Santa Barbara Dining
Santa Barbara provides residents and visitors a wide variety of dining opportunities. We have compiled a short list of our favorite local restaurants to help you begin your journey to Santa Barbara's wealth of dining locations:
Best Indian FoodFlavor of India (State & De La Vina): Without a doubt the best Indian food in town, it also happens to be our favorite restaurant. You don’t have to take our word for it though, as it gets voted the Best Indian food in Santa Barbara almost every year. Raj and and his family cook incredible food along with friendly and “family” service. We consider this our home away from home and go here for dinner several times a month. We recommend the Chicken Curry, but without hesistate we can that you can’t go wrong regardless of the dish you choose! The lunch special is also excellent and reasonably priced.
Best Tai Food
Your Place (Milpas):
The food here is absolutely superb. Atmosphere is OK, but because of
its popularity it stays packed and you can sometimes feel “crowded”.
If you are looking for a romantic, peaceful dinner, this isn’t it, but
the dishes are prepared excellently. Try the Tai Mint Leaf with Beef or
the Wonton Soup. The service got bad reviews in past years, but
they’ve made an effort to improve in the last year.
Best Italian Food
Pascuccis Italian Restaurant (729 State St):
Often voted one of the best $10 meals in Santa Barbara you can’t go
wrong with Pascuccis. The food is well-prepared and fresh. The service
is good and the setting is romantic, albeit a bit noisy sometimes
(again due to the crowds). They don’t accept reservations, so go early
and expect a wait (10-20 minutes on weekdays or 20-45 minutes on
weekends). A new location opened up this past year in the Costco
Shopping center in Goleta.
Best Mexican Food
Café Del Sol (30 Los Patos Way):
With its diverse menu, great service, and live music, Café Del Sol is
the local favorite for both Californian and Mexican dishes. There is a
great patio to enjoy a reasonably priced dinner with the sound of live
music in the background.
Best Seafood
Harbor Restaurant (220 Stearn’s Wharf):
Listen to waves crash under your feet at this incredible seafood
restaurant on the pier. You can enjoy walking from State Street or
just drive on the pier and park in the special lot. This is a more
expensive dinner ($15-25) but well worth the experience. Try to get in
shortly before sunset to add even more to your dining experience.
Best Burger Place
The Habit (628 State St., 216 S. Milpas, 5735 Hollister Ave.): The Habit offers amazing “Charburgers” where you can order an amazing burger customized just as you like it. Add pastrami, teriyaki, or BBQ bacon to stack your burger high or add a salad or onion rings as a side. And you cannot leave without getting one of their shakes make from real ice cream. The food is always fresh (you will smell it on State St.) and the service is unbeatable.
