The most amazing dinner and service! Everyone and everything was phenomenal from start to finish. Absolutely a WOW experience in every sense. Very TOP of my list of favorite dinners!! Thank you
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Charlie Wylonis
My wife saw fit to introduce me to all the finest in dining experiences for my birthday. If we lived within a thousand miles of Caruso’s we would make it a regular night out dinner spot. Our wait staff was phenomenal, Chef even came out himself to wish us well! Thank you everyone at Caruso’s for making our dining experience beyond 5 stars. Thank you Chef for my presents!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian K
Gracious personality comes through in the food and service, all rising to the level of the beautiful setting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Orman Gaspar
Had there preset Vegan dinner . it was for a special occasion with my wife we both absolutely loved the whole experience.
Vegetarian options: Kind of pricey! But SO YUMMY!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joseph Fink
Location is incredible, we had a table overlooking the beach and couldn't have asked for a better view. Service was friendly and attentive, also don't have a bad thing to say about that. Food was mostly excellent, and I'd happily eat here again.
Only strange issue was my main course, the duck, came out so chewy that it was basically inedible. I couldn't even swallow it. When I told the waiter, he didn't seem surprised and said "yeah, sometimes that happens when they don't cook it enough." Ultimately, most of the meal was delicious, so it wasn't a huge deal, but it still was one course out of four that was literally impossible to eat. It seemed strange to me that a restaurant at that level would a) be apparently regularly making basic cooking mistakes and b) not attempt to make it right at all, not even comping one of our drinks or something.
Anyway, again, I'd eat here again, just felt that was a little weird.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Suzie Bock
This was our first time at Caruso’s. My husband took me for my birthday and we were very impressed with everyone from the moment we entered the property, we knew we were at a very special place.We arrived about an hour before our reservation and were warmly greeted by the hostesses. They were friendly and a pleasure to talk to. They showed us to the bar where we could wait for our table. At the bar, we were greeted by Ian, who was professional and very kind. He was very knowledgeable and was able to help us order drinks that we very much enjoyed.We were shown to our table at the exact time of our reservation and it was one of the best tables there because it had a front row seat to overlooking the ocean. The entire wait staff were professional, personable and eager to please. We opted for the 4-course pre fixe dinner. And made our selections from each course offerings. They brought an amuse bouche that was creatively plated and equally palette pleasing. We could tell right away that the chef was not only well versed in flavor combinations, but understood the importance of texture as well. We enjoyed the descriptions that the wait staff offered when the dishes were served. I had a tomato salad that incorporated a dollop of luscious buratta and wonderfully crunchy croutons. In addition, there was a cup of tomato water that was to be drunk after finishing the salad., (Honestly, I was so engrossed in it, that I completely forgot what my husband had).The next course was a pasta dish that had little cups of fresh pasta with perfectly cooked fish in a complementary sauce. (The wine might have erased some of the memories of what exactly was in the dish, I just remember swooning)The main course was black cod for me and duck for my husband. By this time I was getting pretty full, but dug in and enjoyed almost every bite of perfectly cooked fish. Dessert for me was “S is for Strawberry,” all the desserts had names and themes. My husband had a honey inspired dish that was truly creative and an amazing mouth feel treat. The textures in both desserts elevated them.They brought me a Michelin star shaped dark chocolate filled with raspberry sauce. It was probably one of the top 3 meals over ever eaten. We will be back!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Laura Miller
We had dinner here a few nights ago. The ambiance is amazing and the food is even better. Our server Dan was amazing, very knowledgeable and gave us an exceptional dinning experience.
peter noone
We are regulars and amazingly it gets better every time. We like rules that keep the standards of dress and it is noticable that all the staff are professional, courteous, well dressed and talented. The food is better than a ONE STAR Michelin!!!!! An extraordinary experience all around. A beautiful place and beautiful food served by pros. Where else can you find this quality in California?? Peter Noone and family…..
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jessica
We called ahead to ensure we could bring our dog to the restaurant and were informed of a dress code requiring collared shirts for men, though no mention was made of a blazer being mandatory. Upon arriving a bit early for our 5:30 PM reservation, we found ourselves in an empty restaurant, yet we were still required to wear a blazer—provided by the staff—just to walk less than 15 steps from the hostess stand to our table. The host and hostesses were unfriendly, which didn't match the Michelin-level service we expected. The food, despite being made with quality ingredients, was overwhelmed by heavy seasoning, making the flavors too overpowering to enjoy. Overall, the experience was disappointing, with an unnecessarily pretentious atmosphere that left us questioning how this place earned a Michelin star. I wouldn’t recommend it for any occasion.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Kia Lee
Caruso's offers one of the most elegant and decadent dining experiences I've ever had. The pacing of the meal was perfect, ensuring we never felt rushed or like we missed anything. The setting is stunning, and I appreciate how they maintain a serene atmosphere by never allowing it to feel too crowded. Truly a delightful experience!
Restaurant workers talk loudly over your plates and breathe over your food.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Doug Pearson
Currently the best restaurant in Santa Barbara. NYC-level food and service, with great oceanfront ambiance. A wonderful experience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shasta Green
SB Perfection
Andres Recalde
They changed their dress code policy specifically to not seat us. We made a reservation months in advance for my birthday that mentioned no sportswear or beachwear. I wore leather dress sandals specifically made for our wedding and was denied seating. The manager and hostess snickered and laughed as we left, I have no idea how this exclusionary and garbage hospitality made its way into the Michelin guide.
Update: note in the response, literally nothing about sandals, and it's why we were confused. And like I said, I wore them for OUR WEDDING and we otherwise met the dress code.
Jennifer Shah
We had a reservation for a special occasion, but were turned away quite rudely by the host because my husband did not meet their extremely specific dress code. They very "kindly" (/s) offered to let him BUY new shoes onsite so that we could eat there, and apparently another man had done just that earlier that evening! For what it's worth, the restaurant seemed very empty for a Friday night, so this felt especially exclusionary and confusing. There are so many great restaurants nearby, I'm glad we didn't spend our money here.
The most amazing dinner and service! Everyone and everything was phenomenal from start to finish. Absolutely a WOW experience in every sense. Very TOP of my list of favorite dinners!! Thank you
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My wife saw fit to introduce me to all the finest in dining experiences for my birthday. If we lived within a thousand miles of Caruso’s we would make it a regular night out dinner spot. Our wait staff was phenomenal, Chef even came out himself to wish us well! Thank you everyone at Caruso’s for making our dining experience beyond 5 stars. Thank you Chef for my presents!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gracious personality comes through in the food and service, all rising to the level of the beautiful setting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had there preset Vegan dinner . it was for a special occasion with my wife we both absolutely loved the whole experience.
Vegetarian options: Kind of pricey! But SO YUMMY!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Location is incredible, we had a table overlooking the beach and couldn't have asked for a better view. Service was friendly and attentive, also don't have a bad thing to say about that. Food was mostly excellent, and I'd happily eat here again.
Only strange issue was my main course, the duck, came out so chewy that it was basically inedible. I couldn't even swallow it. When I told the waiter, he didn't seem surprised and said "yeah, sometimes that happens when they don't cook it enough." Ultimately, most of the meal was delicious, so it wasn't a huge deal, but it still was one course out of four that was literally impossible to eat. It seemed strange to me that a restaurant at that level would a) be apparently regularly making basic cooking mistakes and b) not attempt to make it right at all, not even comping one of our drinks or something.
Anyway, again, I'd eat here again, just felt that was a little weird.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
This was our first time at Caruso’s. My husband took me for my birthday and we were very impressed with everyone from the moment we entered the property, we knew we were at a very special place.We arrived about an hour before our reservation and were warmly greeted by the hostesses. They were friendly and a pleasure to talk to. They showed us to the bar where we could wait for our table. At the bar, we were greeted by Ian, who was professional and very kind. He was very knowledgeable and was able to help us order drinks that we very much enjoyed.We were shown to our table at the exact time of our reservation and it was one of the best tables there because it had a front row seat to overlooking the ocean. The entire wait staff were professional, personable and eager to please. We opted for the 4-course pre fixe dinner. And made our selections from each course offerings. They brought an amuse bouche that was creatively plated and equally palette pleasing. We could tell right away that the chef was not only well versed in flavor combinations, but understood the importance of texture as well. We enjoyed the descriptions that the wait staff offered when the dishes were served. I had a tomato salad that incorporated a dollop of luscious buratta and wonderfully crunchy croutons. In addition, there was a cup of tomato water that was to be drunk after finishing the salad., (Honestly, I was so engrossed in it, that I completely forgot what my husband had).The next course was a pasta dish that had little cups of fresh pasta with perfectly cooked fish in a complementary sauce. (The wine might have erased some of the memories of what exactly was in the dish, I just remember swooning)The main course was black cod for me and duck for my husband. By this time I was getting pretty full, but dug in and enjoyed almost every bite of perfectly cooked fish. Dessert for me was “S is for Strawberry,” all the desserts had names and themes. My husband had a honey inspired dish that was truly creative and an amazing mouth feel treat. The textures in both desserts elevated them.They brought me a Michelin star shaped dark chocolate filled with raspberry sauce. It was probably one of the top 3 meals over ever eaten. We will be back!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had dinner here a few nights ago. The ambiance is amazing and the food is even better. Our server Dan was amazing, very knowledgeable and gave us an exceptional dinning experience.
We are regulars and amazingly it gets better every time.
We like rules that keep the standards of dress and it is noticable that all the staff are professional, courteous, well dressed and talented. The food is better than a ONE STAR Michelin!!!!!
An extraordinary experience all around. A beautiful place and beautiful food served by pros. Where else can you find this quality in California??
Peter Noone and family…..
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We called ahead to ensure we could bring our dog to the restaurant and were informed of a dress code requiring collared shirts for men, though no mention was made of a blazer being mandatory. Upon arriving a bit early for our 5:30 PM reservation, we found ourselves in an empty restaurant, yet we were still required to wear a blazer—provided by the staff—just to walk less than 15 steps from the hostess stand to our table. The host and hostesses were unfriendly, which didn't match the Michelin-level service we expected. The food, despite being made with quality ingredients, was overwhelmed by heavy seasoning, making the flavors too overpowering to enjoy. Overall, the experience was disappointing, with an unnecessarily pretentious atmosphere that left us questioning how this place earned a Michelin star. I wouldn’t recommend it for any occasion.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Caruso's offers one of the most elegant and decadent dining experiences I've ever had. The pacing of the meal was perfect, ensuring we never felt rushed or like we missed anything. The setting is stunning, and I appreciate how they maintain a serene atmosphere by never allowing it to feel too crowded. Truly a delightful experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Restaurant workers talk loudly over your plates and breathe over your food.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Currently the best restaurant in Santa Barbara. NYC-level food and service, with great oceanfront ambiance. A wonderful experience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
SB Perfection
They changed their dress code policy specifically to not seat us. We made a reservation months in advance for my birthday that mentioned no sportswear or beachwear. I wore leather dress sandals specifically made for our wedding and was denied seating. The manager and hostess snickered and laughed as we left, I have no idea how this exclusionary and garbage hospitality made its way into the Michelin guide.
Update: note in the response, literally nothing about sandals, and it's why we were confused. And like I said, I wore them for OUR WEDDING and we otherwise met the dress code.
We had a reservation for a special occasion, but were turned away quite rudely by the host because my husband did not meet their extremely specific dress code. They very "kindly" (/s) offered to let him BUY new shoes onsite so that we could eat there, and apparently another man had done just that earlier that evening! For what it's worth, the restaurant seemed very empty for a Friday night, so this felt especially exclusionary and confusing. There are so many great restaurants nearby, I'm glad we didn't spend our money here.
Service: 1
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