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    M Kitchen

    3.1 (16 reviews)
    Closed 4:00 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    Loaded Fries

    Decent spot for bar food. Similar to how The Nook is to Lama Dog, M Kitchen operates separately from M Special. If you have an open beverage tab at the bar (where they hold onto your card), be prepared to pay for your food using a different payment method, or close your bar check and then come over and order. A little awkward. When I was here last night, I noticed that menu prices all went up $2 from last year. The food is decent but nothing cutting edge. I ordered their Loaded Fries with pulled pork. It was flavorful but pretty soggy at the bottom. The fries were seasoned well and the chunks of pork were delicious. My friend ordered their Wings and was satisfied. I felt that the woman behind the counter did a great job. She was friendly and upbeat. One thing I noticed was that the credit card machine doesn't appear to inform you when to remove the card from the slot. The customer in front of me had walked away with their card still inserted - oops! I'd come back and give this spot another try.

    Loaded fries, sweet and spicy bacon, and pretzel
    Lily Z.

    Most Goleta breweries now have a second location on State street. M special took the space for former Tonic nightclub. The back patio was spacious and we came in the early afternoon, so there were plenty of seating. The beer selections focus mostly on IPA and lighter beers, but there is also a Belgium strong ale at 9% abv. The food was typical for bar fares, but the execution was off. For every dish we ordered, I can think of another bar/restaurant that makes a much better version. The loaded fries was quite soggy and the pulled pork was overcooked. The pretzel came out cold with a bland queso dipping sauce. A little way down on State, Institution Ale has the most addictive warm pretzel. The bacon looked like it was a little too caramelized and for some reason was bland like the cooking process forced out all the curing salt. I liked the environment, the beer, and the service, but the food here could use some help.

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    5 months ago

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    5 years ago

    Horrible food but good beer lots of improvement needed. Don't waste your money on the food .

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    6 years ago

    Service was good, nice ambiance, and food was good. I was happy they had vegetarian options. I will definitely be back at this restaurant.

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    The Lark

    The Lark

    4.2
    (2.1k reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$$

    630pm on a Sunday with reservations…read more It started to get really busy by 7:30pm. Outdoor fire pit and string lights make it a true vibe for casual outing or date night. Service was phenomenal! Everyone was extra attentive and went above and beyond to make sure my family was comfortable, including the baby! Fried chicken with the grits was excellent!! Orecchiette and lettuce salad were also really good. I would say the crudo (salmon) and fisherman's catch (bluefin tuna) were forgettable. Cornbread and shrimp toast are worth getting to try- good but not great. Come for date night or family dinner, but make a reservation for the weekends!

    Having heard really fantastic things about the Lark, I was very eager to try it during my Santa…read moreBarbara visit. The salad was HUGE, definitely meant to share although I ended up cleaning it up. I really like the concept of hyper-local where even the fisherman gets a shoutout by name on the menu, but I think the presentation and execution fell flat. I'm not sure if a larger group or different menu items would have landed differently but my fish ended up a bit rubbery and overcooked. The other dishes were very underwhelming, and it was really tough to get the attention of my server. When it came time to pay, they offered me a pen which didn't work, then when I asked for another one, it didn't work, and finally I asked a bus boy who gave me 5 pens which 4/5 didn't work. I felt so awkward having to do so much to get anyone's attention, and then to be offered a total of 6 non functioning pens and one barely functional one.

    Photos
    Dining room
    Dining room
    Handmade Rigatoni Pasta
    Handmade Rigatoni Pasta
    Tea Time (NA)

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    Tea Time (NA)
    The Palace Grill

    The Palace Grill

    4.3
    (1.7k reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    If you're looking for some tasty Cajun-Creole cuisine and a good time in Santa Barbara, definitely…read morecheck out The Palace Grill! The decor of the restaurant makes you feel like you've stepped into New Orleans--murals, Mardi Gras themed items, and cards on the ceiling! I was so excited that they bring out complimentary mini muffins! They are SO good! They have a few different flavors like banana nut, jalapeno corn, a rosemary one, etc. Definitely a highlight! For appetizers, we ordered the Cajun Popcorn and the Soft Shell Crab. I haven't had a lot of crawfish before, so I really wanted to try the Cajun Popcorn. These crawfish tails are dipper in cornbread buttermilk batter and fried. They're crispy and fun to eat! They give a sherry wine dipping sauce, which was also yummy! Would recommend getting these! We also wanted to try the Soft Shell Crab, and you can get it as an appetizer or an entree. The appetizer comes with one soft shell crab that's been stuffed with Bienville crabmeat dressing, coated the cornmeal flour, and flash fried. It has just the right amount of crispiness! It's served with a jalapeno beurre-blanc and rice. For our entree, we shared the Crawfish Pasta Lafitte. We couldn't get enough of the crawfish tails so decided to get the pasta that had them as well. The pasta also had caramelized onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, cream, and creole seasoning. Very tasty! Would recommend this pasta! For the fun part that I mentioned--they have a magician that walks around and does magic tricks at each table! It was entertaining and very cool to see some of the tricks up close! They also have a Sing-Along moment in the evening where they'll had out lyric sheets to everyone, turn on the music, and everyone sings the song together. They were playing "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong on the evening I was there, but the song changes and they ask you not to open the lyrics book until right before the song, so it's a surprise!

    The Palace Grill is a great spot to grab cajun food and share a meal. The service was amazing and…read morethey are dog friendly on their outdoor patio! That was a big plus in my book. The ambiance on the outdoor patio was cozy and gave New Orleans vibes. I absolutely loved the muffin sampler that they give as an appetizer. We had the hurricane margaritas, crawfish étouffée and redfish pontchatrain.

    Photos
    The Palace Grill
    Jambalaya Sauce Piquante
    Jambalaya Sauce Piquante
    Louisiana Bread Pudding Soufflé &  Dark Chocolate SoufflE

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    Louisiana Bread Pudding Soufflé & Dark Chocolate SoufflE
    The Black Sheep Restaurant + Bar

    The Black Sheep Restaurant + Bar

    4.4
    (1.3k reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$$

    My partner and I came to celebrate our one year anniversary and we had an amazing time!! We chose…read moreto do the 4 course tasting menu which was out of this world and incredibly worth the price. Each dish was so flavorful and made with so much care. My favorite dish was the pumpkin style gnocchi we had and the branzino fish, he loved the bone marrow. The soup I forgot to take a picture of was potato and leek with truffle was amazing as well. The restaurant is also very cozy with great ambience and we had fantastic service.

    We were super excited for our Saturday brunch reservation for 3 at 11:30. We were greeted by a…read moreyoung child at the host stand, and while I absolutely adore kids I was a little confused by the very nervous child seating us and getting us water. She was about 9 years old and shaking while she poured us water, which made us feel badly for her and not really understand why a child was working at this upscale restaurant but watching the only server/owner running around on the floor it seemed necessary to have this child working the host stand. I understand they were busy or understaffed, but we had a variety of issues throughout our visit that went unaddressed with what resulted in a very odd outburst. The wait for drinks was 20+ minutes, and the wait for a food order exceeded an hour. One drink came out incorrectly. 30+ minutes after ordering our bread came out cold and without butter, and of our party of 3, one guest's entree took an additional 10 minutes to come out without any acknowledgement from staff. Overall the service was really disappointing and there was no apology at any point throughout our meal even though it seemed clear the service was lacking throughout our visit. When the server/owner came to drop our check he asked how our experience was. I truly tried to be as polite as possible while explaining our frustrations. In addition to the long wait times, we had a drink come out the wrong flavor, a rude bartender, and one crepe came out without the Brie as described, which I didn't get a chance to explain. I also mentioned having a child greet us was unexpected to which he told us he was teaching his child responsibility and that's why she was working. He seemed set off by the feedback I was trying to give and he then threw my credit card onto the table and he told me he didn't want my money. I didn't want a free meal, I wanted to give feedback into our experience which I would classify as the worst restaurant service I have ever had. I keep replaying the whole experience trying to figure out what I could have done differently to have had a positive experience but as a long time server in Santa Barbara I'm having a hard time reconciling this crazy experience.

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    The Black Sheep Restaurant + Bar
    Great for private events & gatherings.
    Great for private events & gatherings.
    The Black Sheep Restaurant + Bar

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    Lucky Penny

    Lucky Penny

    4.1
    (913 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    Came here with a couple of friends and shared a couple of pizzas: the california, east coast pep,…read moreand hot girl pizza. Three pizzas was the perfect amount for us four girls. My favorite was definitely the california. The pesto was so delicious and the ricotta was the perfect pairing. I also loved the outdoor seating atmosphere. Perfect place to hang out with friends.

    My friend and I went to celebrate her birthday Friday 8/7 around 4-5pm…read more She got the margarita pizza and I got the Hot girl pizza (lol funny name) AND they were delicious! Hot girl pizza was spicyyyyyy, but the sausage?! LOVED ! The garlic bread? Unnecessarily SPICY (I'm a 100% Latina, who can HANDLE spice... but this was borderline unenjoyable spicy) Food was 10/10! The ambiance was chill and I loved how it looked. The ocean down the street and everyone just enjoying themselves. Customer Service ? Left MUCH, MUCH to be desired and honestly, probably will keep me from coming back again. When we were ordering, I had asked the person at register "Hi how are you going today?!" Just got responded with "good. What can I get you?" Blunt. Unwelcoming. And kinda rude. I just said ok and moved on. It was our first time there so I asked her for recommendations and she just said "everything is good" Between her responses, she kept talking and laughing with her coworkers. Not a big deal, but you can just tell when someone isn't interested in having any sort of conversation. Also due to the fact that she had her back completely towards us in the middle of our transactions multiple times. She inspected my printed receipt at the end and looked bugged when she realized we didn't tip due to her poor service. Couldn't help but notice a different type of customer service being offered to other customers. It seemed obvious. Probably won't be coming back because of service, might just do pick up because of the food! Definitely would much rather recommend St. Bibiana's pizza on Ortega! Amazing pizza, great vibe and much better service.

    Photos
    Lucky Penny
    Salty Surfer - added mushrooms
    Salty Surfer - added mushrooms
    Pennie's everywhere!

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    Pennie's everywhere!

    M Kitchen - tradamerican - Updated August 2026

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