Santa Barbara is known for beauty and charm that’s comparable to the French Riviera. Many people might also know it as delicious because of so many restaurants that rival the French Riviera in style and quality. If you lived in Santa Barbara for a year, every dinner could be at a different restaurant and you would still not sample them all.
Start your day with a high-quality, tasty, chef-made breakfast as part of your Eagle Inn stay. And then explore Santa Barbara and the food scene.
If food is your passport to international exploration, you can go far and never leave Santa Barbara. Within two miles of Eagle Inn, you can enjoy Italian, Lebanese, Mexican, Cajun, and more. Most Santa Barbara restaurants proudly take good advantage of local, seasonal ingredients, from the vineyards and farms to the ranches and sea. Fresh comes through in tastes no matter the preparation method or venue.
Experiencing the local restaurants is part of the experience of Santa Barbara. Everyone seems to know this, so reservations are recommended at most places.
For lunch and dinner near Eagle Inn
Brophy Bros.—Seafood. Clam bar, extensive alcohol bar too. Mountain and harbor view. Lively atmosphere. No reservations. Also operates On the Alley at the marina, for quick, convenient breakfast, lunches and dinners.
Chase Bar and Grill—Italian, plus steak. Multiple happy hours. Ask you limit your seat time to 90 minutes maximum.
Enterprise Fish Company—Mesquite charcoal broiled fresh fish and seafood dishes. Casual with high energy. Lunch and dinner.
Finch and Fork—California/American with a twist. Comfort food in chic setting. Daily specials. Closed for lunch on Wednesdays.
Gino’s Sicilian Express—Sicilian, New York and in-between pizza styles. Paninis and wings. Lunch and dinner.
Joe’s Café—American Steakhouse and upbeat bar. Oldest restaurant in the city. Open early, open late, seven days a week.
Louie’s California Bistro—Wide variety of elegantly served New American food. Friendly eatery with a long history in Santa Barbara.
Los Agaves Restaurant—Mexican, contemporary-style, emphasis on seafood. Casual. Locations outside of Santa Barbara, but always well-reviewed here.
Lucky Penny—Wood-oven-baked artisanal pizza at this casual pizzeria AND coffeehouse with patio.
The Nook—Upscale American housed in a refurbished shipping container. Daily specials.
Olio e Limone Ristorante—Upscale Italian restaurant with extensive wine list. Olio Pizzeria next door. Also next door Olio Crudo Bar with food.
The Palace Grill—Cajun-Creole. Menu also includes contemporary American grill items.
Pascucci—Italian, lunch and dinner specials daily.
Poquita—Spanish. Standing-room-only pintxos (small bites) bar, connected to Loquita.
Santa Barbara Shellfish Company—Seafood seaside. Fresh, affordable, casual. Patio and fire pit.
Tyger Tyger—Thai and Vietnamese in a casual and friendly atmosphere
Uncle Rocco’s Famous New York Pizza—Authentic Italy to New York to Santa Barbara pizza, called a slice of Old-World respect and values. Plus, calzones and pasta dishes.
Zaytoon—Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine, outdoor patio with a fire pit, weekly live entertainment.
Dinner only restaurants nearby
Arigato Sushi – Japanese, reservations not taken. Extensive sushi and sashimi menu with many other choices as well. Thank you.
Black Sheep—Classic French technique used to create Latin, Asian, and Italian flavors in unique dishes.
Bouchon Santa Barbara—California French with acclaimed, “exclusively Santa Barbara County” wine list.
The Little Door—Contemporary American with local and Mediterranean region inspired menu
The Lark Santa Barbara—Modern American, comforting and elegant. Urban dinner-only venue.
Loquita Santa Barbara—Award-winning Spanish cuisine restaurant
Milk and Honey—Spanish. Open evenings. Named best tapas in the city multiple times. Loved for creative cocktails as well.
Opal—Eclectic California Cuisine often with an Asian twist. Specialty Martini, wines.
Toma Restaurant & Bar—Italian. Consistently rated as the city’s #1 restaurant. Sunny and small with harbor views.