User Reviews for Santa Barbara Restaurants

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Bouchon
Jul 16, 2008 by Bradley from Los Angeles

Overall Rating: 1
Food:[1] • Service:[1] • Atmosphere:[1]

• I will never eat there again.
• Overpriced, poorly prepared food, plain decor.

“My family and I agreed it is sub-par on every level. The five of us (all mature adults) are an easy-going group with lots of restaurant experience between us. We left Bouchon completely disappointed, and we all agreed it was about the worst restaurant experience we've ever had. It's an ordinary retail space where very little effort or expense went into the decor: hard wooden chairs (no booths), and budget framed poster art. The so-called garden patio is a cramped space with a few houseplants, located only a few feet from a busy street with car traffic. The only restroom - a tiny single room for both men and women - is located next door. Service was exceptionally slow. It took well over an hour for our entrees to arrive, despite the fact we were there on a quiet Tuesday night. The food was the worst. My NY steak was like shoe leather. The salmon had to be prepared twice, and they got it very wrong both times. It was inedible. The lamb left one member of our party feeling ill for hours afterward. The food was so poorly prepared. I do not recommend Bouchon in Santa Barbara. If you'd like a truly wonderful dining experience, go to Wine Cask instead.”

Brophy Bros Rest & Clam Bar
Dec 19, 2007 by Peter from New Haven,Ct

Overall Rating: 9
Food:[9] • Service:[9] • Atmosphere:[9]

• Upbeat noisy friendly atmosphere. Great burgers and fish sandwiches.
• If you want a quiet romantic spot, this is not it.

“Lively lunch spot. Short wait to get in. Very casual dress. Crowded bar overflows to diners. Upbeat, noisy and fun atmosphere. Fresh seafood, soup and sandwiches. Wait staff friendly, busy and energetic. They work hard to get it right. Second floor setting on pier with outside dining which provides wonderful water view and hungry seagulls. Definitely worth the visit.”

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Bouchon
Dec 10, 2007 by Bradley from Los Angeles

Overall Rating: 1
Food:[1] • Service:[1] • Atmosphere:[1]

• Nothing.
• Everything.

“After dining at Bouchon in Santa Barbara recently, I have to admit I feel I was duped by all the rave reviews I had read online. What a disappointment! There is nothing special about the location, decor, service, or food. Bouchon is an ordinary retail space with peach colored faux painted walls and budget framed poster art. There are no booths, only uncomfortable wooden chairs for seating. Dim lighting is the only "atmosphere" provided. The so called "garden patio" is a tiny, cramped space located only a few feet from a busy side street with lots of car traffic and a view of Vons supermarket directly across the street. Very little effort or expense went into the design of Bouchon service was slow, taking well over an hour for our entrees. This was on a quiet Tuesday night. We would have overlooked all of that if the food were exceptional. Far from it! My NY steak was so tough; it was hard to cut even with a steak knife. My sister had to reject the salmon twice. First try was very overcooked and dry. Second try was seared on the outside and completely raw inside. She decided to skip dinner altogether. The lamb left an unpleasant taste in my brother's mouth for hours afterward. We concluded that the chef must have had the night off and left the dishwasher to run the kitchen. My family and I aren't that hard to please. But, we all concluded Bouchon was the worst dining experience we've ever had. I've never been so disappointed in a restaurant that I felt I had to warn others to not waste any money there (until now). I would definitely not recommend Bouchon to anyone.”

Chucks Steakhouse
Oct 7, 2007 by George from Santa Barbara

Overall Rating: 5
Food:[8] • Service:[5] • Atmosphere:[8]

• Great food and usually good service.
• Expensive and lousy service the last visit.

“We love Chuck's and have been frequent customers for decades. That is why we were so upset about the service we received last week at the beach location. The place was nowhere near capacity, so there was no reason the waiter couldn't have been more attentive. Like I said, this was the first bad experience, but my wife is so angry she doesn't want to ever return. First error: the waiter brought the wrong salads to the table. No big deal. Second error: then, he delivered the wrong dinners. Third: the coffee was cold and he never asked if we needed anything else. Fourth: we asked the doggie bag one two of the leftovers and one salad. He forgot to keep the salad, so that was lost. Then this bill, which appears to be too much, but we didn't say anything at the time. I'll need to go there and rebuild the dinner to see if we were over charged.”

Domingo's Cafe
Mar 31, 2007 by moe

Overall Rating: 10
Food:[10] • Service:[10] •

• Nice friendly staff.
• Sundays sometimes very busy long wait.

“Domingo's is a great family restaurant with great home style food and friendly staff only problem is no one can try this place if the address is listed wrong. Hopefully others read this review and try Domingo's it's great place!”

Bouchon
Sep 12, 2006 by K. Richie from San Francisco

Overall Rating: 10
Food:[10] • Service:[10] • Atmosphere:[10]

• Service. I felt like we had two or three waiters serving us all night.
• It was chilly on the patio until they turned on the heat lamp.

“Bouchon is simply the perfect place for a romantic evening. I recently decided to get engaged to my girlfriend of many years. Since Santa Barbara is her favorite city, it only made sense to do it there. Based on user reviews, I picked Bouchon as my first choice for the post-proposal celebration. When I called to make reservations, the restaurant manager was completely accommodating to my needs and concerns and assured me that I would have a great evening. She did not disappoint. To make a long story short, the evening was perfect. We sat outside in the patio dining area, and I felt as though we were the only two people in the room (We weren't. Bouchon is a popular place!) The candles set the perfect mood, they just happened to be playing one of my favorite albums in the world: Getz/Gilberto, a faint sound of water from the waterfall And the food! My girlfriend (now fiance) couldn't stop raving about the delicious seafood and the molten lava cake. I had the Ahi Tuna and it was excellent. Jennifer went out of her way to make the evening a special one for the both of us. Service was great. Food was great. The next time we are in Santa Barbara, we will definitely be back!”

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Zia Cafe
Aug 28, 2005 by Kathleen from New York

Overall Rating: 10
Food:[10] • Service:[9] • Atmosphere:[8]

• EVERYTHING full bar and good food
• no umbrellas outside

“The salsas' are outstanding. their chile rellenos arent as greasy as regular mexican resturants. everything is a lot healthier. we went back every day of our trip to santa barbara. Try and go on a tuesday when the farmers market is in front. It is not as packed as other restuants but in this case it is a good thing since they pay more attention to you and you dont have that long wait. Plus the prices are much lower for the amount you get comparing to other resturants in santa barbara”

2 of 2 people found this review helpful.