager even noticed and replaced my meal. This is why there are 3 stars instead of 2. The manager was very kind and got me another meal and compet both. I eat ahi tuna all the time and this is the first time I've had such an issue. I would not reccomend coming here. Obviously this chef needs to be replaced and the lunch menu should be offered at lunch and their website needs to state when which menu will be available. read more

best meal we had in SB!! lots of gluten free choices.. wonderful service

Delicious! Beautifully plated, fresh, tasty, fabulous service! Yum! Took my two college kids there to have a nice dinner as they will only go to burrito and salad joints once I'm gone. Lovely house made pickled vegetables brought to the table. Thank you! So much better than filling your face with bread!! Started with grilled asparagus- sounds simple, right? It was simple but fantastic. Then sunchoke schmear served with perfectly toasted toast triangles. Off the hook! Then pork chop with butternut squash puree- delicious- but the puree serving was too small.. I was rationing little bits on the tines of my fork to go with each bite of moist, flavorful porkchop that was served with some little bacon, nutty type of business on the top. Sunchoke risotto. Creamy- could have had a tad more stock stirred in, but delicious. And, then, dessert. Yikes! Flame roasted milkshake- as tasty as it was beautiful and the a s'mores pot de feu. Puh-lease...... Beautiful interior. Excellent service just the way we like it. Great recommendations from our server and helped me choose a perfect glass of wine. Waters kept filled. Attentive but not hovering. We'll be back! read more

I have heard so much good hype that I figured that I was a smart guy for taking my teenage son to breakfast at the F&F. WRONGO! Bad service, felt like we might as well have been invisible. Simple order of poached eggs and bacon and potatoes with TOAST. Kind of disappointing when I had to ask the busser three times for my toast;the busser because our assigned waiter was AWOL! Anyone knows that poached eggs get cold quickly, so having to wait to the very last moment (I ate my bacon and potatoes in the meantime) to get my toast knows what I mean when I say it's more than a little disappointing not having such a simple meal not be synchronized to have all the components ready for presentation. Didn't know how to accord the indifference, was it our waiter's unconscious bias or his not well disguised white privilege. Whichever the case, rest assured that this one unhappy customer WILL tell ten of his friends of his experience. What really irks me is having to explain to my wonderful son that he deserves better, especially when we were paying guests at the hotel. It's just basic good restaurant operations that is my gripe: give ALL your customers good food and good service and earn the value of the price accorded. Overpriced and under-delivered on both accounts. If you can't manage the simplest of meals can't count on what it looks like at dinner, and frankly won't take that chance. Here's your solution: fire the waiters and promote the bussers; they seemed the most grateful for the opportunity to have a job and were willing to exceed expectations, and not just barely meet them. read more

My husband and I went here last night for our anniversary. I was a bit skeptical, since this restaurant is located in a hotel, but our experience could not have been better. We sat at the bar first for a cocktail and the bartendress was great. I asked her to surprise me with something vodka and she made me something called a Vesper, which I never had before, and it was perfect. I'm thinking it's going to be my new signature drink. After learning it was our anniversary, she gave us our round on her. So nice! When we were ready, we were escorted to our table. The hostess was kind and also wished us a happy anniversary. Our server, Cassandra, was prompt in coming over and friendly and attentive. She gave us great recommendations and accommodated my substitutions, no problem. Our food came out quickly, hot, delicious. At the end, Cassandra came back and brought us an amazing dessert, some kind of banana foster-type milkshake, on her, with her best wishes. We were so happy with our service and the quality and value of our meal, I really look forward to coming back. read more

So sad to be writing this but.. Went here on 8/23/14 to celebrate 2 birthday's. We made a reservation got there early and was seated. After that it all went down hill. After being seated be look at the menu and for 15 minutes everyone went by us and never asked if we wanted drinks or to order or anything. after 20 minutes we ask the hostess if we could get some help. She went over to her podium and spoke with another hostess, they went over to a group of 4 or 5 wait staff and they all looked around and scatter. No one wanted to come over to our table and wait on us. We could see all this going on everyone shaking there heads it was so disrespectful. After another 5 minutes of this nonsense we got up . Just then someone came over like they were going to take our order. I have never been so disappointed in a restaurant in my life. I always give everyone the benefit of the doubt but this was just plain rude. I will never go back and I will tell everyone I know not to go there. read more

My husband and I stopped here before heading home at around 11:30 pm on a friday, and we really had a bad experience (at the bar). I really wanted to like the place but unfortunately it was a big disappointment for drinks. First of all, the service at the bar was lacking. The bartenders were careless and seemed quite ready to go home. The drink I ordered was dangerously mediocre: it's called MISSION IN THE MOAB. Let me explain; while preparing the drink the bartender sets on the counter a tub with the writing on it "foam" dated 11/6 (which was over a week old). It's supposed to be campari foam but it was more like a slimmy gelatinous substance which he scoops with a spoon. I took a sip from the drink and the texture was nowhere near foam. So my husband ends up trying the drink and drinking most of it and gets really sick after drinking it. Don't know about the food, but everything should be up to par at a place like this. read more

I had lunch here and thought the space itself was really lovely and the service was good. My issue is with the lunch menu. There are not that many choices, and I'm not suggesting they have a menu like a New Jersey diner, but this is the other side of ridiculous in the paucity of offerings here. There is one daily soup. You can build your own salad, but the salad "fixings" here are pretty meager. There are four sandwiches to choose from, including a lamb burger and a regular burger with fig jam and sweet pickles - not a good combo for a burger in my opinion. Then they have four snacks you could choose from and a daily special. On the day I was here, I had a flat bread pizza which was so mediocre and tasteless I can't even remember what was on it. With the ambiance of the space being so nice, I would love to go here for lunch more often, but with such an uninspiring lunch menu, I won't be back. read more

Ok, lets just look at these reviews for a second. There are six reviews from 6/29/2014 with the names Aileen K., Hyung K., Daniel C., Brian K., Kim N., and Ken N. All of these reviews mention Justin the server. Now either he is the second coming Fred Dame or he is really a fantastic server. Of which I believe neither. I have eaten here many times and I've actually been waited on by Justin. While he is a decent server at best, he is not deserving of these reviews. He and the management bullshit all day while texting on their cell phones, and if a customer needs attention then and only then will they give it. But employee comradery and texting significant others seem to come first here at Finch and Fork. While the food is decent the service is mediocre at best. When we were waited on by Justin we were left with the impresssion of pomposity and general inattentiveness. Obviousy these reviews were written by friends of Justin, Justin himself, or the management -- which seem to be oblivious to it all and would not surprise me one bit, considering my observations and experiences here at the prideful Finch and Fork. Do yourself a favor, go elsewhere in Santa Barbara with less attitude, conceit and egoism and you will have a much better dining experience. read more

quite simply two words sum this place up " pretentious hippies"... listing chefs does not impress me.... choice of less than 20 things on the menu.... either starter or full course.... no bread at start just veggies in a bowl that are wet hippy commune.. the waiters wear sacks clothes as aprons... !!!... over priced as well..... soup.... when i asked for bread they wanted to charge 50 cent per slice i didnt care about the price its embarrassing they even want to charge you for it... even then they only had toast .. he was confused the difference between toast and bread..... no rolls just bread ... i didnt care but it seems to make money they do the most basic food and make it sound amazing by listing a chef name..... drinks? only beer was IPA and 3 listed and oh 1 pilsner...... soup was okay but for $12? no soup is worth $12... complete joke... not my choice of place chosen by friends,, staff was nice enough... even if it was free i would not go back that how much i rated the food and ambiance... truly dire place and boring... didnt even feel classy just like a school hall and very drab interior...if you like places that have overpriced food and list a chefs name to impresses you to be pretentious.. THIS IS the place for you... over hyped but that my view only .. not my type read more