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MONTECITO
Bella Vista
1260 Channel Drive 565-8237
Located in the Four
Seasons The Biltmore,
this elegant dining room
offers sweeping views of
the Pacific. A twilight
meal on the outside
patio showcases
Montecito’s quiet beauty
to visitors, and reminds
permanent residents to
be grateful for their luck.
Executive Chef Alessandro Cartumini suggests joining him and
his talented staff for Bella Vista’s monthly wine dinners featuring
innovative, fresh cuisine especially prepared to complement
wines selected by a local winemaker, on hand to discuss the
selections. Limited seating ensures an opportunity for a “one-on-
one” exploration into the philosophies of both winemaker and
chef.
Café Del Sol
30 Los Patos Way 969-0448
Great margaritas draw
Café del Sol’s evening
patrons to its sandy-
colored interior, but the
food is popular enough
to have made this
restaurant one of the
longest running shows
(49 years and
counting!) in Montecito.
The menu is a mélange
of Mexican, Californian,
and touch of Italian, including a variety of steak and seafood
dishes. On a cool night, snuggle into a side booth by the
fireplace; for breakfast or brunch on a warm morning or
afternoon, Café del Sol’s full patio overlooks the bird refuge and
Santa Barbara Zoo’s Condor Exhibit.
Cava
1212 Coast Village Road 969-8500
Cava is a bright and flavorful collision of Spanish and Mexican
food with lively and colorful décor. Light lunches of salads
and sandwiches precede the hearty dinner fare. Start out with
some traditional tapas and follow up with anything from fresh
seafood tacos to paella with a twist, to a churrasco ribeye
steak; wash down the considerable spice with any number of
Cava’s specialty margarita drinks or a pitcher of sweet sangria.
The outdoor patio seating next to a fresh flower stand is an
unexpected aesthetic surprise, as well as the live flamenco
guitarists.
China Palace
1070 Coast Village Road 565-9380
Giovanni’s
1187 Coast Village Road 969-1277
Here’s the Scoop
1187 Coast Village Road (lower level) 969-7020
Montecito’s stylish take on a cool afternoon treat, Here’s
the Scoop has artisan gelato that puts its ice cream cousin
to shame. The flavors are changed and updated regularly,
ranging from the traditional stracciatella to the more
original blood orange, peanut butter, and even lavender.
Many of the fruit-flavored gelatos are created with locally
grown produce, lending them a taste that’s truly unique to
the area.
Jeannine’s
1253 Coast Village Road 969-7878
Little Alex’s
1024 A-Coast Village Road 969-2297
Los Arroyos
1280 Coast Village Road 969-9059
Los Arroyos is a
family-owned-and-
operated Mexican
restaurant serving
fresh, homemade
Mexican food founded
by proprietor and chef
Tony Arroyo of La
Piedad, Michocan,
Mexico. Specialties
include margaritas,
authentic and
homemade tamales, mole, and handmade corn tortillas. Chef
Lorenzo Arroyo balances traditional Mexican dishes with diverse
rotating daily specials, like lobster quesadillas, or grilled fresh
salmon over a shockingly sweet tropical fruit-dressed salad.
Weekend live music (during Fiesta week, expect a full-on
Mariachi band); evening valet parking; patio dining all day.
www.losarroyos.net
Lucky’s
1279 Coast Village Road 565-7540
A favorite spot for Montecito
denizens and tourists alike,
surrounded as they are by
vintage photos of Hollywood
past, white linen tablecloths
and napkins embossed with
the restaurant’s name, high
tables, mahogany galore, and
a general sleekness. Menu
holds an extensive wine list
featuring grape derivatives
from the Central Coast, Napa,
France and Italy, along with
cocktails, appetizers, and
traditional hearty favorites that
lend it the steakhouse title,
with top-tier American beef and sushi-grade fish from Santa
Monica. The handsome bar is a weeknight home to local
celebrities and the Bentley-Ferrari-Lamborghini crowd.
Montecito Café
1295 Coast Village Road 969-3392
Montecito Coffee Shop
1498 East Valley Road 969-6250
Montecito Deli
1150 Coast Village Road 969-3717
Montecito Wine Bistro
516 San Ysidro Road 969-7520
Head to Montecito’s upper village to find Montecito Wine
Bistro, and to indulge in some California bistro cuisine. Chef
Nathan Heil (who recently won the ‘Downtown Chocolate
Trade Off’ award for his Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart)
creates seasonal menus that include fish and vegetarian
dishes, and fresh flatbreads straight out of the wood-burning
oven. Try the grilled duck breast or the seared scallops with
lobster sauce and dry aged New York steak frites as entrées.
For a sandwich option, opt for the grilled Kobe meatloaf
burger. The extensive wine list offers selections from Santa
Barbara Winery, Lafond Winery, and others from around the
world.
Pane e Vino
1482 East Valley Road 969-9274
Panino
1014 “C” Coast Village Road 565-0137
Pierre Lafond Market & Deli
516 San Ysidro Road 565-1504
A Montecito favorite for
45 years, Pierre Lafond
features gourmet items,
local specialty foods, and
produce locally grown
and from Lafond
Vineyard’s own organic
garden. Wines available
are from Santa Barbara
Winery and Lafond
Winery. Entrées from the
expansive deli case are prepared by Pierre Lafond Bistro
Catering. Relax on the patio with a cup of freshly brewed coffee
or espresso drink, or stop by for a quick sandwich to cart down
to the beach or nearby park. Pierre Lafond also offers a wide
selection of salads and wraps.
Plow & Angel
900 San Ysidro Lane 565-1745
Enjoy a comfortable, convivial
atmosphere in this locals’ favorite,
famous for its mac ‘n cheese and
melt-in-your-mouth ribs. The cozy
ambiance is enhanced with
original artwork, including stained
glass windows and an homage to
its namesake, Saint Isadore,
hanging above the fireplace. Plow
& Angel has, appropriately, the feel
of an old and well-lived but
sophisticated farmhouse from the
outside and a rathskeller from
inside, as it shares a kitchen and
chef with upstairs/upscale Stonehouse Restaurant. Established
tasty favorites give Plow & Angel a warmly vibrant dining
atmosphere all week long.
Sakana Japanese Restaurant
1046 Coast Village Road 565-2014
Stella Mare’s
50 Los Patos Way 969-6705
Stonehouse Restaurant
900 San Ysidro Lane 565-1725
Located in what is a 19th-
century citrus packing house,
Stonehouse features rustic
stone walls surrounding a
carpeted room; rich wood
beams crisscross overhead,
and through the windows the
rich greenery of the Montecito
countryside is vibrantly evident.
The lounge offers full bar
service and one can also dine
under the stars on the ocean-
view deck; a wood burning
fireplace and heated stone flooring provide year-round comfort.
Dinner entrées are serious cuisine, and predictably pricey, but
careful execution combined with a delightful atmosphere and the
rich history of the locale make dinner here unique.
Trattoria Mollie
1250 Coast Village Road 565-9381
Tre Lune
1151 Coast Village Road 969-2646
Tre Lune (three moons) is classic Italian. The dining room
is simple and square, furnished with black wood chairs and
creamy tablecloths, and always, chattering patrons. The
kitchen is tucked behind a fully stocked bar, and walls are
bedecked with framed black-and-whites of voluptuous old-time
vixens like Bardot, Loren, Fonda, and Vitti. The food is very
traditional, and the warm romance of Tre Lune in the evening
is a reminder that we do indeed live La Dolce Vita. Breakfast
is also served and this has become a seriously popular late-
morning hangout.
Via Vai
1483 East Valley Road 565-9393
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