Top 12 Budget-Friendly Restaurants Near You in in Santa Barbara, CA

Sawant Ronil (Californiaaa_baybae) Convino is a gem in Santa Barbara. The ambiance is cozy, romantic & perfect for a date night. The food was beautifully prepared, full of authentic Italian flavors & every dish felt thoughtfully done. The cocktail selection was excellent and paired perfectly with the meal. Service was warm & attentive, making the entire experience feel special. A must visit for anyone who loves great Italian food and a lovely atmosphere. We will definitely be back.

j Rich The Palace Grill is one of my favorite places to eat when I’m in Santa Barbara, CA. I’ve been enjoying their food for over twenty years. My favorite appetizer is the Gumbo Ya-Ya and for my main course, I love the Filet Mignon and the Jambalaya Pasta. They have several other great looking options that I plan on trying out on my next visit. And the sing along is also one of my favorite treats that just sets the atmosphere perfectly!

Jason Thoman Had about an hour and a half to kill before a show at the Granada Theater, so my wife and I decided to stop into Benchmark Eatery—and we’re so glad we did! She went with the chips and salsa plus two beef tacos, and those tacos were incredible. The homemade corn tortillas took them to another level—so fresh and flavorful. I ordered the burger sliders and they were cooked to absolute perfection. Juicy, seasoned just right, and super satisfying. We also each got a drink, and let’s just say they don’t skimp on the pours—definitely a bonus in our book.

Max Beitel Really lovely spot off the main drag in Santa Barbara! The team created a welcoming experience, and the food was spot on. Crispy home fries, golden brown toast, and the eggs were cooked to perfection! The Andouille sausage was delicious too. To top it off off, locally roasted Dune coffee was on tap and much appreciated!

Elena L Standard average place for breakfast and lunch. The prices are reasonable, on average breakfast will cost you $16. Very nice staff and waiters, attentive, not intrusive, polite. The breakfasts are really tasty, but what is different from other places is the muffins. The muffins are really tasty with fresh juicy berries.

Ruth Gordon My neighbor invited me to have lunch with her for my birthday. She named a few places near us, but I picked I Scarlet Begonia because the food is consistently delicious, well-presented, and always satisfying. My friend ordered the Benedict and I told her that I’ve never seen a Benedict with greens, which is the extra step that Scarlett begonia takes to make their food extraordinary vs. ordinary. The potatoes were well prepared and there was so much food that she had to take half of it home. It was quite beautiful as you see in the picture and very tasty. I’ve eaten here a few times and once I tasted their lemon ricotta pancakes it is my go to Every time. Even though it was 1 o’clock in the afternoon, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to eat these fluffy and moist pancakes that are so light they melt in your mouth! I usually can only eat one pancake, but they were so good I had to eat two, so I indulged. I also ordered the sausage links for the first time and asked for them well done and they came out. Perfect! I needed the extra protein and I already had bacon at home so wanted something different. Those sausages were just delicious and a perfect compliment to the sweet blueberry sauce on the pancakes. Kaylee was our server and she was the most professional, accommodating, friendly, efficient server I’ve ever encountered in Santa Barbara. I asked her if she was a manager because her demeanor and professionalism was outstanding ask for her he won’t be sorry. I was pleasantly surprised when they brought my chocolate cake with strawberries and a candle. I still have some in my refrigerator because I was so full from breakfast. I’m going to save it later during the football game. !

Rachel Russell-Clark We had the most delightful dinner here. The service was immaculate, Austin so kindly made us tableside tiramisu. Great service all around from ALL staff! The food was good. I’m a huge brown butter sage pasta gal, it was okay, but I wouldn’t order it again nothing special. It would have been great to add a sweet component in there somehow. I just got back from Italy so perhaps I’m being harsh. I’d recommend getting another main! The deserts were both great but I liked the apple crostata best! We had a large group and though they didn’t have enough tables for us (we neglected to make a reservation as we didn’t plan to have time, so that’s on us) they were so accommodating and moved tables together for us!

Jose G Munoz Amazing food, very homey flavor, the service was very good, and the atmosphere inside is beautiful. You got views of the water all around. Looking for a nice date spot and dinner good eats come here.

Jeff Morena Great steak & combo options with a reasonable price! My wife & I were able to split a 16 oz steak + 4 shrimp combo + 2 sides + Ceasar salads for less than $100. The steak was perfectly grilled to medium rare, the shrimp was not overcooked & the sides were fantastic! There are lots of menu selections & combo options + the atmosphere was semi-fancy + there wasnt loud, obnoxious music playing like most restaurants. Will definitely be back when were in Santa Barbara!

J C Super cool hot dog and fast food place run by friendly and enthusiastic staff. I was intimidated going in as there were noisy people but I relaxed quickly. The food was delicious with good portions at good value. If Im ever in the area again Ill be checking it out.

Royce Lyman Well I am happy to report that this place rocks. Super clean and yet it feels cozy. I went in on their opening day and let me tell ya… wow! First of all the wait staff was awesome!! Shout out to Ana our server, she had to have table touched about 5-6 times. The manager came by and also asked how we were and got us some freshly (still warm) chips. They had some great salsas as well. We ordered 2 cocktails from the bar and wow!! First of all they are beautiful. Second, the taste was to die for. It had enough alcohol that you could taste it in the drink but yet it did not over power the drink making it a wonderful experience. 10/10 great job to the bar staff. Now for the food. Honestly, I thought the proportions were looking small but I left totally full! So… in my opinion it was exactly the right size! The thing that stood out to me was the WIDE verity of tacos. I don’t know why but I have been having a hard time finding a good fish taco. While I did not order them on this visit, this will be what I order on my next visit. The shrimp and quesadilla we got were made to perfection. The seating was great and there were 5-6 TVs showing football and they have Sunday ticket. They also seem to have a full bar as well so that’s a plus as well. I’d give this place 6 stars if google would let me. Perfect food✅ Perfect and BEAUTIFUL drinks ✅ Amazing wait staff and management ✅ Wonderful atmosphere ✅ Kid friendly ✅ Update. The fish tacos are fire!!!!!

Tim Mathias Great find on State St. Paul our waiter was the best! Nice menu with lots of choices. We sat outside on the sidewalk. There was a quitarist playing nearby and the music was perfect. Not too loud and contributed to the outside experience/ambiance. There are lots of restaurant choices nearby but I highly recommend Opal and Paul. I dont think you will be disappointed!