Best Seasonal Restaurants in Montecito

Ca’ Dario in Montecito is the best italian dining experience on this side of the world. Wonderful food, top notch service and great vibe. Well done to the Ca’Dario Team lead by Mr. Fernando Gomes, who welcomes everyone always with a friendly smile. Highly recommend.

Dined here while on vacation from LA. What an experience! Is this place pricey? Yes. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it. To start, we were seated at the upper terrace. It had such a wonderful atmosphere there. There isn’t much lighting, but there are oil lamps at each table as well as a mini light for looking at the menu. A nice touch. The wine and drink menu is very extensive. I ended up with a glass of wine while my wife had a mocktail that was served smoked with pear wood. Presentation was A+. For starters, we had the tuna tartare and the strawberry gazpacho. The tuna was delicate and served with seaweed chips. My wife was raving about the gazpacho as well. For entrees, my wife had the black cod and I had the duck a l’orange. The sauce was flambéd table side. While the duck was excellent, the black cod was better, in my opinion. We also shared two sides: the mashed potatoes and the broccolini. I’m not sure how they made the potatoes so creamy. They were very, very good. The broccolini wasn’t too bad either, but wasn’t as good as the rest. The char flavor was a bit much at times. For desert, we shared the lemon tart. They use house grown Meyer lemons. It was excellent as well. Overall, the food was excellent, the service was superb, and the atmosphere was charming and romantic for the two of us. While the pricing would prevent us from coming here often, I’d 100% recommend Stonehouse for special occasions. We’ll definitely be coming back next time we’re in the area.

Our first visit to Lilac as former California residents in Santa Barbara on vacation. Excellent service, clearly well trained and highly focused on delivering exceptional dining. Our wait staff team provided great suggestions and was attentive without being invasive. The food was excellent all around, high quality, classically prepared, and delivered on all fronts. Ambiance was perfect, understated, lively jazz, and dinner appropriate lighting. A perfect date night end to our quick vacation.

One of the best Italian restaurants in the central coast vicinity. Highly recommended and reservations a must. The best eggplant parmesan and one of made like cannoli instead of slices. Not on the menu, but made to order is the best carbonara Italiano around.

Clark’s is so good! The oysters and fish selections change every day. The staff is very nice and super knowledgeable. Great addition as indicated by crowds every night!