Santa Barbara eats far above its size. The city sits in the middle of rich farmland, a famously productive ocean and one of California's best wine regions, and its restaurant scene has grown to match — the Michelin Guide now recognizes a long list of places across the county, from a beachfront Italian dining room in Montecito to a French bistro in a Western-style wine town. Here is how to eat and drink well without wasting a meal.
The Michelin map
Three restaurants in Santa Barbara County hold a Michelin star. Caruso's, on the beach at the Rosewood Miramar in Montecito, serves Southern Italian cooking with a coastal California touch and also holds a Green Star for sustainability; book a sunset table well ahead. Silvers Omakase in the Funk Zone earned its first star for an intimate Japanese omakase counter. And Bell's in Los Alamos, a tiny town in the Santa Ynez Valley, serves French-Californian bistro cooking worth the drive. Monte's holds a Green Star. The Bib Gourmands — Michelin's good-value picks — are a terrific list for everyday eating: Loquita for Spanish tapas in the Funk Zone, Corazon Cocina for tacos in the Santa Barbara Public Market, Sama Sama Kitchen for Southeast Asian-inspired plates, Bettina for wood-fired pizza at the Montecito Country Mart, and Peasants Feast in Solvang for seasonal comfort food. The recommended list adds the Lark, Barbareño, Little Mountain and Yoichi's in town, Los Agaves on Milpas Street, and the Tavern at Mattei's Tavern and Bar Le Côte in Los Olivos.
Tacos and the Mexican table
Santa Barbara's Mexican food is a point of local pride, and the counter-service spots on and around Milpas Street on the Eastside are where locals go — Los Agaves is Michelin-recommended. Corazon Cocina in the Public Market makes a convenient downtown stop. The rule: eat tacos at least once, preferably at a casual counter, and order whatever is fresh off the grill.
From the sea
The Santa Barbara Channel's most famous catch is its spot prawns and sea urchin, and the city's seafood culture is at its most authentic around the harbor and on Stearns Wharf, where shellfish counters and seafood restaurants serve with the water in view. For something more refined, the sushi and omakase counters — Silvers, Ama Sushi at the Rosewood, Sushi by Scratch in Montecito — show how good the local fish can be.
The farmers market and the farm
The Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market sets up every Saturday morning from 8am to 1pm on Carrillo Street and the 900 and 1000 blocks of State Street, rain or shine, with a second market midweek in Old Town. It is the best place to see what the region grows — citrus, avocados, strawberries, greens, flowers and, in season, stone fruit — and to snack your way through a morning. Many of the restaurants above shop here, which is why their menus change with the seasons.
The wine
Santa Barbara County wine is the region's calling card. In the city, the Urban Wine Trail strings more than twenty tasting rooms through the Funk Zone and nearby, so you can taste wines from over the mountains without a drive: Riverbench, Fess Parker, the Santa Barbara Wine Collective, The Valley Project, Margerum and Barden, Santa Barbara Winery and many more. In the Santa Ynez Valley, seven American Viticultural Areas cover the range from cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Sta. Rita Hills to Syrah in Ballard Canyon and Cabernet in Happy Canyon. A smart approach is to taste in town first to learn your preferences, then plan a valley day around the producers you liked. Share flights, eat between rooms, and book a driver for the wine country.
Beer, cocktails and coffee
The Funk Zone has excellent breweries — Figueroa Mountain Brewing and Validation Ale among them — and cocktail bars such as Test Pilot and Pearl Social. In Montecito, the Manor Bar at the Rosewood is the glamorous nightcap, and Coast Village Road has a lively happy-hour scene. For mornings, Helena Avenue Bakery in the Funk Zone and the Zaca Coffee Trailer are reliable starts, and in Solvang the bakeries' aebleskiver and kringle are mandatory.
Booking and budgeting
The starred and most-recommended restaurants — Caruso's, Silvers Omakase, Bell's and the omakase counters — book up weeks ahead for weekends, so reserve as soon as your dates are firm, and check cancellation policies. Bib Gourmands like Loquita and Bettina are easier but still busy on summer evenings; arrive early or book. Counter-service taco spots and the Public Market need no planning at all. Tasting fees on the Urban Wine Trail vary by producer, and many waive a fee with a bottle purchase; ask when you arrive. In the wine country, estate visits increasingly work on reservation, and many offer seated tastings with food. For a balanced budget, alternate a splurge dinner with a casual one, make lunch your big meal on wine-country days, and graze the Saturday market for breakfast. Dietary needs are well understood across the city, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options common on menus.
A three-day eating plan
Day one: farmers market grazing if it is Saturday, tacos for lunch, three Funk Zone tasting rooms in the afternoon and tapas at Loquita for dinner. Day two: bakery breakfast, a light lunch near the mission, and the splurge — Caruso's at sunset, or the Lark or Barbareño for regional Californian cooking. Day three: wine country, with pastries in Solvang, tastings in Los Olivos and dinner at Bell's in Los Alamos or the Tavern at Mattei's Tavern. Rules: book the starred restaurants ahead, eat at least one taco from a counter, taste in town before you taste in the valley, and never drive after a tasting day.
