Santa Barbara Restaurant Tips by Yaqui Top 5 Page for this destination

Brophy Bros. Restaurant & Clam Bar: Nice views~

I have mixed feeling about his place. I am not a fan of seafood, although I do try some from now and then. We ate here to spend some time with my best friends sister and brother-in-law, which are a very lovely couple btw. We came here late, around 7PM and ended up waiting about an hour to get a table. We strolled around the harbor and that was nice. We were able to sit outside luckly on the outside deck, which made me happy because it was warm to me(mountain girl) and we had a lovely view of the harbor. Yet, it was still noisy. When we walked thru the restaurant the noise inside was aweful and the tables were packed in like sardines-literally:( My best friend didn't much like her seafood dish at all or having to wait either. I didn't have any of the seafood, but settle on a hamburger, which was really good. I enjoyed it and couldn't finish it because it was huge. This place seems to be a favorite of locals. It has a little bar downstairs and a store next door, if you don't want to eat here. Upstairs is the restaurant.

Address: 119 Harbor Way Santa Barbara, CA 93109

Comparison: more expensive than average

Phone: 805-966-4418

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 2

Theme: Seafood

Website: http://www.brophybros.com/

McConnell's Ice Cream~: Local Favorite~

My best friend loves this place. She thinks this is the best place for ice cream. I haven't found a place that didn't have good ice cream..lol! Yet, if she loves it, I love it! As you can see from the photo's I took, the line was out the door. It is in a nieghborhood with not any other stores near it, which makes it unique. Locals love this place!

Address: 201 West Mission St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Comparison: about average

Phone: (805) 569-2323

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 5

Theme: Ice Cream

Website: http://www.mcconnells.com/

Fish House~: Great chowder!

We used our ticket from the Trolley tour and took it here and received a free cup of New England clam chowder ($3.50) it was really good. Had a nice cup of coffee and just relaxed near the patio area next the window that overlooked the ocean. It was very nice and the service was friendly. We made the most of our little meal of clam chowder and once done headed out to more sightseeing. Nice place, with lots of sea going charm!

Hours Mon-Sun 11:30pm-3pm opens again at 5pm-9pm
Happy Hour Monday - Friday 5-7
Open daily for lunch and dinner
Patio seating by open fire pit

Address: 101 E. Cabrillo Blvd, SB, Ca

Comparison: about average

Phone: 805-966-2112

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 5

Theme: Seafood

Website: http://www.santabarbara.com/goto_frame.asp?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Esbfishhouse%2Ecom&ret=http://www.santabarbara.com/dining/review_read.asp?pk_restaura

Zelo Restaurant: Closed:(

Update, this restaurant is now closed:(

We were strolling along and couldn’t decide where to eat and we came upon this place. It looked very quiet, so we ventured in. Of course the building is on State Street which makes it very old. The old brick was exposed and it was nicely decorated with old wood and the lighting was dim colored lights which gave it a nice ambiance. The service was good and I think I had some nicely grilled chicken in mushrooms and it came with mashed potatoes and some really yummy vegetables. I think with both our meals and one drink it was around $35 with tip. It was very quiet that night, so no music was going on then.

Hours: Sun-Thu 5:30pm-9:30pm,
Fri-Sat 5:30pm-10pm
Price: $10 - $20

Address: 630 State Street, SB, CA

Comparison: about average

Phone: 805-966-5792

Price: US$31-40

Rating: 4

Theme: American

Cold Tavern Springs 1865: Old Stage Coach Stop~

This little place is nestled in the mountains of Santa Barbara. Built in 1865 as a stagecoach stop, it still serves as a place to stop relax and refresh. We drove up for breakfast and what a treat. The rustic decor is fun and the service was wonderful. Cannot beat the prices too, because they load up your plates. We had a typical breakfast of eggs, beacon and toast and it was delicious.

Address: 5995 Stagecoach Road Santa Barbara, Ca 93105

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Located off Highway 154

Phone: 805-967-0066

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 5

Theme: Local

Website: http://coldspringtavern.com/

IHOP: A restaurant built around a tree!

I love IHOP because it’s cheap and the food is always good, but this IHOP has one very HUGE distinction, it was built around a enormous Fig Tree. Yes, a Fig Tree! Right smack in the middle and you can even sit next to it. Of course the building is sealed from the elements, but you can see it plainly through the glass. They have a very lovely patio area that you can sit on too. We had our breakfast on the patio and enjoyed it immensely.
Sun-Thu 6am - 10pm, Fri-Sat 6am - Midnight

Address: 1701 State Street, SB, Ca

Comparison: about average

Phone: 805-898-1886

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Breakfast