best restaurants santa barbara

7 Of The Best Restaurants In Santa Barbara

It’s no secret that the entire state of California is home to some of the best restaurants in the nation from fresh seafood to classic Cali fares. Santa Barbara is no exception. If you are looking for the perfect restaurant to enjoy a delicious and memorable meal, we recommend you start with these. Here are the seven best restaurants in Santa Barbara.

Best Restaurants In Santa BarbaraHow do these rankings work?

1. Arigato

If you love deliciously fresh seafood, look no further than Arigato. This Santa Barbara favourite is constantly wowing with all the fruits of the sea like sushi, oysters and elevated seafood classics. We suggest starting with the ‘fluke’n crab’ with a cocktail before moving on to all your sushi faves.

best restaurants santa barbara
image: Montecito Ocean Views/Facebook

2. Loquita Santa Barbara

This State Street gem brings a slice of Madrid to Santa Barbara with a classic tapas menu, craft cocktails and a cosy Mediterranean vibe. Build yourself a feast of sharable tapas like croquetas, bravas and langosta or dive into a big paella.

best restaurants santa barbara

3. Barbareño

Barbareño is notorious for serving up the best Cali-American fare on the Pacific coast. Chow down on a Santa Maria BBQ, fresh panzenalla or zesty market fish. Either way, you’re in for a real treat. Don’t forget to save room for dessert, either. We recommend the ‘Ojai Hive and Honey’ made with panna cotta, pollen, honeycomb, seasonal; fruit and almonds.

best restaurants santa barbara

4. Bettina

Bettina absolutely nails the cosy pizza joint atmosphere. Here you’ll find all your fave pies topped with fresh, local ingredients before being wood-fired to perfection. If you aren’t feeling pizza (shame!) they offer a wide variety of other Italian staples like cacio e pepe arancini and fried calamari.

As far as pizza goes, we suggest the ‘fingerling potato’ and classic ‘carbonara’.

best restaurants santa barbara

5. Brophy Bros. Clam Bar

Situated where the harbour meets the mountains, Brophy Bros. has been serving the best clams since 1986. Eat your fill of flakey crab cakes, garlic baked clams and oysters Rockefeller at this local favourite. As well as fresh from the sea bites, the atmosphere can’t be beat. We recommend calling ahead to reserve a table due to its popularity.

best restaurants santa barbara

6. La Super Rica Taqueria

Authentic Mexican fare in a homey and warm atmosphere is what La Super Rica Taqueria does best. Here you’ll find all your favourites like tacos, tamales, chiles rellenos and more. Even better? The late and great Julia Child loved this old school Mexican joint. So, you know you’re in for a real treat.

best restaurants santa barbara
image: Alejandro Medina/Facebook

7. Lucky’s

If you are looking for a classic steak dinner, Luck’s is the place to be. Feast on any one of their prime cuts and take in the old-Hollywood atmosphere that brings the place to life. We recommend the shrimp cocktail followed by the filet mignon and then an old fashioned.

best restaurants santa barbara

Melanie Hamilton

Melanie is an avid traveller with a passion for history and global foods. She is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia where most of her time is occupied with qvevri wine and Soviet history. Having do-si-do'd her way across Europe and Latin America, she's enjoyed some of the world's most exciting places firsthand and can't wait to tell you about them.

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