Santa Barbara Restaurants

Santa Barbara is home to a variety of restaurants and dining choices, from the exotic to the ordinary, and dining here offers a spectrum of cuisines catering to every taste. Enjoy a relaxing sunset dinner along the beach or an open-air brunch overlooking the city. Dining al fresco under garden umbrellas or overhanging balconies in the wonderful Mediterranean climate are further options.

Local cuisine

American Riviera cuisine features fresh, regional ingredients including locally caught seafood and locally grown organic produce and wines. Fusion cuisine is particularly associated with California, integrating contrasting cooking styles and ingredients. The food is typically prepared with particularly strong attention to presentation.

Some local specialities include Dungeness crabs, which can typically be purchased either live or pre-cooked. Live crabs are cooked simply by boiling them in very salty water. Beer, crab boil spices or other flavourings can also be added to the water if desired. Cobb salad is made from lettuce (head lettuce, watercress, chicory and romaine), tomatoes, crisp bacon, chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, Roquefort cheese and chives.

Santa Barbara chicken salad is a pasta and fruit chicken salad, perfect for a picnic in the Santa Barbara wine country. California-style pizza uses non-traditional toppings such as Thai, Mexican and Caribbean ingredients.

Where to eat

Anacapa and State Streets offer many delightful coffee-houses, cafés and bakeries that serve breakfast and brunch. State Street is a popular dining destination, with many restaurants and establishments offering Italian, Mexican and French cuisine. Nearby Stearns Wharf also offers a variety of waterfront restaurants. State Street and Stearns Wharf are the best neighbourhoods for steakhouses, oyster bars, seafood restaurants, California grills and classy Italian, Asian and Mexican restaurants.