Absolutely stunning dinner at The Lark last night on our only night in Santa Barbara and I feel…read moreglad to say we picked the right restaurant! The place was full, including indoor and outdoor seating, great ambience and light level, and lovely string lights above the seating outdoors. To start they bring over a delectable dill popcorn which was a rich, salty, dill and butter creation. Totally set a fun tone for the meal. Then we had the crispy Brussels sprouts (ORDER THESE!!!) they were divine, the sesame and lime combination was reminiscent of a great pad Thai, with the perfect amount of sauce and tiny bites of figs which all worked together in a way I wouldn't have expected. For the mains we had the shrimp toast and the pork ribs, both fantastic both well portioned and both 10/10s. Pork ribs fell off the bone easily and were spicy and tangy without overdoing flavor and the shrimp toast tasted like a great gumbo sauce and the shrimps were big! This is a meal I'll be thinking about and recommending to others for a long time, thank you Lark!

Above 4 stars but not quite 5.. my partner and I had a…read moretruly great dinning experience here loved the atmosphere very laid back serving quality ingredients and our server was so kind and pleasant. The food was so delicious the halibut on the specials was quite literally the most delicious fish I've ever tasted!! If it's available get it! The fish its self was flavorful without being loaded in sauce or seasoning and the oysters were creamy and not salty at all. However, we ordered the steak and it was pretty chewy and not seasoned well. Pretty disappointing after trying all the other tasty foods. Our beet salad also had an ant inside of it likely from the floral garnishes but that tells me the greens were washed before placed on my plate..

My partner and I came to celebrate our one year anniversary and we had an amazing time!! We chose…read moreto do the 4 course tasting menu which was out of this world and incredibly worth the price. Each dish was so flavorful and made with so much care. My favorite dish was the pumpkin style gnocchi we had and the branzino fish, he loved the bone marrow. The soup I forgot to take a picture of was potato and leek with truffle was amazing as well. The restaurant is also very cozy with great ambience and we had fantastic service.

Great vibe and solid food…read more The Black Sheep Restaurant + Bar is a fantastic spot for drinks and catching up with friends. The atmosphere is lively and visually appealing -- I love how the space is set up. Ruben, the owner, was our server, and he was personable and attentive even though the restaurant was slammed. It was clear he cares about the experience and makes sure guests are taken care of -- thanks, Ruben! The food was good, with generous portions. It's not "over the top" or heavily specialized, but everything was well-cooked and executed by a chef who knows his craft. Perfect for a relaxed night out with friends. Overall, if you want a fun bar vibe, solid food, and attentive owner-led service, this is a great choice in Santa Barbara.

W Spot W Vibes W Taquitos…read more Came here for some apps and a drink and left with tremendous energy and a new found love for Taquitos. Probably one of the best appetizers I've had in a long time. They have managed to somehow perfect Steak Taquitos -- the crunch, tender steak, and gorgeous sauce amount to a beautiful bite and experience. Cant wait to be back for those bad boys

Visiting from out of town and decided to try something new. Our server Camila was amazing very…read moresweet and polite she took our order and got our drinks quickly without us having to wait. However I ordered sushi and there's no chopsticks. Seems like a small thing but what if you went to a restaurant ordered pasta and they only had chopsticks. If you're serving a dish that requires a certain type of utensil you should have it. Overall the vibe here is great we sat outside.

Last night was the first time in many years that I've eaten here…read more I cannot believe I waited so long to come back. Our food was phenomenal. Each dish had its own unique flavor. No dish seemed to have any crossed ingredients. Fortunately for us as well was that we were there at one of two times during the day when they have an entire restaurant participation sing along. Most Outstanding Dinner outing !!

The Palace Grill is a great spot to grab cajun food and share a meal. The service was amazing and…read morethey are dog friendly on their outdoor patio! That was a big plus in my book. The ambiance on the outdoor patio was cozy and gave New Orleans vibes. I absolutely loved the muffin sampler that they give as an appetizer. We had the hurricane margaritas, crawfish étouffée and redfish pontchatrain.

We had dinner at Finch and Fork and ordered the fried chicken with sautéed baby broccoli and mashed…read morepotatoes. The potatoes were the standout. The butter was balanced, the texture was so good. The chicken wasn't dry and was seasoned perfectly. However, Sabit, the assistant manager is the reason I'm writing this. He was incredibly kind to us. We watched him move through the dining room the entire time we were there. He wasn't checking on tables the way managers do when they're running a script. He was actually paying attention to people. The staff around him seemed comfortable, not performative, which usually tells you more about a manager than anything they say. The food was good, Sabit made it better. We'll be back.

The last time my friend and I were at Finch & Fork was 2016. Fast forward to 2026, we did not…read morerealize it was attached to the Kimpton Canary Hotel that we were staying at this trip. Totally redecorated, totally different feel than when we were there in 2016. So our last night in Santa Barbara we decided to take advantage of their kick-ass Happy Hour. We sat at the bar right at 4:00, Kayla was our bar tender for the evening. We indulged in HH Martinis, Beer and Sparking Wine. We took advantage of the HH $1.00 Oysters and each had a HH 50% off Smash Burger. Great presentation, the Oysters were very fresh and shucked clean. The burgers were amazing. We ordered and consumed a lot in the 4-5:00PM HH period and I will say shortly after 4:00 the place was filled. LOL, Needless to say, we never made it out for dinner and it was well worth it. Atmosphere: bright, refreshing. Service: very good. Food: Happy hour fantastic deal.

My friend and I haven't been back to this restaurant since 2018 and I have to say it was as good as…read moreit was back in 2018. I had made Monday 7:00PM dinner reservations on Open Table. We were greeted and seated upon arrival. Alvaro our server introduced himself, very pleasant and attentive. We ordered beers to accompany our meal this time around. We decided to share The Ahi Crudo, Hope Ranch Mussels and 1/2 a Fried Chicken Platter. All the dishes were presented well and tasted fantastic. The Crudo was the weakest but still good, Mussels excellent and the Fried Chicken was the best Fried Chicken I've ever had OMG! Loved that there was a 1/2 portion size on the platter option, since it was only the 2 of us. Atmosphere: laid back rustic vibe. Service: excellent. Food: excellent.

Barbareño was such a great overall experience. The service was great, everyone was friendly,…read moreattentive. The outdoor patio was also really nice and peaceful, with an intimate atmosphere. We ordered the: Beet Salad Hope ranch mussels Especial Santa Maria bbq Market fish The Hope Ranch mussels were amazing with such a flavorful broth, and the smoked tri tip/Santa Maria BBQ was cooked with a great sauce (very tender). The beet salad was fresh and refreshing, and the market fish was tender and flavorful. The only dish I wouldn't recommend was the especial. Overall the food, service, and atmosphere made this such a solid date night spot. Definitely on the pricier side, but worth it for the experience.

Over all these years, I have avoided the Funky Zone for various silly reasons. But for a while now,…read morewhen I visit my friend's auto repair shop downtown, he always gets Turkey Burgers from here. Always looking for places to have solo lunch, I finally ventured to FZ. There's no sign. I drove by several times and parked, determined to find it. It was next to Lama Dog. I ordered at the window from a very friendly and efficient staff member. I found a nice bar-height communal table inside a super cool restored warehouse with awesome indie music jamming, also surrounded by big screens and sporting events. I ordered a bottled Arnold Palmer from the bar, not realizing the bottled drinks are self-serve. Nevertheless, the bartender kindly got it for me along with a glass of ice. Now here's the best part: the very best Turkey Burger I have ever had--way better than any take-out before. It's topped with garlic aioli, avocado, melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, and crispy skinny onion rings, just perfect. I also ordered the fries with truffle and Parmesan--absolutely delicious, though a bit too flavorful, which overshadowed the turkey burger's flavor. I've tried both sweet and regular potato fries here, and they are excellent too. This place really hits the spot. Can't wait to come back.

We stopped by Lama Dog for a drink and were very happy to find this little "nook" inside serving…read morefood. Perfect for grabbing a bite to go with your beer. Got their Lobster Mac & Cheese. Was enough for us to share between two. Creamy and cheesy, but could've used more lobster. Would've expected a better lobster to macaroni ratio with this one. Prices are a little steeper here. It was $25 for the Lobster mac & cheese, which I would've been more open to with a bit more fish in the dish. Plus, when I go to grab a beer, I'm not necessarily wanting to pay $20+ for a burger without fries. That being said, it's still a good spot to grab some food while drinking a beer at Lama Dog.

STEPH JUDGEMENT: Elegant-casual with a well-heeled older crowd…read more We wanted a nice dinner while in town and this place looked promising based on the reviews. We'd made reservations and were seated promptly when we arrived. The ambiance was warm and inviting. We noticed that the diners' demographic skewed older, but that was fine with us--it made for a relaxing time. We started things off with some cocktails: I got the Opal martini (gin and vodka, with Gorgonzola stuffed Olive--very good) and the hubby got the house old fashioned (not too sweet, also very good). They brought out a small complimentary bread basket, which had two different kinds of excellent bread. Carb avoidance be damned! We ordered the following: - warm seafood salad (lots of fresh seafood--great) - butter lettuce salad with Gorgonzola (so simple and so delicious) - mushroom risotto (delicious! Cheesy with bits of walnuts and asparagus as well as the shrooms) We thought the prices were reasonable prices for the quality, and the service was excellent. Overall a really great experience; would definitely try again.

I've been here many times and usually love it, but I feel like service has been lacking lately…read more I recently went with family and saw they have an "Opal Martini," which is Tito's vodka, some brand of gin, and a cheese olive. No vermouth. Very weird and sounds kinda gross, so I requested a classic vodka martini instead with vermouth and the olive. They bring out just a glass of chilled vodka, no vermouth, and a cheese olive. I check the bill: $12 MARTINI -$5 UP (upgrade?!? Are you joking? It's a SWAP!) -$1 CHEESE OLIVE (ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?) So they charged me $18 to turn their decapitated martini made with UCSB student-budget vodka into a regular martini, and then charged me extra for the already included olive because I had the gall to change the drink! The waitress didn't even bother mentioning how I barely touched the drink, which our usual Opal servers would have 100% caught onto. Younger girl with black hair and very nonchalant, dismissive attitude. Atmosphere looked nice but between the fire alarm going off from someone burning something in the kitchen, table of 6 behind us that had cackling harpy laughs (not unusual for Opal), and the blasting music, you can't even have a decent conversation at dinner. I'm pretty over this place and will not recommend it anymore. I always try to stay positive about SB's food scene as someone from LA, but constant experiences like this are what make me go "Damn, if only the food here didn't suck so badly...."