Published December 6, 2025
Great Restaurants in Santa Barbara!
There are so many wonderful great restaurants in and around Santa Barbara! Choices range from scenic beachfront restaurants such as Angel Oak at the Ritz Carlton Bacara Santa Barbara, angeloaksb.com (http://www.angeloaksb.com/), to Lucky's Steakhouse in Montecito, luckys-steakhouse.com (https://www.luckys-steakhouse.com/), where celebrity gazing is almost always on the menu. We are blessed with a wide assortment of great restaurants in our area.
Some of my personal favorites are The Gathering Table at The Ballard Inn, ballardinn.com (https://www.ballardinn.com/) which is a short 35 minute drive from Downtown Santa Barbara in Ballard. Chef Budi Kazali artistically blends Asian and French cuisine to deliver a truly delectable and extensive menu that features seasonal, locally sourced produce, seafood, and meats. Opal Restaurant and Bar, opalrestaurantandbar.com (https://opalrestaurantandbar.com/), is another huge favorite of mine. Located in Downtown Santa Barbara, this wonderful restaurant features great food, great service, great ambiance, and great prices. I could not recommend this restaurant any higher. For more information about Opal Restaurant and Bar, please view it on my Concierge Partners page.
Others include Chuck's of Hawaii, chucksofhawaii.com (https://chucksofhawaii.com/), a Santa Barbara legend for it's salad bar and teriyaki rice for over 50 years, and Brophy Bros. Clam Bar & Restaurant, brophybros.com (https://www.brophybros.com/), an iconic and quintessential restaurant at the Harborside.
Please contact me for more great dining recommendations!
