Santa Barbara

The staff were kind and patient. We went really late and they hosted us kindly and nicely. Our waitress spent time to explain the food and we ordered wine, Labneh and two main course dishes. The food was not my type and I won’t go there again but it’s just my taste and you may like it. Labneh and wines were really good.

I really want to go again for brunch ! What stood out the most is how friendly the hosts are. Every single person there greeted us and I truly appreciated it. It's a very good place for vegan options. The ingredients are fresh. Particularly loved the pozole Verde with beans. Would 100% recommend the shrub soda with dill, was amazing. It's a bit on the pricier side for vegetarian and vegan restaurants, but the ingredients are clearly fresh.

Great brunch place to try. The place is located near the Jean-Talon market. Food is amazing, friendly price and portion. Different than the traditional brunch with bread, eggs and fruits. Santa Barbara is fancier with a good price. Mostly vegan, but meat is optional. The staffs are fast and they are super friendly and professional. I would come back just for the services. They are so nice.

Really enjoyed their brunch (super tasty) although the portions are to small. Staff is really nice, and atmosphere is pleasant. Great if you want a light brunch.

Friendly staff make you feel welcome. Decor is nice and cozy. They also have a terrace which is great to enjoy the weather on weekend brunches. We came to brunch for my friend's birthday. I ordered The Architect which is a piece of bread topped with kale salad and 2 poached eggs. The bread was soggy by the salad and the poached eggs were a bit overcooked and not runny enough. The egg whites were also all over the place, not looking like traditional poached eggs. My friend ordered The Miner and it looked exactly like a vietnamese Banh Mi... only, it was a very expensive 14$ Banh Mi! Bottom line, the price range is the same as any other brunch places, BUT unfortunately the food they serve don't measure up. Montreal has many better options for brunch.

The meals were simplistic but full of flavour. The pomme de terre was other worldy. You can really taste the freshness of the ingredients.

What's not to love? The food is creative, delicious and unique. The atmosphere is perfect to catch up and talk. Staff is fun and caring. Portions and prices are great. This place is a gem!

Very interesting brunch and homemade drinks. Not your usual options, everything was great. Lots of vegetarian and vegan options available. Nice service and ambiance.

Super cute place and good choice when it comes to brunch options. It is vegetarian friendly too. Their service is friendly and pretty good

Brunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, creative, delicious and generous. I chose the Architect with perfect roast potato wedges to dip in sriracha mayo and 2 poached eggs on sourdough decorated with kale and green onion...delicious and so filling. Servers are friendly and fast. A happy experience in every way. There are so many mediocre overpriced places, but this is not one of them. Prices here are very fair. Lovely cozy environment, too.

Yay my 100th review- When you have vegetarian friends- Santa Barbara should be top of your list. This neighborhood friendly restaurant had a vintage feel to it. Quite small but intimate. I tip-toed in for dinner with a friend. Being a non-veg, the food was enriched with good flavors and warmth like a home cooked meal. I tried out several dishes- starting with some fritters (served as two pieces) with a side of hummus (was ok), perogies drizzled in a cream sauce, crushed almonds and carrots (Rich but amazing combination of flavours), and the main- a baked acornsquash with a tomato sauce (melts in your mouth with each bite). For dessert- Creme Brulee! was too full to finish it (good for individuals or to share). I believe the menu changes regularly-don't take my word for it. It is also good for original cocktails. Be warned-the decor including many statues of Mary all over the walls seemed a bit creepy- straight of a horror movie scene!

AMAZING brunch! The wait was worth it, I thoroughly enjoyed what I ordered and ate everything :) I did not like the pomegranate juice though so I wouldn't recommend ordering it

Looked up a brunch spot and found this place and when I quickly saw the menu online and delicious looking pictures on Instagram I thought let's give this lovely place a shot - I was not disappointed ! I called to reserve but they said they do not take reservations but if I come between 10 and 11 then should have no problem and that the turn around is quick. Our party of 4 walked in at 10:20 and got seated immediately by the window. The place is very nicely decorated. We ordered 5 dishes and they were all delicious ! My favorite was Le bruncheur. The waitress was super attentive and very sweet. One of the dishes the egg wasn't cooked how it was supposed to and they quickly fixed the situation and took the dish back. Their cocktails were very good- I had the bloody Barbara and the mother's little helper. Both were good. I also tried their scone of the day and it was very fresh and moist. I would absolutely come back to this place for the excellent food and service. The prices were very reasonable and portions were good.

I recently visited Santa Barbara to celebrate a friend's birthday and I was blown away by this gem tucked away in a side street in Rosemont. The service was friendly but not over top, I felt welcome and comfortable. The space itself dark but homey, we felt ok hanging around after the meal to chat and finish our meals. The food! Oh the food! Everything was beautiful and so tasty! The menu is mostly vegetarian but meat eaters won't miss it if they choose a veggie dish. I had the gnocchi with mushrooms. I had a certain idea of what I was going to get in mind, and it was not at all what I got. Basic gnocchi with mushrooms is good .... this was amazing! Melt in your mouth gnocchi, a huge portion of mushrooms and gooey cheese, based in the most delicious sauce. My dining companions had the prodigies a.d the risotto, and both looked like equally good choices. Overall a great experience, and I will definitely be back.

I'm one of the rare breed that doesn't get all excited for Taco Tuesdays (I mean, are tacos not like the easiest thing to assemble at home?), if Santa Barbara were to somehow magically exist in my city, I might change my stance. I saw the tacos listed on the sandwich board as I made my way in, but didn't think much about them, instead getting all excited for the array of gorgeous salads listed on the menu. Then one of my dining partners filled me in on the vegetarian taco and our friendly server confirmed that it was indeed, vegan, so I was sold. Fresh peas. Guacamole. Asparagus. Tomatoes. Resistance would be futile, I realized. But first, our salads. We shared three: the kale, the fatoush (lebnah on the side) and the endive (it has a different name, but I cannot recall it). Of the three, I found myself wanting to keep the fatoush all to myself but I'm nice and I share! The za'atar coating the leaves is plentiful and adds the best taste ever to the entire thing and the falafel is just perfection. There's also crunchy bits of pita and the entire creation is pure deliciousness. I liked the kale, but I'm not a fan of all those pickled onions. The endive isn't terribly exciting, but really fresh and a great accompaniment if paired with a heartier dish. The tacos. Oh, the tacos. Just as good as expected, three corn tortillas bursting with the aforementioned ingredients. I'm really a fan of the flavors & textures going on here, the creaminess of the guacamole, the crunchy freshness of the sweet peas and tangy asparagus and the juiciness of the acidic tomatoes... pure excellence! Aaaaand they have a Gamay, people! My absolute favorite French wine. I don't love the no credit card thing, but that's the only negative thing here and its minor when you consider all the greatness waiting for you. Still, if all things are equal, I'd have to give Santa Barbara a pass because I rarely have cash... (see what I did there?)

AMAZING ONE! I've been there once and it was delicious. I plan to go back there to try their natural wine.

Fantastic service. Plenty of vegetarian options, and items that could be made vegan, but one of the reviewers below wrongly describes this as a hipster vegan restaurant. He either doesn't know what a hipster is or a vegan (or both). Either way, we ordered the perogies, corn fritters, kale salade and gin ans tonic. Thé cocktail was blanc for the price, but all the food was fantastic. A little pricey for the portion sizes for some... But these are real restaurant portions, not sizzler portions.

Here are the things I loved last night at Santa Barbara: The Rhuby, white wine with rhubarb: not too sweet, the perfect summer drink, totally unlike anything else I've tried, totally delicious. The pineapple chilli homemade soda - fresh, the chilli is not too hot but cuts the sweet, super fun non-boozey drink. The appetizers and salads. All of them. The feta, green pea and dill mezze was so light and scrumptious salty and I could have eaten this all to myself. The zucchini fritters were light so savoury and not at all greasy tasting, the herb butter they were served with had me schemeing ways to lick the plate. The kale salad I could have (and should have) eaten for dinner instead of sharing with a table full of vultures (jokes!) The panzanella my sister ordered was filling and light at the same time and would be top of my list for next time. The place is bright with restful colours and a lively clattery atmosphere, seats about 40 I'd guess so not too crowded. The staff seemed a little stretched thin at moments but were faultlessly gracious throughout a barrage of mom questions from my table. And the thing I didn't love sadly? My own main.. I ordered the special and so did another of my crew, and we were both kind of left flat by it. The mussels and shrimp curry with rice and asparagus sounded delicious and was just kind of.. meh, ok. Nothing particularly wrong with it, just heavy basic flavours, asparagus on the side feeling like an afterthought, boney fish in the curry, two shrimp total, I dunno.. not bad, just wished I'd stuck with the amazing salads and good looking green things swirling all around me instead. Anyway, live and learn. I'll be back for cocktails, apps and salads 100%. Oh - heads up, they don't take credit cards here, just debit.

A tasteful restaurant for the Montreal hipster vegan with money to burn! That said, all the items of the menu that we tried tonight were well worth the money, including the 12$ margarita à-la-Santa-Barbara. Non-vegan options include fish, lamb and mussels -- I tried the mussels and they tasted great. Kale is on the menu, in case you were wondering. The place is an upscale offshoot of the celebrated breakfast place Le Vieux Vélo, located in the same area. Santa Barbara also does brunches, but we tried it only for a 7pm Friday dinner. By 7:30pm it was already packed and they don't take reservations. Arrive early!

Their food name is very interesting, the place is adorable. We had one dish "pompier" and one"electrician". The electrician is too sour for me. In all, their food are not bad, but not as good as I expected.

I went there at least three times for brunch and I am never disappointed. Good service and food that I definitely don't make at home. So it feels like it's worth getting out of the house. Not just original; it's delicious. Good service too and cute decor. I'm excited to go again.

Friends recomendamos this place at brunch time, te service was fast and nice, the restaurant itself is cozy and colorful, food was tasty and original. Coming back to check out the other plates.

Santa Barbara is a great brunch. This should be a 5 stars review and it's only a 4 because of the (long) wait. Besides the wait, I loved everything about this place. Fresh and delicious food, a little bit more original than usual brunch fairs. To find out more, check out my review: https://delifeed.ca/2016/05/01/santa-barbara-fresh-and-creative-brunch/

Breakfast is my absolute favourite part of the day so I'm utterly sorry to say the food here was completely underwhelming in every way... our server was sweet but lacked experience and attentiveness. My dish had burnt toast on the outside that I couldn't even chew it was so hard, and the middle was completely soggy from the salad which was overly sour. I asked for my eggs to be medium over easy and the waiter kinda brushed me off. I was worried he didn't take note of my request and I was right, my eggs were completely runny. My potatoes had little to no taste and were hard and cold down the middle:/ Moreover, my dad's girlfriend asked for no bacon in her dish too and little to our surprise there was meat in it, she had to send it back and henceforth delayed her breakfast. Nonetheless, I did love the warm and beautiful setting inside, reminded me of the carribean. So overall, could've had a better breakfast experience but I'm rooting for this spot to get it right.

First things first, this place is cash and Interac ONLY Now onto more important things: the cocktails are amazing and they are always switching them up. For a veggisaurus like me, there are a TON of choices and I have never left here less than absolutely, freaking stuffed and happy. They switch up their mussel recipe fairly often which is good, but their curry mussels are to die for, everyone at the table was pretty much stabbing one another to soak up what was left. Everything on the menu is tasty, fresh and delicious and the staff completely rule. Cozy spot and you can always get a table if you're patient, well worth the wait if they make you wait.

Delicious vegetarian-friendly fare. Meat makes an appearance on the menu but treated "as a celebration rather than an obligation". I recommend the market fresh fish, perogies with beet salad, quinoa salad with peas and pistachio, and the white-wine mussels. Sprightly cocktails and out-of-this-world house juices created by the sweet and talented cook, Melissa. The ambiance is cozy, comfortable and light which is refreshing in a city dominated by dark woods and rustic, bohemian vibes. They play good music and not too loudly so perfect place to enjoy with a small group. A much-needed and welcomed addition to this hip neighborhood.

Neat little resto tucked in the Petite-Patrie area near Beaubien station. Walked into the door with the open kitchen at the front and a face full of delicious smells. There was a bit of a wait, it took no longer than 10 minutes and the host/server offered us a drink and even stools to sit on while we waited. I dig the interior design a lot, with it's lightbulb-lit lightning shaped sign, the lovely turquoise accent wall at the rear and the subtle homages to "Santa Barbara" (who I couldn't resist looking up and apparently is the patron saint of artillerymen, military engineers, miners and ppl who work with explosives). Also they give away buttons! I love buttons. Anyplace I get buttons is already a step ahead. The menu is meatlover and vegetarian friendly and reasonably priced, they also have some delicious beer/wine choices on their list. We ordered an appetizer of cornbread, hummus, homemade salsa and walnuts to start. I had the special which was sweet potato au gratin with a side of kai-lan (chinese broccoli). It was incredible... and perfectly balanced the sweetness of the potato with the baked cheese topping. My friend had the gnocchi dish, made with the larger sized gnocchi "dumpling" bits and was also very good. Neither of us could finish our plates or had room for dessert. I did top it off with a tasty espresso though... mostly to avoid falling asleep on the way home due to my full belly. Slight downside for me was that the seating is cozy. As in you may accidentally play footsie with your neighbour cozy. And if you get seated at a table bench-side mid row... good luck taking a pee break without ducking under the table or knocking a wineglass over with your badonkadonk while trying to delicately squeeze between tables (that may or may not have happened to me). This is probably not as much of an issue when they aren't quite as busy. I would definitely come here more often if it wasn't on the complete opposite end of the city from where I live. That being said, it is worth the trek so I'll be returning for more mouthgasms eventually.

Excellent food and even better ambience. We had the mezza platter, kale salad and ratatouille. All three were excellent and complemented each case other very well. The food is simple and fresh and the chef lets the ingredients do the talking. We also ordered a couple of cocktails which were very good as well. This was my first meal in Montreal and I'm looking forward to many more like it!

Love this place!!! Cocktails are amazing! Food is wonderfully eclectic and delicious. The staff were attentive and cool!! Will be back whenever we are in Montreal!!

I loved last night at Santa Barbara. We came for a friend's birthday an got to seat in the back room which had all kinds of interesting design features like a sprinkler collection on the wall, and a window to the street. Once everyone arrive (we were 12) they got our drinks order. They had an original cocktail menu as well as wine and beer. I tried a non alcoholic beverage Chicha Morada, which was very interesting. Between us we ordered most of the menu and every dish was a success. The leek fritter on labane and zaatar was simple but well executed. The corn chowder was a hit. The mushroom crostini was also raved. For the main dish I got the butternut squash gratin which was orange and soft and was served with hard caramelized almonds as well as green sauce that made for nice contrasts both in color and texture. The Soba salad was one of the most successful dishes even though it was very simple. Desserts were nice and original and my favorite was the cream brule with black sesame with a close second - cardamom chocolate cake. Service throughout the evening was pleasant and professional. The waiters showed great knowledge about the various dishes that helped to facilitate decisions all around . One thing - I would change the classification to $$$.

Terrible!!! There's a reason it's the only brunch spot in the area with no lineup! The food was below average, too expensive for what it was! They refuse to give you side dishes even if it's on their menu and when i found an eggshell in my already disappointing dish they gave me a lousy 10% discount which was 1.60$...never again! I rather wait somewhere else and enjoy my Sunday morning brunch!

Oh man I was longing to try that restaurant for so long now. Maybe I had too much expectations. Not that it wasn't good...I just thought it'd be great. First the place is adorable; I loved the decor. The menu is short but interesting. They have a very few choices for wine by the glass, but I managed to drink a great red. For starter my friend and I shared the Russian kale salad, we opted for the big plate because the waitress said the small was very tiny. Boy that was a lot of kale. The plate was huge and good. As a main course I had the gnocchi. The waitress really sold me the gnocchi saying how complex and unique the dish was. Well maybe the bar was set too high. The gnocchi by themselves were delicious; moist enough, cooked perfectly and flavourful. But I didn't see any complexity to that dish. Yes it was topped with pine nuts, old cheddar cheese and had some cabbage purée on the side...is that complex? Plus the cabbage purée was SOOOOO salty. I'm a salty gal but that was way too salty. My friend took the fish of the day which was the grilled char. The filet was huge but the plate really lack of sides... At 29$ the plate she wished she had more veggies. The service was friendly and professional but very slow. So overall, I'm not saying I wouldn't go back but I'm not gonna run to go back neither....

We've been here several times, for brunch and dinner and only had wonderful experiences. The cocktails are interesting and always well executed. The food is incredible. The nice thing about this place is that the menu changes with the seasons. It's always a nice surprise to see what's being served. Even the items that are always there (ie. the mussels) change every time, and have always been amazing. The service is wonderful. Friendly, knowledgable staff each time. We were trying to think of a nice place to go for a birthday dinner... looked up all the restaurants in the neighbourhood to finally settle on this one, since we knew it'd be great, and we're not disappointed at all that we came back here. The only thing to be aware of is that they don't take credit cards, which may come as a shock if you've spent quite a bit on dinner and weren't prepared.

This is such a cute, little place. The Santa Barbara offers great, fresh, comfort food, just perfect for the soul. I also promised myself to go back for brunch sometime soon. In the meantime, if you do happen to pass by for dinner, make sure to try the delicious enchiladas !!

Brunch amazingness is served at Santa Barbara! Easily my number one in this part of town. The portions are a bit generous. The food is fresh and delicious. The menu is about 7 items long with plenty of veg options and all pretty light even the beer and apple crepe. I had the gravlax with avocado dill cream, scrambled eggs and greens. So light and lovely! The drinks menu is part alcoholic part fresh juices. The staff is a DREAM. So friendly and attentive! The interior is super cool and fun as well. Santa Barbara might be off the beaten path but it's good to wander ;)

This was our first stop after crossing the border. We had been driving 8 hours, and had in no way anticipated that our GPS would switch to roaming as soon as we entered Canada. Also, I had thought there would be a more even split between French and English, so we were kind of in a culture shock. I'm not very good at vacationing, I guess. So, it was nice to have a pleasant dining experience after all that! Santa Barbara is a nice casual-but-trendy place. Lots of light woods, religious iconography, candlelight. The waitress was very nice. I tried speaking French, she spoke French back, I stared at her wide-eyed as I realized I was in way over my head, and she promptly and pleasantly switched to English. I could have hugged her. Menu is very simple, and bilingual. Of import: although this place is primarily vegetarian, there are a few animal dishes on the menu. Pork chops and a couple fish dishes. This is relevant. Read on. I permitted myself an alcoholic drink, bcs I deserved it. Gin with citrus and earl grey tea. It tasted delicious, but was small for the price (in my opinion; I don't drink much, so I'm not a good judge!) and I couldn't really taste the tea. Joe got the gnocchi, which he raved about. I tried some and it was absolutely delicious. My entree came with quinoa, which was mixed with beets and oranges. I had never had quinoa like this, and I have to say it was delicious. I am definitely stealing the idea to make at home! The rest of my entree was fish. Because I am an absolute moron and accidentally ordered fish. I cannot tell you how the server would have reacted if I sent it back, bcs I was too humiliated to do so. So I chopped it into little pieces, casually hid it in my napkin, and then threw it out later. I think one of the other waiters saw me, because he came by and was like, "Ca va?" Then he said some other stuff, which may have been, "Because I see that you are wrapping your food in your napkin like a maniac." but I didn't understand it, so I just said, "Oui!!!!!! Ca va bien!!!!! Merci merci merci!" over and over until he must have concluded that I was definitely a maniac and left. This is how the socially awkward deal with problems, people! Despite my idiocy, I will repeat: the gnocci and quinoa were both fantastic. And honestly, even when I ate meat, I didn't like fish, but this fish smelled and looked incredible. If I were still a meat eater, I would have tried it. Promise. They take cards, but ours didn't work, so we had to get cash across the street at a gas station. By then, I think the waitress was sick of us, bcs she seemed to get a little snippy. But I promise, we were doing our absolute best as strangers in a strange land! (Yes, I am using that phrase even though I'm talking about a girl from Rochester going to Canada.)

This was my favorite restaurant in my visit to Montreal. Both, dinner and brunch were quite good. Drinks were creative and service was friendly but professional. Vegetarian options were very tasty.

Food was good! The chef does really interesting combinations. The service though was terrible and it kinda ruined the experience. I usually am very tolerant with waiters, but when one is just rude and doesn't smile when I ask something, I can't accept it. I would give another chance to this place for its food. Hopefully they'll have fixed their service issues. To the owner of Santa Barbara: We got plenty of good food in Montreal, make the experience pleasant as a whole!

Healthy and refreshing. The beet appetizer was to die for! Did not leave the restaurant feeling like I ate too much. The portions were just right. The only negative comment was the noise level. It felt like a noisy cafeteria. We skipped dessert to get out of the din.

Fantastic service, the quality of food is phenomenal. You can't go wrong with their pierogies. It's was an all around great experience

A great brunch spot. Expect to pay on the pricier side, but you will get your money's worth in both quality and ambiance.

Delicious food with a vegetarian bent, great service including a nice cocktail menu. Nice ambience and fairly quiet sidewalk seating made this a great summer restaurant experience.

Been to this place twice for Sunday brunch and really enjoyed it. Service is friendly and efficient. Nothing pretentious, just good people doing a good job to keep us customers happy. Food is excellent and gives you many vegetarian option and ways to include meat if you want. I like the Saint Barbara inspired decor.

absolutely delicious. interesting, well-thought out flavour combinations, great ambiance, excellent drinks. highly recommended

Awesome service, great cocktails, great food. They had really interesting and delicious options for vegetarians and I can't wait to go back!

We stopped in on a whim and were completely bowled over by the quality of the meal. The menu was perfect for a rainy, cold November evening. Ultra-fresh ingredients and a perfect balance of herbs made everything delicious. Save room for the jalapeño molten chocolate desert!