First- rate.

Creative menu, engaged (and engaging) staff eager to point out the new dishes since we last visited. Really an excellent restaurant.

I was disappointed in the food there. The only dish that I liked was the Santa Maria Wagyu tri-tip.
Service and ambience great

I've had the privilege of eating in some pretty good restaurants lately throughout California. But for me, Barbareño is the standout favourite. The flavours are at once bold, but subtle and well-blended, and the service was friendly but not overbearing. On top of that, our server was extremely knowledgeable about both the food and the wine list, and helped us choose the perfect drinks to complement our meals. I really can't think of anything I'd change at all.

Epic. Life changing. A truly incredible meal. The tri tip will alter the course of history. Don’t shy from the baked California.

Amazing! The food was beyond! And our server was so attentive and caring, truly a great experience overall.

Everytime I come here I am blown away from the service to the complexities of the menu.

Had a lovely birthday dinner for my wife here. We almost missed our reservation spot because of traffic but boy am I glad we made it. Food was lovely, service was exquisite and ambience was great!

Awesome service, had the tri-tip it was amazing. Great overall experience

Everything was perfect. A little uncomfortable with the “mask” policy that everytime a team member came to your table, you had to cover your face! Not very relaxing to keep having to pay attention to their actions. Just could’ve done without that part.

Amazing food and service. Definitely worth checking out! Food was creative, well executed and very delicious! Service was also great! Will definitely go back next time we are in SB.

oh my god ! Food was amazing - beautiful and delicious. Service impeccable. Do not miss this restaurant.

Was disappointed with our experience. The outdoor setting was a little rustic for the cost of dining, and the patio heaters did not do enough to warm us up. We weren’t sure if our waiter was inexperienced or very nervous - he was very stilted in his delivery with long pauses. The only dish we enjoyed was the Especial appetizer which was lamb al pastor on flatbread, we finished every morsel. Our main courses were disappointing and did not live up to their description. The worst culprit was the side dish called Animal Potatoes - crushed potatoes that were almost burnt, topped with an unpleasant “house thousand island dressing”.

Wedding Anniversary
Attentive, friendly and knowledgeable wait-staff
Creative, tasty food
Good value

The food was to die for! Food not only looks great, it’s also full of flavor. 100% recommend.

Incredible experience overall. Amazing food and amazing service

I just can't say enough about the quality and uniqueness of the food here. We started with the yellowtail crudo and it was bright, fresh, with all sorts of subtle flavors complementing the fresh fish. Next we had the lavender infused ricotta ravioli with smoked broccolini, pearl onions, garlic and fennel. I could have eaten 4 more orders of it. The smoked wagyu tri tip was gloriously tender and flavorful with these cute little beans that carried the flavors through. I wish we lived closer so I could enjoy their creative cuisine weekly! And the service was fantastic, wonderfully enthusiastic people who really were proud of the food they served.

The food was lovely but the service was not. We were seated in the tent section by ourselves which was away from other diners where there were available tables. The ambience in the tent was poor compared to the other seating areas. We did not complain and figured it was something due to Covid.

While our server was attentive, we were not allowed to switch tables within the tent section, when my wife asked to because of the setting sun shining directly in her eyes. There were several tables all around us that were empty for most of our meal. The front of the house told us that it was going to be too challenging to move us. What ever happened with “the customer comes first?”. When we asked why, we were not given a real answer, and felt kind of dismissed.

Immediately after that exchange my kids asked for more bread and the server told us that each table only gets one slice per diner but she’ll go back to the kitchen and ask if she can get more. She came back and said unfortunately we can’t give you any more bread but we do have some rejects that we can give you. She actually used the word rejects! She came back to the table with four badly burned end pieces.

The server did not give us a kids menu (yet a different server referenced one). The kids ordered their entrées plain with the sauce on the side. The waiter said that’s fine and then when the dishes were served they were sauced and the kids did not like them. When I told the server (different than our main server) that we asked for sauce on the side she said that’s not what was ordered and didn’t offer to bring back the correct order.

We decided to skip dessert and get out of there. We still provided a 15% tip because many of the bad decisions at Barbareno were not our main server’s.

It does make me wonder if booking with OpenTable gives you “third class status”, versus booking as a local.

And as good as the food was we are definitely not going to return based on our poor experience.

Birthday celebration. Everything was perfect

First visit this evening. We enjoyed the Especial. Lamb al Pastor.
The Santa Maria BBQ Wagyu tri tip was the best I've had, amazingly tender and great smoke flavor. Loved the brussel sprouts, crispy and nicely seasoned.
Very decent wine list focused on Central coast.
Wish I had room for dessert.

This is the second time we have eaten at Barbareño. Both times fabulous. But...beyond description the fennel fried chicken. Crispy and so moist inside and not greasy. Dessert, there are some choices of chocolate. Provided by Michael Orlando chocolatier, 5 star in Santa Barbara. The service both times was the very best. Servers are knowledgeable and friendly and are such bright individuals who are interesting to talk to. Don't miss Barbareño!

Great food and service

Loved their outdoor dining setup with a lovely and relaxed garden atmosphere. Highest grades for the ambience! Food was overall good but not everything on the menu blew us away, e.g. the grilled avocado was a bit of a letdown and the amaro way too sweet. Some flavours were very "peculiar" and dominant. The vegetarian acorn tagliatelle, however, was simply amazing ❤️ And their bread is stellar - a shame that they are rationing it 😆

My husband and I celebrated our fifth anniversary at Barbareño. The food was phenomenal as well as the wait staff. They really took care of us. I would highly recommend.

It was amazing as always! Nahtassha and Team always make us feel incredibly special ... they are extremely attentive and knowledgeable about the menu as well. The depth of flavors in the food and attention to detail is incredible!!!

Aggressive mask policies for outdoor dining. Would like you to wear the mask every time someone approaches the table. Awkward. Food was really good. So good it gave my wife a hang over & we don’t drink

Excellent food in a great indoor patio. Very dog friendly and the server even brought our dog water!

Incredible dining experience. A bargain for how incredible the food was.

Beautiful and delicious original food. Loved the avocado appetizer, miso cod,Tri tip, best potatoes ever, fresh baked sour dough & chocolate dessert. The chef is truly creative and knows how to spice, but not overdue it. Excellent service! We look forward to returning!

This place was delicious. I really like how they explained each plate when they delivered it. Our waitress was amazing and explained and asked how our food was. They really made our 20 year anniversary very memorable and a great experience. I am definitely coming back! We had the fried ranch Chicken, crudo, grilled avocado and wings. All so good! I will make the drive from LA to this place just so I can try their season food and for the great service

Delicious food and lovely atmosphere. The grilled avocado was beyond any expectations

Everything was AMAZING!!! What a wonderful dinner and experience. The crudo and grilled avocado were delicious. The chocolate 5 ways dessert was phenomenal. Everything was thoughtfully created. The atmosphere is cute and cozy. I celebrated a special event here and it felt very special indeed. Highly recommend!

Incredibly disappointed. Used to be amazing, took a big drop post COVID. Will not be returning

Great food as usual. Always unique entrées and amazing desserts. The desserts are also unique and a must have when at Barbareno.

If you are in Santa Barbara you MUST try Barbareno! The food is impeccable. The flavors are unique and eating there is a must-have experience for your tastebuds.

Fun, unique and delicious night out in Santa Barbara.

The food was VERY delicious. Flavors I've not had. We liked every dish we ordered. The dessert was the "surprise," the panna cotta--a burst of surprising flavors that I've never had together. We will definitely return and tell friends and family.

We were celebrating a birthday. Barbareno is a wonderful place for a special evening with dishes you don’t experience every day. The staff is courteous and our waitress was well informed of the menu equally well versed in the wine selection. My husband decided on the recommended Pinot. We started with the grilled avocado, the eggamuffin, and duck wings. All amazing. For entrees the kids got the cheeses burgers with potatoes. The adults all ordered different dishes so we could get a Taste of each other’s meal. Our daughter ordered the ravioli, the birthday boy got Tri tip, my husband the black cod and I got the fried chicken with the animal fries to share. Everything was incredible. Our son is a chef and said his Tri tip was the best he’d ever had. For dessert We all shared the chocolates, the “baked California ” and velvet rose. 5 star experience all around. We plan to go again. Many thanks to the front and back of the house! Bravo!

Celebrated my dear friends 40th birthday and everyone raved about the food, the wine, the staff, the everything. Truly a divine evening! Thank you!

Amazing food and service! Everything we tried was phenomenal. Wish I lived closer!