Sazón Latino & Catering

Honestly, I think some of the negative comments here must be from jealous competitors, because let me tell you—this place is a hidden gem. I absolutely love authentic Mexican food, and there are very few places in Santa Barbara that truly deliver. I’m super picky about it, and this spot hits the mark every single time. I’ve never had a bad experience here—neither with the food nor the staff. The mole enchiladas and goat birria are my personal favorites. So rich, so flavorful, and genuinely authentic. On top of that, the prices are still very reasonable, especially considering the quality. Their food is incredibly delicious—you have to try the spicy peanut sauce with the mole enchiladas. It’s next level. I’m even seriously considering having them cater my wedding—that’s how good they are!

The food is absolutely delicious—it tastes like home in the best way. The service is warm and friendly, and the cozy atmosphere makes you feel instantly comfortable. A truly welcoming spot! I ordered a huevos a la mexicana, served with refried beans, home potatoes, and hand made tortillas. And of course, a very tasty cup of coffee!

Wow! We heard about this restaurant. We all were blown away by the depth of flavors and the great service. They were quite busy! It has a large patio with picnic tables and some indoor seating. Order at the counter and they serve you. I had the quesobirria tacos. They were rich with a wonderful jus (weekends only). The chicken taquitos were loaded and very good. My son ordered the Emoladas. Very rich mole sauce slightly on the sweet side. The molecajete was beautiful. Great little salsa bar with some unique salsas. I think we've found a new favorite Mexican restaurant! Parking can be tough on the weekends.

Such a great spot. Adobada burritos, shrimp cocktels, pasole, all the staple things you’re looking for and extremely authentic. The moment you see the spot in person you will see you came to the right spot. The specials are the way to go. Constantly changing day to day keeping things interesting. The Tlayuda is insane! It’s made for two ppl but I crush the whole thing it’s so good.

Authentic, delicious Mexican food. In yhe middle of a neighborhood so people of all ages come and it's comfortable. Not a fancy restaurant, at all, just great food with friendly staff.

This place is a little on the pricier side but it’s good. Tasty plates and very well presented. The outside seating area is also a great accommodation.

We've lived on the Westside for many years, and only recently did we hear, through word of mouth, about Sazon Latino. In the last 2 weeks we've eaten there twice and have ordered take out twice. The food is delicious. My wife and I especially like the Chile Relleno dinner. I'm looking forward to trying some of the seafood offerings. It's so great to have such a wonderful restaurant on the Westside.

Sazon Latino Restaurant in Santa Barbara on San Andreas made my day. Excellent service and nice quaint atmosphere with indoor and outdoor seating. The friendly staff will serve you up some tasty menudo and fantastic tacos. If you don't see what you want, just ask for it and bam, there it is. I ordered the adobada, cabeza, asada, and carnitas tacos and my favorite was all the tacos. The tortillas are hand made and the salsas had good flavor. I had to get some of the delicious carnitas to go. I highly recommend trying this place out if you haven't. I really enjoyed this relaxing morning and the delightful food. Thank you, Instagram 805.bites

We used Sazon Latino to Cater my son's wedding. It was the best experience for such a special day! The food was so good and fresh, all of our guests complemented us on the food. Omar and his staff were so friendly and accommodating. We can't wait to go back and visit the restaurant. Highly recommend.

Here we go.... Lunch at SAZON LATINO 1/31/2025 !!! PROS: -We've been going to this place for 23 years, starting when it was run by Husband & Wife as SU CASA.... We always enjoyed the food, conversation with the owners & the "homey like" location. -It was bought by someone & changed to Sazon Latino... making great upgrades to the outside eating area. -My wife & I have been going to this "Sazon Latino" since it opened a couple years ago. My wife LOVES the food... I think the food is kinda Bland, but I Love the outside. I actually prefer SUPER CUCAS around the corner... DELICIOUS & HALF THE $$$$. TODAY'S BIG CON: Today Jan 31st 2025, we went there at 11:30am. My ISSUE IS WITH THE GUY WORKING THE REGISTER & BRINGING THE FOOD... So I ordered a Breakfast Burrito "for here". As I explained that we wanted to SPLIT IT, add sauce on top... & to add beans.... He started getting annoyed & RUSHED me through my order... speaking very loudly AT ME. As if he was OVERLOADED with work... with ONLY 1 other customer in the place !!! I asked to add to add beans... I said thank U, & I will leave a nice tip... (18% tip I finally told him, after adding it). He seemed not to care or change his RUDE behavior. I then asked a woman working there, for a small plate to hold 3 or 4 salsas in plastic cups... She looked a little confused & kept pointing at the little paper baskets that could barely hold 2 salsas. I told her we were eating there... she went to get "the guy" who I ordered from. He came, VERY disturbed that I was asking for more stuff. He required me to EXPLAIN why I needed a small plate. I did explain, & he begrudgingly yelled at the folks in the kitchen to get me a plate. The burrito came... WITHOUT BEANS... I took it back, cut it open & showed him --NO BEANS-- he tried taking it from me... saying, very Curtly.... We'll make another one... I said "NO, I don't want to wait, Please just give me a side of beans... it's OK." He repeated even louder, while trying to take it from me... "We'll make U another one" he repeated.... I got louder & said NO... Just give me a side of beans, then I handed it to him. He was even MORE upset with me... STILL THERE'S NO-ONE ELSE IN THE PLACE !!! WOW.... So sad that one of My "fav" places ... is No More a FAV of mine.... if that guy is working there !!!!! I guess the Lesson is "DONT ASK FOR SPECIAL ORDERS"... or walk around the corner, to SUPER CUCAS, & ask for special orders, enjoy the workers there... & the DELICIOUS food @ 1/2 the $$$.

We hired Sazon Latino & Catering in Santa Barbara, led by Omar, for our wedding in November, and unfortunately, the experience was far from what we had hoped. From the start, there were red flags. Omar missed our scheduled meeting and tasting, despite us driving all the way from Temecula to Santa Barbara. We waited for three hours until his staff finally got ahold of him, and while his team attended to us, Omar never showed. We gave him the benefit of the doubt, assuming he was busy with a major event. In the months leading up to our wedding, communication with Omar was responsive, and we trusted him enough to proceed with a contract for food for 160 guests, including a cocktail hour (chips and guacamole) and two servers to assist with bussing. However, the day of the wedding was an absolute disaster. His bussers showed up three hours late, and even then, they did not fulfill their responsibilities. They didn't help buss tables, assist with bringing in chairs from the ceremony, or pour water for our guests as we had requested. To make matters worse, just 30 minutes into serving, they ran out of food--for 140 guests, when we had paid for 160. My wife and I were furious and deeply disappointed. Omar claimed that he went back to his place of business to bring more food, which we appreciated, but it was a major inconvenience for our guests to wait over 45 minutes to eat. After the wedding, we contacted Omar, and it took him nearly three weeks to respond. While he did refund the fee for the bussers, he refused to discount the food despite the shortage, citing the fact that he brought more food later as justification. 2 stars - The food itself was great, but the planning, preparation, and customer service were absolutely unacceptable. We cannot recommend Sazon Latino & Catering for any special event. Beware--while the food might be tasty, the stress and lack of professionalism are not worth it.

For starters this place doesn't really offer parking, so parking was a bit difficult considering it was in a residential area. The service was okay, you have Togo inside and order. But even when we walked in; no one really directed us, we had to ask if we needed to wait for someone to seat us, and the they told us we had to order and then choose where to sit. The restaurant itself seems okay, it's like someone's front yard with tables. The food itself wasn't good. I got chicken taquitos, and the chicken tasted fake. It felt like it was re-refried. If that makes sense. I personally felt like it was overpriced for the amount of food and the taste in the food. We also got a burrito and the burrito was pretty small, and basic. We got the chicken huarache, and the carne asada plate and I would say they were a bit tasteless. I don't think I'll be revisiting this place again if I'm being honest.

HANDS DOWN, my favorite Mexican restaurant in Santa Barbara!!! I have been exploring the menu for the past year and I started with the fish tacos! Absolutely amazing, handmade tortillas, fresh ingredients, deliciously layered and flavorful. Best fish tacos in my opinion. The pozole is incredibly delicious and so is the Birria! Tonight I ordered the Birria de Res Beef birria, a traditional Mexican stew, is seasoned with a blend of dried chiles, spices, and herbs, accompanied with cilantro, onion, and lime. Served with handmade corn tortillas. The staff are incredibly friendly and the restaurant has both indoor and outdoor dining. Try their Aqua Fresca, always a great selection and delicious. The seafood is always fresh and has the most incredible flavors. I couldn't recommend this restaurant more

Finally made it to Sazon Latino after hearing about rave reviews from a coworker who is from Mexico. I tried 4 salsa, one was a peanut based orange colored salsa and absolutely delicious. Birria was flavorful and juicy. Carnitas was perfectly confit and slightly crispy on the edge, served with warm thick homemade tortilla. Mole was awesome as well. Portion size was huge for dishes that ranged from $15 to $20. Most people eating there ordered in Spanish, so that is definitely a good sign for authenticity. Food was tasty and well priced. The people working there were friendly and efficient. I have to find more opportunities to explore the rest of the menu.

I came here because Yelp reviews rated this place as a good place. Unfortunately, my experience was awful. I ordered two carnitas tacos. While I waited the brought out some hard tortilla chips and a tiny thing of salsa. Maybe about two tablespoons of salsa. Didn't like the chips. Long wait though hardly any customers. They brought out the tacos and they looked like old meat when I saw them. I still gave them a chance because a lot of places around Southern California warm up previously cooked meat. Well, this time it was warmed up meat that was revoltingly old topped with a bit of fresher pieces. I pulled out the older pieces in the first taco and added salsa. The second one had more older pieces and I bit into them and the flavor was revolting. I spit out the meat and left the second taco on the plate. I wanted a refund but didn't want to deal with them so I just left. I cannot believe they served me such old meat. Fingers crossed that I do not get food poisoning. Ambiance, good music playing. I was only person eating there outside and a few people were picking up to go orders. So glad I only ordered two tacos. My meal was so bad that I will not give this place a second chance.

Found this place on Yelp and realized it was near by and had driven by it many times over the last year. Spacious and relaxing front patio with colorful picnic tables, located on San Andre Street. You order at the cashier inside and you receive a table top number and your food is delivered and cleaned up by an expo. Food is presented very well on colorful mexican plates/bowls. I had the Chile Relleno plate and it was huge and excellent, my husband had the Huevo Rancho and the eggs were slightly overcooked, my mom had the Menudo and she enjoyed it but she said the broth was slightly different then she was use to but enjoyed it and my stepdad had the chorizo breakfast burrito and it was amazing and not greasy. Definitely worth visiting, many locals were dining and many other entrees looked amazing, the staff was also friendly.

Excellent service, great space Outside to eat, delicious food and authentic menu. Thank you! Found our favorite Mexican food in SB.

I love this place! The food is always great, the staff are super friendly, and the place has a clean and cozy vibe.

Excellent customer service, we just got a taco service for 100 people from Sazon Latino and everything was great, hand made tortillas and quesadillas. I would like to recommend, amazing food and service.

Great services and plenty of authentic options to choose from. I had the fried mojarra (fish), it was delicious. Make tacos with the homemade tortillas they include with your order, add a few drops of lime and a dash of salsa for a perfect blend of flavors. Just be careful the bones. They also cater, something to consider for your next event. Parking can be a little challenging, I parked across the street. It was after hours so the dentist was closed.

We tried Sazón for the first and felt warmly welcomed. We enjoyed the patio seating, artisanal water and complimentary mini churros they offered while we waited for our order to arrive. The food presentation was professional and pleasant and the staff seemed very attentive. Our food was good but we were not blown away per say by the sauces: my husband had the mole enchiladas and felt the mole was a bit thick, though tasty, whereas my green enchilada sauce was a good consistency but lacked in flavor. We're open to going back, especially since we can walk there. We love supporting local businesses!

Great Find! Very authentic! Service was very welcoming. Felt like you are enjoying a gathering at a family home. Great Ambiance!

This restaurant has poor customer relations and ignore their complaints. We found a hair in our plate and they did not do anything to take care of us. They said don't come back if you're not happy.

This is a great local spot. They have both indoor seating with TVs and an outdoor patio area with heaters and lights. I got fish tacos which I enjoyed! Nice that it comes with rice and beans too, and they were nice and flavorful. My friend got the pazole which was the hit. I'd definitely recommend this as an authentic westside spot!

If it wasn't for word of mouth from someone who worked on San Andres I would have never found this place. The food is authentic for a specific area south of the border. I recommend ordering off the menu and trying not to force a solution.

Hello everyone! I'm a Santa Barbara local & let me tell you ! This place ROCKS !! Omar is very welcoming and his staff is wonderful!! BEST MEXICAN FOOD IN TOWN !! This place makes me feel like home ! Highly recommend!!! AMAZING!!!

I was excited to try this new place! Because I'm Mexican food lover and I decided to try the food at this place. I ordered by delivery Chilaquiles & Torta, the Torta was ok! But the Chilaquiles were terrible, it was to salty without flavor and the agua fresca was extremely sweet.

Ate here on the way south and it is great little restaurant. Food was delicious and authentic. The service was fast and friendly. We sat outside at clean and colorful picnic tables. The whole place was neat and clean. We will be back.

My mom walked by the place today and it was packed for lunch. Decided to pop in for dinner tonight. Food was great. We had the Enchiladas Verdes and the Shrimp Ceviche. Both were very delicious and the portions were more than sufficient. The chicken in the enchiladas was super flavorful and tender. The rice was the only thing I thought could use a little more pizazz. Just a bit bland. All three of their salsas were superb and had a kick. Chips were thick cut and warm. The best! The only reason I didn't give five stars is because the fluorescent lighting in the dining area is extremely bright and a bit annoying. If they put in some warmer lighting it would be a huge improvement. They do have a ton of outdoor seating, unfortunately it was a rainy night and everything was wet. We spoke to one of the owners. Super nice and really interested in what we thought of the food. It's a family run business and they need all the support they can get. Give it a try!

This place has awesome food and great friendly staff. The owner Omar is a great guy. I want to try the whole menu. Everything is delicious. I really like the emmoladas, enchiladas, tacos, burris, and burritos

Food was as good as it looks I promise.... Great environment super clean and really does feel comfortable......

Very good service. Food was great its a comfortable place for a meal.would recomend thos resturant.

Top service here! Very welcoming and a friendly authentic neighborhood restaurant. I've had their Chilaquiles, nachos and sazón plato which is what the picture is. All so good! Photo speaks for itself. Serves two people and I share it with my dad. Comes with beans and rice but we ask for extra rice instead of beans, and tortillas. Try them out! They have specials of the day too

we recently had Sazón cater for our family party of 21. They arrived as planned and we were immediately so comfortable with them. The shrimp cocktail and homemade tortillas were definitely a favorite as well as the Chile Ríanos. I would definitely recommend them.

Quickly becoming one of my favorite spots in town. The flavors are stellar. Big, bold, but balanced. I just want to eat everything there.

We had Omar cater my 80th birthday lunch for about 30 people. The food was great and fresh, the service terrific and I can't recommend them more highly. They brought a taco cart and cooked the food here - also a bit of a show. The Mexican Shrimp Cocktail and the White Fish Ceviche started things off on a high note that didn't taper off all through lunch. There was also Al Pastor, Carne Asada and Chicken with hand made tortillas, a bunch of excellent salsas (check out the peanut salsa) and all the trimmings. The food was so good that the leftovers were dinner for the hangers-on and they scarfed it all up. We have also been to the restaurant and it's also great. Sazon Latino is one of the better Mexican restaurants in a town full of Mexican restaurants. Try them out!!

Easily one of the worst burritos I've ever had. I would rather starve then experiencing what I just ate again. Al Pastor was laughable. There was no flavor and shrimp was very bland. Their burritos are more bean and rice than actual meat as well. I'm from San Diego so I'm used to good Mexican food but even by Santa Barbara standards this was inedible. Service was friendly at least but it's hard to justify this place after what I was just served. I thought someone may have been playing a joke on me with how awful this food was. I rarely leave bad reviews but this burrito I was served put me over the edge (especially considering the price). I couldn't even finish my meal. If you'd like a lighter wallet, a stomach ache, and to lose some of your dignity then this is the place for you.

The restaurant recently opened in my neighborhood (West Side SB) and I am very happy with their food and service. They have great options and varieties of different items on their menu. This restaurant is always clean and there salsa bar is great!