Santa Barbara Restaurants
Italian
1. Emilio’s , 324 Cabrillo, 966-4426
The food and the service are good, but the prices may be a little high.
Entrees in the mid to high $20 range. Is it worth it? Opinions vary.
2. Ca’ Dario, 37 East Victoria, 884-9419
A small place with very good food and reasonable prices. Pasta dishes
between $15 and $20. Don’t go there with a large party (more than 4).
You’ll stand out like a sore thumb.
Mexican
3. La Super-Rica Taqueria, 622 North Milpas. 963-5957
The best taqueria in town and probably the best restaurant. There’s nothing
elegant here; you order your food at a window and eat it on picnic tables on an
enclosed deck. You will pay $6 or less for three tortillas and various toppings.
Splurge and get two and a couple of beers, and you’re set. But, the lines get
long on the weekends because the tourists have discovered it. But, don’t turn
away just because the line looks long. The real issue is whether you can sit
down when you get your food. If you can’t, go down the block to La Tolteca.
4. La Tolteca, 600 North Milpas. 963-5957
Not La Super-Rica, but not bad.
Thai
5. Your Place, 22-A Milpas. 966-5151
Standard Thai restaurant.
Seafood
6. Bay Café, 131 Anacapa, 963-2215.
Our best fish restaurant. Entrees between $15 and $20.
7. Brophy Brothers, Breakwater, 966-4418
A combination bar/seafood restaurant. Good cioppino and fish. Not as
expensive as the Bay Café, and probably not as good, but more fun. They
don’t take reservations; you put your name on a list and wait. On the
weekends, it can be a long wait. Also, a little hard to find. Go to the harbor
(past the wharf) and start walking toward the breakwater. After about 200
yards, look up; it’s on the second story looking over the harbor. You’ll
probably hear it before you see it. And you can watch the boats in the harbor
while you wait. If you can’t take the wait any longer, go to the Endless
Summer (you passed it) and order a hamburger.
California Eclectic
8. Paradise Café, 702 Anacapa, 962-4416
Santa Barbara as the Santa Barbarians see themselves. The food is OK (get
the hamburger) and the prices are reasonable (pasta dishes around $13), but
the atmosphere is the thing. If you go there and you don’t get it, you don’t get
Santa Barbara. Catch the next train for LA. If the weather is off, all bets are
off.
9. Chad’s. 625 Chapala, 568-1876.
A nice personal touch to this place. The food is pretty good, and the prices are
not bad, $20 for a decent entrée. It’s in an old house, and the tables are
jammed together, but it doesn’t seem noisy. You can talk economics here
without offending the other tables.
10. Brigitte’s. 1327 State, 966-9676
The quintessential California café. One dish from each continent. About the
same price as Chad’s. The physicists go here. Need I say more.
11. Sage and Onion. 38 East Ortega, 963-1012
A new place, which seems pretty good. They play with your food: some
verticality and some decorations on your dessert plate. But, not too bad, and
the meat eaters can find something here. An entrée is in the mid to high
$20’s, with everything else scaled appropriately.
12. Wine Cask. 813 Anacapa, 966-9463.
A great room (go past the wine store), good service, very tasty, and more
expensive that the Sage and Onion. It won’t break the bank, however. Unless
you go overboard on the wine, your bill won’t exceed $50. It does have a
terrific wine list, however, so there is always the possibility. The owner is an
econ grad from UCSB. If you tell him you know Perry Shapiro, he will be
especially pleasant to you (but he won’t reduce your bill).
Victoria
2
10
12
De La Guerra
3
8 4
Ortega
11
9
Chapala State Anacapa
5
101
Anacapa
6
Milpas
1 Cabrillo
Beach
7 Radisson
Harbor Wharf
Breakwater