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Louie's California Bistro, Santa Barbara, CA

Louie's California Bistro

3.2
3.2
734 Reviews
$31 to $50
American

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
  • Charming
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Great for outdoor dining
Intimate and exclusive due to it's limited seating, Louie’s California Bistro has long been touted as one of Santa Barbara's favorite local secrets. Unconcerned with flashy food trends, the focus at Louie's has always been to take local ingredients and make them shine, often through classic style cooking and recipes. Add in Central Coast wines and a table on the historic wrap around veranda and you have the makings for a truly enjoyable dining experience. Louie's resides within a local landmark: The Upham Hotel. The Upham, built in 1871, is California's longest continuously operating hotel and is one of Santa Barbara's oldest buildings, having survived the earthquake of 1925.

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Californian, Comfort Food
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Thu 5:30 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:30 pm–9:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (805) 679-5313
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Private party facilities
    We often cater private events in the meeting rooms of the Upham Hotel. Please inquire for pricing
  • Area
    Santa Barbara
  • Cross Street
    De La Vina Street at Sola Street
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Banquet, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeaway, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 734 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.2
3.2 based on recent ratings
  • 3.3Food
  • 3.1Service
  • 3.6Ambience
  • 3.2Value

NoiseEnergetic

Loved For

  • Santa Barbara

    Great for brunch

  • Santa Barbara

    Healthy

  • Santa Barbara

    Neighbourhood gem

  • Santa Barbara

    Great for fine wines

  • Santa Barbara

    Great for outdoor dining

  • Santa Barbara

    Romantic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Louie's California Bistro is a charming escape in Santa Barbara, offering a delightful atmosphere and a "marvelous owner." Guests praise the "excellent food and service," with standout dishes like eggs Benedict and salmon. While some menu items may need refinement, the overall dining experience remains satisfying and memorable.

734 Reviews
  1. Kristen

    VIP

    Orange County

    4 reviews

    1.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    The restaurant is no longer in business shouldn't be on open table. Our party showed up and place was closed. Phone number is no longer working either

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  2. Lindsey

    Central Coast

    5 reviews

    1.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    This restaurant is closed and should be removed from Open Table. What a letdown when we arrived!

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  3. Patty

    Central Coast

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on 6 December 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    I made a reservation through Ooen Table for this restaurant, only to discover upon arrival with 6 people that the restaurant closed down completely. It’s important to stay current with your clients! Contact them to remove this restaurant as an option through Open Table.

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  4. Walter

    VIP

    Central Coast

    17 reviews

    1.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on 1 December 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    I booked an OpenTable reservation for 4 at Louie's California Bistro last week. When we arrived, the restaurant had been closed for 2 weeks! A sign on the door said reopening was TBD. I can not understand how OpenTable can accept and book a reservation without confirming with someone at the restaurant. I even got a text the day before our "reservation" asking me to confirm my reservation. This begs the question, "If I have to call the restaurant to confirm that they are open for business, why not just make my reservation directly with the restaurant and forget about using OpenTable."

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  5. Margaret

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    17 reviews

    1.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on 30 November 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Very disappointed! My party of 9 showed up to a closed restaurant! A note on the door said closed and under new management…… You should not be taking reservations on Open Table. I even called the day of the reservation and they had a message saying they would be open at 5pm just to reconfirm our reservation. We have had many enjoyable dinners here and I am extremely disappointed.

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  6. Bob Jr.

    Central Coast

    139 reviews

    4.0

    139 reviews

    Dined on 2 November 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    My wife and I very much enjoy dining at Louie's The food and the atmosphere/location/ambiance are great.

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  7. David

    VIP

    Las Vegas

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on 1 November 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 1
    We were only ones there, my pizza tasted like a frozen pizza, they noted online they had certain entrees they didn't have and they charged us for splitting entrees when each person had their own and didn't remove the charge when asked

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  8. Bob

    Central Coast

    4 reviews

    3.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 31 October 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Having been before and had a very positive experience this time was disappointing. The chicken piccata wasn’t really a chicken piccata and was so/so. The cioppino was mediocre.

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  9. Ann

    Sacramento

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 28 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful food and great service. The Flourless chocolate cake was easily for 2 if not 3 or 4. Very rich and yummy!

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  10. Catherine

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 11 October 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Joli établissement un peu en retrait des quartiers touristiques. Galerie autour du restaurant où il est possible de manger à l’extérieur. Carte resserrée mais intéressante et bons conseils du serveur.

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FAQs

Louie's California Bistro offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (805) 679-5313.

Louie's California Bistro is rated 3.2 stars by 734 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Louie's California Bistro

1404 De La Vina St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3027

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    De La Vina Street at Sola Street
  • Area
    Santa Barbara
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Thu 5:30 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:30 pm–9:30 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Californian, Comfort Food
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Banquet, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeaway, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (805) 679-5313
  • Private party facilities
    We often cater private events in the meeting rooms of the Upham Hotel. Please inquire for pricing
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