We came here with a big group and it was absolutely the right decision! We didn't want to deal with splitting a bill so ordering at the counter worked out perfectly. And there was even a bar where you could order drinks. There was plenty of self-seating and the outdoor space was covered (which was perfect for us because it was a rainy day). This place was everything we needed for a group outdoor lunch on a rainy day! The menu was awesome too. A variety of options from fried chicken sandwiches to pozole! (Both were delicious) Our group loved everything they ordered! I'd come back for sure! Definitely recommend. read more

The food here is always really good every time I come here with my family! My parents loveeeeeee coming here when the visit for the day. My Dad ordered the brussel sprouts and we all loved them. I would say they were some of my favorite brussel sprouts that I have ever had. The chicken sliders are also really good! I really enjoyed the nachos too and my sister said she would get them again even tho she is a picky eater. The service was also really good and everyone who works there is always really nice to us every time we go! They are so nice to the point that we asked if my dog can get a piece of chicken with no seasoning and they agreed to it! My family has sat both inside and outside and both are really nice and comfortable. The patio is dog friendly too so that's a plus! read more

Benchmark Eatery - 3 Fried Chicken Sliders - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Great spot! I'm a local and I came here for lunch with my coworkers. Super fast and Mike the bartender was awesome! Thank you!

The food was great, the service was fast, and it is just a great place to eat. I had a cheese burger and I could NOT have been made better. Not to mention how the food was all fresh. read more

Yumm, Benchmark Eatery is where it's at! Super friendly cashier and waitstaff and everything on the menu looked delicious! This was was first time snd the person I was with recommended the tacos. They ordered a beef taco and carne asada taco and I ordered a chicken taco. We also shared the coconut shrimp app. We both ordered water, which comes in a glass container you bring to the table and pour yourself. We sat on the outside patio and it was lovely. Thank you! read more

Benchmark Eatery - Tacos - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

This nice restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating. There was a pet dog on the patio so they look dog friendly. The burgers are huge and juicy. The onion rings made the burger so big that it's impossible to put in your mouth without cutting. The fried onions were beer battered and delicious. They also serve wine and good margaritas. The bathrooms are also very zen like and clean. I wasn't that happy that the fries with the burger came out cold. The burger was juicy but it was bland and needed salt. The service is half full service. You order at the cashier and then they bring the food. After that they did not come back to check if we needed anything. read more

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Pros. Staff are nice. No tips. Cons. Food is overpriced simple stuff. Burger had a serious price for a fast food level burger.

After a long day of walking we stopped at Benchmark for a late lunch. Beautiful outside atmosphere! We got two of the speciality drinks (both awesome), wings, Cesar salad and crispy chicken sliders. The drinks were mixed to perfection and the food provided good portion size and was all really good. The staff were nice and helpful. Highly recommend if you are looking for a casual spot to enjoy a nice breeze, awesome drinks, good food and a bit of people watching. read more

Amazing food we ordered a bunch of different things and the service was great the staff is super friendly

It's casual but better than fast food for sure. My fish & chips were good. We sat in the patio area, which was nice and they are pet friendly. read more

Benchmark Eatery - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Excellent restaurant, excellent food, and very excellent staff. My family and I stopped in on the way back from the Central Coast to Los Angeles. The pesto linguine was delicious. Also, great and large sandwiches. The cocktails were great too. Shoutout to Tatyana! Will definitely be back on my next trip. Thank you! read more

Excellent fish and shrimp tacos. Nice atmosphere and wonderful service. I would highly recommend!! read more

Benchmark Eatery - Fish and shrimp tacos. - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Made a pit stop in Santa Barbara to pick up some lunch and this hearty salad did the job! Food was amazing and I loved the open air seating. read more

Benchmark Eatery - Pozole Verde - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Super random and unexpected. But best crispy Brussels sprouts I have ever had were here. It's not even marked as a top reviewed but it WINS! read more

Benchmark Eatery - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Came here the other day. It was clean and well maintained. My burger was delicious but I asked for no tomato in mine and my niece wanted pickles in hers- not sure if it was charged. When the food arrived none of our request were even fulfilled. I pulled the tomato out and gave my niece some of my pickles. I don't get why we have to tip prior to getting our food when errors with your staff caused this. I saw on the register that our information was inputted but ignored in the kitchen? I even tipped when I ordered a beer. Should I have? This wasn't a huge deal. Just annoying. Please keep this in mind going forward. Thanks! read more

Nothing impressive but also not disappointing at the same time. Got the French dip sandwich and it came to me very sloppy with a bad meat to bread ratio- that said the bread was very good and the dip it came with really added to the sandwich. The workers only take your order and hand you your food so I can't really comment on the service. Overall I wouldn't come back because it was pricy for the portion sizes and care put into the food. read more

This is a great restaurant to catch breakfast. They are open at 9:30AM for breakfast on the weekends. They have plenty of seating both indoors, outdoors on the patio, and the bar. I was surprised how many people drink their breakfast at the bar on a Saturday morning. They offer a nice selection on the menu. The food tasted great and the service was exceptional. My coffee cup was constantly being filled. Everyone was friendly and worked as a team, meaning, it wasn't just one person waiting on my table. Others jumped in to ask how I was doing and fill my coffee cup. It's those little things that make all the difference. read more

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Here in Santa Barbara for a show and came early for dinner. The Benchmark serves good food and drinks. Its location on State Street is nice. The food is served quickly and is hot and delicious. The drinks are also very good. The wait staff checks in regularly and is very friendly. read more

This restaurant has a number of things going for it. Probably the stand out thing is the fact that they have a large staff that really takes care of the customers. When you enter the restaurant you will be met by the host but from that point there will be several people that will take care of you. This is really a nice benefit that you receive from very few restaurants. In terms of atmosphere, this is a large restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating. Their patio area is very large and is covered so you can eat outdoors all year long if that is your desire. Their interior seating is in a large dining area. The tables are well spaced so you never feel like you are too close to the people eating next to you. They also have a bar inside which is very popular. In terms of their menu, they have a nice selection of California inspired dishes. They have all of your traditionally expected items. So, you should be able to find something that will fit what you desires. Overall, this is a nice restaurant and a fun place to eat. read more

Good and service all the workers are supper nice! The food is good and the atmosphere inside and out is great. You can also do people watching from there. read more

Terrible food. Ordered a fish bowl and rice was green. Ordered two lemonades and they came out of a gun from the bar. That tasted like lemonade was completely rotten so bad do not recommend it. read more

Brussel sprouts, spinach dip and fried chicken sliders were amazing! Had a great time with friends here. Loved the ambience.

I come to this restaurant every time for a quick dinner or lunch with my friends! Such a beautiful location near lots of stores! The service is great as always, and the food is even better! I always come back for the double cheese burger. They have heaters outside and a lovely indoor dining room. Definitely check it out if you're in Santa Barbara. read more

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Great location and fantastic service. Their Classic Double Cheeseburger is exceptional with crispy, well seasoned fries. Good beer selection and the food came out quick! Will definitely be back and highly recommend. read more

Finally got to try some food here! Christine and I both got burritos, she got the veggie and I got the beer battered fish. I tried both but I was in love with the fish. I could imagine their tacos are great too. I would definitely get this again and would also try more off the menu. The drinks were great too. We got a Paloma and a margarita, both strong and tasty read more

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Homey cow amazing. Food great prices great selection of beer great service and excellent food! I definitely recommend read more

Benchmark Eatery - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The staff here is great! Super friendly and really care abount their customers. They make a great margarita, and you can't go wrong with their food menu. The polzole is awesome! This is such a dog friendly place, mu dog insists on visiting any time we walk by. Very convenient location, near theaters, righ on State Street in the middle of downtown. A definite gem. read more

Good food. Lots of options. They have veggie options, but could benefit from having a few more to their menu. No table service. Order upfront, find a seat with the # they give you. Then food is brought out to you. Very casual place. Lots of beer, wine and cocktail choices. read more

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I recently had a very good lunch at this cute little open air eatery. It wasn't a life altering taste of foodie heaven, but it was good enough for a leisurely bite in Santa Barbara. Walking around and searching for a place to eat, we liked the friendly hostess and what we saw on the menu so we got a table. Since the weather is almost always perfect, the restaurant had all of the windows open (so it was like we were sitting on an enclosed patio). We were soon brought a bowl of complimentary crunchy chickpeas that provided a tasty welcome. Since we are huge fans of Brussels sprouts, we started with an order of those to share. They were fried and crispy and delicious, topped with bacon, parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of honey for a touch of sweetness. I loved these and would dine here again just to eat them. At $8.50 per order, they are reasonably priced. For our entrees, I opted for the open-faced tuna melt ($11.25) while my husband got the fried chicken sandwich. Both sandwiches were mediocre at best. The ingredients were good enough, but they both were ultimately a letdown. My tuna melt had decent tuna salad and cheddar cheese, but was topped with far too much arugula. A good tuna melt needs only high quality fish, melty cheese, and a crispy, buttered bread base, not a bunch of flowery junk piled on top. The worst part of my sandwich is that the cheese wasn't even melted. Epic fail. I opted for the side salad instead of fries and it felt like an afterthought and was not appealing at all. The fried chicken sandwich fared better, but mostly due to the super fresh avocado on top. The skin-on fries were another disappointment. I ordered a glass of Prosecco and instead of being poured from a larger bottle (which usually signals better quality sparkling wine) I was brought a small individual bottle. I understand why restaurants have to do that but it's still a letdown because the wine is usually awful (and it was). We did have good, friendly service, so despite the missteps and the overpriced menu, I'd likely be back to give this place another try when I'm back in the area. Perhaps I just ordered the wrong thing. read more

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Good service, ambience is nice, cozy little place with open air and feels clean. Food was warm and delicioi

My friend loves the BLT but I'm sitting here and to a foodie nobody would appreciate this place.

Had a great meal here -- the pesto pasta with shrimp was to die for! Service was fast and attentive. Prices were quite good for the quality. Strongly recommend. read more

Very good Brussels sprouts! Posole was okay. Ambience was nice to watch Halloween costumes go by.

I used to eat here often when I worked across the street. It's been a few months and I'm back working in the area and I decided to eat here for lunch, today. Wow, awful. I don't know if it's a bad day for them or if quality has declined this much in only a few months. I ordered a blackened chicken wrap with no salt on the fries and I received hard, burned fries that are inedible. How were they not embarrassed to give this out? The chicken wrap is ok (hence the 2 stars), but I could barely eat half of it and tossed the rest. Considering the price of the item, I'll be passing on Benchmark in the future and going to one of the many other restaurants in the area for lunch. read more

I Stopped in with my 2 Daughters for a bowls of Clam chowder and a Chopped Salad. Every thing was great, delicious meal and the Service was Excellent. The Manager was helpful and took time to engage with us! Thank you Benchmark, for an excellent Lunch on our Birthday weekend. read more

Had lunch with some friends and it was pleasant. I had a fish and a shrimp taco. Nothing to write home about, I couldn't tell which one was the fish or the shrimp. Too much batter. read more

Ol' always packed and average type place. I never understood the long lines here for under-seasoned average food. But we decided to go here this particular night because we were tired, it was late, and we didn't feel like thinking about shit. Just go here. I swear something was a bit different tonight, though. The fish tacos were piping hot and the cabbage was extra crisp. They gave us a little extra bread for our charcuterie/cheese board, and Mario gobbled up every last bite of that Eggplant parmesan. We were starving and somehow this place hit the spot. I mean the food here has always been a bit bland and underwhelming during my visits, but tonight it was like "best foot forward" average..."I'ma be the best average I can be!" type average. And our waiter was so attentive, I tipped 25 percent. I don't know. Don't go here expecting a culinary masterpiece, but sometimes you may be pleasantly surprised. read more

Benchmark Eatery - Pear on my charcuterie board? I can dig it! :-) - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Food and services is amazing! Outdoor seating with this beautiful weather is perfect!

food is so good and ambiance is good it's a cute little restaraunt and you choose where you seat so we usually choose to dine outside. service is fine but could be a hit more friendly and attentive honestly. even though service isn't the best the food is worth it. so good and drinks are not too bad too, they're just alright. read more

My go to place when I have family in town, or if there is a show at the Granada, or if I am hungry and want to go there, which is often! Great food, easy to order, the staff is awesome. My favorite restaurant in the arts district and one of my favorites in all of Santa Barbara. read more