Ca' Dario Montecito

Tried this Italian restaurant recently — not the kind of dishes I usually order at an Italian place, but the food turned out pretty good overall. Prices were a bit on the higher side though. I also got the tiramisu for dessert, which was a bit disappointing — I’ve definitely had better ones at other (and cheaper) places. Still, the main meal was enjoyable and the atmosphere was nice enough for a casual night out.

I've come here several times over the years, and the food and service have always been top-notch! Whether meeting long-term friends or new, it's perfect for a wonderful, relaxed meal/wine/dessert. I ordered the bruschetta al pomodoro, frittura squash blossoms, white bean soup, and lattughine di campo salad, and pear tart... all were amazing! The servers are always knowledgeable, friendly, and fast. Both indoor and outdoor seating are cozy and warm. Thumbs up! 👍👍

Absolutely excellent. I've had a similar dish in many other Italian restaurants but this was the best seafood pasta dish I've ever had and my boyfriend agreed. Can't wait to come back.

Phenomenal hospitality paired either authentic and hearty meals. From the hostess to our waiter Philip and everyone in between, the service here could not be faulted. The food came out hot and was clearly fresh! Highly recommend

Delicious food that came out fast; even my mother who’s a picky eater said that her pasta tasted better than when she was in Italy. Moreover, the staff was very attentive to detail. For example, when we asked for hot water, they brought it with honey and lemon.

The service was lovely, very worth the price. The food was cooked perfectly. The lava cake tasted exquisite. The pear tart seems dry and old.

This place shows some brilliance that is unsurpassed in Santa Barbara. The prosciutto fig and goat cheese was mind blowing in both taste and texture. The smoke flavor was next level. The ravioli was equally impressive with the crispy sage on top. I can’t say enough about these two dishes. The big disappointment was the pizza that was good but just didn’t reach the same level. Service was excellent and prices were Monticito-normal.

The place is nice and beautiful. Nice staff and waiters. The menu is not large, but there are specials of the day. I didn't like the name of the pasta and I attach the photo to the reviews. This pasta was recommended to me by the waiter, I asked for something vegetarian. Pasta tastes awful.

the service was great, our server was amazing, and the Fettuccine Alfredo was out of this world! I would definitely come back again! The bruschetta was also some of the best I've ever had.

Had a great experience last Friday for my party of 5. Service was attentive and fast. Highly recommend the calabrese pizza and the ziti alla puttanesca.

Very cute Montecito restaurant Seriously great service! Great wine list. Our Cesar salad was delicious! They have wonder bread. The pizza was delicious with the flat crust that I love ! My friends pasta dish was delicious also. Our server made our meal incredible. This is a beloved restaurant with two locations one in Santa Barbara one in Montecito. I suggest you run to die in here. !

Stopped here when visiting UCSB and loved the home style Italian comfort food. We had the broccolini, spaghetti and meatballs, soup, and cannoli. Got this meal to go, it was a little pricey ,but was everything I wanted in a cozy takeout meal- (and stayed hot until I got home) The staff was so lovely as well Would definitely recommend and go back here

The best raviolis I've ever had! I was told it was their specialty. And made in house. I'll be dreaming about these for the rest of my life. The staff were friendly and very attentive. Nice patio seating looking out to the main strip.

The bread here is absolutely delicious, and everything we ordered was fresh and flavorful. The service was friendly and attentive, and the overall atmosphere was warm and inviting. Highly recommend this spot for a nice meal in Montecito!

Went with our Family for the Thanksgiving 4-course prix fixe extravaganza. As we are regular guests at Ca'Dario with usually superb service and food, we were sorrowfully disappointed. First course salad was excellent, second course Lobster Risotto although delicious was a bit under cooked, third course Veal Scallopini at edges seemed crisp, dry and over done as, if it sat under a heat lamp to long, Fourth course Pumpkin Pie was underwhelming. Service was extremely slow and we endured long time periods in between courses. Not a single consistent server as many different staff members including we think the manager was serving. One server dropped a plate in clearing between serving courses, shattered on the table where some small pieces lodged in my wife's hand. Seemingly angry he(server) rushed to clear completely the table and reset glasses and silverware. Never apologized or asked if we were ok. Only our initial server was(as usual) smiling and friendly, all other multiple staff encountered, seemed annoyed and frustrated. To make matters worse we were seated at front near hostess station and where noisy, anxious customers waited.I get it, busy holiday special, but they should have planned and organized better. I wish our initial server that introduced herself was able to complete our experience as she and Marko have always been superb and kept us coming back with frequency. Sadly, as this is one of our typical "go to" Montecito spots, we will perhaps give other venues more opportunity.

Delicious dining experience and great ambiance. Service is also great, very nice staff! Food comes out a bit slow.

Best dinner ever! Kind of a magical night. Came in without a reservation and ended up with a perfect outside table :) Plus the weather was perfect. I did a very poor job of photo documentation as I was just to into the actual experience of eating here. As I've traveled to the Montalcino area of Italy, I always take advantage of the wine from that region if it's an option. We really enjoyed the 2017 La Poderina Burnell Di Montalcino. For a starter, we shared the roasted whole artichoke with chopped tomato garlic aioli filling. OMG - so good! Perfectly cooked. For an entree, I ordered the seafood risotto off of their Special Menu. The stock used in the risotto had such a deep, seafood flavor. It literally reminded me how sometimes the sea air has a beautiful fragrance. The dessert menu was off the charts, but as usual, I had no room :( One of those rare, perfect evenings out at a restaurant.

One of the best places to eat in Montectio . I'm actually reviewing the professionalism of the staff and management. Seriously amazed . Will always be constant customers .

Delicious Italian, delivered by happy professional servers, with Montecito people watching? Outside seating? Gotta go 5.

Every time I'm in Santa Barbara it is a must to enjoy Dario's cooking. Thank you Ca'Dario for always killing it.

We were upset because receptionist was argumentative about our seating request my husband went to speak to the manager and at the end they tried to do damage control but left us with a bitter taste. Won't visit again No one wants to drive for 2 hours and be treated like that

Food and service were fabulous. Book early for outside seating. We booked outside but they put us inside which was disappointing, we didn't complain as we were hungry and it was already 30 minutes past our reservation.

I was so disappointed. Not only in the food, but also the lack of visual presentation of the food, Then the cocky, careless male help. What attitudes! I am Italian, and I was really disappointed. I go to a lot of Italian places. I will never eat here again. I had the pasta with creamy tomato sauce, bacon, and mushrooms. The bacon was teeny tiny chunks of what seemed like ham. There were no mushrooms to be seen or tasted. I said something to the waiter and he said it's all ground up. I said, I guess I'll have to imagine that I'm eating mushrooms. Even if they were ground up, there was virtually nothing detectable there. Wow, what a visual and taste disappointment. Just fling some pasta in a bowl, mix some sauce in with microscopic little pieces of some type of "bacon". Not even a bit of any sort of garnish. My boyfriend had the oysters and pasta, watery pasta, visually unattractive, and very little taste. His Arnold Palmer was terrible. They use some sort of carbonated lemon drink in it. The calamari/shrimp appetizer was good. Too many good Italian places in Santa Barbara. No reason to have to settle here. Thanks for the response Dario. I meant clams not oysters.

The food was solidly good, the service was great. We started with a pasta, cooked well and flavored well. Then we each had a fish course. The salmon was slightly overcooked, but still good. The Branzino was cooked perfectly. The dessert was amazing. Our waiter, Marco is clearly the best they have. He was very attentive to all the tables he covered and was very informative. The interior is casual, and could use a little facelift. The outdoor terrace is large and probably the most popular place to sit. Overall a great experience, thanks to Marco.

Beautiful restaurant, clean, open and well organized. This restaurant is in the same building as the former Giovanni's Pizza which was one of the best pizza restaurants in California. Our waitress was sensational and was a gal from Serbia. Food was delivered in a reasonable time and was fresh, no complaint. Their staff was attentive to us completely. Sad to say we will not return again as we did not enjoy the food at all. The meatball sandwich I ordered was shockingly small and had some kind of spice in it that I've never tasted in meatballs. They also were too firm. My family is from Italy and we are all cooks. My wife's pizza was so thin and the vegetables on it were cut too big making the pizza "wet". Also the desserts need to be done with a little more care. They look good but were not on par. We wish them much success and are really sorry we did not enjoy our stay, but there are many good reviews vs this one. Go and hopefully you will have a good meal there even though ours was not what we expected. Sorry Ca Dario.

I went here on a Monday night for dinner. It was delicious. I had two dishes. The 20oz ribeye and the fusilli pasta with sausage (a special at the time). I like this location because it has a little more space than the Victoria street location. It was a nice ambiance, especially if you're seated outside. The service is what really makes this place shine. They are so attentive, nice, and genuinely knowledgeable about the entire menu. They make recommendations and even go above and beyond to make special little modifications based on your preferred tastes. I can't express how phenomenal the staff was. I have no complaints about any part of this dining experience. A well deserved 5/5.

Great classic Italian restaurant. Great atmosphere. Wait staff and front of house staff are very professional and efficient. The Bolognese was one of the best I've had in a while. Definitely worth trying... will return for sure.

The food is great. The service is great. I prefer to eat there, but I've taken out plenty of times and that's always been great too. Employees are friendly. The restaurants clean. I recommend this place. Give it a try.

We came in today as a party of 4 to celebrate a friends birthday and Dubra was AMAZING! Perfect level of attentiveness. Checked up frequently but not hovering. Had a natural welcoming energy and smile. Super personal and friendly while helping us order which all the food was AMAZING! Hope to get her as our server next time we come in.

Ca'Dario is always a great meal, with excellent service and a wonderful value. We always enjoy the ambiance.....

Lovely little restaurant in the heart of the Monteceito business area. Sat outside and watched the people walk by. Service was excellent. I ordered the frittata. It was hot and delicious.

Service was impeccable from start to end of our dinner. Thank you, we appreciate you making our vacation that extra special. Food wow...oh so delicious and on point. We've been to Italy and know what to expect. High expectations met and more with the attentive service. The only thing, our leftover was packed for us but no bread from our table was included wah Ambiance perfect! Classy!!! Need I say more. I don't enjoy reading a book. Get to the point is my thang.

There are no photos of the food, because everything was so delicious everyone jumped right in. We started with the white asparagus, wrapped in pancetta-and it was so good we ordered another one! If you are getting one thing there GET THAT!!! We also had pasta, the sole, roasted chicken, and squash blossoms-which were all delicious. This place has a fun indoor outdoor feel and is super cozy, and transports you to an ambiance that feels like it could be in Italy. The staff worked above and beyond to make sure we were accommodated and had everything we needed. This is one of the staples of coast village road!

I never knew Ca'Dario served breakfast! Came for Brunch on a Saturday and had the best time with friends. It was raining but there was plenty of warm covered seating outside on their heated patio. Mimosas are fresh and they have a few tasty breakfast items to chose from. I ordered the breakfast frittata. That was de-li-cious 100%. Came with asparagus, prosciutto, mushroom and cheese. Lunch items were also available. Service was super friendly and the cappuccinos were amazing! Would definitely go back to try dinner!

Beautiful setting. Great food. Umbrellas, white tablecloths, outdoor heaters make for a special outdoor dining experience. They have indoor seating too. Some great plant based options. Love my fusilli with leaks, mushrooms and tomatoes. The Flavors were outstanding. But I was told that the pasta used egg it would be really great if you could make a fully vegan plant version please. Small side salad was also perfect. - great dressing done just right. My meat loving friends enjoyed their food too. Medium to large portions. Good wine list. No cocktails. Lovely service. My only hope is for some all plant based additions!!! The meat that my husband had was just OK by the looks of it. He asked for a medium it looked like it was medium rare.

We've been happily dining at Ca Dario's "Flagship" restaurant in Downtown Santa Barbara for years. This past Saturday we decided to try their Montecito location on Coast Village Road...we're glad we did! The food was superb and the service was friendly and very attentive. The waiter and busboys checked with us several times during our meal making sure that things were satisfactory. The restaurant itself is quite pleasant, offering both inside and patio seating. We will definitely be back to the Montecito branch of Chef Furlati's empire and wholeheartedly recommend Ca'Dario!

Amazing delicious food , great customer service super friendly and great ambience . In the heart of Monticito. My family truly enjoyed our meal.

Great Italian food in the heart of Montecito. We enjoyed sitting in the warm parklet on a cold rainy night. Ambience inside and out is impressive. The wine by the glass selection is extensive and our server Marko was terrific. My partner had the linguine and clams that was a huge portion and very enjoyable. I had the roasted half chicken that came with several sides and was moist and flavorful.. The salads were great and the zuccuchini blossoms a must. Everything was perfect and will return soon for sure.

If you like attitude and being treated like you have a mental disability by a 20 year old, this is the place for you. Hostess and staff hang around and socialize with each other while you wait to be acknowledged . The greeting is a " Do you have a reservation" with an added attitude while you look at the empty restaurant wondering "Didn't you just tell me not needed on the phone?". It actually gets worse. Didn't even make it to dinner.

Our experience was soured by the hostess. We had a Friday dinner reservation and the hostess told us upon arrival that there'd be a ten minute wait while they got our table ready. After twenty minutes we checked in with her again and were told it would be another 10 or 15 minutes. It ended up being a 30 minute wait and she never once came out to proactively update us - plus she seated a table of equal size that arrived after us. Her demeanor was also weirdly chilly and indifferent the whole time. She couldn't even bring herself to say a simple "sorry for the wait" once our table was ready. The food was fine and the waitstaff was attentive once we were seated - but given the upscale pricing we'd expect better handling of reservations. The crowd was also a bit of a freak show of Montecito locals - people trying too hard to dress flashy and act like celebrities. All in all a mixed experience.

I can only give this restaurant 3 stars as they have cut their take out sizes in half and still charging the same amount! The take out containers are appetizer sized and they gave us only three tiny sliver of slices of bread for two people. Just charge for bread if that's what is offered with a take out order for two. Won't be taking out from here any longer. Tiny portions not worth the price.

Very happy with our experience here at Ca'Dario. Service was literally perfect. Shoutout to hostess Maddie, she is great, and our server Marco and another young gentlemen whose name I did not catch were awesome too. The food came super fast I was thrilled. Also the prices at this place are super reasonable especially for it being on coast village. We are very glad we came to this restaurant after a horrible experience at Pan e Vino in upper village Montecito. If you want Italian, come here instead. Super happy and will be back

Just ate at this great little restaurant. My wife and I opted to sit inside so we can be seated right away, otherwise they do have nice outdoor seating. We started with the Caprese and Caesar Salad appetizers, both of which were great and gave us hope the main courses would be equally if not better. Spoiler alert - the main courses did not disappoint. The Caprese tasted very fresh from the tomatoes to the mozzarella to the basil. For the main dishes we ordered the tortellini with diced ham (forgot the actual name) and the ravioli with brown butter sage sauce (also forgot the name). Both were such a treat and we couldn't be happier that we chose this place for our last dinner on vacation. We will definitely be back on the next trip.

Dubra was absolutely amazing, she provided attentive and genuine service, I felt completely welcomed, never rushed, always checked on. Besides service, the food and drinks were amazing, everything was clean and the tables and vibes were very much up to par. Highly highly recommend.

Probably the best restaurant in Montecito/Santa Barbara. We always want to go there with the beautiful ambiance and the service is the best I have experienced. The food really completes it all. Great pasta, pizza, and chicken too. Have never tried the fish but it is probably amazing too. Good prices for such a meal and would recommend it completely.

The positives - The frittata Mista was good with a light crispy outer layer and the fried scallops were really good. The portion was large which was great The Bolognese was absolutely delicious definitely try this dish. The pasta was light with large pieces of meat in the sauce. I loved this dish. The Meh - I ordered the truffle pizza and the truffles were very small. The pizza is also not authentic Italian pizza but also not quite like an Italian pizza. It's not terrible but its... meh. I wouldn't order it again. The tortino dessert was decent it was very much like an average chocolate cake and it was very small. I thought It would have a more chewy texture and be more like a lava cake. The Bad - I was extremely excited to see that they had fried zucchini blossoms since it was one of my favorite appetizers in Italy. I was very sad to see it looked like fish and chips and tasted like a giant mozzarella stick from like a chili's or something. Yuck. It was also $20 for that appetizer.

All 3 of us had a fantastic meal (and that happens very rarely). We all loved the bread and oil. I loved my sole with a side of beets and spinach. My husband loved his lasagna. Our friend loved her pasta. The prices are reasonable (for Santa Barbara) but the food is superior!!

I've been to the Ca'Dario in Santa Barbara a number of times and am glad there's now a Montecito location. I haven't seen it yet, but we've had it delivered for dinner both times we've made it up to visit my father-in-law during the pandemic. It's a great option if you're looking to get a nice Italian meal at home. Ordering and delivery are easy, and the food travels well. The mozzarella caprese is a nice starter, with bufala mozzarella, sliced organic tomatoes, oregano, basil, and extra virgin olive oil. For pastas, I love the spaghettini alle vongole, an excellent dish of thin pasta with fresh clams, shaved garlic, chili flakes, parsley, and white wine sauce. The clams are delicious and I applaud the liberal use of garlic. The ravioli al burro e salvia is homey and satisfying, pillowy pasta filled with spinach and ricotta in a brown butter and sage sauce. I also like the tagliatelle alla bolognese. Ca'Dario's is made with spinach tagliatelle noodles and a very hearty ragout. Now that we're almost fully vaccinated, I imagine we'll visit Ca'Dario in person when we want Italian food in Montecito. I look forward to that day, but for now, am happy to recommend it on the strength of our delivery meals alone.

Wildly inconsistent! I've been there 4 times now. First time the salmon penne in light cream was miserable. Tre Lune nails it, this place doesn't. Don't recall what I had the second go round, but it was pretty good. The third time was great. The Pappardelle was excellent. Everything was excellent. Last time we ordered the same dish and it was awful. Management didn't seem to care about our assessment. Service is OK, though like many pretentious places around Montecito, if you're not ordering drinks or wine, they don't want to know you. The vibe is so welcoming overall. Bottom line is it's pricey mediocre food in an atmosphere of arrogance. We won't be back.

Hands down the best Italian food I've ever had in my life. The bolognese is divine. We have returned and ordered takeout 3 times in the past month. I don't have the words to describe how amazing every bite is. Haven't had the privilege yet to eat inside due to Covid, but it makes no difference. Even eating it in the car with the beach in the background is *chefs kiss. Will return as often as I can. I travel all the way from Burbank for this little piece of heaven on earth.

We like the location. Our waiter was Ok but not focused ( brought one glass of wine though we'd ordered 2). Our Caesar salad was very bland and main course ( chicken dish) was very under seasoned). My husband enjoyed his pizza, had the remainder boxed to bring home, but once home realized he got someone else's pizza! Yuck!!!! Such a disappointing evening!

Great service, Romero was amazing and super nice, thank you for being so patient with our big gruop of ladies. the food is so fresh and delicious the Ambiance is very romantic and classy.

The service was great. The food was alright. They use fresh ingredients and the flavors were great. However both pasta dishes were a bit soupy. Not my first choice when it comes to Italian food. Overall the atmosphere was nice and we had a great dinner.

Lovely service and delicious food. Our waitress was more attentive than my own mother, and that's saying something! If you're looking to impress, yourself or others, this place you are looking for.

Great service, truly remarkable, caring and kind. The food was on par with the service. We'll be back! Thank you

When I want great food and great service I always go to the Montecito location. Marco and his friend Dubra always make me feel welcome. Fernando is a fantastic manager as well.

Nice patio and pleasant service, but food very mediocre and extremely overpriced for quality and portion sizes. You can do much better than this place!