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    Lovejoy's Pickle Room

    4.3 (122 reviews)
    ModerateChinese, Lounges
    Closed 4:30 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 3 months ago

    Lovejoy's Pickle Room Photos

    LOVEJOY'S PICKLE ROOM ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Loud
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Lovejoy's Pickle Room

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    Reviews With Photos

    Walking into the restroom.
    Hillary K.

    My BF & I got engaged 15 minutes before we went in here, I legit thought it was closed. But it wasn't & thank goodness, the place is beautiful & so GD cool! It was very dark when we walked in, that your eyes have to take a minute to adjust & then BAM! You walk into an amazingly decorated Old School Chinese bar. I fell in love ... THEN I had the pickle-tini. Good lord! The pickle in it was SO good, I asked our waiter if he could LMK which type they used & he did! Vienna! Oh my, I want a large bucket of those pickles! And as you can imagine the service was spectacular & the bathrooms clean. Treat yourself & go here, their Happy Hour is phenom as well!!

    Reuben egg rolls
    Elizabeth B.

    This place is a hole-in-the-wall Santa Barbara must-see! When you open the door, it's like walking into a different world. The beautiful red colors, the quaint space, the speakeasy atmosphere - and quite the history too! I love that they've preserved Jimmy's memory/story with the original sign behind the bar as well. Gentle warning that it is quite dark inside and illuminated with deep red light bulbs. The food was great - we ordered the Reuben Egg Rolls, Mozzarella Nuggets, Veggie Egg Rolls with Avocado, Fried Pickles, the Italian Beef Dip, and their famous Pickletini. Everything was so good! I do think the mozzarella nuggets are more like mozzarella sticks with not enough breading, and laying them on a bed of lettuce for presentation isn't the best idea to keep them crispy. The veggie egg rolls also got mushy pretty quick, but the Reuben egg rolls were perfect!! Absolutely delicious and my favorite thing by far! The pickles were yummy and crisp - and make sure you love pickles because these are big spears! The Italian Beef dip sandwich was also delicious. A lot of meat in the meat-to-bun ratio, which isn't my favorite but I know most people love that. I thought the roll on it was fantastic - I just wanted more of it. The service was kind but not the most attentive. The bartenders are actually the servers for the tables as well, so be a little patient when you go. They did get us everything we asked for! Overall, this is a wonderful, quirky, yummy spot full of history and good vibes.

    Smitty Burger w/Fried Pickle
    Wendy V.

    If you haven't checked out the Pickle Room yet, then do yourself a favor and go! This place has the best vibe. Think old, dark bar with red lighting, very Las Vegas-y. We came here on a Friday before a show at the Santa Barbara Bowl and were lucky enough to snag a table before a crowd showed up. The staff was welcoming and quick to serve. The drinks are very strong and very good. We tried the Boo Boo Kitty (not sweet but still enjoyable), Mai Tai (very boozy and delicious), and the famous Pickle-tini (perfection). The food was just as good as the drinks. We shared the Rueben Eggrolls, Smitty Burger, Mozzarella Nuggets, and the Apple Pie Eggrolls. Everything was delightful. The Apple Pie Eggrolls were surpringly the biggest hit. This place is great! I really enjoyed my time there. It's definitely worth a stop if you are in Santa Barbara.

    Pickle-Tinis at the bar and menu
    Lauren B.

    Really loved this dive bar spot where we ate great burgers and had pickle-tinis before a concert at the Santa Barbara bowl. The bar staff were great and let us move from the bar to a table when a table opened up. We shared an order of the Ruben spring rolls, which were very delicious and came with a dipping sauce. I also tried the Smitty burger, and it had a great combo of textures and flavors. It was one of the better burgers I have had in Santa Barbara.

    Mai Tai and Willy!
    Anne G.

    if I could give this place 6 stars I would! I just love, love, love the old school vibe! Red leather booths and a long bar to sit at and chat with the friendly bartenders. Now food! I have been coming her since it was Jimmy's Oriental Garden and I was so sad when they closed. Anyone who remembers the tea smoked chicken will feel my pain! But Pickleroom has figured out how to incorporate some of the old favorites with new twists! Reuben Eggroll?? Fried rice with a sunnyside up egg and smiley face sriacha! They even have the best burger "Smitty Burger" that has a chorizo mayo! Plus, plus, plus yummy Mai Tais! If you go on Monday or Tuesday, tell Willy Hi!!!! :)

    A very happy egg :)
    Angela R.

    The pickle room is a classic divey bar to check out if you're looking for something off the beaten path. This place brings back childhood memories when it used to be Jimmy's Oriental Chinese restaurant. I used to come here with my family to eat delicious Chinese food. Today it is a sliver of what it used to be, but still manages to capture the delicious historical flavor that I remember it to be in their fried rice. The popular drinks of choice here seem to be the old fashioned and the pickle back. I usually go for the Boo Boo Kitty, which is their blood orange margarita. You can choose vodka or tequila based. It is a tall serving that packs a punch! No artificial flavors in this drink. For appetizers, I recommend their fried pickles. They are coated in a panko bread crust and served with a sweet apricot jelly & ranch. I'm not a huge pickle fan, but these are a must! I've also had their pastrami egg rolls, apple pie egg rolls and chicken fried rice. You really can't go wrong with anything on the food menu here. Everything is delicious! Overall, one of my favorite places in town to hangout with friends. The quality of drinks are much better than what you'd get downtown.

    Fried Rice with Egg
    Geo M.

    The pickle never disappoints. Even though it has a dive bar vibe, it's far from it. Staff is amazing. Lauren was our server and was all about customer service. Never had to ask for anything, even though bar was packed due to Solstice. Food here is amazing! Must try the pastrami egg rolls. Holy C%#p! Delicious. Also, the fried rice with egg is also must try. Enjoy!

    Me inside the pickle room
    Ann D.

    I would recommend the Pickle Room for drinks only. I had there mozzarella sticks which were good but nothing that great. I think my fiancé got a hamburger there and it was nothing great. I remember this place being better. The ambiance is nice and talks about the small Chinatown that used to exist in Santa Barbara. The place is clean and well decorated. Our bartender who took our order was also very nice.

    Pickle room

    Local's staple. 'Never leave hungry or grumpy!! Delicious indulgences. friendly recognizable faces serving you.

    Boo boo Kitty
    Mallory L.

    Great dive bar! Has a cool atmosphere and the building and restaurant has a lot of history. The service was pretty good, our drink orders were taken right away. As it got later it got really busy and service was a little slower but it made sense. We both ordered the boo boo kitty and it was delicious, more alcohol forward and not overly sweet, just how we like it

    DTF, cocktail menu
    Meghna R.

    Drinks - 100% strong and tasty Culture - original remenant of the Ol Chinatown from the late 1800s. Service - top notch. I'm not even offended when the waitress doesn't hear me cause she checks in on us regularly. Recommend the DTF, Mai Tai, and of course, the Pickletini. The Smitty Burger was delicious!

    Martini
    Gregory P.

    This is an absolutely perfect bar. The drinks are always spot on and the service is always extremely friendly and efficient. We didn't get food this time, but I can assure you the Smitty burger, fries, and fried pickles are all top-notch. This is one of my favorite spots in town because it always feels cool to be there and the vibe is just exactly what you want after a long week at work. It always feels like like a hidden gem, but locals know this is THE place to wind down.

    C D.

    Super cool place! Went for a birthday celebration.. great atmosphere. Yummy Mai Tais, small plates but generously portioned strange bites that are quirky yet delicious.. the crowd is eclectic and the atmosphere can only be described as unique.. definitely fun!

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    5 months ago

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    4 years ago

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    8 months ago

    Stopped in here several times. Old school vibe great service drinks were right on. Highly recommend. Give it a try.

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    2 years ago

    The fried pickles are out of this world. Been dreaming about them ever since! Cute atmosphere and great service

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    We were in town for a girl's week this was the best stop of the weekend! The drinks were great and the avocado egg rolls were to die for!

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    3 years ago

    Amazing chicken fried rice and great atmosphere. Love this place! We visit every time we're in SB.

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    7 years ago

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    Page 1 of 4

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    Test Pilot

    Test Pilot

    4.4
    (426 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    Amazing bar with a highly skilled bartender (on a Tuesday night) who managed to deliver…read moreconsistently perfect cocktails with zero help, to a crowd. The cocktails are highly creative, diverse in flavor and design, and really could stand up to any you would find at a top cocktail bar in a major city. The exterior doesn't scream "must come in" but you absolutely should. Is it a tiki bar? Yes, but in the best way. And the bartender deserves applause for pulling off 3+ quite complex cocktails every 5 minutes off of memory and without any support.

    Test Pilot lands somewhere in the orbit of tiki without fully crash-landing on a bamboo runway, and…read morehonestly, that works in its favor. In a stretch of Lower State packed with breweries, wine bars, and roaming weekend energy-drink humans in vintage bowling shirts, it threads the needle nicely between cocktail bar and tropical escape pod. The menu leans tiki-adjacent rather than deep-cut exotica, but the drinks are smartly built and avoid the "every problem can be solved with more rum" philosophy. There's a solid spread of spirits across the board, which makes the place feel more welcoming to a broader nightlife crowd instead of strictly rum disciples clutching vintage Trader Vic's mugs. The Oaxacan Dead was the standout for me. Smoky, balanced, endlessly sippable. One of those drinks where every sip quietly talks you into ordering another without turning into a sugar avalanche. The Jungle Bird was also great, though presented more in the direction of a Negroni than the punchier tropical versions you usually see. Bitter, restrained, and easy to settle into. Crowd-wise, things tilted a little frat-floaty as the night rolled on, but the staff handled everything smoothly and kept the vibe from turning into full pirate mutiny. Service stayed friendly and composed even when the volume of the room started climbing like a malfunctioning theremin. Big bonus points for the location and outdoor seating. Being right in the middle of Lower State makes it an easy launch point or final stop depending on your evening trajectory. Grab a drink, people-watch, drift between breweries and wine spots, repeat as necessary.

    Photos
    Bananacapa and Oaxacan Dead cocktails
    Bananacapa and Oaxacan Dead cocktails
    Inside
    Inside
    Seasonal Slushy

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    Wildcat Lounge

    Wildcat Lounge

    3.4
    (347 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    If you're a local, this is the place to avoid. It's the "bridge and tunnel" club. Crowded, skeezy,…read morenot in the greatest state of repair, and so on. Though always skeptical of such consensus, unconsciously I bought into this for years. One day, a favorite bartender from another establishment wound up here. I started popping in early, more than a little wary, cautious to plan for an early departure. But slowly I got to know the other staff. The absolute nicest bunch of people in Santa Barbara. People I never went out of my way to befriend, who picked me out as a regular, showed me respect I never asked for, treated me with the utmost kindness even though I never did much to deserve it. Wildcat has become a place where I'm comfortable walking in, even on a busy Friday or Saturday night; and know I'll be valued, respected, and protected, even by people I barely know. And also served the absolute coldest draft beer in the city except for Lure which closes at 10. This sounds like an ad but I swear it's the damn truth. Be prepared to wait in line. The line is part of the fun. These are your fellow patrons, after all. Your friends and neighbors. Enjoy it while it lasts.

    Top 3 clubs for music & lighting, and drinks are good and generous (outside silent disco, hookah…read moreetc) staff were very friendly!

    Photos
    Wildcat Lounge
    Wildcat Lounge
    Wow! what a great establishment. came here for a night of fun and got exactly what i asked for. best service in town

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    Wow! what a great establishment. came here for a night of fun and got exactly what i asked for. best service in town
    Petra Cafe

    Petra Cafe

    4.1
    (321 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Honestly one of the best food experiences I've ever had. The chicken shawarma wrap was divine and I…read moreworry I'll never have food this good again now that it's gone.

    Honestly... save your money…read more I dropped by this Jordanian restaurant /hookah lounge to chill for a bit, have a beer, and enjoy some hookah. It looked like a cool vibe from the outside, but the whole experience left me super disappointed. When I walked in, the place was empty--just the owner and two staff. No greeting, no welcome, just awkward silence while the owner stayed on the phone trying to fix what sounded like a billing issue. The staff didn't speak much English (which is fine), but there was no real effort to help or explain anything either. Eventually, I got a hookah and a beer--$48.50 for one hookah and one beer. Yeah... nearly $50. No food, no extras. That's wild. Then I was told I had to smoke outside on the back patio, which turned out to be a tiny little corner--maybe 6 by 10 feet--with uncomfortable chairs and a random wood bench. It took 15 minutes to even get the hookah (remember, no one else was there), and when it arrived, it was totally burnt. Overpacked, harsh hits, and I ended up having to scrape it and fix it myself just to get it to smoke right. Wanna know the kicker? You only get three coals. That's it. No refills unless you pay for more. No one checked on us for almost an hour, and when I finally asked for more coals, they said (in broken English and mostly Spanish) that that's all you get unless you pay extra. I've smoked hookah all over the place--three coals is nothing, especially when you're charging $35+. No one came around, no vibe, no music, no nothing. Just me, my burnt hookah, and a beer that wasn't even cold. I really tried to find something redeeming about this place, but nothing hit. The service wasn't there, the product wasn't good, and it honestly felt like I was bothering them just by being there. Bottom line: for $50, you can do way better just about anywhere else--or even at home. Hope they turn it around, but for now, I wouldn't recommend it.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Petra Cafe
    Guava margarita

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    Guava margarita
    Oku

    Oku

    4.3
    (1.1k reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$$
    Rooftop seating
    Gluten-free friendly

    Took my husband here for his birthday & date night with our baby in a stroller and they were really…read moreaccommodating. They seated us outside facing the beach but at the end so we weren't too crowded by other tables. Everything we ate here was good but we HIGHLY recommend the Crazy Rich Asians rolls. So worth the market price. We might just make it a tradition to visit here every SB trip.

    Nice views of the pier!…read more Grabbed dinner with the wife on our way home from our honeymoon. We were craving sushi and this place right across from the beach was the perfect spot. They seated us fairly quickly, putting us at a table between the last guests and an upcoming reservation which was perfect for us. We started with some miso soup which was pretty good. The blistered shishito peppers not so much. When peppers burn their skin turns dark black and very flaky, not a very fun texture to chew on. Little bits of burnt pepper skin was getting stuck in our teeth and gums. We only ate a few and sent them away. We shared the salmon lollipops, basically a no rice salmon roll wrapped in cucumber with a stick in it so it looks like a lollipop. They were refreshing but not filling so make sure to order more if you get this. Katie got a Sunrise roll and I got the Crouching Tiger roll which were both really good. We also got a side of the garlic green beans which were fresh and very hot. Our server was very nice and we had a great experience overall here. Prices were reasonable also.

    Photos
    Gorgeous place for our post-work drink!
    Gorgeous place for our post-work drink!
    Yellowtail Carpaccio paired with Sakuna Rose Sake
    Yellowtail Carpaccio paired with Sakuna Rose Sake
    Way of the Dragon Roll and Piranha Roll. Paired with unfiltered Momo Kawa Sake!

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    Way of the Dragon Roll and Piranha Roll. Paired with unfiltered Momo Kawa Sake!
    Pearl Social Cocktail Club

    Pearl Social Cocktail Club

    3.8
    (107 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    Came by here on Valentines day to have a couple drinks. Place is beautiful and the vibe is very…read morechill and relaxing. Took a minute to get some service unfortunately. The drinks were well made and we ordered the charcuterie board to eat. Small place, small menu FYI. Overall not a bad little spot to hang out and catch up with friends or bring a date.

    I absolutely loved Pearl Social and kudos to my friend Jara S. For highlighting them and for the…read morestellar drink recommendation. Pearl social is such a whimsical fun spot to grab a drink and a snack in the funk zone. We stumbled in for a late afternoon drink and it wasn't very busy inside - giving off "best kept secret vibe". The decor is very feminine yet playful. Loved the design and bar area. We opted for a casual booth area by the bar which was really nice. Also all of the little things were done well, crisp menus, clean bathrooms, and music done at just the right sound level. Their menu in the bar area for food is small but mighty - oysters, cheese plates, you name it. I'm definitely going to keep coming here for the cocktails. I've had one of the best sips in 2025 here - which would be The Mixtape cocktail. My friend told me I had to get it and I'm so glad I listen sometimes lol. This cocktail completely blew me away. Passionfruit forward, it's silky, sweet yet very well balanced. One of the more unique and tasty cocktails I've had ever and honestly I'm not sure how I could come back and get anything else. 10/10 Cocktail and menu. Super impressed. Kudos to Mark who was working the bar. Such a lovely spirit and kind person. He really is passionate about his menu and the drinks he's curated. Loved talking to him as we got to know a lot more about Pearl social and how some of their drinks were concerted. Really appreciated his time and expertise. Anytime I'm in the funk zone I will 100% be stopping back by here for a cocktail and good vibes.

    Photos
    Cute decor!
    Cute decor!
    Pearl Social Cocktail Club
    Accident in paradise and Stay Ready cocktails.

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    Accident in paradise and Stay Ready cocktails.

    Lovejoy's Pickle Room - chinese - Updated June 2026

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