A food lover's weekend guide to dining in Santa Barbara

Angelenos have escaped to Santa Barbara for generations. While neighboring Santa Ynez Valley captured the culinary spotlight in recent years, the coastal strip is striking back.

Fueled in part by a surge in commercial and real estate investments, and bolstered by the expansion of the California Michelin Guide, Santa Barbara and neighboring Montecito are experiencing a hospitality boom. (The region received a similar jolt more than two decades ago when the film Sideways spurred interest in Santa Barbara County’s wines and restaurants.)

The Basque restaurant has been open for just a year, but is regularly packed.

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Cathy Chaplin

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LAist

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With a string of buzzy new openings this past year — like Little Mountain and Monte’s in Montecito and Dom’s Taverna in downtown Santa Barbara — and more high-profile debuts on the horizon, including the return of legendary chef Thomas Keller to Southern California at the Coral Casino, the current momentum shows no signs of abating.

Underpinning this expansion are Santa Barbara’s long-standing institutions delivering genuine hospitality, alongside the region’s unrivaled bounty: pristine seafood, unmatched seasonal produce and world-class wines. This combination of heritage and innovation has transformed the American Riviera into a bona fide gastronomic destination.

While experiencing every notable establishment would easily require more than 48 hours, this ambitious itinerary covers significant ground. It purposely bypasses some well-trodden staples already in heavy rotation among Angelenos — such as Loquita, Bettina, Caruso’s, Cold Spring Tavern, La Super-Rica Taqueria and the like — to focus on lesser-known gems and standout newcomers.

Here is how to spend a gloriously food-centric weekend eating and drinking your way through Santa Barbara.

Friday

Happy Hour:

Arrive between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. to snag $2 off all drinks and food.

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Cathy Chaplin

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LAist

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Set your out-of-office message by midday Friday and escape north via the 101 or aboard Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner. Well-made drinks upon arrival are non-negotiable, and the veteran bartenders at The Pickle Room deliver exactly that.

Arrive between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. to snag $2 off all drinks and food. Order a signature Pickletini or classic Old Fashioned, pair it with a fried-to-order Reuben egg roll and settle into a space steeped in history.

The venue was once Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens, Santa Barbara’s last Chinese-owned business in its New Chinatown. When the Chung family closed the beloved restaurant in 2006, after 59 years, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation stepped in to buy the property. Today, Clay Lovejoy operates both the adjoining Three Pickles sandwich shop and the bar.

For a slice of local Chinese American history, peruse the life-size photo exhibit dedicated to the founding Chung family along the bar’s back wall.

Kick off the weekend with The Pickle Room's signature Pickletini or classic Old Fashioned.

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Cathy Chaplin

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LAist

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Dinner:

The energy inside Dom’s Taverna is electric. Though open for just a year, the Arts District dining room is already packed with local couples, friends, and families.

Most people are here for Chef Dominique Crisp’s Central Coast spin on Basque cooking.

“It's intrinsically Basque to take whatever amazing ingredients are available, make them part of your menu, not really fuss it up,” Crisp said.

Herbaceous smashed papas brava at Dom's Taverna.

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Cathy Chaplin

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LAist

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Backed by strong ties to regional purveyors like 805 Seafood and La Pluma Farms, the menu changes almost daily. On a recent night, locally caught bluefin starred in both a crudo and pasta special, while the day’s oysters hailed from Morro Bay.

The menu is anchored by mainstays like wonderfully herbaceous smashed papas brava and arroza al forno made with morcilla from La Española Meats in Los Angeles’s South Bay. To drink, owner Raj Nallapothola’s Laie vermouth, served simply on the rocks with an orange slice and a green olive, cuts beautifully through the rich menu.

For the finale, a spoonful of whipped housemade Basque cheesecake topped with Osetra caviar delivers a perfect, decadent balance of sweet and savory.

Saturday

Coffee:

The third-wave coffee scene in Santa Barbara and its surrounding communities is exceptionally stacked, anchored by trailblazing stalwarts like Dune Coffee and Handlebar Roasters alongside hip newcomers like Little King.

Joining the lineup is Dawn, a breezy cafe attached to the State Street Drift hotel. With its central location and inviting indoor-outdoor seating, Dawn is a fetching option for classic espresso drinks, matcha, seasonal sippers — and prime people watching.

Breakfast:

Treat yourself with French Bordier butter at Oat Bakery.

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Cathy Chaplin

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LAist

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Ease into the day at Oat Bakery, a serene Scandinavian-inspired shop located just off State Street, with additional locations in Goleta and Montecito. Inside the minimalist, jewel-box space, co-owners and spouses Louise Ulrich-Fontana and Lou Fontana showcase a tightly edited lineup of Danish breads and pastries baked with locally sourced grains and minimal added sugar.

The dense, satisfying hygge buns are laced with cinnamon and packed with dates and walnuts, while the flaky frøsnappers feature an almond marzipan filling under a crust of toasty sesame and poppy seeds.

For the ultimate morning fuel, order the Danish breakfast: a crusty sourdough bun sliced and slathered with French Bordier butter, layered with Gouda and brightened with apricot-jalapeño jam. Grab a loaf of the bakery’s signature sesame charcoal sourdough for the perfect edible souvenir.

Lunch:

This family-owned restaurant draws crowds with its hyper-local catch, including box crab, sea urchin, and rock crab.

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Cathy Chaplin

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LAist

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Stearns Wharf is packed with touristy attractions, but the 46-year-old Santa Barbara Shellfish Co. is a refreshing exception. Perched on the West Coast’s oldest working wooden pier, this family-owned restaurant draws crowds with its hyper-local catch, including box crab, sea urchin and rock crab.

Order the uni, and it comes plated alongside its outer shell, spines still subtly moving. Delicately steamed crabs arrive with drawn butter and hefty metal crackers for extracting their meat.

Whether seated on the L-shaped patio with expansive views of the Pacific or along the dining room bar overlooking the busy open kitchen, there are no bad seats at this bustling pier-side eatery.

Cocktail Hour:

While staying overnight at Montecito’s storied San Ysidro Ranch starts at $2,500, the idyllic property, originally a Spanish land grant, has several food and beverage venues open to the public. Stroll the meticulously maintained grounds with a spritz, martini, or margarita in hand by ordering from the Garden Walk drinks menu available at The Speakeasy and The Stonehouse restaurant; live music starts at 5 p.m. daily.

For a secluded, moodier affair, duck into the eclectically appointed cocktail bar The Speakeasy — cool stone walls, low wooden ceilings, plush red booths and bold animal prints — for rare spirits and expertly made drinks.

Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are encouraged on Fridays and Saturdays.

Dinner:

Little Mountain, a nine-month-old hotspot in Montecito’s Upper Village.

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Cathy Chaplin

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LAist

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Chef Diego Moya may be new to the Central Coast, but he has quickly mastered the region's micro-seasons. At Little Mountain — a nine-month-old hotspot in Montecito’s Upper Village — the Chilean American chef dazzles diners nightly with a skillful, less-is-more restraint centered around a wood-fired kitchen.

Moya trained globally at famed institutions like Paris’ L’Arpège and Bangkok’s Nahm, and most recently served as executive chef at Racines in New York.

On a recent visit to Little Mountain, freshly caught local lingcod was transformed into an irresistible ceviche with burnt tomato and basil. A gorgeous flank of ruby-red tuna came lightly brushed with guajillo, and paired with ripe honeydew and a fermented pepper-and-melon gazpacho. Even simple koshihikari rice, fortified with housemade butter and white sesame seeds, becomes a main event under the chef’s care.

Beverages — including wines, cocktails and spirit-free selections — mirror Moya’s culinary ethos, focusing on small-scale, sustainable and low-intervention producers.

Little Mountain is an important opening not just for Montecito, but for all of Southern California.

Sunday

Brunch:

Bistro Amasa is tucked into the ground floor of the 155-year-old Upham Hotel — the oldest continuously operating hotel in Southern California.

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Erin Feinblatt

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Courtesy Bistro Amasa

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Tucked into the ground floor of the 155-year-old Upham Hotel — the oldest continuously operating hotel in Southern California — Bistro Amasa is just the place for Sunday brunch.

Executive chef Julian Martinez and restaurateur Jesse Gaddy, the hospitality pros behind local favorite Barbareño, opened the restaurant late last year, bringing chill yet refined vibes to the historic Victorian property.

Grab a seat on the wraparound patio overlooking a quieter stretch of downtown and settle in for brunch classics done right. The shakshuka with vadouvan-spiced tomato ragu, over-easy eggs, and sautéed kale offers pure comfort; the grilled pan de cristal served alongside is ideal for sopping.

For something sweet, a small stack of pancakes made with house ricotta is served with butter and preserved lemon syrup. A slate of whimsical cocktails is on hand for the boozy brunch crowd, including a requisite espresso martini and a summery strawberry shrub highball spiked with vodka.