Diners' Choice: Healthy restaurants in Santa Barbara

OpenTable

Updated 05 January 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall healthy cuisine in Santa Barbara? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyses nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you book, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Barbareño

4.8

4.8 (1895)

$31 to $50

Californian

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

At Barbareño we seek to help further shape and define Central Coast cuisine. We take our inspiration from traditions and specialties of our area, delicacies unique to our region, and the many outstanding purveyors with whom we are so fortunate to work. In all of our efforts, we hope to capture the essence of a particular place or local flavor, embracing the nuances that make our food and drink unique to our home.

Top review

Randy

Dined 1 day ago

Barbereno did not disappoint! My highlight were the mussels and beet salad. A definite must-have every visit is their version of baked Alaska. Excellent, fun, and quiet outside.

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4.8

4.8 (1771)

$31 to $50

Asian

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Tina Takaya, proprietor, welcomes you to our newest two story restaurant on the water. We feel the key to success is our passion for creating the highest quality food and warm friendly service.

We hope you will enjoy your experience as much as we enjoyed creating it for you.
"We want Locals to feel like Family and Visitors to feel like Locals"

Our menu draws from Asian favorites that inspire and excite such as Wagyu Steak, Japanese Sushi, Chinese Dumplings, Garlic Noodles and fresh local seafood.

We are located in the heart of Santa Barbara’s Waterfront and Funk Zone Districts. Come enjoy lunch or dinner, soak in the sun by day at our waterfront rooftop bar while sipping on a refreshing cocktail surrounded by our beautiful ocean vista and by night, enjoy lounging by the fireplace after a delicious meal and a great glass of wine.

Our chef uses the freshest ingredients from central coast farmers and local fisherman to create dishes with the best of what California has to offer.

Top review

Shawn

Dined 2 days ago

Food and service was excellent, with the exception of the food runner who kept bringing other people orders to Our table.

Ca Dario Montecito

4.8

4.8 (889)

$50 and over

Italian

Montecito

About the restaurant

Ca' 'Dario's newest restaurant on Coast Village Road promises the same authentic and fresh Italian cuisine as our other locations, now easily accessible for residents of Montecito!
Enjoy outdoor dining on our covered patio, or indoor in our elegant dining room.
We feature an adjustable roof that keeps out the rain and allows in the sun.
Dogs are welcome (we ask that you limit the number to one per guest)

Top review

AutumnVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Fantastic service. The meal was wonderful. Wine selection was broad. Really enjoyed it. Will definitely be back.

Gala

4.8

4.8 (303)

$31 to $50

European

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Gala exudes a European meets Santa Barbara charm, where you feel like you’re transported to a beautiful bistro in the Mediterranean. Enjoy shared tapas, farmer's market favorites, pasta and risotto, fresh oysters and the best steak with bone marrow butter & chimichurri. Cozy up for our farm to table craft cocktails, a Pisco sour or martini and a full meal with friends. Curated wine list with local & Spanish wines. Right down the street from the Santa Barbara Courthouse enjoy an evening at Gala.

1 Block From State Street, Easy Parking, Public Lot Nearby, Free 75 Minute Parking, Walking Distance, El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District, Superior Court, Spanish Colonial Revival Courthouse, Santa Barbara Museum Of Art, Courthouse Gardens, Bell Tower, Farm to table, Farmer's market driven, Tapas, Seafood, Steak, Oysters, Happy Hour, Food, Cocktails, Wine, Restaurant, Vegetarian, Friendly, Dog Friendly, Outdoor Patio, Heaters, Warm, Inviting, Hospitable, Modern Design

Top review

MolllyVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Love Gala. Always treated well. Bronzino always a winner. A tad pricy… but it’s SB…. Fun & tasty cocktails. Service is A+ A tad loud.

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branzino a la plancha

Convivo

4.7

4.7 (2141)

$31 to $50

Italian

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Convivo is a Santa Barbara restaurant and bar with an Italian soul. Chef-Owner Peter McNee's food is best described as ‘Nomad Italian’. It strays from the standard or traditional Italian, sourcing inspiration from many other cultures’ cooking but its soul is thoroughly Italian. The ever-changing menu includes small plates, housemade pasta, wood-fired pizza, rotisserie chicken, fresh seafood and steaks served family-style. McNee’s all-star supplier network provides the freshest produce and local seafood the region is famous for.

Inspired by the bounty of the sea, the lush farms and abundant vineyards nearby and the cooking methods of Italy, Convivo is a festive gathering place for locals and visitors alike inside the newly-restored Santa Barbara Inn.

Top review

Albert

Dined 1 day ago

Sat outside and enjoyed the special vermillion fish. Very memorable meal with good service.

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4.7

4.7 (152)

$31 to $50

Contemporary European

Montecito

About the restaurant

Welcome to Lilac Montecito. We offer an elevated bistro dining experience featuring some of our favorite foods that nourish the body and soul in a full-service dining ambiance. Our menu is inspired by European and Californian cuisine as well as locally-sourced ingredients for a fresh, delicious take on some classic entrees.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Top review

Wendy

Dined 3 days ago

I've enjoyed their lunch and brunch offerings several times - the food is delicious, especially for those of us who need to avoid gluten and, frankly, most diners would never notice that their baked goods are all gluten free! Friendly service and clean, appealing dining room. Highly recommended.

The Bistro at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara

4.6

4.6 (536)

$50 and over

American

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Named “Top 100 Best Al Fresco Dining Restaurants in America” by OpenTable, The Bistro offers a casual and relaxed atmosphere to dine and enjoy sweeping views of the coastline. Local produce and sustainable seafood highlight an acclaimed menu of traditional bistro favorites, including brick oven flatbreads, seasonal salads and the signature Santa Barbara burger.

Please note that holiday reservations are only available for in-house guests. Room confirmation number is required to officially confirm your dining reservation during these times.

Marriott Bonvoy Members can earn points when staying with us. Please enroll here: https://www.joinmarriottbonvoy.com/uscanqr/s/EN/ch/sbarz

For parties with 6 guests or more a 26% service charge fee will be added to your final bill. For all guests there will be an 8.75% California State tax added to the final bill.

Top review

Ana Y

Dined 5 days ago

Amazing food! Our waiter German was the best!!!!!!

Olio Pizzeria

4.5

4.5 (1493)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Olio Pizzeria is an upscale-casual pizzeria with salumi bar/wine bar/full bar which was inspired by the myriad neighborhood pizzerie and enoteche found around the corner from just about every piazza in Italy. This idea began to take shape before Alberto and Elaine Morello even opened Olio e Limone Ristorante, their fine dining Italian restaurant next door. Wine bars serving boutique salumi and formaggi are ubiquitous in Italy, as is a regionalism which the Morellos are excited to share with you. Sicily is an emerging powerhouse, and touches of Sicilian food and wine delight their guests. You’ll also find exciting tastes from Campania and other emerging regions on their menus, wine and beer lists. Takeout available. Buon appetito!

Top review

betsyVIP

Dined on 30 Dec 2024

Perfect setting for family dinner.All around charming atmosphere, not too formal. Excellent food- not too heavy fresh Italian.

Clark's Oyster Bar - Montecito

4.5

4.5 (43)

$31 to $50

Seafood

Montecito

About the restaurant

Clark’s Montecito is a stylish all-day restaurant celebrating coastal American classics spanning from New England to California. In addition to its flagship menu of oysters and raw bar, a signature burger, daily catch specials, lobster rolls, chowder and refreshing crudo, this California location features seasonal bounty from the Pacific Ocean. The wine list highlights California classics alongside French whites and reds primarily from Burgundy and the Loire. Clark’s signature martinis and cocktails are always available. A collaboration between Lambert McGuire Design and Santa Barbara-based architect Jeff Shelton, the space offers a seamless indoor-outdoor dining experience that marries Clark’s classic coastal design features with the more whimsical ceramic tile traditions of Portugal and Mexico and a Mediterranean-inspired design that pays homage to its coastal setting and historic Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.

Top review

Clarinda

Dined 2 days ago

Three of us ladies had our first meal at clarks oyster bar on coast Village Road. One of us had an omelette, the cheapest thing on the menu at $10. It was sort of dry and had no flavor. Another person had the oysters Rockefeller. Four medium small oysters stuffed with a pallid white sauce and spinach for $25, which includes the six dollar discount they gave for not getting the Uni that comes with this plate. The other person had a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich which had a generous amount of bacon. The best thing was the sourdough bread: a nice tough chewy crust and big holes in the doughy interior. The young staff was friendly and attentive. These three choices were unusual, so we’ll go back and hope for better luck ordering more of their specialties.

Bibi Ji

4.1

4.1 (326)

$31 to $50

Indian

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Modern Indian food featuring local produce and seafood paired with a robust low-intervention wine program curated by Alejandro Medina and James Beard Award winner Rajat Parr. Located directly across the street from the historic Granada Theatre in the heart of Santa Barbara's ARTS District. Join us in our lively, signature pastel pink dining room.

Michelin Guide Central Coast Selection 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Top review

Jane

Dined 3 days ago

Wonderful relaxed atmosphere and delicious food. Staff was welcoming and professional. Can't wait to return. Special night....thank you.

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Popular dish

Crispy Cauliflower

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