Barbareño - Santa Barbara

I've visited this restaurant several times, and each visit just keeps getting better. I recently went with my family and enjoyed outstanding food and service. They truly went above and beyond to accommodate our various food allergies. I highly recommend it!

Exquisite food, remarkable service, and quintessential Santa Barbara ambiance make this restaurant a true favorite. Low attitude, high class, with genuine staff that aim to please in all regards thoroughly impressed.

We celebrated our anniversary at this restaurant, and it was absolutely delightful! We started with the dumplings, which were bursting with flavor. I had the tri-tip, while my wife enjoyed the pork chop—both were melt-in-your-mouth delicious. To top it all off, we shared the S'mores dessert, which was a chocolate lover's dream!

Barbarenño was a delight – it is just far enough away from the bustle of State St to feel peaceful, but not too far to feel in the middle of nowhere. The outside seating was relaxed and yet classy. The service was perky and very attentive. The focus on local food with creative dishes was a big success. The grilled avocado celebrating the first avocado orchard was excellent. The crudo was zingy and artistic. The acorn agnolotti was perhaps not a full success – but the vision was so original that it was just fun. And the black cod was some of the most beautifully cooked fish we have had – it was heaven on a plate! We can’t wait to go back.

Our group was really looking forward to trying this restaurant, and while the food was decent overall, there was nothing truly exceptional—except for the tri-tip, which was absolutely delicious. The bread was fresh, and it came with a garlic butter that was outstanding. I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of uni, but we decided to try the Uni Caesar. Unfortunately, it was quite bitter and had an unusual aftertaste. Our waiter was very pleasant, but the service was incredibly slow. It took us three hours from the time we were seated to when we finally received our check! We had to remind the staff three times about our dessert. I probably won’t return, but if you're in the area and curious, it might still be worth a visit—just for that heavenly tri-tip!