Food and cocktails were excellent. Service wasn't so great unfortunately. Our server spent a lot of time talking to regulars. Never asked us if we wanted to order more drinks. Another server had to ask us about dessert and get us the check.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Duck Breast
Marc Tintorer
Non-traditional "paella" had the best muscles I've had.
A. Alvarez
We loved this beautiful restaurant. The food was delicious and the staff was wonderful. We can't wait to return in the future.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Team
We had a great dinner and delicious drinks at Opal. We love the choice to sit inside and be social or outside and people watch on State St.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Camila Valdes
Fantastic place! The duck, the pizzas, risottos, brûlée ugh! Delicious! Impeccable attention, highly recommended.Parking: Leave early, there is almost no parking in the area,
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Barry Hand
Dined there twice. Both times were excellent. The menu has a good variety of food choices and prices. The service is friendly and professional. The atmosphere is upscale and welcoming. Give yourself a treat for a special occasion or anytime dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The owner also owns Oku, down by the waterfront on Cabrillo Blvd. So the dishes here have an Asian fusion theme. Think Nobu. We ate outside on the patio so it wasn't as noisy, it can be packed inside and noisy and too close. Tip- eat outside on the patio Tip- order the Asian fusion dishes with ginger and sesame dressings. Enjoy!
DiningTim
We enjoyed the paella, butter lettuce salad, seared Ahi and a mushroom enchilada special. For dessert, we had a delicious coconut cheesecake with a Vin Santo. Highly recommended. 
Our waiter Paul was outstanding. Basically made a full meal from starters which were very creative. The pear/beet salad, duck ravioli & calamari were incredible. Also had a relaxing vibe.
EZ2Please
Very enjoyable dinner in a comfortable space. Will definitely return, but it lacked a “wow” factor that's why I couldn't give it 5 stars. I wish the interior was more cozy. The Phyllo Wrapped Prawns were excellent as was the Rib Eye Steak. The Skirt Steak was good, but not as tasty as the Rib Eye. The bread service was warm and enjoyable. The servers were above average. For the price point it provided a very good meal.
I made a desecration day sin advance for 5 people. We showed up and were sat at a table for 4. I said I had made a reservation for 5 and was told I did not even though I had email proof. The proceeded to add a chair at the end of the table and Ed could not eat comfortably and they did not offer any accommodation or compensation. Very disappointing.
When we arrived they didn't show my reservation, but had room for the 2 of us. Server was quiet but took our order fairly quickly. I got the caesar salad which was just ok. I didn't get the richness of a homemade dressing. I ordered the flat iron steak, medium, which was definitely medium well and well on ends. Tough. The mashed potatoes and broccoli and green beans were good. My friend got the risotto and it was delicious. Fire alarm went off while we were there. Loud!! We had to ask for our server to return so we could get our checks. We hadn't seen her since food came out. Then she seemed inconvenienced bc we asked her to split the check, to which she replied “it's going to be a while, I just got a ten top”. Manager should've helped her out.
EastBeachBoy
Excellent Mushroom pizza and very tasty. Chicken Marsala was very good but it was not like Roys Restaurant Chicken Marsala which is in a category of its own especially with Roy at the helm. The Halibut was perfectly cooked and very tasty atop Fava Beans with an incredible light sauce that paired perfectly with the Halibut from Alaska. Overall Opal is in a class of itself and the menu selections and their pricing can only be summarized as one of the BEST VALUES in town from an almost 30 year resident and local hotel owner who has referred 1000's guests to Opal over the last 20+ years. Cant wait to go again and try a new selection. Victor Evarone Managing Partner Cabrillo Inn at the Beach Oceanfront "East Beach" Santa Barbara, CA
BryanU
One of my TOP 3 places to eat in Santa Barbara! Always fantastic experience that starts with the owners / managers / servers / cooks! Last night we had the Beet & Pear Salad - always a fav! Bottle of Daou Cab / Chicken Marsala! YUM! You just can't go wrong at OPAL!
Food and cocktails were excellent. Service wasn't so great unfortunately. Our server spent a lot of time talking to regulars. Never asked us if we wanted to order more drinks. Another server had to ask us about dessert and get us the check.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Duck Breast
Non-traditional "paella" had the best muscles I've had.
We loved this beautiful restaurant. The food was delicious and the staff was wonderful. We can't wait to return in the future.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a great dinner and delicious drinks at Opal. We love the choice to sit inside and be social or outside and people watch on State St.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic place! The duck, the pizzas, risottos, brûlée ugh! Delicious! Impeccable attention, highly recommended.Parking: Leave early, there is almost no parking in the area,
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dined there twice. Both times were excellent. The menu has a good variety of food choices and prices. The service is friendly and professional. The atmosphere is upscale and welcoming. Give yourself a treat for a special occasion or anytime dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The owner also owns Oku, down by the waterfront on Cabrillo Blvd. So the dishes here have an Asian fusion theme. Think Nobu. We ate outside on the patio so it wasn't as noisy, it can be packed inside and noisy and too close. Tip- eat outside on the patio Tip- order the Asian fusion dishes with ginger and sesame dressings. Enjoy!
We enjoyed the paella, butter lettuce salad, seared Ahi and a mushroom enchilada special. For dessert, we had a delicious coconut cheesecake with a Vin Santo. Highly recommended. 
Our waiter Paul was outstanding. Basically made a full meal from starters which were very creative. The pear/beet salad, duck ravioli & calamari were incredible. Also had a relaxing vibe.
Very enjoyable dinner in a comfortable space. Will definitely return, but it lacked a “wow” factor that's why I couldn't give it 5 stars. I wish the interior was more cozy. The Phyllo Wrapped Prawns were excellent as was the Rib Eye Steak. The Skirt Steak was good, but not as tasty as the Rib Eye. The bread service was warm and enjoyable. The servers were above average. For the price point it provided a very good meal.
Restaurantji Recommends
Uninspired cuisine and horrible overheard
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
I made a desecration day sin advance for 5 people. We showed up and were sat at a table for 4. I said I had made a reservation for 5 and was told I did not even though I had email proof. The proceeded to add a chair at the end of the table and Ed could not eat comfortably and they did not offer any accommodation or compensation. Very disappointing.
When we arrived they didn't show my reservation, but had room for the 2 of us. Server was quiet but took our order fairly quickly. I got the caesar salad which was just ok. I didn't get the richness of a homemade dressing. I ordered the flat iron steak, medium, which was definitely medium well and well on ends. Tough. The mashed potatoes and broccoli and green beans were good. My friend got the risotto and it was delicious. Fire alarm went off while we were there. Loud!! We had to ask for our server to return so we could get our checks. We hadn't seen her since food came out. Then she seemed inconvenienced bc we asked her to split the check, to which she replied “it's going to be a while, I just got a ten top”. Manager should've helped her out.
Excellent Mushroom pizza and very tasty. Chicken Marsala was very good but it was not like Roys Restaurant Chicken Marsala which is in a category of its own especially with Roy at the helm. The Halibut was perfectly cooked and very tasty atop Fava Beans with an incredible light sauce that paired perfectly with the Halibut from Alaska. Overall Opal is in a class of itself and the menu selections and their pricing can only be summarized as one of the BEST VALUES in town from an almost 30 year resident and local hotel owner who has referred 1000's guests to Opal over the last 20+ years. Cant wait to go again and try a new selection. Victor Evarone Managing Partner Cabrillo Inn at the Beach Oceanfront "East Beach" Santa Barbara, CA
One of my TOP 3 places to eat in Santa Barbara! Always fantastic experience that starts with the owners / managers / servers / cooks! Last night we had the Beet & Pear Salad - always a fav! Bottle of Daou Cab / Chicken Marsala! YUM! You just can't go wrong at OPAL!