Diners' Choice: Hot spot restaurants in Santa Barbara

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants that are the best hot spots in Santa Barbara? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

OKU

4.8

4.8 (1852)

$31 to $50

Asian

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Tina Takaya, proprietor, welcomes you to our newest two story restaurant on the water. We feel the key to success is our passion for creating the highest quality food and warm friendly service.

We hope you will enjoy your experience as much as we enjoyed creating it for you.
"We want Locals to feel like Family and Visitors to feel like Locals"

Our menu draws from Asian favorites that inspire and excite such as Wagyu Steak, Japanese Sushi, Chinese Dumplings, Garlic Noodles and fresh local seafood.

We are located in the heart of Santa Barbara’s Waterfront and Funk Zone Districts. Come enjoy lunch or dinner, soak in the sun by day at our waterfront rooftop bar while sipping on a refreshing cocktail surrounded by our beautiful ocean vista and by night, enjoy lounging by the fireplace after a delicious meal and a great glass of wine.

Our chef uses the freshest ingredients from central coast farmers and local fisherman to create dishes with the best of what California has to offer.

Top review

Timothy

Dined on Jun 7, 2025

Excellent service and the food was outstanding. Would definitely go back.

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Popular dish

Crispy Korean Cauliflower

Ca' Dario Cucina Italiana

4.8

4.8 (633)

$31 to $50

Italian

Goleta

About the restaurant

Anything grilled is "divine" and the rest of the menu is "delectable" at the "charming" Italian in Santa Barbara known for its "excellent" execution of "simple" pasta, meats and other classics plus a "fantastic" wine list with many available by the glass; it's a local "favorite", so reservations are a must.

Top review

Julie

Dined on May 17, 2025

Pasta is fresh, hot and delicious. Never disappoints.

San Setto

4.8

4.8 (124)

$31 to $50

Sushi

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

An intimate space featuring a contemporary Japanese menu highlighting fresh sushi, saké, and selected wines.

Marriott Bonvoy Members can earn points when staying with us. Please enroll here: https://www.joinmarriottbonvoy.com/uscanqr/s/EN/ch/sbarz

For parties with 8 guests or more a 26% service charge fee will be added to your final bill. For all guests there will be an 8.75% California State tax added to the final bill.

Top review

NobbiVIP

Dined on May 24, 2025

Limited Menu but great quality and fantastic service.

Secret Bao

4.8

4.8 (747)

$31 to $50

Asian

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Contemporary Asian American Restaurant from Chefs Peter Lee & Felicia Medina.

"Consider the bao. Chinese in origin, it’s most easily described as a steamed bun filled with something savory. Yet, like the American concept of a sandwich, the bao exploded into a flexible format of untold bounds — served at any meal, filled with you-name-it, completely closed or wide open, with endless regional variants from across Asia and far beyond." - Matt Kettmann (SB Independent)

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, Bao, Food, Restaurant, Asian, American, New, Modern, Fried, Chicken, Octopus, Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, Friendly, Dog Friendly, Outdoor Patio, Heaters, Warm, Inviting, Hospitable, Modern Design

Top review

Lorene

Dined 3 days ago

Great food! Loved the duck spring rolls and the carbonara noodles! Service was fantastic!

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4.7

4.7 (2975)

$50 and over

Steakhouse

Montecito

About the restaurant

LUCKY'S is widely known for its exclusive selection of USDA Prime steaks, fresh seafood, farmer's market vegetables, no-nonsense cocktails and world class wine cellar.
For take-out, please call the restaurant.
We do not accept bar table reservations online, please call the restaurant.
For larger parties, please call or email the restaurant directly.

Top review

Dianne

Dined 4 days ago

French Onion soup- Artichoke ( roasted) +it’s incredible sauce 😋 Yes, Chilean sea bass was delicious at the steakhouse too!

Rare Society - Santa Barbara

4.6

4.6 (13)

$50 and over

Steakhouse

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Sink your teeth into Rare Society - a modern homage to the golden age of the American steakhouse. Chef and owner Brad Wise reimagines vintage upscale dining with a bold, contemporary edge: a wood-fired grill fueled by red oak, an in-house dry-aging program, sustainably sourced seafood, and a progressive cocktail menu that nods to the classics while pushing boundaries. The space hums with energy - smoke curling from the grill, the scent of fire and flavor wafting through the air. It’s easy to picture a Rat Pack-era dinner party in full swing: elegant, indulgent, just a little unruly. Rare Society doesn’t just pay tribute to steakhouse tradition - it revives it, reinvents it, and serves it with just a little bit of swagger.

Top review

Priscella

Dined on May 31, 2025

Amazing food, staff, and atmosphere! The rolls, executive, and mashed potatoes were absolutely delicious!

Gala

4.6

4.6 (355)

$31 to $50

European

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

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

Top review

GinaVIP

Dined 1 day ago

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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branzino a la plancha

Bibi Ji

4.4

4.4 (382)

$31 to $50

Indian

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Modern Indian food featuring local produce and seafood paired with a robust low-intervention wine program curated by Alejandro Medina and James Beard Award winner Rajat Parr. Located directly across the street from the historic Granada Theatre in the heart of Santa Barbara's ARTS District. Join us in our lively, signature pastel pink dining room.

Michelin Guide Central Coast Selection 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Top review

LauraVIP

Dined today

Delicious food and attentive service. The cauliflower small plate is a must have.

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Popular dish

Crispy Cauliflower

Plow & Angel Speakeasy

4.3

4.3 (11)

$50 and over

American

Montecito

About the restaurant

For over a century, San Ysidro Ranch has been a haven for those seeking tranquility amidst the captivating landscapes of Santa Barbara. This historic hideaway effortlessly weaves together natural beauty, romantic heritage, and classic luxury, welcoming discerning travelers to experience a retreat like no other. In the heart of this timeless escape, experience indulgence through Afternoon Tea, where an enticing array of tea sandwiches, seasonal scones, and house-made pastries promise to elevate your senses. As the day transitions to night, immerse yourself in a clandestine world within our speakeasy, where crafted cocktails and an intimate ambiance transport you to a bygone era. San Ysidro Ranch invites you to become part of its storied history, where the past meets the present in an atmosphere of natural beauty, culinary delights, and timeless moments.

Top review

Marianne

Dined on May 15, 2025

This bar offers curated cocktails and a limited bar menu, but everything we tried was incredible, clearly prepared by a chef and a bartender who care about their product. Ambience was very cool, service was impeccable. Staff encouraged us to take our drinks and stroll around the gardens, which are beautiful. Just a really enjoyable experience.

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Experience

Plow & Angel Speakeasy

Experience

Afternoon Tea

Blackbird

4.2

4.2 (187)

$31 to $50

Californian

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Blackbird offers an inventive take on dishes, highlighting hyper-local and hyper-seasonal offerings. Leaning into the locality and freshness of the fare continues to be a focus of the restaurant’s story. In 2025, we will focus on redefining and developing the personality of Blackbird, including highlighting the talent to create the semblance of a relationship for locals looking for somewhere to go. A revamped cocktail menu will aim to drive additional local interest and traffic into the spaces. We continue to strive to position Blackbird as a favorite in town, and to that end are finding new ways to activate the venues each night and draw both locals and hotel guests in.

Complimentary hotel valet parking with validation.

Top review

Justin

Dined today

Connor Fellows is incredible! Great ambiance and even better service.

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