Stonehouse continues to be one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the Santa Barbara area. Every…read morevisit reminds me why it's such a special destination. From the stunning grounds to the impeccable service and beautifully executed food, the entire experience feels luxurious without being pretentious. If you're celebrating a special occasion, it's hard to imagine a better setting. I chose Stonehouse for my birthday this year, and they made the evening feel incredibly memorable. Our server, I believe her was Amy, was absolutely fantastic. she was warm, attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely made me feel celebrated throughout the meal. It's the kind of hospitality that elevates an already wonderful dinner into something unforgettable. I ordered the lychee mocktail which was refreshing with a perfect balance of sweetness, and my server smoked it table side for me. It was such a thoughtful gesture for my birthday. We started with the assortment of fresh breads served alongside really high quality olive oil, which were delicious on their own. Shortly after, we were treated to an amuse bouche which was a delicate whipped lobster nestled inside a slice of cucumber. It was light, elegant, and a wonderful way to begin the meal. The Grilled Yellow Peach and Burrata Salad was another standout. The sweetness of the peaches paired beautifully with the creamy burrata, creating a refreshing and well balanced appetizer that felt perfect for the season. For our entree, we shared the Beef Wellington for Two, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. The pastry was beautifully golden and flaky, while the beef was cooked perfectly and remained incredibly tender. The sauce also made it very pleasant. Every component of the dish felt thoughtfully prepared. It also came with the Signature Mashed Potatoes. It was unbelievably rich and indulgent. At first it seemed a little watery, but after letting it sit for a few minutes, it thickens slightly and became perfectly smooth and velvety. By the end of dinner, I was completely satisfied, but they had one final surprise for me. The team presented me with a beautiful birthday dessert, a thoughtful gesture that perfectly capped off an already exceptional celebration. Beyond the food, the property itself is breathtaking. The beautifully landscaped grounds and elegant dining spaces create an atmosphere that's both romantic and timeless. Every detail feels intentional, making the experience feel truly special from the moment you arrive. Stonehouse consistently delivers one of the finest dining experiences in the Santa Barbara area. Between the impeccable service, outstanding cuisine, gorgeous setting, and thoughtful hospitality, it's a place I find myself returning to time and time again.

Matt B. and I went to Stonehouse the night we got engaged, back in 2012. The restaurant and…read moreproperty were beautiful, and we had a wonderful romantic dinner on the patio. We went back a few weeks ago, for Matt's 43rd birthday, and found a completely different restaurant. I guess at some point, San Ysidro Ranch went all-inclusive, and Stonehouse started serving a mostly captive clientele: hotel guests who've already paid for dinner. This is fine if you're staying at the Ranch, but if you remember The Stonehouse as a fancy special occasion restaurant with a high level of service, your impression is out of date. The astronomical prices may suggest otherwise, but keep in mind that most diners aren't really paying those anyway. We went on a drizzly Tuesday night and sat inside, missing out on the scenic patio. The dining room was nice, though, very stately, and as parents ourselves, we were not put out by the number of children in the room, the families sitting down for a casual weeknight dinner. We were surprised, though, when we tried to order drinks and our waiter asked to see our IDs. My husband presented his license, which showed very clearly that it was his 43rd birthday. The waiter had no comment on this, and instead turned his attention to me, Matt's 40-year-old wife. I didn't have ID on me, and he refused to take my drink order. We weren't about to have an expensive birthday dinner without alcohol, so we got up to drive home and pick up my license. But first, I decided to try my luck with a manager. Because look, I understand that I should've had my wallet, but also, I hadn't been carded at a restaurant in years. I told this to the manager, and suggested they tell customers in advance to make sure to bring ID. Instead of explaining that he needed to be careful because The Stonehouse served families with teenagers, he said it was the law, and that every restaurant should be carding aggressively. This was so disingenuous I more or less asked if he'd ever been to a restaurant. I also offered to show him a scan of my passport and the picture Matt and I took at The Stonehouse the night we got engaged in 2012, well after I turned seven. He relented, and we were reseated without having to produce my license. I didn't hold any of this against our waiter, but we were assigned a new one anyway, and received middling service for the duration of our meal. For one thing, we asked for help picking a bottle from the massive wine book, and it took the somm an actual half hour to pay us a visit. We were done with our appetizers and had checked in with our waiter twice by the time he made his way over. The other annoyance was that no one acknowledged Matt's birthday, despite the time we spent litigating birthdays, during which I mentioned quite pointedly that we were there for his 43rd. I even told a server who checked in on me before dessert while Matt was in the bathroom, and he said he'd make sure there was a candle in our tart. Not the end of the world, but this did not happen. The drinks, when we got them, were great, starting with cocktails, which almost tided us over until we received our wine. These were $33 a pop and kind of ridiculous, smoked tableside with a showy gadget. The Negroni Tropicale was made with grilled pineapple-infused No. 3 dry gin, Campari, Carpano Antica, and orange zest, then smoked with pecan wood. The French Quarter mixed Bardstown Ferrand Cognac-cask bourbon, Zaya 16-year rum, Benedictine, oloroso sherry, dry vermouth, and orange bitters, and was smoked with bourbon oak wood. For wine, we got a bottle of 2020 Vietti Monvigliero Barolo. This was excellent, and also a bit of a win. The bottle was barely marked up from retail, and we'll never know if The Stonehouse has exceptionally favorable wine prices or we were served the wrong vintage on accident. Food was solid, starting with Maine lobster salad in tiny phyllo cups, a nice welcome bite. Bread basket came with pumpkin seed lavash pumpkin seed, sourdough, and rice flour rolls, with olive oil for dipping. We enjoyed a half-dozen oysters with pickled Asian pear mignonette, and Japanese yellowtail crudo with pixie tangerine, purple radish, seagrass, and shiro dashi vinaigrette. Acorn squash agnolotti were lovely, with black truffle, toasted pecans, morel mushrooms, and a goat cheese fondue. The duck a l'orange came with a show, the sauce flambéed tableside on portable burner. A lot of magic tricks on this menu, perhaps for the kids. The duck breast was good, though, over barley pilaf with Tokyo turnips, herbes de Provence, Cara Cara orange, and Grand Marnier. The herb-crusted rack of lamb was decent too, served with lamb sausage, Tuscan kale, crispy polenta, and violet mustard. For dessert, we shared the orchard Meyer lemon tart with blueberry compote and wildflower honey and lavender Chantilly. The food was a strong A-, but not worth the money or the sub-par experience. Unless you're staying on property, avoid The Stonehouse.

Rare Society isn't just my go-to--it's become my happy place with a menu. Great food? Always…read more Impeccable service? Every time. And State Street views that come with a side of good people-watching? The cherry on top. But what truly elevates this place above the rest of Santa Barbara's dining scene isn't just the vibe or the view--it's the people. And I'm not talking about the diners (though they do put on a good show). I'm talking about the dream team behind the bar: Derek, Greg, and Kai. These three aren't just bartenders--they're cocktail whisperers, mind readers, and all-around hospitality wizards. Their drinks are crafted with precision, their timing is borderline psychic, and their warmth never crosses into overbearing. They don't just serve you--they curate your evening, turning a simple meal into one of those nights where you're already planning your next visit before you've even paid. And it's not just the bar team--every single staff member I've encountered has been a genuine pleasure to interact with. Shout out to Trevor, Liz, Drew, JC, Adrien and Julio for their exceptional service. And the food? Do yourself a favor and order the Parker House rolls, the grilled artichokes, the Wagyu Denver, lobster, oysters, swordfish and - non-negotiable - dessert. You can't go wrong here, but my personal favorites are the Butter Cake and Bananas Foster's Cheesecake.

I've been to this place 3 times and just realized that I never leave any review,So here it is…read more Vibe : Classic,Cozy,Warm and inviting. Service : Always great! Never once experience a bad service here.Keep up the good work guys! Food : Steak were great! Cooked to perfection and what temperature you want that's what you will get! Amazing! Appetizer like crab claws or pork belly were yummy as well.Lobster were amazing and the best part was the meat already came off the shell,Which make it less messy for us! Don't forget creme brule' to finished your meal and you'll thank me later. Definitely my go to spot every time I visit Santa Barbara.

Clementine's is like going to your grandmother's house for dinner, except poor Grandma can't cook…read morethis well. It's probably the best meal for the money on the Central Coast, and my daughter will tell you they have the best clam chowder too. They're famous for their baked potato, which has the skin removed and this crispy fried outside. It's really good and unlike any baked potato you'll get anywhere else. The service is fantastic too. Everyone is friendly and makes you feel right at home, which really adds to the whole experience. Dinner also comes with a piece of homemade pie, which we almost always take to go because we're too full by the end of the meal. Clementine's is just a really unique place. You won't find another restaurant quite like it. Great food, great service, great atmosphere, and a great value. It's our favorite place to eat dinner in Carpinteria.

Roaches. Went there…read morelast night for Mother's Day. We ordered Fresh fish". --salmon and halibut. Tasted a little fishy; it was just ok. But for the high price - fish should be excellent. But the very worse thing: was the German cockroach we saw sprinting across the wall next to us. I told the owner, he was nice and understanding, took full responsibility for it-and said "they're everywhere." I appreciated his honesty. Western extermination had been trying to cure the problem, he said, but they keep failing They need to close down the restaurant and take care of this. For if there is one, there is, and we know, thousands-- in walls, kitchen, storage, flour, pie mixture, etc.

We visited Carpinteria for the first time as a little summer escape from the heat in Simi Valley,…read moreand after arriving hungry, we came across this place. What a great find! The restaurant was busy, with tables pretty much full both inside and outside, but luckily we were able to get seated without a wait. I ordered the fish tacos, my son had the linguini pomodoro, and my wife ordered the cioppino. Everything was delicious. The seafood tasted incredibly fresh, and the fish in the cioppino was so tender it practically melted in your mouth. The broth was rich and savory--maybe a little on the salty side, but we still really enjoyed it. The service was another highlight. Everyone was kind, friendly, and welcoming, and you could tell the staff was working hard to make sure everyone had a good experience. I also really liked how diverse the menu is. There are plenty of choices for different tastes, whether you're in the mood for seafood, pasta, tacos, or something else. Overall, this was an awesome first experience and a great discovery during our trip to Carpinteria. We'll definitely be back next time we're in town, and we're looking forward to trying more dishes from the menu!

This used to be one of our favorite spots in Carpinteria, which makes it especially disappointing…read moreto leave a 1-star review. Unfortunately, after giving Teddy's by the Sea multiple chances, the problems have become too consistent to overlook. We've had repeated issues with online orders--food mixed up or not prepared the way we ordered it. On one occasion, we even found a piece of plastic in our lobster mac and cheese. But the most frustrating issue has been the completely inconsistent closing time. They advertise that they're open until 8:30 PM, yet we've shown up as early as 7:40 PM and been told they're already closed. This hasn't happened just once--it's happened to us multiple times. We really used to enjoy coming here, but between the order mistakes, the plastic in the food, and never knowing whether they'll actually be open during their posted hours, we've finally given up. If you advertise that you're open until 8:30, customers should reasonably be able to expect you to be open at 7:40.

Amazing Steak! We were greeted by Angela. Super sweet. She…read moreseated us and gave us the specials. She was on top of things. The wine McPrice Zin... was really good. I ordered the rib eye. YUMMY! He ordered the rack of lamb. Also YUMMY! The salad with caramelized apples was DELICIOUS! Only negative at this restaurant is we noticed the water glasses on ALL the tables were not the cleanliness. You could see the fingerprints on every glass on the tables.

It's a 3 stars place …read more The staff was very nice and attentive, no complaints here! The food is mediocre. We got a large ribeye 1.5 lb to share with mashed potatoes and mushrooms. Mushrooms were the highlight of the dish! I never had a chewy medium ribeye. It was hard to cut it. I think, quality of the meat is far from good. On top of that the steak lacked flavors . Mashed potatoes were too weird , too garlicky and not buttery , just tasted weird , almost like it's old . I did loved that they allowed us to split and did it were nice! So, again- nice staff but whatever food .

We come here a few times a year, food is always delicious, drinks on point and service is warm and…read moreunpretentious. The ambience is comfortable, casual and unpretentious as well. I always get the filet, he always gets the New York, we order the escargot (always yummy), delicious sides, and any yummy looking specials. My husband is an amazing chef and is the only place or person to come close to replicating Peter Lugers Porterhouse, but when he wants a night off from spoiling us at home, there are a few places that satisfies his palate for SB steaks. We come to Lucky's or Tee Off (yes I said Tee Off, deal with it). Only real criticism is that their steaks are way overpriced and you get less bang for your buck than places like Maestros or Boa, and dare I say, that I love Ruth's Chris too ( yes, I said it). But it's Montecito so the prices are to be expected, and we always have lovely time so just have fun and treat yourselves! See you all soon!

AMAZING experience from the entire staff and all the food was delish here!…read more Why Lucky's? Their steak is HIGHLY recommended (period) Parking: 4/5 There's valet parking or tons of street parking here Food: 4.5/5 Haven't had a filet mignon this tender and flavorful in quite some time! Their steak sauce almost like chimichurri is fire too Service 4.5/5 All staff was amazing throughout the entire experience

Fantastic first experience at Caruso's last month! The ocean view was beautiful, with the…read moreindoor/outdoor vibes, plenty of heaters for warmth, a live pianist playing, and the service was excellent. It is worth mentioning that it takes a little time and is a little challenging getting to the restaurant from the valet area, for those who might be a little physically challenged or slower moving. I do believe that they have an elevator to take you down to the restaurant level though! Reservation-wise they have two options, the four course Prix Fixe menu (which I chose) and a three hour Chef's Tasting Menu. For my menu, I was able to select from about 3-4 options in every course, and there were some available add ons as well. I loved the La Mora Messicana NA Cocktail, it paired nicely with all of my dishes and still felt fun and margarita-esque. Of all the dishes I ate during the evening, the standout for me was the Yolk Gnocchetti Sardi Risotti with Stephanie's Uni Santa Barbara Abalone, Yuzu, and Caviar. It somehow combined all of my favorite things and made what felt like a comfort dish, but elevated. The Chef's Bites at the beginning and end were also delicious, I loved the little blueberry tart. I would definitely return for another meal here, and recommend it to friends or family.

Came here on a Saturday night with my mom and overall had a really lovely experience…read more Even though we didn't stay at the hotel, the service throughout the property immediately stood out. When our Lyft arrived, employees rushed over to open the doors, and when we asked where the restaurant was, the front desk employee actually stepped away from the desk to personally point us in the right direction. The walk to the restaurant is a bit long since it overlooks the beach, but it was a beautiful night and ended up feeling relaxing and special. (Particularly on the way back when we were full from the tasting menu) I just wouldn't wear uncomfy heels. One interesting touch: we overheard the hostess offering another couple the option to put their phones away for the evening so they could fully experience dinner distraction-free. I ended up keeping mine away too and honestly enjoyed being more present during the meal. As a side note, another couple took photos of every meal and there didn't appear to be a stigma regardless. We did the tasting menu, and our waiter was fantastic with recommendations. All the staff was great, honestly. What stood out most to me compared to other Michelin-starred restaurants I've visited was the focus on seasonal ingredients and vegetables. That night featured Harry's berries and asparagus throughout several dishes. My favorite was probably the burrata with Harry's berries and rhubarb. There are quite a few optional upgrades throughout the tasting menu, including caviar and upgraded steak options, but we only added the chocolate bar selection at the end, which was excellent. I also appreciated the atmosphere. You could hear the waves crashing through the open doors, but it still stayed warm and comfortable inside. The noise level was lively without being overwhelming, and the recently added piano really elevated the experience. Some dishes seemed to sing to the symphony. Overall, I wouldn't say it was the best meal I've ever had, but I absolutely would return. Several dishes highlighted the ingredients so beautifully that I'd love to come back during another season to try a different menu. Solid experience and felt more or less felt worth the price.

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.

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.