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Gala Food & Cocktails  - Gala, Santa Barbara, CA

Gala

4.6 (361)
$31 to $50
European
705 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Make a reservation

2 people
10:00 PM
Booked 12 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Great for happy hour
Gala exudes a European meets Santa Barbara charm, where you feel like you’re transported to a beautiful bistro in the Mediterranean. Enjoy shared tapas, farmer's market favorites, pasta and risotto, fresh oysters and the best steak with bone marrow butter & chimichurri. Cozy up for our farm to table craft cocktails, a Pisco sour or martini and a full meal with friends. Curated wine list with local & Spanish wines. Right down the street from the Santa Barbara Courthouse enjoy an evening at Gala.








1 Block From State Street, Easy Parking, Public Lot Nearby, Free 75 Minute Parking, Walking Distance, El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District, Superior Court, Spanish Colonial Revival Courthouse, Santa Barbara Museum Of Art, Courthouse Gardens, Bell Tower, Farm to table, Farmer's market driven, Tapas, Seafood, Steak, Oysters, Happy Hour, Food, Cocktails, Wine, Restaurant, Vegetarian, Friendly, Dog Friendly, Outdoor Patio, Heaters, Warm, Inviting, Hospitable, Modern Design

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    European, Spanish, American
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Jaime Riesco
  • Private party facilities
    We have a beautiful patio and indoor dining room, perfect for private events, rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, corporate dinners and birthday celebrations.
  • Neighborhood
    Santa Barbara
  • Cross street
    Ortega St.
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Offers

  • Oysters, Pisco Sours & Margaritas Happy Hour

    Multiple dates available
    Tue - Sat - 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
    Fresh oysters for $2.50, French fries $6, Olives $5, Calamari $10, Pisco Sours $9, Pitchers of seasonal margaritas for $36 and more! Join us for a Happy Hour at Gala Tuesday through Saturday from 4-5:30

What 361 people are saying

Gala reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Santa Barbara

    Good for groups

  • Santa Barbara

    Healthy

  • Santa Barbara

    Hot spot

  • Santa Barbara

    Good for special occasions

  • Santa Barbara

    Lively

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Gala offers a "quintessential Santa Barbara experience" with "excellent food" and a "fun lively atmosphere." Highlights include the halibut crudo, tagliatelle, duck confit, and cheesecake. The service is "exceptional," and the cocktails are "yummy and fun." While the ambience is praised, some find it "a bit noisy."
361 Reviews
  1. Wendy VIP

    California Central Coast7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We celebrated a birthday with dinner at Gala. Besides the consistently good food one of the reasons I love going to Gala is that I always run into someone I know. I knew three tables of guests; a neighbor, a friend of my children and a cycling friend. It is a Santa Barbara gem with a big city bistro feel but in a small town.

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  2. Matt

    San Francisco Bay Area10 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Not sure if it was just a bad night but we were certainly disappointed in the food. Was our anniversary so we were looking forward to a great experience. Staff was wonderful, unfortunately the food wasn’t very good. Had the octopus and could just mange a couple of bites. Was a bit tough. They offered to remake but just didn’t feel that they could pull off as flavors were a bit bland as well. My wife got the duck confit that was pretty basic. For the price points on the food we expected a better outcome.

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  3. Duncan

    San Francisco Bay Area5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Loved dinner here at Gala out on the patio. Great food and staff and lots of great flavors with spice. Try the charcoal margarita.

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  4. Katie

    San Francisco Bay Area1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We are from Napa Valley, my husband is a winemaker, and we were here in SB for a family member’s graduation and our anniversary. We made a reservation here after looking through many reviews and photos. It lived up to our expectations. Staff was AMAZING! Megan and Rico were absolutely outstanding. We spoke at length to Megan about wine and she was so knowledgeable, fun, interesting and kind. Rico always made sure our glasses were full and that our table had what we needed. He also gave a heartwarming talk to the family member’s graduating. It was so sweet and kind. Truly memorable. We’ve dined at so many amazing restaurants because of my husband’s career, including Michelin Star restaurants in almost every country, and the service here matched what we come to expect from Michelin Star Restaurants. Truly outstanding on a particularly busy evening with graduation celebrations happening. Kudos to the waitstaff, the chef, the kitchen staff and the bar for doing such an excellent job this evening. We will be back! Get the Burrata, the fried green tomatoes, the scallops, the duck confit, and any dessert. Their wine list was also great.

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  5. Manda

    Los Angeles2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely loved this place. We celebrated my daughter’s graduation and every dish was amazing. Cocktails were subpar but the food made up for it.

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  6. Megan VIP

    California Central Coast6 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on June 15, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Food is very good but price point is way too high for the amount you get. $14 for 3 small cornbread muffins is insane for this place. Service was fine. Restaurant is so loud and chaotic it was hard to hear the staff. Couldn't hear our friends at the other end of the table. If servings were larger I'd come back, but for the crazy ambiance and price point being at the very high end even for SB, we won't go back.

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  7. Tiaan

    San Francisco Bay Area1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 14, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Another great experience. Food was outstanding. Look forward to our next visit.

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  8. Gina VIP

    California Central Coast20 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 14, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Gala does a wonderful job and we love the ambiance and the food! We were warmly welcomed and promptly seated. The local halibut crudo was a standout both in taste and presentation-- truly Michelin star caliber. Service was thoughtful. I would have given it 5 stars, but our salad seems to have been forgotten.

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  9. Travis

    Unspecified1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Loved the reception and atmosphere at Gala. It was a quintessential Santa Barbara experience.

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  10. John VIP

    California Central Coast134 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Consistently great, we love Gala. The food is excellent, in particular the oysters, chicken croquettes, and Jamon plate for starters, and we love their duck confit (with excellent mashed potatoes) and mushroom risotto loaded with delicious chanterelles. The service is excellent and their cheesecake is worth the caloric intake!

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FAQs

Gala is rated 4.6 stars by 361 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. California Central Coast
  4. Santa Barbara
  5. Santa Barbara

Make a reservation

2 people
10:00 PM
Booked 12 times today
Google Map for Gala

705 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Ortega St.
  • Neighborhood
    Santa Barbara
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    European, Spanish, American
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Jaime Riesco
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
  • Private party facilities
    We have a beautiful patio and indoor dining room, perfect for private events, rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, corporate dinners and birthday celebrations.
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