Santa Barbara Restaurant Diaries
Nibbles & Bites Issue #7: Where to eat in Santa Barbara
Before I get carried away with more cookie recipes and dinner parties, I promised you something that I need to deliver on - my Santa Barbara restaurant recommendations. I will admit I’m a huge fan of Santa Barbara. I love this sleepy beach town with its broad sandy beaches and perfect weather. It's incredibly gorgeous and framed by the dramatic Santa Ynez Mountains, with tons of hiking trails, vineyards and tasting rooms to explore, and good food to be had!
If you’re a garden or nature fanatic you’ve got to pay a visit to Lotus Land, a historic estate bequeathed to the neighboring town of Montecito by an eccentric opera singer and socialite, Madame Ganna Walska, who spent her entire life transforming the estate into a mesmerizing oasis. The estate features at least fifteen different gardens centered around fanciful themes and rare plants that you’ve likely never seen before. Outside of the restaurants you’ll find below, it’s my top recommendation if you find yourself in Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara Restaurant Dairies:
Mony’s Tacos - If there is one taqueria that you go to in SB, it has to be Mony’s - it’s the absolute best. They have a vast selection of homemade salsa (like pineapple and mango, yum!) that you select with your order. All the food is made fresh and your burrito is bound to come out crispy, piping hot and with oozy melty cheese. We went to Mony’s twice over the course of four days because it was so excellent and charming. Don’t sleep on their birria quesadilla!
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Must Order
Birria quesadilla
Barbacoa burrito
Chilaquiles
Lilly’s Taqueria is as authentic as it gets. They have a very limited menu of only tacos, with eight to ten different types of meat that you can order, including tripe, lengua, and carne asada. Your protein of choice is served on two corn tortillas and then you’re left to your own devices to explore the topping bar and dress them up with salsa, hot sauce, pickled vegetables, onions, cilantro, and lime wedges. I love how low-key the restaurant is, and how much interactive the dining experience is.
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Must order:
Carne asada
Lengua
Crispy tripe tacos
Loquita is a Spanish tapas bar that is known for their delicious small plates and exceptional gin and tonic cocktails. They have a wood-fired grill and seating around the kitchen which makes for a dynamic eating experience. I highly suggest making a reservation because it’s very difficult to get a table as a walk in, and it’s incredibly crowded on weekends. Everything on the menu is exceptional, but the charred octopus over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes was my favorite.
Must order:
Beef carpaccio
Pulpo
Patatas bravas
Ceviche
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Little Dom’s Seafood Bar is a seafood bar and pizza restaurant with a wood-fired oven. It’s technically in the town of Carpinteria, which is a few towns south of Santa Barbara, so it’s a little off of the beaten path. It has an incredibly charming old-school Italian vibe, and feels like a true neighborhood spot. The fact that you can order a seafood tower or incredible fresh uni to accompany your margarita pizza is truly epic. The dining room is also decked out with roomy leather booths by the bar which felt very nostalgic to me.
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Must order:
Grilled Artichoke
Cold Smoked Salmon with Whipped Burrata
Prosciutto Pizza
Fried Oyster Sandwich
Local is an airy and spacious restaurant serving traditional American food in downtown Montecito. There is a lot of outdoor seating which made it perfect for making a last minute reservation on the night that we arrived. I’m going to refrain from creating a must order list for this restaurant since we didn’t order much, but it's the perfect place to order a quick bite and dependable. I ordered the shrimp caesar, and the burger was also quite delicious if you’re wondering.
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐
Dune Coffee Roasters - When I think of Santa Barbara I immediately think of Dune Coffee Roasters, specifically their open and airy location on Anacapa Street. It’s a hip and casual coffee shop with a ton of outdoor seating and great vibes. It’s also right next to the Santa Barbara farmers market, and seems to be the hub of the neighborhood on Saturdays. It’s perfect for coffee and espresso drinks, and they also have very solid granola, bagels and other pastries.
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Must order:
Vanilla Latte
Matcha Lemonade
Almond Butter & Honey Toast
Almond Croissant
Dart Coffee Co. is another favorite coffee spot in the area. They’re dedicated to sourcing only the best fair-trade coffee beans from small indigenous farmers. Dart exudes the laid-back, surfer vibes of Santa Barbara. They have a “beach brew” drink on their menu, which is iced coffee seasoned with both salt and sugar, which I obviously had to order because I enjoy a themed drink. I love how the seasoning really accentuated the coffee flavor and overall the specialty drink wasn’t too sweet. Dart also very’s Mony’s breakfast burritos every morning so you know we stopped by to try!
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Must order:
Beach Brew Cold Brew
Chocolate Latte
Rajas Breakfast Burrito
Empanadas
Caje Coffee Roasters - Frankly, I was sold by this place’s instagram account and wanted to check out all of their specialty coffee drinks, but ended up just ordering an iced coffee after being a little overwhelmed by their selection. Their coffee was so strong that it made me feel slightly shaky and ill afterwards, so this place is going to have to be a pass from me, but some of their specialty drinks do look gorgeous. The patio is also the perfect place to relax and do some work or read. I think it’s worth giving it another shot at a later date.
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐
Here’s a picture of one of Caje’s beautiful specialty drinks that made me want to stop by. If you know me, you know that I find flowers particularly edible flowers alluring and irresistible. Is it a cocktail or a coffee? I’m really not sure. But the next time I’m in Santa Barbara I’ll figure it out!
Happy eating and traveling,
Kristen