Looked up “best food in Santa Barbara”.This was on the list and they accepted “open table”First of all, the complimentary bread was perfection.There is a Slow cooker outside and that smelled fantastic. So I ordered the BBQ Tri Tip.Melted in my mouth like butter.Recommend!My dinner mate ordered Cod and said it wasThe best.Melt in your mouth.Flakey, in the good way, best Cod had in years.And Server Mitchell. 10/10.
Fantastic!! the best meal we have eaten in Santa Barbarain a very long time. We are already going back next week. The service was top-notch too. She went over everything about the restaurant and menu and could not have been more attentive.
E.B. Rothbart
Inventive dishes, lovely, attentive service. A couple of the dishes were surprisingly over-salted but the waitstaff handled it graciously and responsively. Hoping it was just a glitch.
5 stars is absolutely it enough! This place is outstanding! My husband and I have dined all over the world, consider ourselves foodies - Barbareno is one of the top 3 meals and dining experiences we have ever had. The service is unparalleled. They had the outdoor heater on by our table before we got there. Throughout the meal at all the appropriate moments, staff was checking on us, pouring water, asking if we needed anything. And the food. I don't think I've tasted such sophisticated, balanced and unique flavors ever. Even the table bread was absolutely delicious! The Uni Caesar Salad was divine, the halibut crudo not to be missed. Everything was cooked to perfection - fish was like buttery silk, tri tip was so tender. We live a 7 hour drive from Santa Barbara and if we ever come back there is no doubt we will be dining here at least once.
MichaelJ
Food well prepared and we had the BBQ and the fish Excellent choices. Appetizers were the salad,avocado and mussels and all were tasty and just plain good. We also had the semi credo and the s'mores for dessert. We went home happy. It was a good choice for us. It was myself and my two brothers and we have dined in many restaurants over the years and we liked the whole setup. We dined on the patio and we were comfortable. Would highly recommend the restaurant. Will be back.
WilliamK
If you like mussels, take a pass here. Broth is uneventful (no garlic detected) and bread, although toasted, was quite soggy. Wine selection was substandard for CA (not to mention overpriced). Also, don't order the sparking wine, not because the wine was bad, but no fluted stemware available.
LesheenaL
The best dining experience in Santa Barbara we have had in years. We were happy with every recommendation from our server. The Santa Maria tri tip was spectacular. We can't wait to go back. We recommended Barbareno to all of our friends and clients.
This is a no-brainer for a food experience that easily out classes many other restaurants. We did everything family style for a table of four. Everything was excellent and easily surpassed expectations. The tri-tip, grilled avocado, animal potatoes, ricotta dumplings, black cod, pork chop and desserts were all dishes that made me pause to try to understand how it could be so good. I can’t wait for another visit. Kudos to the chef, and friendly & knowledgable staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Uni Carbonara, Santa Maria BBQ, Animal Potatoes, Ricotta Dumplings
First time here and our server was great. He explained the menu in full details and recommend us some great starter. We like our pork chop and New York strip very much. Overall a great experience and would definitely come back.
Our waiter, Colin made our experience so memorable. We had high expectations for this restaurant based on recommendations of friends and everything was better than we imagined. Colin gave us excellent advice on our wine selection based on our chosen meals. Every dish was delicate and unique. We will definitely go back again
JamesP
We are there for Valentines Day. They were offering a four course dinner for $95 per person. My wife and I were not Imagine pressed by the food. The spaghetti fritter was very dense and dry. The short rib was overcooked. Not a very good Valentines Day experience.
Cameron
Had a Valentine's Day prepared limited meal. Way too salty and servers had no idea on flavors(were not given tasters of food). So they didn't face input on the meal. Salty to the point where I couldn't taste the next meal. Sent back a few less than half eaten plates.
All the food was
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Looked up “best food in Santa Barbara”.This was on the list and they accepted “open table”First of all, the complimentary bread was perfection.There is a Slow cooker outside and that smelled fantastic. So I ordered the BBQ Tri Tip.Melted in my mouth like butter.Recommend!My dinner mate ordered Cod and said it wasThe best.Melt in your mouth.Flakey, in the good way, best Cod had in years.And Server Mitchell. 10/10.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Santa Maria BBQ
Amazingly thoughtful food. Exceeded expectations. Dekicious.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best food and service in santa barbara. Highly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic!! the best meal we have eaten in Santa Barbarain a very long time. We are already going back next week. The service was top-notch too. She went over everything about the restaurant and menu and could not have been more attentive.
Inventive dishes, lovely, attentive service. A couple of the dishes were surprisingly over-salted but the waitstaff handled it graciously and responsively. Hoping it was just a glitch.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Fish, Lamb Flatbread, Especial
5 stars is absolutely it enough! This place is outstanding! My husband and I have dined all over the world, consider ourselves foodies - Barbareno is one of the top 3 meals and dining experiences we have ever had. The service is unparalleled. They had the outdoor heater on by our table before we got there. Throughout the meal at all the appropriate moments, staff was checking on us, pouring water, asking if we needed anything. And the food. I don't think I've tasted such sophisticated, balanced and unique flavors ever. Even the table bread was absolutely delicious! The Uni Caesar Salad was divine, the halibut crudo not to be missed. Everything was cooked to perfection - fish was like buttery silk, tri tip was so tender. We live a 7 hour drive from Santa Barbara and if we ever come back there is no doubt we will be dining here at least once.
Food well prepared and we had the BBQ and the fish Excellent choices. Appetizers were the salad,avocado and mussels and all were tasty and just plain good. We also had the semi credo and the s'mores for dessert. We went home happy. It was a good choice for us. It was myself and my two brothers and we have dined in many restaurants over the years and we liked the whole setup. We dined on the patio and we were comfortable. Would highly recommend the restaurant. Will be back.
If you like mussels, take a pass here. Broth is uneventful (no garlic detected) and bread, although toasted, was quite soggy. Wine selection was substandard for CA (not to mention overpriced). Also, don't order the sparking wine, not because the wine was bad, but no fluted stemware available.
The best dining experience in Santa Barbara we have had in years. We were happy with every recommendation from our server. The Santa Maria tri tip was spectacular. We can't wait to go back. We recommended Barbareno to all of our friends and clients.
Restaurantji Recommends
This is a no-brainer for a food experience that easily out classes many other restaurants. We did everything family style for a table of four. Everything was excellent and easily surpassed expectations. The tri-tip, grilled avocado, animal potatoes, ricotta dumplings, black cod, pork chop and desserts were all dishes that made me pause to try to understand how it could be so good. I can’t wait for another visit. Kudos to the chef, and friendly & knowledgable staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Uni Carbonara, Santa Maria BBQ, Animal Potatoes, Ricotta Dumplings
First time here and our server was great. He explained the menu in full details and recommend us some great starter. We like our pork chop and New York strip very much. Overall a great experience and would definitely come back.
Our waiter, Colin made our experience so memorable. We had high expectations for this restaurant based on recommendations of friends and everything was better than we imagined. Colin gave us excellent advice on our wine selection based on our chosen meals. Every dish was delicate and unique. We will definitely go back again
We are there for Valentines Day. They were offering a four course dinner for $95 per person. My wife and I were not Imagine pressed by the food. The spaghetti fritter was very dense and dry. The short rib was overcooked. Not a very good Valentines Day experience.
Had a Valentine's Day prepared limited meal. Way too salty and servers had no idea on flavors(were not given tasters of food). So they didn't face input on the meal. Salty to the point where I couldn't taste the next meal. Sent back a few less than half eaten plates.