La Super-Rica Taqueria

622 N. Milpas Street (corner of Alphonse Street)
Santa Barbara , California 93103
Tel: (805) 963 4940

Super-Rica is one of Santa Barbara's most cherished spots, even though it's more local and less of the tourist side of town, it is basically just a white taco stand with turquoise trim, a walk-up window, a tent-covered dining area, and white plastic chairs.

It was a favorite of Julia Child, who spent her last years in Santa Barbara.

Handmade tortillas form the basis of the menu, which includes tacos, taquitos, chilaquiles, tamales, and a variety of sopes. The food is fresh, made right in front of you, and so good that loyal Super-Rica fans will drive up from Los Angeles just for tacos and the tamal de verduras, a vegetarian tamale made of chayote, cheese, corn, zucchini, potato, chile strips, and tomato with a cream sauce.

There's always a daily special, such as chile poblano stuffed with cheese and beef, chicken, or pork.

Open Thursdays through Tuesdays 11 am to 9 pm.

Epiphany Restaurant

21 W. Victoria Street
Santa Barbara , California 93101
Tel: (805) 564 7100

This low-lit restaurant in a 19th-century house feels a bit like a wine cellar, with its brick walls and archways. But its hidden nooks, fireplace room, private dining area, and patio cabanas also create the perfect venue for an intimate meal.

Formerly owned by Kevin Costner, the restaurant is now run by Michelle Mastrangelo, with chef Ron True, former chef of Gramercy Tavern in New York, cooking the cuisine du jour.

Try the Limo Ride, a $55 chef's tasting menu (six courses), or sample from the raw bar. Alternatively, order the free-range Uruguayan filet mignon or the carpaccio of beef on a bed of arugula with truffle vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan.

The lounge serves a bar menu until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Specialty drinks include a tiramisu martini (Godiva chocolate liqueur, crème de cacao, Frangelico) and a Cosmo-piphany, a variation on the cosmopolitan made with mango juice.

Open daily 5:30 to 10:30 pm.

Bouchon Restaurant

Bouchon Restaurant

9 W. Victoria Street
Santa Barbara , California 93101
Tel: (805) 730 1160

One meaning of the French word bouchon is wine cork, so it's no surprise that you can sample 40 Central Coast varietals by the glass at this cozy downtown restaurant. Chef/owner Mitchell Sjerven pairs wines with dishes using produce from the local farmers' market, meat and poultry purchased from neighboring micro-ranches, and lots of freshly caught fish.

Offering a French-inspired take on California cuisine, Bouchon turns out starters such as pumpkin soup with chanterelle mushrooms and hearty entrées like venison loin with wild-chestnut puree and local organic arugula, or a bourbon- and maple-glazed duck served with a succotash of fava beans, apple-smoked bacon, and butternut squash, a menu favorite for nine years.

Ask for a table on the patio or by the glassed-in kitchen, where you can see everything.

Open nightly at 5:30 pm.

CLICK HERE for a glance at their menu

Paseo Nuevo Shopping Mall

Paseo Nuevo has a unique Spanish flavor to it. There are bougainvillea growing up the walls. It is an open air shopping area complete with palms and fountains. Tiled arches extend over the walkways. A great photo opportunity is from the second floor across from the movie theatre and Contemporary Arts Forum. There you will find colorful tiled steps, flowering potted plants, and a good view of Paseo Nuevo behind you with its arches and Spanish style architecture.

There is plenty of parking around, but usually there are lots of people so parking can be a bit of a challenge. There is a parking garage on the Chapala side of Paseo Nuevo. There is also parking lots on Figueroa, Canon Perdido, and Ortega. There is plenty of parking around, but usually there are lots of people so parking can be a bit of a challenge. There is a parking garage on the Chapala side of Paseo Nuevo. There is also parking lots on Figueroa, Canon Perdido, and Ortega. These lots are all within one or two blocks of Paseo Nuevo.

Paseo Nuevo is open Monday through Friday from 10AM until until 9PM. On Saturday they are open from 10AM until 8PM, and on Sunday from 11AM until 6PM. For a listing of all the stores, hours and additional information, please visit the website: www.sbmall.com

The Center Stage Theatre is also located within the Paseo Nuevo Shopping area. Phone: 963-0408
Please visit their website at: www.centerstagetheater.org

Sambo's Restuarant

Sambo's is a restaurant, formerly an American restaurant chain, started in 1957 by Sam Battistone and Newell Bohnett. Though the name was taken from portions of the names of its founders, the chain soon found itself associated with The Story of Little Black Sambo. Battistone and Bohnett capitalized on the coincidence by decorating the walls of the restaurants with scenes from the book, including a dark-skinned boy and tigers. By the early 1970s, the illustrations depicted a light-skinned boy wearing a jeweled Indian-style turban with the tigers. A kids club, Sambo's Tiger Tamers (later called the Tiger Club), promoted the chain's family image.

By 1979, Sambo's had 1,200 outlets in 47 U.S. states. However in the late seventies controversy over the chain's name drew protests and lawsuits in communities that viewed the term Sambo as a pejorative towards African-Americans, particularly in Northeast states. Several of the restaurants were opened as or renamed to "The Jolly Tiger" in locations where the local community passed resolutions forbidding the use of the original name or refused to grant the chain permits. In March 1981, in a further attempt to give the chain a new image the company again renamed some locations, this time to "No Place Like Sam's". By November 1981, the company filed for bankruptcy. Neither the name change nor bankrupty protection reversed the downward trend, and in 1982 all but the original Sambo's at 216 West Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara, California, closed their doors.

In its last days as a chain, Sambo's was sued by Dr Pepper for plagiarizing the latter's popular television commercial in a spot Sambo's ran to promote its new senior citizen discount program. Sambo's was also sued by non-white employees and applicants who were alleging discrimination in hiring and advancement.

Battistone's grandson, restaurateur Chad Stevens, owns the only remaining Sambo's. He expresses a desire to revive the chain.

Battistone is also the original owner of the New Orleans Jazz in the NBA. He later moved the team to Utah and sold it.

Wine Cask Restaurant

LOCATION: 813 Anacapa Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Phone: (805) 966-9463 Located in the heart of Santa Barbara in historic El Paseo. Guests enter through a secluded garden courtyard in to a dramatic dining room complete with hand painted beamed ceilings and a baronial fireplace. It has been regarded for years as "the most beautiful dining room in Santa Barbara." Wine Cask's chefs use regional ingredients to fashion imaginative plates of bistro style cuisine. For lunch there are classic sandwiches, pastas, fish, meats and variety of interesting salads. Dinner features plenty of fresh fish entrees, meats, poultry, pastas and nightly specials. There are over 40 selected wines by the glass as well as a 65 page wine list. Private parties and special menus are available upon request.

• Category: Californian, Seafood
  
• Hours: Mon-Thu 5:30pm-9pm, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-9pm
• Price: $20+
• Serving: Dinner
• Reservations: Yes, recommended

CLICK HERE for their website.

CLICK HERE for a recent LA Times Restaurant Review.

Harbor Restaurant

Harbor Restaurant
210 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 963-3311

This is a great restaurant located on Stearns Wharf. They offer American food and great Seafood. They have quite an extensive wine list. Good food, Great Views, and Great Location!!!

• Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30am-2:30pm & Mon-Fri 5pm-10pm, Sat-Sun 8am-10pm
• Price: $10 - $20
• Serving: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Brophy Bro's Restaurant

For the past 22 years, Brophy Bro's Restaurant is proud to have recieved every "Best Seafood Restaurant" and "Best Clam Chowder" award from The Independent and Santa Barbara News Press. Additionally, they have been recognized as the only business to have ever recieved 5 awards in one given year.

Fun, busy atmosphere with beautiful view of the mountains, ocean, and Harbor. A full length bar facing the marina where you can eat and enjoy watching the staff prepare clam bar food items! Casual dining & great seafood in one of Santa Barbara's prime locations!

The daily changing "Fresh Fish" menu is available in the restaurant area and a special menu is offered in the Clam Bar. All entrees are served with green salad or a cup of New England Clam Chowder. Prices are reasonable and the service is great.

LOCATION:

119 Harbor Way
Santa Barbara , CA, 93109
805-966-4418

CLICK HERE for a glance at their menu.

Stearns Wharf

Stearns Wharf is a pier in the harbor at Santa Barbara, California. When completed in 1872, it became the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Named for its builder, local lumberman John P. Stearns, the wharf served the passenger and freight shipping needs of California's South Coast for over a quarter century.

When the railroad finally reached Santa Barbara in 1877, Stearns added an additional spur to the wharf, providing a necessary transport link to his lumberyard and the nearby Southern Pacific Depot. The spur was damaged by severe storms in the early 1900s and was finally abandoned in 1923.

The Harbor Restaurant was built on the wharf in 1941, marking an end to the shipping and transportation era of the 1800s. The restaurant proved to be the economic backbone of the wharf.

Since its beginning, Stearns Wharf has had several natural and economic disasters, from the big earthquake in 1925 to a fire in 1973 which caused its closing. The wharf stayed closed for six years until restorations were completed in 1981. Yet another fire in the winter of 1998 devastated the last hundred and fifty feet of the wharf, including Moby Dick Restaurant. Though the rest of the wharf remained open during this period, the rebuilding took over two years. The new Stearns Wharf stands today as Santa Barbara's most visited landmark.

Cold Spring Tavern

Cold Spring Tavern was established as a stagecoach stop in 1865. Originally known as the "Cold Spring Relay Station", it was a place to change horses and allow travelers to rest and enjoy a meal. It has been featured on national television several times.

The tavern serves steak, lamb, venison, duck, rabbit, and kangaroo. Controversially, it served lion for a brief period in 1998. The tavern is located 20 minutes north of Santa Barbara, California in Cold Spring Canyon, which is about a mile off Highway 154 along Stagecoach Road (in the San Marcos Pass area). Their address is 5995 Stagecoach Road.

CLICK HERE for a direct link to their website.