Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [326]
Top End
Wine Cask (Map; 805-966-9463, 800-436-9463; 813 Anacapa St; lunch mains $14-18, dinner mains $28-40; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner daily) Let your sexy shine through at the Wine Cask, where 19th-century Spanish-style adobe, two-story-high gold-leaf-stenciled ceilings, and elegant fish, beef and pasta dishes make every guest feel chic. It’s Santa Barbara’s hottest table for serious eating. On balmy evenings (or at lunch), feast on the invigorating New California menu outdoors in the romantic garden courtyard. The wine list brags 2500 labels, with vintages dating back to 1900. One detail: verify the price of the bottle before you let the sommelier pick a wine for you.
Bouchon (Map; 805-730-1160; 9 W Victoria St; mains $24-34; dinner) The perfect, unhurried, follow-up dinner to a day in Wine Country, convivial Bouchon’s bright, flavorful California cooking uses only locally grown small-scale-farm produce and meats, which marry beautifully with the more than 50 local wines available by the glass. For romance, book a table on the cozy candlelit patio.
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DRINKING
Cafés
Muddy Waters (Map; 805-966-6328; 508 E Haley St; 6am-6pm, later if there’s a show) A yard sale’s mix of cosy furniture? Check. Pool table? Check. Internet access? Check. Live music on the weekends and a kick-ass backyard patio? You got it. Seems Muddy Waters has everything required for the quintessential indie coffeehouse. And the coffee’s darn good too. Great place to escape the State St hordes.
Red’s Espresso Bar and Gallery (Map; 805-966-5906; 211 Helena Ave; 6:30am-6pm Mon-Wed, to 8pm Thu & Fri, to 5pm Sat) With Ring of Fire on the stereo, a concrete floor underfoot and scruffy barflies at the counter, Red’s is just your typical small-town bar. ’Cept this is Santa Barbara, so make that your typical small-town coffee bar with local art hanging on the very red walls. In the heart of the Funk Zone, east of the tracks, the vibe is cool and the java cheap. Live music on the weekends.
SB Roasting Co (Map; 805-962-0320; 321 Motor Way; 5:30am-9pm Mon-Fri, 6am-9pm Sat, 6:30am-9am Sun; wi-fi) Lads with laptops fill the tables in this exposed-brick, industrial space. Poets? Day traders? Hackers? Who knows. All come for the potent java – this place roasts its own coffee – and casual vibe. Try a ‘flattened’ bagel for 75¢. One block off State St.
Bars
Santa Barbara’s after-dark scene centers on lower State and Ortega Sts. Most places have happy hour and college nights, when the booze is cheap and the atmosphere rowdy. Check the Independent and the Santa Barbara News-Press (Click here) for up-to-date listings.
Sportsman Lounge (Map; 805-564-4411; 20 W Figueroa) Tucked on a low-traffic corner just west of tourist-heavy State St, this dark and cozy watering hole is a plain-old dive bar with no higher pretensions. Great jukebox.
Dargan’s (Map; 805-568-0702; 18 E Ortega St) Settle in for the craic at welcoming Dargan’s Irish pub, where appreciative crowds listen to lively Irish bands in the back room on Thursday nights. Up front, shoot pool and sip Guinness just past the big green leprechaun waiting by the door.
Brewhouse (Map; 805-884-4664; 229 W Montecito St) Perfect for a rowdy reunion or a night on the town, ever-popular Brew House crafts its own beer, serves wines by the glass and has cool art and awesome fries. It’s raucous good fun, with live music Wednesday to Saturday from 9pm to close. On Wednesday it serves all-you-can-eat ribs; arrive early.
Press Room (Map; 805-936-8121; 15 E Ortega St) Tiny but raucous Press Room can barely contain the locals, Brooks photography students and European travelers that cram the place to its seams. But there’s no better place to catch the game or quaff some views