The food was delicious! Everything from the soup to the salad and even my daughters pasta with simple marinara sauce was amazing! Service was great! The owner Roy was so accommodating. I had a great birthday dinner with my family here! read more

We ordered weekly from Roy during the pandemic and were excited to order takeout tonight four our anniversary. We were a bit shocked that the portion size had shrunk and the pasta with "chicken breast" was not chicken breast but darker leg meat and was tasteless. So bummed, this was our new favorite so we thought. read more

I arrived 15 minutes before the restaurant was open, because I wanted to ask about making an adjustment to one of the items on the menu because of dietary restrictions. The door was unlocked, and the staff were all inside. I opened the door, greeted the staff, and before I could ask my question, Roy abruptly said, "We are not open yet, see you at 6:00" while opening the door and escorting me outside! Very rude and unwelcoming. I went to another restaurant where I was welcomed and treated with respect. This restaurant always had great food, but Roy should stay in the kitchen and not interact with customers. read more

Roy the owner has amazing customer service. My wife was craving Prime Rib and the restaurant showed up in a Yelp search. We called and despite not having Prime Rib, he was kind enough to ask her some questions and suggest another restaurant. We haven't visited yet, but intend to in the near future. Thanks again Roy! read more

Best tuck-in in Santa Barbara Especially beloved because of the fantastic menu is available late night. read more

Totally chill vibe with great food. Steaks are cooked med rare but I like mine bloody and they accommodated that request. Staff did a good job. Super cute newbie waiter who was nervous but trying hard. The others backed him up. read more

I was excited to find Roy and was able to book a last minute table when entertaining clients. The owner of the restaurant is actually the chef. While the staff was small (leading to a bit of slow service) it was great supporting someone who is actively involved in the business. The live music was a huge bonus. Everyone in my party was raving about the handmade pasta. We also enjoyed steaks, salads, and the cheese plate. The only downside was the pace of the service but we had a party of 10 and the restaurant was extremely busy when we sat down. read more

Was on a date and we had a late start - trying to find a place for food and a couple drinks after 9pm. Walked into what seemed to be the only option on State on a early-in-the-week night (Blue Owl was closed). Unfortunately, that was it's best trait. Two other parties in the place - a table of 3 and a solo at the bar. Food was average, a salad was forgotten for my Vegan friend. But the part that bothered me the most was the cocktails were $14. For a rocks-size glass, Casadores margarita? Please. That's insulting for locals. Or maybe locals don't go there. Lesson learned for the newbie in town. read more

To eat here is just exceptional! My hubby and I have been coming back here for nine years, and so happy to see that they are still open after the pandemic. Roy serves up the most fantastic elegant home cooked food, in an atmosphere that's a cross between a bar and your best friends art loft. Prices are so fair, and food so good. Do yourself a favor and stop in and say hi Roy!! You won't be sorry. read more

Not the same .... Roy has always been one of our favorite restaurants. So we were shocked when we saw the recent negative reviews. We decided to go see for ourselves and give them a positive review if it was as before. Unfortunately it wasn't. The funky cool atmosphere is still the same but not the food. We ordered the filet cause we had read some negative reviews of the pasta. When it arrived after an hour it was overcooked and tasteless The potato pancakes and vegetables and fresh bread however were as awesome as before and the wine menu reasonable and good. But we were very disappointed in the steak. Not worth the $40 read more

I was really disappointed in my meal after having read so many great reviews. The server was very friendly, however that's the only positive thing I could say about the dining. The food service was quite slow; it took approximately 45 minutes to get from ordering to eating. I ordered the pasta with chicken and it was a total disappointment. The food was completely bland, the sauce was basically water, and I left about as hungry as I was when I came in. This was the first time I've ever had to use the salt shaker on the table at a restaurant. After all was said and done, $40 for watery bland pasta was not what I had in mind for a nice meal out. read more

Roy - Bland chicken pasta - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Consistently excellent food for years. Open late, excellent atmosphere. My favorites include the Tomato basil soup, caprese salad, and pasta with filet mignon meatballs. read more

We had a great meal. The pasta was freshly made and so so good. The meatballs were great with sauce that had the right amount of spice. The seafood pasta with olive oil was fresh and delicious. The warm wheat bread that came to the table tasted fresh from the oven and possibly baked right there. The Jazz group was also great. Wonderful music to go with a great meal. read more

We go to Santa Barbara quite a bit and always wind up at Roy for some late night dinner. It's never disappointed and we've always had a good experience. Last time I accidentally left my glasses and they were kind enough to save them and return them to me. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a quite spot with great food. read more

I wanted to like this little place. It has an old feel, but in a good way. The bread is delicious. But as so many other reviews said, it...takes...forever...for...everything. Full in a Thursday night, and there I is one waitress and Roy, who may also be acting as chef because he disappeared. After an hour with bread and water, I left. I know it's got to be tough to stay in business, but if you can't gEt people served, they leave. Go on a slow night.. read more

The worst service. Ever. Filthy glasses, dirty silverware. Don't try asking for replacements, that will take at least an hour. Oh, but that will be ok because you *might* actually get a drink by then. Or not. And heaven forbid if you get up and actually ask for something: the blond Valkyrie waitress (who, by her attitude, is entirely too superior to possibly wait on anyone) will give you nasty looks for the rest of the evening. The food was definitely NOT worth the wait or the price. My lamb was underdone, my friends lamb was overdone, the steak was mostly fat/gristle...my glass of wine was poured 1/2 full and the waiter never came back to fill it properly, the plate had decorative sprigs of inedible stuff on it (you should never ever ever put something on a plate if you can't eat it) the list goes on. All for about $100 a person, you too can have this appalling experience. I'm a local and will never go back. Not even if someone else is buying. read more

We had a reservation on a Friday night. Showed up on time and waited about 10 minutes to get seated. I was shocked they seated us at the only table at the bar, at a gigantic table, with our backs to the restaurant, facing the bar. Very odd. They did have live jazz that was to start at 7pm but didn't begin until close to 7:45. It was about 85 degrees inside the place. The kitchen is very close to the dining area and I guess they don't have any fans? We started with the crab cakes. ICK - I would not recommend these as they were socking in oil and full of filling/breading, I did not get one bite of crab:( I should have complained but didn't want to embarrass my husband. I ordered the meatballs, but they ran out so I ordered the chicken marsala. It was very sweet and unappealing. My husband order the pasta special and it was Ok. Service was extremely slow. Ok wine list. read more

Roy is fantastic! I love to go here for special occasions, but it also has a cool enough ambiance that you can also go and feel comfortable for a more casual dinner. We went for Valentine's Day and couldn't have been happier. The food is incredible, and Roy and his employees are always so kind and down to earth. Highly recommend! read more

We've been coming to Roy for date night for several years. The food is always fantastic, we love the Manhattans, and the live music makes the night feel special. This weekend we ordered takeout and were surprised that for $22 we got the incredible food that we know and love but also both a soup and salad as well as bread. We were really impressed by Roy's ability to provide a standout takeout dinner. We'll be doing this often this winter. Thanks Roy! read more

Went to Roy's for my birthday. It was my first time here. The dine in area of the restaurant was an eclectic mix of art and furnishings that really added to the ambiance of the space. Each meal came with warm wheat bread, tomato bisque soup, house salad of mixed greens and tomato's with a delicate vinaigrette and the main course included potato cakes and perfectly prepared mixed vegetables with a light toss of Parmesan cheese. I had the 6oz New York with a Demi glaze sauce. Spectacular meal. I would gladly give this a 5 star review except for the service. Our server spilled drinks all over the table and did not offer to wipe it up. Our server had to take our drink order twice and then my honey had to spell it out, literally. While waiting for our main course, another server came over and asked if we were done. Other than that, the food is worth going back. read more

The food was literally inedible. I got the pasta w/ seafood and it was drenched in alcohol... Watery and disgusting. I refused to eat it. You couldn't pay me to go back. read more

Came in with other local friends last week. We received horrible service! Rudest waitress I've ever encountered in my entire life! Will NOT be returning... read more

Ok, fifteen years ago this place was the shit! Now, not so much. I remember going to Roy in the mid/late nineties feeling and knowing it was going to be an exceptional treat. I moved out of town for a while and recently returned to Roy, glowing with anticipation, with my girlfriend, talking the place up to her the whole time. Twice we've gone and twice we've been completely disappointed. At first i thought to myself "maybe it's just an off night for them," i mean we all have bad days from time to time, but upon our second visit we/I realized this place is just a shadow of what it used to be. Let's start with the service... horrendous. The first time, we had a young waiter who seemingly didn't know his elbow from his ass, and after having bumbled up once would avoid engaging with us at all. The second visit was similar but only worse as in our other even younger waitress refused to make eye contact with us and would scurry along past our table with a sense of relief that she didn't have to talk to us. Once that willingness to engage with a patron is gone sadly it never returns. We were essentially ignored for the rest of our stay on both occasions, maybe out of a sense of embarrassment, or complete lack of experience. Either way it's no way to treat people who are willing to pay for the experience of going out to dine. Never were we offered water (standard), never were we asked if we we're doing ok, we weren't doing ok, the food was bland and flavorless and not a salt or pepper shaker that may have helped that situation could be found in the house. Since we were being ignored, i got up from my seat, walked into the proper restaurant (covid-19 days) to ask for some salt, only to find our waitress sitting in a booth on her phone, and the other waiter/bartender packaging to go orders (i think.) Within seconds i get admonished by Roy himself on not wearing a mask. I think to myself "wait i do have a mask and i pull it out of my coat pocket and put it on only to hear him say "over your nose" twice like a drill sergeant. i do so and politely ask for a salt shaker, as again his food being so bland it needed it, and walked out to our table feeling like a nine year old. I'm 40 by the way and have worked in bars and restaurants for over 20 years, and know my shit in that world enough to know when it is shit! We had to wait 20 minutes to be asked if we would like to order something to drink. Finally, i order a Sazerac, only to have the "bartender" come out a good 10 minutes later saying they are out of Sazerac, to which i politely respond with raised eyebrows that, that cocktail can be made with any rye whiskey. He looks baffled and i take a pen to an old receipt paper and write down the cocktail recipe for him. Five minutes go by and we get our cocktails. Mine is on the rocks, guess i should have said neat, but the way i look at things, if you're a bartender worth your salt you know it's always served neat unless specified. My girlfriend ordered a pasta dish that upon arrival Olive Garden could have smoked, and i ordered Buffalo Wings, that Applebee's could have made in seconds with their eyes closed. That's enough i'm done with talking about this place like a piñata. I don't recommend Roy. And as much as I hate to see places shut down, i think Roy himself should re-evaluate why he cares to remain. Maybe he needs a vision quest, or an ayahuasca trip to find himself again. Hire competent staff, train them properly, and keep it simple. it's not that hard. needless to say i won't be going back to this place ever again. read more

If you are going to be in Santa Barbara, I definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone that who wants great food and service! We ordered Bacon wrapped filet-mignon and Carbonara, and they were just amazing!!! Also, the waitress was so nice that we had a fantastic evening! 5 star for the food and 5 star for the service!!! read more

The food is outstanding and his prices are unbeatable. Perfect for pick-up or delivery during Covid. We like the Chicken Marsala and Pork Tenderloin but all the dishes are great. Exceptionally good. read more

I liked this joint! Traveling alone and needing a late dinner in SB can be tough! They hooked me up 2 or 3 times. Cool, modern interior. Great soups, strong drinks, and the petit fillet mignon was pretty darn good! read more

Its always a great experience when we come to Roy's. This was our 4th time here and it's been very good every time. I had the spicy chicken pasta which was excellent. It had the perfect amount of spice and flavor. My girlfriend had the New York steak (little on the pricey side) but tender and cooked perfectly. Then we ended the night with a creme brûlée for desert, which was also rich and delicious. The waitress checked on us multiple times, refilled our drinks and the food was served in a timely fashion. Any time we visit Santa Barbara, we make it a must stop. There's never a long wait and the food is always amazing. If this place was in San Francisco or Napa (we live in the Bay Area), it would easily be packed every night and probably double the price. read more

We were so excited to try Roy. We went on the hunch of the brochure suggestions in the AirBNB we were staying in. It said live bands played on the weekends and on a Sunday. We happened to go on a Sunday and it turned the bands only play on Saturdays. Which was deceiving because we were looking forward to it. There was one waitress. There was a couple at a dining table and two gentleman at the bar. When we came in she said there was open seating, so we sat down. While we were seating another couple came in and sat at the bar. She immediately tended to them. It took her awhile to come to us. She served the other couple, and went back and forth a few times before serving us. We had dry periods in between each serve. Another couple came in and it turns out it must have been a known artist, she immediately served her, Roy even came out to tend to them, Our drinks were very delicious but sat at the bar made for a very long time. The best I can say that there was clearly preferential treatment going on. They made us feel extremely unwelcome. The crab cakes/asparagus were cold. The total experience was subpar at best. If I can give them 1star I would, but the drinks were ok. read more

Roy's is always solid. Great food and drinks, unjust had such a positive experience there a few week ago I had to finally leave a review. A small group of us wandered state street looking for food during quarantine it was 9pm and all other restaurants were closed or no longer serving.... stroll up at Roy's and not only do they take our order at closing time, the deal for quarantine times is phenomenal. $20 for entree, soup, salad and bread. Dinner was phenomenal, we had the salmon, the chicken marsala and turkey dinner. I can't recommend this place enough. read more

This is a fun place to visit, especially LATE NIGHT. Just off the upper part of lower State St, a softer crowd. Comfy seating at the bar, intimate booths, and nice dining tables throughout. Full bar, with very stiff drinks. Eclectic food menu, farm to table as they say, constantly evolving daily. Come in here for drinks and have a look at the menu, or stumble in after a concert at the Bowl for late night grub. Love the old Jolly Tiger sign from days of old. Check it out! read more

Aside from the fact it's so dark 8n there it's impossible to read the bill, the servers always seem to have just walked in off the street to get free meal. So bad 1st time in my life I stiffed a server. & I don't feel bad at all. read more

This was the worst dining experience I've had in a very long time. It took 45 minutes for us to get our food, and when it arrived, one meal was completely cold. The pasta was mushy, the meatballs were cold, and the other entrée wasn't that much better. Very limited wine selection... One red, one rosé, and one white. The service was OK and the bread was delicious. The photos on the website are quite deceiving since it looked like a dive the minute we walked in. It's in much need of a facelift, and in even more need of a chef. Way overpriced for the quality of food that was served. I strongly do not recommend it. read more

Came here on a recommendation and it blew our minds. Mellow atmosphere in a Thursday night and a perfect place for a date night. Soulful environment and would come back in a heartbeat. One dish was the seafood pasta and one was the chicken picatta. read more

Roy - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I gathered up two friends from Newcomers Club and brought them to dinner Saturday night. We we're enthralled with great caprese salad, spaghetti and meatballs , house made bread and wonderful service by waiter who is also the artist!!! Since I also paint I was in heaven! Brad Nack is an amazing artist and great server His art is at etsy.com/shop/bradnack Dec 5 he will have the Reindeer Art Show 6-8 PM 7 west Carillo That is Roy's Restaraunt 805 966 5636 open 6 PM until midnight Restaurantroy.com Saturday night live music Roy Gaudy is executive chef and owner Wear smart casual clothing Daughter Lena did fabulous painting in the back hallway read more

Roy - Flour less chocolate tort - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

Great place. We have been here for first time. Most of restaurants were closed as we were there about 10PM. Interior is interesting, colorful. I liked it. Food is tasty. Handmade pastas were awesome. We were party of 9 (with kids) and at the end Chef personally came and asked if everything is good and tasty. And bill was also affordable for us. Overall it was nice to be here and we glad that spent good time and ate tasty food. The only matter I'm giving 4 stars is, that there was only one server (she was really nice) and there were a lot of tables and she was trying to serve all of them. read more

Great ambiance, great menu I ordered Ny steak, unfortunately it was really grisly and tasted plain. I would definitely come back to try something else. read more

See all

My buddy is the matre d/bartender. I think. He use to be. Roy is super special too...a great guy. Food is price fixed and DELISH. The menu changes all the time, depending on what's going on that day. The bread is fresh baked. I'd come here for the bread alone. I had my birthday dinner her a few years ago. The atmosphere is always fun--great art on the walls, great wait staff. A little dark, but that's ok...I know the food is good so I'm not scared. read more

Great find in Santa Barbara!!! I had incredible Crab Cakes and the Chicken Marsala. Great drinks poured by friendly Morgan. Got to meet Roy! This place is very cool. Can't wait to go back! read more

We ate there last night, delicious of course, great service!! If you haven't been you must try it!! Even with the limited menu, it does not disappoint. Thank you for doing what you do Roy!!! read more

The food is really good, owner operated Roy does an amazing job in the kitchen. Do not go here if you are in a hurry, it is a place that you just go to have great food and drinks in a nice atmosphere and enjoy time with friends and family...turn off the cell phone and enjoy yourself. The homemade pastas are fantastic. read more

Roy - Great Decor - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California