bouchon Santa Barbara

This was a phenomenal experience. The tartar was the best I've ever had. The trio of scallops was so amazing. I had seared salmon as a main course and the lemon berry cake was absolutely amazing. Service was above and beyond. So pleased I chose this place. This is a must if you are in Santa Barbara. 10/10

One of the longtime classics in Santa Barbara - farm-to-table restaurant with romantic ambience. We had an appreciation dinner here and it couldn’t have been lovelier. Quality food with attentive, non-pretentious service. Perfect for a sophisticated night out!

We went to celebrate our anniversary…the pace of dinner reminded me of being in France. The food was sooo good. The goat cheese tart and my husband rib eye were highlights. The service was fantastic - we got to meet the owner and hear his story of how he started bouchon and that was fun (especially to learn he was a fellow Gaucho!). Will 100% be back.

My husband and I have been coming to Bouchon for 4 years. We went here on our first date, our engagement night, and now our one year wedding anniversary. Bouchon holds a special place in our hearts and stomach. The quality dishes, its romantic and laidback vibes, and its customer service is always on point. Shout out to our waiter Dominic—he knows his wines! Thank you Bouchon for making our celebrations perfect. ❤️

A really good place to get local seafood. As a group, we tried the sea bass, lamb, and chicken. The dishes were cooked perfectly, although I do wish the sea bass was more flavorful (it was a little bland). Service was fast and staff were really nice and helpful. Otherwise, it’s in a great location and ambiance is excellent. Overall, highly recommended.

Food was tasty in a very chic atmosphere. But I found the service and food to be unremarkable for the amount of accolades this place has received in the past.

Definitely the best place if you want good French food in Santa Barbara. If I were to treat my special guest or celebrate a special occasion, I'd pick this place. It's on the pricier side even in SB. The scallops were amazing. And the lamb, too. Friendly staff and great service. I'm personally not a big fan of their interior design, but I can see its appeals.

Hello everyone! I wanted to share my experience of visiting this establishment! The quality of the food, the presentation of the dishes, everything was great. But the service is not so good, and it seems that the waiter tried and seemed to be a professional, but he brought one dish instead of the two ordered, although he repeated everything before leaving. And in the end we asked to split the payment, there were 5 of us, for 2 and 3 of them and he mixed up the bills again. But overall everything is good. Thank you

We came to Bouchon on New Years Day and had a magnificent time celebrating a birthday as a family. Dave was staffing our table and was both knowledgeable and fun to talk to. From this trip to Santa Barbara, this was by far the best ambience and memorable of any dinner we had. The food was exceptional. We had the crab cakes, tomato carpaccio and a simple green salad to start. I cannot make a single complaint about any of these. The French Onion soup, local sea bass and salmon were our entrees, which we paired with wine that Dave recommended. All in all, it was a 10/10, and we will for sure be back again!

Having visited Thomas Keller's Bouchon in Vegas, we were surprised to learn that this Bouchon is not affiliated with that restaurant group. Regardless, this Bouchon provides a very nice dining experience. We had reservations inside at 7:30 on a Saturday night. All tables inside and outside on the patio were filled with contented guests eating and drinking. We were approached by our waiter immediately upon being seated. He brought us iced water while we studied the menu and nibbled on complimentary bread and butter. When my egg allergy prevented us from ordering the Steak Tartare, we ordered the three Diver scallop appetizer (MP, $48 that evening) instead. Our waiter did an excellent job of ensuring that nothing with eggs was served. He put the garlic aioli on the side for boyfriend to enjoy. I was impressed by the creativity and interesting accompaniments of each scallop. A foodie delight. I loved all three of them, and I kinda wished I had ordered this as my entree! It is a hearty appetizer, as our waiter said, and it could be ordered as an entree. Boyfriend had the duck and I had the salmon. Both were very good and filling, with decent portions. Boyfriend found the duck thigh to be a little dry, but it was good otherwise. We ordered a bottle of the Cambria Pinot Noir to have with our dinner. This is an earthy medium-bodied Pinot from central California, priced at $60. We were too full for dessert, but the desserts looked amazing. This is a very nice restaurant with a 26-year history, good food and good service. A solid choice for upscale dining in Santa Barbara.

Approaching 24 hours since I left this restaurant and I am still on a high thinking about the duck that I had at Bouchon. Hands down one of the best ducks I had that I can remember. Juicy, not extra fatty, tasty, delicious! I don't even generally like succotash but it was the perfect compliment to the duck. French four onion soup: also one of the best, if not the best I've had stateside. The Gruyère on top was perfect, the soup was nice and sweet yet savory. Perfect, just perfect for a brisk evening. Brussels sprouts were ok - can't really compete with duck and French onion soup. Waiter was nice, offered to take a photo for us, offered up a taste test of the non alcoholics (like a sommelier but not quite). Food was a bit slow but that tells me they are busy but also freshly made! Profiteroles for dessert were nice and sweet, even too sweet - the pistachio one is by far the best of the three. Whether you're here for a tasty adventure, romantic dinner, or some crazy delicious duck, you'll be thinking of your experience for days... be sure to make reservations or chances are you won't be seated!

Had a great meal in this restaurant when I was visiting Santa Barbara. Started with some Dungeness crab cakes appetizer for two (crispy on the outside with lots of crabs inside so delicious - paired so well with the Pinot ). For the main course: Chargrilled rack of lambs (paired so well with a glass of Shiraz) and maple glazed duck confit (so yummy as well). For the dessert I got a crème brûlée which also paired so nicely with some dessert wines. The ambiance was super nice with great music and the service was excellent as well.

Everything was excellent service was great we went for a special occasion and received a hand written card on arrival the table .

I'll be honest, I had Bouchon on my bucketlist because I thought it was associated with Thomas Keller's Bouchon, but they are separate entities. By the time I discovered it, my sweet boyfriend had already proactively made reservations to take me here for dinner on our Santa Barbara trip so I went along with it. Nevertheless I think this is still one of the premium options in the area for dinner. When we arrived, we were fortunate to get indoor seating. I recently learned my boyfriend doesn't enjoy the elements associated with outdoor seating. This works for me because they have lilies outside of the restaurant and I'm extremely allergic. They also have a private room for large private parties next to the restaurant, which you'll have to walk over to if you need to use the restroom. The indoor portion of the restaurant was really quaint so kudos to my handsome boyfriend for scoring a reservation. We were seated in a half booth. It was pretty close to the other tables, so you'll probably hear the nearby conversations. Our waiter started out very attentive but service dwindled on the tail end of our visit where he was nowhere to be found and there was no one else we could even flag down for the check. Starting off we decided to share the Escargot 'Vol au Vent' ($22) since it was unique. I have had escargot at other French restaurants and I was surprised at their presentation here. The escargot was already removed from their shells and generously served inside of a tasty puff pastry. The texture of the escargot was perfect. The only thing missing from this for me was a buttery-ness I was expecting from the beurre blanc. Also, Bouchon means "cork" in French and I had a designated driver, so I enjoyed myself a glass of wine. I went with their '17 Timbre Riesling ($14/glass) which comes from Santa Maria Valley. This was part of the selection of local wines, which I wanted to support while we were here. They have the wines separated in 2 different menu books between the local wines and the "outsider" less local options. For our entrees, my boyfriend had the Steak Au Poivre ($48) and I had the Maple-glazed Duck Breast & Confit ($38). I had a bite of his steak and it was decent. The most impressive thing on his plate to me from a technical execution point of view was the perfect potatoes au gratin perfectly rectangle 3d structure. It doesn't last when you need to cut into it. But I can recognize the technical excellence going into making it. My duck was also tasty. I was surprised to see it came with a breast and a leg, a really good hearty portion. I leaned on my boyfriend for help to finish the meal. I enjoyed the butternut squash succotash with fava beans, sweet corn, and braised leeks the meal came with. The edge pieces of the duck were a bit more tough but the center cuts were on point. The demi-glaze on the plate definitely helped the situation but the flavor was really faint. There wasn't too much checking in during the entrée course and then at least 30 minutes of waiting without sufficient water and looking for wait staff to flag down for the bill. Honestly if they were more attentive I probably would have wanted dessert. By the time the waiter got back to us, I just wanted to get out of here. The experience is somewhere between a 4 and a 5, but I am rounding up because my boyfriend and I had a nice time here and I respect the technical elements of their chef's execution.

In Love with this place! Very nice and romantic environment. We were going to celebrate a birthday. Everything was perfect, beautiful and astonishing. The service is wonderful.. all the servers are professional, kind and wonderful people. I was so impressed of the decoration and birthday wishes card for my boyfriend. The food was absolutely delicious and beautiful... I really can not express how amazing we were treated, served .... Everything was perfect! Thank you for everything and warm wishes again.. :-))

On a college road trip with my son, had dinner here last night. It's been on my SB list for a while...the French onion soup pictures on Yelp were my main draw. Pros- service was great! Very friendly, came over just the right amount of times to check on us. They worked well as a team too, more than one person came over to our table for one thing or another. Bread. It was nice and warm, you could hear the crackle when they cut into the bread, and the accompanying butter was also quite tasty. Roasted chicken and mashed potatoes, brought me back to culinary school (14 weeks total on the recreational side!)! Was very comforting. And our wagyu steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare. French onion soup... extremely rich in flavor! It came piping hot and delicious, with perfectly melted Gruyère cheese! Mmmmmmm... Cons- the bread, oh the bread...it was delicious, but the handling of it... no gloves (or tongs) while placed in the baskets. I wish I had not seen the handling of it! Made me sad (literally!). They cut into it with a cloth over the bread, but picked it up and placed it into the baskets bare handed....The brussel sprouts accompanying the chicken, they had nice char on only one side... we cook them better at home. And the profiterole trio, I felt the pastry was overcooked... they should not have been as dry. I made a ton of these in school, even had a stomach ache from eating too many (I purposely made them small, so I could eat bites.... and yeah, I had a lot of bites that night!) My son thought the profiteroles were tasty, and they were.... But I thought also on the dry side, which they really shouldn't be. Overall though, we were both quite happy with our meal and restaurant selection for dinner last night!

Excellent dinner at Bouchon for our anniversary. We decided to try several items and were satisfied with each plate. To start we had their recommended Cabernet and house passion tea. Both were excellent choices. To start we did the scallops trio for two. Glad we shared because it was much more than I anticipated. Each scallop had its own individual setting and flavors. Each one was excellent. For entrees we ordered the filet mignon and duck confit. Each was cooked masterfully. The duck breast was lean and the thighs were shredding meat right off the bone. Excellent pairing with its veggies. The filet mignon was tender and juicy. For dessert, we finished with the molten lava cake. Wow heaven. Happy we choose the spot and would recommend for a nicer date night. Book in advance!

I love this place! Such a great service and fresh food every time I go there! I celebrated the anniversary with my boyfriend there and they even put rose petals :)

We were recommended by friends to visit when we were in the area. The restaurant did not disappoint. We had reservations and were seated in the pergola outside. I appreciated that there were heaters everywhere to help warm us up. The service was great and our server gave us recommendations for a vegetarian diet. We ordered the forest mushroom ragout and the Roasted Mary's free range chicken (without the chicken) and mushrooms instead. Delicious!!! We also ordered the Warm Lemon Berry cake for dessert. That was yummy too. Overall, it was a great dining experience.

A really good place to get local seafood. As a group, we tried the sea bass, lamb, and chicken. The dishes were cooked perfectly, although I do wish the sea bass was more flavorful (it was a little bland). Service was fast and staff were really nice and helpful. Otherwise, it's in a great location and ambiance is excellent. Overall, highly recommended.

I came here 5 years with my then boyfriend and wanted to come here now after we got married to reminiscence the past and go full circle. My husband said we should try this place out again bc he recalled me saying it was the best duck I've had and that if i liked it so much we should go back. TLDR; I shouldn't have gone back! We ordered the French onion soup and the jumbo scallop trio and those were honestly the star of the show. My husband got the ribeye steak and his was good enough. However, when my duck came out it was black. The skin was charred to a crisp and I was surprised a restaurant of this caliber would serve me a clearly burnt dish. I made sure it wasn't just me and looked on Yelp to see other recent photos of duck plates and theirs were not burnt like mine was. It's crazy that they say the recipe hasn't changed for over 25+ years but clearly it has! It took me much courage to send the duck back and they came back with a perfectly seared duck this time. But the inside was completely raw/rare. I was really shocked that i couldn't just get a duck breast cooked through like how most places do. And I'm a huge duck breast fan so I've eaten many places all over SoCal and in Paris when I visited last summer, so I think I know my duck! My husband took the next turn to send it back and it finally came back cooked through. But by that time, my husband had finished his food and I was no longer in the mood for mine. The duck was not delicious as I remembered and the entire experience was something I couldn't believe had occurred. My last experience here 5 years was amazing and I loved the duck so much. I was sorely disappointed by the quality of food here and the lacking consistency. We paid over $250+ just for mediocre food and a wholly unpleasant experience. I wish I could get our money back and erase the memory of this experience from my mind. The only plus is the ambiance is beautiful and we were able to be seated with a great view outside. It was also our anniversary dinner and they did not give us any desserts and sent us packing. I totally would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

This restaurant was incredible! It is a romantic and small restaurant with seating inside and out. It's cute because they have dim lighting, sturdy chairs, and soft music. You are able to visualize the chefs cooking, which is a pleasing touch. It is not noisy, which adds to that date-night flare. Where I felt this place really shined was in their service. Tony, our waiter, went above and beyond in his kindness and made our special occasion (we traveled up the coast to celebrate our engagement) memorable. He was very knowledgeable about the wine selection and recommended a wine that would not give a sensitive person, such as myself, a migraine. I ordered the rack of lamb because Tony explained it was savory versus the duck, which is sweeter. I was so happy with my meal! The lamb was so tender, perfectly cooked, meaty, and not was not gamey. Thanks for making our night memorable and special! I will always think about this restaurant when I'm in Santa Barbara!

My wife and I chose this restaurant to celebrate our 8 year anniversary. I had eaten here some 15 years ago. Although I could not remember what I had tried, I recall it being a positive experience. For starters, we chose the Forest Mushroom Ragout. For our entrees, my wife chose the Pan-Seared Pacific Fish, which happened to be the local seabass, I opted to go with the Grilled Center-Cut American Wagyu Ribeye. We shared the roasted brussels sprouts and, for dessert, selected the warm blackberry-lemon upside down cake. The mushroom ragout was creamy, oh, so buttery. Our entrees were cooked to perfection and seasoned just right. My steak was juicy and tender. We both loved our dessert. We washed down our meal with a glass of Chanin Chardonnay and ABC Pinot Noir. Their service and hospitality were terrific as the restaurant had a nice card and rose pedals on our table.

My friends and I were driving by Santa Barbara and were recommended to dine at Bouchon. Some highlights: The Escargot 'Vol au Vent' is excellent. Encased in delicate puff pastry, the escargots are bathed in garlic, shallots, fines herbes, and lemon verbena beurre blanc. This dish blends traditional French cooking with a hint of modern flair in an articulate way. 5/5. For a main course, the Pan-Seared Fresh Pacific Fish features braised beluga lentils, roasted tomatoes, and seared artichoke hearts, all brought together with a sauce Soubise. The fish, cooked to exemplar, effortlessly complements the earthy lentils and the bright, acidic tomatoes, creating a harmonious balance of flavors. 4.5/5. The Chargrilled Porcini-Rubbed Rack of Lamb at Bouchon deserves a special mention. The lamb is expertly chargrilled, ensuring a perfect sear on the outside while retaining a tender, succulent interior. The porcini rub adds earthy depth to the meat, enhancing its natural flavors without overpowering it. Accompanying the lamb is a bouchon hash, a blend of yam, potato, white cheddar, and bacon, which provides a comforting yet sophisticated base for the meat. The seared broccolini offers a bright, crisp contrast to the lamb's and hash's richness. The entire dish is brought together with a sauce bordelaise, a classic French sauce that adds a luxurious, velvety finish to each bite. 5/5. We were told that visiting Bouchon would not be complete without indulging in their Maple-glazed Duck Breast & Confit of Thigh. This dish celebrates textures and tastes, featuring a succotash of sweet corn, fava beans, leeks, applewood-smoked bacon, and Windrose Farms butternut squash, all united by a port-thyme demi-glace. The maple glaze adds a subtle sweetness that contrasts exquisitely with the savory, rich flavors of the duck. 4.5/5. The meticulous attention to detail, the harmonious blending of flavors, and the commitment to local ingredients made our dining at Bouchon an unforgettable experience!

Came here on MLK so it was very quiet and reserved, which was very unusual for DTSB area but it was very enjoyable. I made a reservation for 4 and they offered to seat us outside as the first option (we were fine with this since it was so quiet and they had very nice veranda outside, but was unsure why this was the first seating option). It was not busy at all - a few guests sprinkled throughout the restaurant. We enjoyed sitting outside with a heater lamps and the tables were very well-lit. They provided complimentary baguettes and butter - request more if you order the french onion soup! I absolutely love restaurants that provide complimentary bread and butter. Here's a breakdown of what we ordered: French Onion Soup (1/5): Came in a very cute, tiny pot. The thing is that this tasted more like burnt onion, than like cameralized onion. Cheese was too overdone to a crisp, and wasn't very cheesy at this point. Because it was overcooked, there was hardly any soup in the pot. More onion mush than anything. Maple Glazed Duck Breast & Confit of Thigh (2/5): Did not have any maple flavors and not sure if the duck was supposed to be under-cooked but it was too undercooked to my liking. It almost felt like I was eating it raw. Panned Seared Fresh Pacific Fish (Day of Fish was Sea Bass) (2/5): I've had excellent seabass before and know when it's cooked well. Unfortunately, the sea bass I had at Bouchon lacked so much flavor and almost had a slight fishy aftertaste...we were told by the waiter that the fish is caught in local waters so it should be fresh. The only thing that stood out was the lentils and artichoke hearts sadly. The fish was seared well that the skin was crunch but it just lacked so much flavor and ultimately was not enjoyable. Grilled center-cut american wagyu ribeye (4/5): this was the best dish out of everything we ordered. Delicious and tender and loved bordelaise sauce that was paired with it. It came out exactly how medium rare should come out so extra bonus for that as most restaurants don't know how to perfect a medium rare steak. All in all, amazing service but the dishes seemed to lack too much and quite frankly, I was pretty disappointed. Great vibes and ambience nevertheless, but not sure if I'll be back.

3.5 When we made reservations online, we were not able to choose indoors or outdoors. So we were actually happy to be seated outside. Just a note, this establishment does have a bit of a dressier vibe, but I think business casual would do. Service was good, our waiter was warm, friendly, and knowledgeable. We ordered 4 entrees, one shared appetizer and one starter as entree. Duck confit was well seasoned and tasty, however, to me the duck was a little on the dry side. The roasted chicken on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes was just a perfect comfort meal. The wagyu ribeye was delicious and cooked the way I liked it (medium rare), but it was kind of weird that it was like in 2 separate top and bottom pieces (I've never had ribeye like this, but then again, I'd prefer this vs meat that has been glued together). Not pictured was the ahi tuna and the French onion soup (soup was very good). Oh can't forget about the trio of scallops, which was amazing and the best thing we had here.

Quite an enjoyable restaurant with the option to dine inside or outside. We opted to dine outside as it was a beautiful 70s weather. The waiters (at least the weekend crew) were knowledgeable (without making you feel dumb), friendly and very polite/well-trained. They were attentive/checked up on us sufficiently, but not overwhelmingly. In the middle of our dining, they even swapped out our dinner ware to ensure we had a clean set to work with. 1. French Baguette (5/5) Perfectly crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Paired with their quality butter, it's hard to not want to have more. 2. Chargrilled Lamb Rack (5/5) Cooked to perfection. The meat was tender and not too gamey. It sits on a bed of risotto, which was deliciously cheesy and with chunks of fried pork/bacon in it. 3. Maple-glazed Duck Breast and Confit of Thigh (5/5) Overall, this was a very delicious dish. Per the waiter, it's been on their menu for 26 years and never rotated out, which says a lot. My favorite part was the confit thigh. The akin was crispy and the meat was juicy and tender. The maple glaze was not too sweet. The duck sits on a bed of sweet potatoes and green bean seeds mixed with chunks of fried pork/French bacon. 4. French Onion Soup (4/5) The cheese on top of the soup was very good. They were not skimpy on the cheese. Minus 1 star because we felt the soup base was slightly too sweet from the onion. If they added a bit more salt and pepper or cooked it in red wine, it would be 5 stars easily. 5. Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir (5/5) A surprisingly good red wine that paired very well with our meals. Fruity, light and subtly smokey, but not oakey. Wonderful wine experience altogether!!

The service was top notch; Tony, our waiter, was on it making some solid food & wine suggestions. We started with the trio of scallops - screaming goodness, in hindsight this could have just been my main dish & forget sharing it. The scallops had the perfect seer & were paired ever so perfectly be it cauliflower or mushrooms or a polenta cake. The mains: there was an order of maple glazed Duck with a butternut squash succotash & peppercorn crusted Filet Mignon with asparagus & au gratin potatoes - just fabulous, from flavors to texture to temperature there wasn't a morsel left of the steak & we were too stuffed to finish the Duck, in order to leave room for the dessert. Oh my, we went with the warm lemon berry cake served with lemon & marionberries ice cream, what a delight. We happened to be in town & it was graduation night all around, as in the restaurant, so it was bustling, yet not overly loud. The staff works as a team, the owner, Mitchell, was bring out food, chatting up customers, being visible & making sure things were running smoothly. Love seeing this type of owner involvement, someone who loves the industry, the food & their customers, bravo we shall return on our next trip down.

Last time in Santa Barbara we found this place. So good, we made a point to come back. Looking forward to the next time. I highly recommend this place.

An amazing meal at Bouchon! High quality, seasonal ingredients perfectly executed. Attentive, friendly service and elegant yet still cozy ambiance made dining experience really enjoyable. Definitely a higher end restaurant but pricing is very reasonable - I might go as far saying it's a bargain for the level of quality and overall experience Bouchon offers for a nice evening out. While everything was delicious, the standouts were the forest mushroom ragout, steak tartare, steak au poivre... and don't sleep on.. the bread! It's so fresh and warm, and we kept asking for more to sop up all the delicious sauces from the starters and entrees.

It's a family tradition now to dine at Bouchon each time we travel to Santa Barbara. The food is exceptional and the service is superb. I've never been disappointed. I travel with a 5 and 7 year old and they love the restaurant as well.

Amy & Mitchell... "Thank You"! I recently celebrated my birthday at Bouchon and I cannot remember a more fabulous experience ever. The moment we arrived the greeting was warm and friendly. Nicholas, our server, was attentive and had fantastic suggestions for pairings and dinner selections. The music... ok let's just say the mix of Motown and 70's R&B classics made the evening even more enjoyable. I apologize for my singing! Our champagne, Lauren - Perrier, was the perfect starter and paired well with the Salade Lyonnaise. Please do not sleep on the Warm Pecan & Goat Cheese Tart. "It will change your life" is what the ladies who sat next to us said. They were not incorrect. It was a "pearl clutching experience". The venison & the steak were so well prepared a knife was just a prop. The seasoning on both were excellent. They both are a "must have"! The wine we enjoyed with dinner was absolutely amazing. Adaptation paired well with everything we enjoyed on the menu. Nicholas' suggested as we both enjoy our cabs. The blackberry upside-down cake was a great finish to the meal (it too went well with the wine). From the greet to the music to the food... this is an experience one should have. I plan to have it happen more often.

This is a great place for special occasions, as it is very nice and the service is fantastic. I highly recommend the duck.

3.5 Stars Beautiful and romantic restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating options. I love how they designed the outdoor pergola area. The restaurant had both seating options available on a Monday night so we opted for the outdoor area. They have a number of heat lamps to keep you warm. The menu is small and simple. French Onion Soup - Thick layer of gruyere compliments the onion-filled soup. Definitely ask for extra bread to dip with. Pan-Seared Fresh Pacific Fish - Fish of the night was sea bass, however, it was not as soft and flaky as we anticipated. The lentils were different but paired well with the soubise sauce. Duck Breast and Confit of Thigh - Okay... the pictures online did not look as rare as the dish we got. The breast was barely seared. I felt a little disgusted cause the texture was so chewy and the piece of tendon looked so fresh still. We did not get sick so thats good, but very disappointed in this dish. We had a long drive back to Orange County so we did not want to have it re-cooked. Center-Cut Wagyu Ribeye - Probably the best dish of the night. It was strange how the cut of meat was served though. It was sliced in half then kind of put back together on top of each other. Loved the yams and broccolini. Overall, it was a nice dinner experience for a night out in Santa Barbara.

I really enjoy this place! Excellent food, knowledgeable staff, and just a great vibe! We had a nice group and everyone enjoyed themselves! Highly recommend our server Justin!

Had a wonderful spot outside, covered and heated. When Dave, our server, introduced himself, I commented that I was unaware Bouchon had a Santa Barbara location. I had been to the one in Vegas many times. He grinned and told me they had nothing to do with one another. Apparently a "Bouchon" is the cork of a bottle and, as such, the name can't be held by any one restaurant. I didn't tell him that it was because of the name I made the booking. Yet even considering that, I was not disappointed in the least. What an amazing find! Dave asked if there were any time requirements, and we mentioned our show at the Santa Barbara Bowl, He assured us he'd have everything timed out so we'd make our deadline. Started with the Forest Mushroom Ragout and the Pork Belly for the appetizers. So delicious! The Fresh Ahi Tuna and the Local Sea Bass were our main courses. Beautifully presented; perfectly prepared. Finished with a Citrus Tart that had the perfect amount of tang. Can't wait to return! Definitely asking for Dave's station as well.

My adult son and I had never been away from family for Thanksgiving. Circumstances made it necessary this year, but we were nervous that a restaurant wouldn't feel special enough to Bouchon definitely did! Warm service, great variety (but also traditional turkey dinner), good wine pick, and generally a wonderful experience.

Had an engagement dinner with my fiance. Amazing food and service, 10/10. Server was beyond excellent which made the dining experience that much greater. Thank you for the good time

Wow! What an impressive experience! My friend and I went to see 'Seared' at The Lobero (Vic) for his birthday and we wanted to go some place to pay homage to the culinary theme. We picked Bouchon as it was right up the way and had scallops on the menu. When I made the reservation a week earlier, the staff was very thorough, polite and even asked the spelling of our names (super important as my friend's name is usually spelled wrong). When we arrived, the table was set beautifully and there was a birthday card for him! An unexpected yet kind gesture! We did a full course! Bread, scallop trio, pork belly, French onion soup, Wagyu steak, pork chop, lava cake. The bread was delicious! French onion was perfectly flavored with an amazing bake on the cheese. The steak was prepared beautifully and perfectly tender and flavorful. The pork chop was dry but the sauce on the side complimented the meat well and it was not a big deal. The lava cake was amazing with the most decadent vanilla bean ice cream and raspberry sauce! We almost didn't get it because we were full but it was worth being stuffed for! This is a pricey place but well worth it for the quality of food, service, pace of meal, ambiance and charm. They treated us amazing and made my friend feel pretty special on his birthday which was the most meaningful. Shout out to Jason for being such an attentive, polite and professional food server. The host was also very kind and made us feel incredibly welcome. As a bonus to our experience, the actors from the play next door walked by and we got to chat with the lead and take a picture with him! Very cool indeed! Thank you for the great memory! Definitely check this place out if you're looking for a 5-star, classy experience.

(Overall: 90% | A) - I found the outdoor patio area to be very cute and the service to be of a high bar. With food like the venison, this was a really enjoyable experience! (Venison: 102.5% | A+) - I really love the cook on the venison.. it had a crispy edge with a buttery interior. The choice of potatoes were varied, which was wise to add diversity to the dish. However, the puree and sauce simply carried the flavors with a strong command in flavor that highlighted the earthiness from the venison! Phenomenal dish. (Pork Belly 65% | D) - Unfortunately, I found this pork belly to be overly trimmed to the point where the lack of fat does not allow the pork to build flavor and retain moisture. The dish is paired with a blood orange demi which sounds great in practice, but none of those flavors really cane through. Ultimately, the individual garnish was relatively nice, but the dish did not come through for an$26 appetizer. (Bread and Butter: 95% | A) - The bread was crispy, warm, and fresh! Very nice filler to complement this meal.

First, this is NOT a Keller restaurant. Second, it is very good! The food, the service and the wine list all great. Small and quiet, very romantic. I had the Lamb, my wife had their famous duck, both dishes were prepared perfectly. Our waiter was friendly, professional and able to explain and recommend dishes. The wine list had some standards and some real gems. The wine prices were extremely reasonable, not much more than a wine shop. This will be our "go-to" when we are in Santa Barbara.

Great food. Great service. Loved every bite of what we ordered. I ordered the sea bass and it did not disappoint. My kids ordered Mac and cheese and their chicken plate and it was soooo delicious we finished everything.

Best restaurant in Santa Barbara area! We started with the goat cheese and candied walnut dish & the squash puree. The goat cheese appetizer was one of our favorite bites of all time. For the main course we got the lamb and rib eye steak. Great portions and good price for the high quality food. Service might have been my favorite part. The staff were best-in-class - so friendly, personable and knowledgeable. It's a smaller restaurant, so would recommend making reservation ahead of time, but very nice inside.

From the moment I stepped into Bouchon, I was greeted with a warm smile by the team and seated promptly, along with my service dog, Romeo, who was welcomed like an old friend. Dogs are definitely welcome here! The ambiance is top-notch--picture a serene setting, with a gentle splash of headlights as the sun sets, the soothing sound of the fountain, and Teddy Swims' "Lose Control" playing softly in the background. The lighting strikes a perfect balance between calming and chic, elevating the experience. I started with a 2020 Delas wine, recommended by the sommelier, and it was a revelation--silky, with notes of plums and dark fruits, finishing smooth. The bread? Clearly homemade. I requested olive oil and balsamic vinegar in anticipation of the heirloom salad with arugula and herbs I ordered. The salad was fresh and zesty, beautifully presented with delicate shavings of Parmesan. The pacing was just right, giving me time to savor the flavors alongside my wine, which seemed to breathe and blossom as the evening unfolded. Service was impeccable--attentive without being intrusive. Conversations around me were filled with praise for the food and staff, a clear sign that Bouchon has truly mastered the art of hospitality. You can spend your money anywhere, but it's places like this that make it worth every penny. For the main course, I played a little "food roulette" and let Dave, the hero of the night, choose my dish. He delivered a sublime rack of lamb on a bed of risotto with spicy sausage and zucchini. The lamb, medium rare, was tender and rich, with a chimichurri tapenade that brought a perfect balance of freshness and acidity. The zucchini, still crunchy and catching bits of risotto, was a delightful yin to the yang of the dish's textures and flavors. Throughout the evening, Roberto checked on Romeo and made sure we were well taken care of. Bouchon's cleanliness and inviting scent create an atmosphere that encourages you to linger and indulge your culinary curiosity. In my humble opinion, this is a must-visit for Santa Barbara foodies. Dave, Joe, Roberto, and the whole crew deliver a Michelin-worthy experience, with a patio that makes you feel like part of the family. Trust me, I'll be back to explore more of their menu and wines.

Great ambience, good food, (not exceptional--med-rare lamb came raw) and rude service from waiter regarding replacing the wine I ordered. Otherwise lovely welcome and manager attention. Best of all, the fabulous creme brûlée!

I made reservations online for a party of 11 on a Friday night. I initially started with party of 6 and had to increase the amount last minute which thankfully they were able to accommodate. When we arrived, our table was already ready and had a nice little sign indicating it was for our party. Dinner was great! We ordered a few wine bottles and they kept our glasses full. Food and desert was great as well. Would definitely recommend.

We had a dinner party of 6 for our daughter's wedding last night. They beautiful decorated our table with roses and rose petals. Service was outstanding and on point. They were always available when you needed them but never intrusive. Food was out of this world, it was fabulous to order lots of apps and entrees and fine family style with fine wine! If you have a special occasion, I give my strongest recommendation to have your event at this restaurant. It will not disappoint. A night to remember! Thank you Bouchon!

Food was extraordinary, service was impeccable, and the ambiance was delightful. We shall definitely return!

Outstanding experience. What a delight to visit this restaurant while spending a couple days in Santa Barbara. Found this restaurant on Open Table. Food quality, taste, and presentation, were all top notch. The scallop trio was delicious. Especially like the tomato offering. We ordered the lamb and the daily catch. All were prepared exceptionally. I had a food allergy and it was accommodated easily and without incident. We had a local Rose' that was very good. 20 year port was also good. Crème brûlée and lemon cake were top notch. Dominic our waiter was excellent. All service was good and everyone who assisted our table was helpful and attentive. Would highly recommend this restaurant for visitors and locals.

Great service, simple but perfectly executed food. Amazing wine. We enjoyed the tomatoes, duck, venison and lemon cake. Would recommend all!

So my wife, son, and I were in Santa Barbra enjoying a mini family vacation and made a reservation for Bouchon on a Tuesday night. We had been there for the first time the year before and had an incredible dining experience. The food was amazing and we wanted to experience this place once again. So when we arrived we were sat outside which I normally don't like to do because I feel like you are sort of an afterthought than when you are eating inside, but it was a beautiful night and the weather was perfect. Our waiter greeted us and got our drink order. Now last year we ordered the escargot and it was simply the best escargot we have ever had in our lives. It was amazing and both my wife and myself have been looking forward to having the escargot this trip. So we ordered the escargot as well as our entrees. Everything up to this point was perfect. We were drinking our wine enjoying some delicious baked warm bread. About 20 minutes later our escargot was delivered to the table and my wife and I were so excited. Unfortunately the escargot was luke-warm. The flavor was still amazing but we were both disappointed that it was delivered well after it was made. We both didn't complain to our server we just let it go. Well we couldn't really complain even if we wanted too because our server never came back to see how our appetizer was and to ask if we would like another glass of wine. Finally our server came by and asked us if we would like another glass of wine and asked us how our appetizer was. We said it was good because by then we had ate the entire app. Now our waiter was extremely polite and was very engaging when he was table side but we felt a little neglected over the evening. So now comes our main entrees which my wife got the filet mignon and I got the wagyu ribeye. To our disbelief both our entrees were also luke-warm. My wife's filet was warmer than my ribeye because it was thicker and held in the heat better but it still wasn't hot by any means. For whatever reason they slice the ribeye in half and my steak was just above room temperature. This time our server did come by and I sent my steak back. Even though my wife's steak wasn't that warm the flavors were amazing. The sauce was so good and still was an amazing steak despite the temperature. My steak came out 15 minutes later and was a pretty good steak. It wasn't melt in your mouth steak like my wife's filet but it had great flavor and so I really can't complain. To the servers credit he did buy my wife and I a round of drinks which was very kind and something we didn't expect or ask for. I guess we felt a little neglected because our food came out not that warm and we had to wait a little while to order more drinks and our plates sat on our table for longer than what they should of for a restaurant of this price point on a none busy Tuesday night. I would still come back but would for sure ask to be seated inside where I feel we would get better serves. I wouldn't fault the chef because everything we ordered had amazing flavors, but I would say the staff left us a little disappointed for our overall dining experience. I really try not to write negative reviews because I feel most of the time that's all you read so I try to only write positive reviews but in this case I felt like Bouchon needs too do better. Take that with a grain of salt.

Great place. Service was spectacular, super attentive without hovering. Truly great service. Nice wine list. Two separate lists, one of local wines, second with other wine (Napa, Sonoma, France, etc.). Food was great. Steak tartare was excellent, escargot was great, French onion soup was very good. Venison and duck both excellent. Desserts were all good. Pricy, but worth the expense.

Bouchon is a beautiful restaurant. My long time friend brought my wife and I here tonight to celebrate our birthdays. The staff was very welcoming. We even joked around with one of the runners. Our server, his name escapes me right now but he was extremely friendly and his suggestions were spot on. For starters we had the Roasted Butternut Squash purée, I had the Escargot with Puff Pastry and finally the scallop trio. I LOVE escargot and the buttery sauce with the puff pastry was a perfect match. The purée was warm and savory. Finally the Scallops all had incredible taste profiles. For main courses we had the Steak au poivre, the Maple Glazed Duck & confit of thigh as well as the Lamb Chops with risotto. These dishes were exemplary and the Duck has left a lasting impression on me. We closed out our evening with the Chocolate Lava Cake and the Creme Brûlée. We walked out slowly and completely full. Visiting this restaurant is a must when you're in Santa Barbara.

While making a reservation via phone, we mentioned we'd like something inside as this is a celebration. They mentioned they will add rose pedals as a nice touch which was so nice! As we arrived we were asked if we wanted to sit outside or inside - (we already discussed on the phone it would be inside? and you offered rose pedals lol).. I ignored and as we sat Mitchell forgets to sends us menus and a server double whammy. We finally get a server. The best part of this was the wine introduction. Started off with a delicious french onion soup - that was excellent. We ordered the rib eye & Duck that took a whopping 53 minutes to arrive but hey, as long it taste good we don't mind...However no one came over during that wait period to see if we'd like more drinks. We were so down for at least 2-3 more pours... The entrees arrived finally, cold at first bite. Both entrees were terribly cold. We waited all the time for this? The manager didnt even have the audacity to apologize in person. We had to leave and eat elsewhere-- We highly suggest checking out The Black Sheep "SB Brasserie" nearby. The serve similar foods but better and not cold! The ambiance is excellent and a great list of wine and cocktails. thank me later.

We love Buchon. The staff is amazing, the food never disappoints. The flavors in the food are always right.

Maple glazed duck breast and confit 7.83/10- the duck was incredibly rich in flavor and sweet, the confit was perfection and was so tender. I really enjoyed the thyme Demi-glacé that accompanied the duck as it added a lot of flavor. I wasn't a huge fan of the butternut squash and bean mix that was served with it as I felt it lacked flavor/seasoning Rack of lamb 8.87/10- the lamb came out perfectly medium rare. It was incredibly flavorful, juicy, and tender. It was also paired with Parmesan herb risotto and mushrooms Dungenness crab cakes 4.27/10- the crab cakes were not served whardly had any flavor. It had pretty decent c of crab however there was really no flavor or seasoning French onion soup 8.36/10- this came out piping hot and was the perfect start to the meal. The onions were caramelized to perfection, and the licquer flavor was evident in the soup. The combo of the cheese and onions were great. It was a bit salty though. 4.18/10- the bread pudding was not warm at all and had a rubbery taste to it. It also didn't have much flavor in general and seemed as though they just drizzled caramel sauce on it to add flavor This restaurant was pretty good in addition to the service. The ambiance is nice as well. I wouldn't say that it's quite authentic French food, but it's pretty good. They give you slices of a baguette with butter for starters- however it is also not served warm. I felt that a few of their dishes fell short in flavor/temperature. Some of the utensils given to us were also not clean and we had to ask for new silverware.

We came here for a family dinner recently and we all really enjoyed it. The location and ambience itself is wonderful, and the food is great. We really enjoyed the mushroom ragout and the wagyu ribeye. The staff were really attentive and accommodating as well, and they fixed up an off-menu plate of pasta for our kid.