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  • Toma Restaurant & Bar

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Toma Restaurant & Bar
Toma Restaurant & Bar

Toma Restaurant & Bar Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Elegant
  • Website: http://tomarestaurant.com
  • Email: info@tomarestaurant.com
  • Phone: (805) 962-0777
  • Hours of Operation: Dinner
    Daily: 5:00pm - 10:00pm
  • Payment Options: AMEX, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean
  • Executive Chef: Nat Ely
  • Dress Code: Casual Dress
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Farm to Table, Full Bar, Gluten-free Menu, Personal wines welcome (corkage fee applies), Takeout, View, Wine

Getting there

  • Cross Street: Castillo Street
  • Parking: Street Parking
A word from Toma Restaurant & Bar
Toma Restaurant and Bar is the new waterfront bistro,located along Santa Barbara's picturesque Cabrillo Blvd. Experience Santa Barbara waterfront's most romantic restaurant. Savor exquisite Italian and Mediterranean inspired dishes from Santa Barbara's seasonal bounty, supporting our local… fisherman, farmers, foragers and food artisans. Pour over local and Italian wines along with a full bar of handcrafted cocktails and spirits. Enjoy warm and attentive service while dining window side with a view of the enchanting Santa Barbara harbor.Continued
Awards voted by OpenTable diners
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Overall
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Ambiance
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Food
Diner Reviews
  • "come 2x a year and try new places, this was terrific, the service couldn't have been nicer and accommodated a friend who came in to have a glass of wine w us. Food excellent and nice low key atmosphere. We will be back here, even w other places we want to try."
    Dined on 4/10/2014
  • "We thought that Toma's was an excellent place to eat with wonderful service and a very varied menu. Something for everyone. The specials were delightful."
    Dined on 4/12/2014
  • "The food is outstanding, the staff is friendly, helpful and warm. Can not say enough good things without making it even tougher to find a table there. Hands down our favorite in SB."
    Dined on 4/12/2014
  • "I have been here 1/2 dozen times, took another couple there. They have already booked another dinner. You must make reservations well in advance."
    Dined on 10/30/2013
  • "This is a wonderful restaurant with friendly and efficient service. The menu offers a nice selection. This is our go to place for special occasions. On our visit this week we started with the ahi cones and arugala salad. They were both great! The short ribs melt in your mouth and have the best flavor. We also had the sea bass special which was prepared perfectly. The lasagne was also wonderful. I love the Frog Pond, which is a spicy, flavorful, cocktail. We didn't have wine this time but they have a nice selection. I recommend Toma to people on a regular basis and always get positive feedback. Try it, you'll love it!"
    Dined on 4/10/2014
  • "We finished our wine tasting early so we showed up at the restaurant just as they opened and had the place practically to ourselves. We shared a salad which was very good. My wife had the halibut which is a regular menu item and it was excellent. I had the seafood special . I forget the name of the fish but the waiter described it as a poor man's lobster. It was also very nice but not quite as good as the halibut. Since we had wine tasted during the day we did not have any drinks or dessert"
    Dined on 4/10/2014
  • "Ordered the squash blossoms, canneloni, lasagna, and chocolate torte. Bursting with flavor. Owners Tom and Vickie very personable. Glad we were referred to this gem by a Santa Barbara native."
    Dined on 4/9/2014
  • "Second visit in 8 days. GREAT food. Wonderful wine list. Everything is fresh and most tasty. It's a keeper for sure!"
    Dined on 4/9/2014
  • "Great food, service and total experience. Highly recommend. They even have a kids menu!"
    Dined on 4/7/2014
  • "When I made the reservation, I stated that it was my husband's birthday, but the restaurant did not do anything to mark the special occasion. They did give us a very nice table and the bus boys were very attentive in filling our water glasses. But we waited over an hour to get our dinners, which were ok but nothing special. The waitress did apologize several times for how long we had to wait. And the manager came over and apologized as well, then comped us for the appetizer. But it's not really about the money, especially when you are out for a special occasion. We are locals, but we will most likely never return and will not recommend Toma to our friends. It's too bad, because we had really been looking forward to a wonderful evening."
    Dined on 4/8/2014
  • "We've waited a long time for this one! We have other good restaurants, but this one has the whole package without being pretentious or over-the-top expensive."
    Dined on 4/6/2014
  • "My husband and I both had the cioppino which was fabulous-well worth the price. Terrific service."
    Dined on 4/1/2014
  • "We went for a romantic dinner for two and it was perfect! Wait staff was phenomenal, food was exquisite. Thank you for a wonderful experience!"
    Dined on 3/31/2014
  • "I appreciate any opportunity to dine at Toma. It is a little more than I can spend on a regular basis (enough to make you want to rob a bank), but it is SOOO worth it every time. Don't miss the Boar Shank. Don't be afraid-- it was tender, flavorful and not "gamey" in the slightest. I always get the tuna cones-- I can't hep it, they are spectacular. Love the beet salad, the wine list, oh-- and the chocolate torte with a little McConnells on the top. Last-- a word about the staff. They are the very best-- not only completely knowledgeable, fast and efficient, but really interesting intelligent human beings who have their eye on everything. They seem HAPPY to be working there. That tells me a lot. Mostly, to go back and eat there again soon."
    Dined on 4/5/2014
  • "My husband and I dined at Toma for the first time while on vacation in Santa Barbara. We usually don't have much success with Italian restaurants, especially since I am Italian and tend to be very picky about my cultural cuisine. Nevertheless, this place blew away anything we have ever had anywhere else. Think of it as Italian with a twist. The dishes were uniquely prepared with elevated flavor profiles. I had their famous Lasagne, and my husband had the Wild Boar. Both were outstanding! Don't skip the cocktails, because those are unique and delicious as well! Service was impeccable, and the price was reasonable too. If we are ever back in SB, we will be making another reservation here!"
    Dined on 4/1/2014
  • "On a weekend escape with my daughter, I was seeking some delicious food at a restaurant near the ocean with great service. Toma's did not disappoint. The food was excellent! The service terrific, and the ambiance cheerful. Highly recommend this restaurant!"
    Dined on 4/4/2014
  • "Great food, very friendly and attentive staff, and warm atmosphere. Highly recommended!"
    Dined on 4/3/2014
  • "Glad I made a reservation! Toma was packed at 8:30 pm on a Monday. Very good Med/Italian style fare. I ordered the grilled romaine salad and the scallops main course. The portions were generous and the flavors were big, especially for the scallop dish, which had a great accompaniment of winter vegetables and asparagus. The romaine salad was solid but not exceptional - the dressing was a little sweet for my taste. Toma has a good cocktail list and a very impressive wine list too. The dining room is a little crowded - tables too close to one-another - making the ambience somewhat frenetic."
    Dined on 3/31/2014
  • "We had a large group at Toma for a birthday celebration and had an awesome meal. Tom and his staff provided outstanding service and made everyone in our group feel welcomed. The special of the day (a local seabass with spring greens) was light and flavorful and exceeded expectations. We've been to Toma many times and each experience is excellent!"
    Dined on 4/3/2014
  • "I suggest sharing the starters... tons of great options. If you're a fan of grilled octopus, you'll LOVE this one!"
    Dined on 4/4/2014
  • "Guest arriving from out of town - dinner reservation at Toma! Flight delay accommodated for us by a delay in reservation time. Busy when we arrived with a couple of large groups, no impact to attentive and timely service from wait staff. Held back a star on food this visit as menu gnocchi fell short vs. past visits - sauce was a bit heavy on butter with less overall flavor. Scallops were delicious!"
    Dined on 4/3/2014
  • "Great food made better by the service protocol with Chef's acting as expediters. Servers extensive knowledge of the daily specials and ingredients was outstanding! I will be back next time I'm in SB."
    Dined on 3/30/2014
  • "Disappointing experience. Although food service was not rushed, food was not finished / presented well. Items described in menu missing or hastily put on plate whole. It was a very busy night. Perhaps kitchen staff was overwhelmed? Second time eating here and with so many other places to try, not sure I would go to Toma again anytime soon."
    Dined on 4/2/2014
  • "This restaurant is a true gem. Yes, it's small, congested & a bit noisy, but the food & service was superb. A small menu, but something for everyone. Everything we had was beautifully presented & extremely fresh. Our table had the Scallops (prepared perfectly, large & firm) , Braised Short Rib (tender,generous portion), Roasted Boar Shank (large portion - also yummy) & Chippino (light broth & loaded w/fresh seafood). Everyone loved their choices. We HAD to have dessert, which included a fabulous Phyllo Crisp, Creme Brulee & something beautiful & chocolate. We had a very sharp server (Steven) who was attentive without hovering, friendly without being intrusive. A lovely evening with good friends & wonderful food. We will be returning - soon!"
    Dined on 3/20/2014
  • "Interesting dishes that you probably won't find at other restaurants."
    Dined on 3/31/2014
  • "Santa Barbara boasts many wonderful restaurants, but this is our favorite. The food is amazing -- authentic yet sophisticated. The waitstaff is knowledgeable, helpful and just plain nice! Working together, they make sure their guests are pleased, accommodating special needs and desires. As we leave Toma, we are already planning our next visit! Marni & Sears"
    Dined on 3/30/2014
  • "Toma exceeded our expectations in every way. Food was very creative and tasty. Our party of Four had three appetizers. Tuna and sesame seed cones were original. The owner and staff are very friendly. The place was packed with locals which is always a good sign. Great location near the marina."
    Dined on 3/29/2014
  • "Great evening, food was great, lively mood, lots of locals. Happy this restaurant made a come back!"
    Dined on 3/28/2014
  • "Third visit where I've brought out-of-town guests and it was even better than first two visits which were very good. Nice view of the beach. Great knowledgeable, affable waiter. Excellent food. Three of us shared an appetizer, a flat bread and two entrees and it was just the right amount of food. Homemade bread is sinful!"
    Dined on 3/28/2014
  • "Toma was recommended to us by friends from New Mexico that had recently stayed in Santa Barbara for a couple of days. What a great find! Food was excellent and unique, service was excellent and our waiter was the perfect combination of attentive and charming. My wife said the cioppino was the best she'd ever eaten. We can't wait to get back!"
    Dined on 3/26/2014
  • "uber, wonderful, great, superb, fantastic, incredible, fabulous, is that 50 characters?"
    Dined on 3/28/2014
  • "We'd already been to Toma a few times and liked it very much so we decided to bring our friends who were visiting from Europe there. Each of us got different main courses and desserts, and we all loved are choices. The food was artfully prepared, tasty, and served nice and hot. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. It was a great dining experience!"
    Dined on 3/22/2014
  • "We finally were able to eat at Toma's a second time, after being thwarted several times since we could not get a reservation as they were booked solid. Had a wonderful evening there--the service is terrific, the atmosphere romantic, and the food very good. My vegetarian entree, the vegetable roll, was the least exciting. It consisted of mashed potatoes and vegetables in strips of hard-to-wrangle vegetable strips. Everyone else raved about their meals (cioppino, scallops and short rib) and our shared appetizers of tuna cones and roasted beet salad were fantastic. My first visit to Toma was memorable, too, I had the black spaghetti and shared the artichoke appetizers--both delicious. Toma has an excellent wine list."
    Dined on 3/13/2014
  • "Toma has mouth watering food, in a seaside setting, served by nice wait staff and hosted with warmth. Each trip to Sant Barbara we make a reservarion, this time we had the pleasrue twice, with both times providing excepitonally good meals and delightful experiances. Truely a treat."
    Dined on 3/22/2014
  • "Great evening for food and fun and to impress out-of-town friends."
    Dined on 3/21/2014
  • "I have been to Toma twice. The first time (about 2 months ago) I would have given 5 stars for food, this time 3 stars. The first time everything was perfectly made and I remember thinking that this is now my favorite restaurant. As I am vegetarian I chose the only entree on the menu that fits my criteria, which was the vegetable roll. It was perfectly made the first time with crunchy phyllo and perfectly cooked veges ribbons, but this last time everything was a big mushy mess. My friend had the octopus appetizer as an entree and she had a similar comment of no separation of flavors The highlight of the dinner for both of us was the sorbet dessert served in an edible thin wafer bowl. Really good!"
    Dined on 3/19/2014
  • "Our first time experience at Toma was very disappointing food-wise. The atmosphere, server staff etc. were excellent. However, our (shared) main course of Manicotti was served with a burned crust of cheese (or something) and the filling of short rib was totally flavorless and unappetizing. Two of us could not even finish one of the two in the serving. While this one dish might have been an anomaly on what seemed to be a very well functioning restaurant and bar, perhaps another entrée would have changed this opinion."
    Dined on 3/16/2014
  • "This reviewer had not personally been to the restaurant, but is one of the favorites in Santa Barbara for our Group Leader to take his VIP guests. The food is outstanding and service by the staff has been personal and exceptional. The Owner, Tom Dolan has bent over backwards to accommodate our requests. For this we are very appreciative."
    Dined on 3/13/2014
  • "My husband took me recently to Toma's for a birthday dinner and it was a lovely experience. The tuna cones and the romaine salad paired beautifully with my Brander Sauvignon Blanc. My black spaghetti with clams was delicious as was my husbands special pasta of the gemelli with sausage. We went early on a Sunday evening - the service was perfect. We will be going back to once again experience this wonderful addition to the Santa Barbara restaurant scene."
    Dined on 3/16/2014
  • "My wife and I dined here for our anniversary and loved it. The staff was great and very knowledgable about food and wine. We would go back in a heart beat."
    Dined on 3/15/2014
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Diners' Choice Awards
  • California Central Coast Winners
  • Best Overall
  • Italian
  • Most Booked
  • Santa Barbara Winners
  • Best Overall
  • Best Ambiance
  • Best Food
  • Best Service
  • Fit for Foodies
  • Romantic
  • Most Booked
Learn more ›