Found this little gem on a recent weekend trip and was absolutely blown away! Mediterranean food is my favorite, and I can say without exaggerating this was one of the BEST meals of my adult life! Portions were just right, and we ordered family-style so we could try several different dishes. I would absolutely drive the 3 hours to Santa Barbara solely for a meal here. Divine!! Thank you to the chef (also the owner, I think) who clearly puts his heart & soul into the food - he stopped by our table and I had the pleasure of telling him how much we absolutely LOVED his food. read more

Amazing food and great service overall. Everything we tried was delicious, and our waitress was wonderful. A couple of things to note: the food did come out a bit slow, and the halloumi was a letdown price-wise. It was $19 for just two very small pieces, which felt pretty unreasonable. Either the portion should be larger or the price lower. That said, the flavors were excellent and we truly enjoyed the meal. Would definitely come back and try more dishes! (Also plenty of options for Gluten Free) read more

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Had the pleasure of dining at the Aegean Sofra ( chef table tasting event). Honestly Chef Efe may be one of the best, most talented chefs in SB! His dishes are so incredible, and each one has a story behind it. Many of the bites were what I refer to as close your eyes moments. Can't wait to return. A must try! read more

Aegean - Mind blowing dessert! - Mediterranean Near Me

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Such a great addition to downtown Santa Barbara! The chef is very creative, and I love the farmer's market specials. I highly recommend getting a reservation; otherwise, be prepared for a wait! My favorite dish here has been the sea bass. read more

Aegean - Wagyu - Mediterranean Near Me

The chef is in the kitchen involved with everything and the food is very very good. As a Turk who just returned from Türkiye, his food was delicious. Must try read more

Aegean - Mediterranean Near Me

Cannot recommend this place enough. I tried to grab some pictures of the food, but it was hard to stop eating!! This is the cauliflower salad, I'm forgetting the name. But it was an appetizer. Everything I ate was full of flavor, lots of yummy spices. The service was superb. The ambiance is lovely. I wish I had enough space in my stomach to try everything on the menu. It all looked so good. I was very pleased with my experience here and can't wait to come back again!!! read more

Aegean - Cauliflower salad - Mediterranean Near Me

This restaurant is by far the best food I have ever had in my life! Not only was the food great but the service was excellent as well. The servers were so friendly and knowledgeable! We were also lucky enough to meet the chef who was such a nice person and shared with us how the restaurant came to be and how his staff is all like family to him. It was very heartwarming to hear. For appetizers we had: Hummus with Zhoug - the freshness and flavor of the herbs in the Zhoug mixed with the hummus and olive oil was incredible! Karnabahar - the cauliflower was perfect with the sauce. The raisins gave it the perfect amount of sweetness while the lemon tahini added the perfect amount of tang. Incredible flavors! Halloumi - the different textures and flavors were perfect! For main courses both recommended by our amazing waiter: Sac Kavurma - the perfect amount of spice and sauciness with the tender brisket and vegetables was so great with pita bread! Levrek- hands down the best sea bass I have ever had! It was like melt in your mouth delicious! Sides: Vegetarian Rice Pilaf - again the flavor! Aegean Fries - delicious and went so well with the garlic yogurt! Dessert: Flourless Varlhona Chocolate Cake - decadent cake with all the other flavors added was amazing. I am so happy to have found this restaurant! I highly suggest it!!! I can't wait to go back! read more

Aegean - Left to right: Levrek, Aegean fries, vegetarian pilaf rice, Sac Kavurma - Mediterranean Near Me

Aegean: Santa Barbara's new spot for authentic Mediterranean Perfection Tucked away on State Street, Aegean is the kind of place that reminds you why you fell in love with food in the first place. A hidden gem that Santa Barbara didn't know it was missing, this restaurant delivers a truly authentic Mediterranean experience. The kind that instantly transports you to the sun soaked coasts of Greece and Turkey. Chef Efe Onoglu, whose global culinary background includes work in Michelin-starred kitchens, has created something extraordinary here. Every dish is a work of art... thoughtfully composed, soulfully seasoned, and plated with an artist's eye. You can feel his passion in every detail not only in the food, but in the restaurant itself... with stories shown through pictures of the history of chef Efe Onoglu's family, dedicated to his late grandfather, who inspired him most of all. Having traveled through the Mediterranean myself, I can confidently say this is the most authentic Mediterranean cuisine I've found in California; and I've lived here for over fifteen years. The flavors are honest and bright, the ingredients vibrant and balanced. Oh and EVERYTHING IS LOCALLY SOURCED. From the infamous santa Barbara farmers Market to the famous Uni (if you know you know) Complimented with hand picked local wines. Whether you're dining in or planning an event, Aegean's catering is another level entirely!! A perfect choice for a wedding or any celebration where you want your guests to remember the food long after the night ends. Do yourself a favor and order the full menu, every single dish tells its own story, and together they create something truly unforgettable. Santa Barbara has found its culinary masterpiece in Aegean. read more

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Very small portions, pricey. Had to ask for ice 3 times. Food was well spiced. The 4 of us were asked to leave 1.15 minutes as they had another reservation . read more

This restaurant is almost too good for Santa Barbara. We have been for brunch and for dinner and all of the meals we have had here were excellent. Chef Efe creates beautiful Turkish / Mzediterranean dishes with well thought out flavors. Stand out dishes include a salad with olives infused with orange peel and fennel served with fresh feta (the good stuff), market tomatoes and so much good olive oil you could swim in it, marinated chicken kebabs that are succulent and clearly good quality meat, and veggie dishes like cauliflower with a preserved mango sauce and dressing that sings. The service is great and the ambiance charming; at night, the terrace is lit up with a view of City Hall and the News Press building across the plaza. read more

Despite the many great restaurants we have in Santa Barbara, the diversity of cuisine is somewhat limited, and Aegean is such a wonderful addition. Everything we tried was absolutely delicious--the falafel, cauliflower, chicken kebab, and lamb were all outstanding. I'm so glad the chef has finally opened a full restaurant in addition to the pop-ups. #TurkishFood read more

Sometimes you read reviews of new restaurants and you wonder if it isn't too good to be true, but in this case the raves for Aegean are fully deserved. A delightful place, attentive and charming service, fair prices, and some pretty remarkable food. Interesting, varied, deeply flavored, and inventive. We had Brussels sprouts and Humous, both enough for a crowd (the accompanying bread superb), halloumi, chicken and bass, a glass of wine each, no room for the dessert (next time). Every dish was delicious, maybe the sprouts were my favorite, but gonna have to go back. Our server Isabella was lovely, happy, and knowledgeable. A new favorite in Santa Barbara! read more

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New spot on State, great ambience and is staying very busy, make sure you get there early. Meatballs, great. Brussels, great. My favorite part was the dessert. The flourless chocolate cake was so decadent. Definitely worth checking out read more

Restaurant was exceptional and service was so friendly! Highly recommend it! Meatballs and chicken were so great and after dark they have beautiful twinkle lights! read more

I highly recommend Efe and his service! It was everything and more than we were looking for, for our small backyard wedding in Santa Barbara. His costumer service is phenomenal, I reached out to him last minute and he created a beautiful menu for us. He displayed the food perfectly and was very understanding about my dietary needs. Everyone was blown away from his food I truly hope he opens a restaurant because he is very talented. The food was one of the things to remember about my wedding. read more

Tried the very new Aegean during their soft opening and the food was super-loaded with flavor and beautifully presented. You can tell there's a lot of love coming from the kitchen. The menu was limited for the soft opening but each dish was truly delicious. The humus was unforgettable and the meatballs were most tender and carefully prepared. Prices are definitely on the higher side, but the quality matches. It's worth the visit. Excited to see how this place grows once they're fully up and running! Only downside was the parking -- it's pretty limited and a bit of a hassle, so plan ahead. read more

We enjoyed their food at a pop up. The pita and hummus was delicious as were their other offerings. We'd definitely order from them again.

I love this food. It's creative and always amazing. I've never had a bad meal. He used to trivia night catering at a bar in Goleta, but I've heard he's doing his own thing now. read more

The food is other worldly. Chef Efe takes care to choose local, quality ingredients to create reimagined classics. Think tzatziki with snap peas, smokey baba ganoush, beetroot hummus, a chestnut soup that had everyone licking their bowls and dreaming of more. I'd highly recommend eating this food-- whether it's at one of the local spots he does a pop-up at, private dinners, or one of his (hopefully frequent) small group dinners. read more

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As a native Chicagoan, one requirement is you have to love Greek food. After all, Chicago has the third largest population of Greeks out of all the cities in the world (~150,000)! Since relocating to Santa Barbara, I was disheartened to not find many Greek or Mediterranean restaurants that serve authentic cuisine. Thankfully I happened upon Chef Effe representing Aegean Neotaverna during one of his pop-ups. He cooks up not only healthy but delicious recipes. I tried a few dishes including hummus, tabouli, chicken kebab and Kavurma (brisket). Every.single.item was spectacular! Full of authentic flavors whether it is tahini, pinenuts, garlic and beyond. The hummus was smooth yet perfectly delectable. The meat was extremely moist with char flavor. I also loved seeing how organized Chef Effe was in preparing each plate--as if the pop-up was a Michelin Star restaurant. He obviously takes pride in his work and it shows. Can't wait to see where he pops up next via Instagram. read more

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My wife and I didn't quite know what to expect, and came home happy and full! After enjoying the pop-up at Draughtsmen Aleworks, we signed up for the tasting menu dinner, which is a much more substantial meal, and we loved it. I think there were a total of 9 courses, which we survived by heeding Chef Efe's advice: don't load up on the bread. We all sat at a big table, and we got to meet the other diners, many with roots in Turkey. The Chef and his two helpers served the group wonderfully, and conversation is easy when everything tastes good. The room, at Heat Culinary, was nice, and we brought some wine, which also helped. This is serious food though. The chef is a trained saucier, and he is uncompromising when it comes to ingredients. The style is eastern Mediterranean, mostly Turkish with some Greek and Lebanese dishes, and others. Chef Efe puts a huge amount of thought into each dish. I know this because he came and described the thought process behind each dish. It's fun to hear food described carefully, and recognize the flavors you hear as you eat. By the end of the evening we were full (not to the point of being uncomfortable) and convinced we had experienced something special. We look forward to doing it again and recommend it wholeheartedly. read more

Where to start? A little casual table next to a kitchen. A master Chef with years of experience and a fire in his soul to create wonderful food and bestow love and kindness on his patrons. I feel like my grandma Agavne is cooking again! You dine with strangers who become friends, over food, before the night is over. The passion of the preparation of his delights is felt so keenly. A wonderful gift to ourselves. Life is short. Call right now! read more