(A taste of the wines we had are in a separate article on this blog.)
State Street: Last time we were on State Street was before Covid. I’m betting that during that time they started offering more outdoor dining, and closed the street to cars like we did on Main Street in Newhall.
Now, those outdoor seating areas are up and down about three full blocks, with traffic blocked off. It was incredible to just walk around and see so many diners enjoying themselves, menus to peruse and plenty of people watching. Two of our family members, the younger ones, went back a couple of nights long after we tucked ourselves in for the night, and enjoyed chatting with local college students, had a couple of drinks, and an inexpensive Uber to get home.
Also on State Street, but closer to the beach, is the Spanish restaurant Loquita. We had visited the restaurant the last time we were in town and were anxious to go again. The menu is mostly tapas, as well as full entrees, and a very interesting cocktail menu. And order the churros for dessert!
We were thrilled to discover the Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch, a very casual Mexican eatery known for their grilled and seasoned chicken. When we visited we ordered what everyone else seemed to be having, tri-tip or chicken burritos, rice and beans.
Another local spot we discovered by the beach was East Beach Tacos. Get in line, check out the menu, get your food and watch kids play in the batting cages that the tables face. My favorite items – that I went back for a second time – was their fish and chips, and a trio of tacos that included Gangnam, Bang Mi and Grilled Fish.
We had one night in Montecito and our pal suggested we meet at Clark’s Oyster Bar and then got Lucky’s Steakhouse – yes, in the same night. We had lovely sidewalk seating at Clark’s while we shared refreshing cocktails and tasty oysters; it was really a great start to our evening. We walked less than a block to get to Lucky’s – a place that has been open for 25 years in a building that has been there since 1926. Lucky’s has an extensive wine list, Martinis made tableside, great service, and your favorite topping for well-cooked filet mignon, besides many other dishes. We lingered over dessert as we didn’t want our evening to end.
More recommendations that we didn’t make it to:
New restaurant Dom’s Taverna has a well-regarded chef and looks very cool.
The Lark – flagship restaurant.
La Paloma Cafe – also new chef and known to be delicious.
Highly recommend Helena Avenue Bakery (adjoined to SB Wine Collective) for breakfast and lunch.
Bettina Pizzeria in the Montecito Country Mart for memorable pizzas.
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
