Not sure what you're in the mood for? This place has a little bit of everything! The Crispy Chicken Sandwich and Pozole did NOT disappoint! Plenty of seating available, food came out fast, service was friendly! Huge bar available too! All 5 stars here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
MC
Service as others described below is horrible. Also the prices reflected on their website is inaccurate to the menu at the restaurant. This place is nothing less than a high end Burger King. You order at the bar and the food is brought to you. Anywhere from the management to the cashiers lack basic customer service skills and initiative. 3 cashiers who also sub as a bartender stand in front of the iPad just staring at you and wait for YOU to approach them so they can tap on the screen and take your order. No greeting, no smile and wave or hey, I’m open over here and directs you to come forward and place your order. One would rather have the iPad face the customers and customers place their own order to have to endure a blank face cashier. Asian female Management rang me up today and no wonder why the other cashiers can care less about customer service bc the very same demeanor comes from leadership. She literally rang me up and not a smile or eye contact in sight, all the while talking to a coworker. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Unfortunately, I come here often since I work in the area and no what to expect as far as service. They also never get a tip from me bc they do nothing more than provide subpar standards. BEWARE OF THE PRICES ON THE WEBSITE COMPARED TO IN PERSON. BIG RED FLAG.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
David Jones
Two people seated at the bar and the two working the bar couldn’t refill a non alcoholic drink or put in a food order in a timely fashion. I’ll avoid next time I’m on State and looking for a bite. Too bad because aside from (repeat) disappointing service it’s a good value.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Jinny C.
Tasty chop salad, dog-friendly patio and nice hot tea selection 🫖Service was friendly and efficient. Def recommend 👍
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Judah Shanks
This place was really nice. My university symphony came to see the LA Phil in Granada Theatre, and we had limited time to eat. Seven of us ordered food, and everyone had their plate in under 10 minutes. I would highly recommend this restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
TAUNYA GREEN
This place was perfect, it was very clean. I love the open patio area. The server at the bar were AMAZING. Their service was impeccable, they were all friendly and attentive. Now the food DELICIOUS we didn't have to wait long. I will highly recommend this eatery!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Chicken
GRACE LOPEZ
Was disappointed with service, had to get up 4 times to ask for simple items, Fork!, water, we had twins ordered off kid menu asked for coloring pages, was ignored the whole time, finally had to ask for a to go container, I apologized at the end for all my requests wont be my first choice to go back
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Daniel Melin
Stopped here on a trip that took me through Santa Barbara; I was absolutely blown away! The menu is surprisingly extensive, the food is top-notch, the atmosphere is very homey, the prices are more than reasonable, and I left full and satisfied. An easy recommendation.
L F
We ordered dinner from Benchmark to be delivered to our hotel - 10 minutes away. Whoever the delivery person was stole our meal. We called the restaurant and explained what happened, but the person stated several that they did everything right by preparing the food and handing it off to the delivery driver. He said they had no responsibility after that point. He refused to give us a refund and didn’t even offer to remake our order.
The owners should rename this place “Low Benchmark Eatery”.
Service: 1
Marlene G
Perfect place for a quick bite to eat. Food was very good service was quick and polite.
Very chill and cozy place. The burgers are amazing and filling! Also my partner and I shared a banana sundae which really hits the spot for a dessert. The price is decent and not overpriced. Would definitely come again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tony Bishop
Reasonable food, great service
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Jared
Great lunch spot in downtown Santa Barbara. Good value and great taste.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Sergei Karseko
Probably the worse mi-chelada I tried in the restaurant, but this drink is easy to spoil. Overall food were meh, it feels like food was cooked some time ago, and just microwaved before serving...
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
C B
Updated 7/4/25
Unfortunately, this most recent visit to Benchmark Brewery in Santa Barbara was a real letdown. The service was underwhelming, and the food left a lot to be desired.
We started with the spinach dip, which was extremely thick, dry, and paste-like—honestly, it made us feel a little queasy. I ordered the pozole, and it may have been the worst I’ve ever had. It was served cold, and the broth was completely flavorless. Even more confusing, the bowl was overwhelmed with toppings,mostly cabbage and radish, which took up nearly half the bowl. If you do decide to try it (though I wouldn’t recommend it), ask for toppings on the side.
The chicken dish also arrived cold, as did our French fries. Oddly, the extra side of fries we ordered came out colder and noticeably smaller than the ones served with the burgers. The one bright spot was that my nephews enjoyed their burgers.
All in all, this experience was disappointing enough that I wouldn’t recommend eating here, at least not based on this visit. We were all really disappointed after a $200 lunch for a group of 6.
We would have told one of the team members but they never returned to our table. So disappointed and taking this off the list of places we eat when in SB.
Not sure what you're in the mood for? This place has a little bit of everything! The Crispy Chicken Sandwich and Pozole did NOT disappoint! Plenty of seating available, food came out fast, service was friendly! Huge bar available too! All 5 stars here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Service as others described below is horrible. Also the prices reflected on their website is inaccurate to the menu at the restaurant. This place is nothing less than a high end Burger King. You order at the bar and the food is brought to you. Anywhere from the management to the cashiers lack basic customer service skills and initiative. 3 cashiers who also sub as a bartender stand in front of the iPad just staring at you and wait for YOU to approach them so they can tap on the screen and take your order. No greeting, no smile and wave or hey, I’m open over here and directs you to come forward and place your order. One would rather have the iPad face the customers and customers place their own order to have to endure a blank face cashier. Asian female Management rang me up today and no wonder why the other cashiers can care less about customer service bc the very same demeanor comes from leadership. She literally rang me up and not a smile or eye contact in sight, all the while talking to a coworker. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Unfortunately, I come here often since I work in the area and no what to expect as far as service. They also never get a tip from me bc they do nothing more than provide subpar standards. BEWARE OF THE PRICES ON THE WEBSITE COMPARED TO IN PERSON. BIG RED FLAG.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Two people seated at the bar and the two working the bar couldn’t refill a non alcoholic drink or put in a food order in a timely fashion. I’ll avoid next time I’m on State and looking for a bite. Too bad because aside from (repeat) disappointing service it’s a good value.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Tasty chop salad, dog-friendly patio and nice hot tea selection 🫖Service was friendly and efficient. Def recommend 👍
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place was really nice. My university symphony came to see the LA Phil in Granada Theatre, and we had limited time to eat. Seven of us ordered food, and everyone had their plate in under 10 minutes. I would highly recommend this restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place was perfect, it was very clean. I love the open patio area. The server at the bar were AMAZING. Their service was impeccable, they were all friendly and attentive. Now the food DELICIOUS we didn't have to wait long. I will highly recommend this eatery!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Chicken
Was disappointed with service, had to get up 4 times to ask for simple items, Fork!, water, we had twins ordered off kid menu asked for coloring pages, was ignored the whole time, finally had to ask for a to go container, I apologized at the end for all my requests wont be my first choice to go back
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Stopped here on a trip that took me through Santa Barbara; I was absolutely blown away! The menu is surprisingly extensive, the food is top-notch, the atmosphere is very homey, the prices are more than reasonable, and I left full and satisfied. An easy recommendation.
We ordered dinner from Benchmark to be delivered to our hotel - 10 minutes away. Whoever the delivery person was stole our meal. We called the restaurant and explained what happened, but the person stated several that they did everything right by preparing the food and handing it off to the delivery driver. He said they had no responsibility after that point. He refused to give us a refund and didn’t even offer to remake our order.
The owners should rename this place “Low Benchmark Eatery”.
Service: 1
Perfect place for a quick bite to eat. Food was very good service was quick and polite.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Very chill and cozy place. The burgers are amazing and filling! Also my partner and I shared a banana sundae which really hits the spot for a dessert. The price is decent and not overpriced. Would definitely come again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Reasonable food, great service
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Great lunch spot in downtown Santa Barbara. Good value and great taste.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Probably the worse mi-chelada I tried in the restaurant, but this drink is easy to spoil. Overall food were meh, it feels like food was cooked some time ago, and just microwaved before serving...
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Updated 7/4/25
Unfortunately, this most recent visit to Benchmark Brewery in Santa Barbara was a real letdown. The service was underwhelming, and the food left a lot to be desired.
We started with the spinach dip, which was extremely thick, dry, and paste-like—honestly, it made us feel a little queasy. I ordered the pozole, and it may have been the worst I’ve ever had. It was served cold, and the broth was completely flavorless. Even more confusing, the bowl was overwhelmed with toppings,mostly cabbage and radish, which took up nearly half the bowl. If you do decide to try it (though I wouldn’t recommend it), ask for toppings on the side.
The chicken dish also arrived cold, as did our French fries. Oddly, the extra side of fries we ordered came out colder and noticeably smaller than the ones served with the burgers. The one bright spot was that my nephews enjoyed their burgers.
All in all, this experience was disappointing enough that I wouldn’t recommend eating here, at least not based on this visit. We were all really disappointed after a $200 lunch for a group of 6.
We would have told one of the team members but they never returned to our table. So disappointed and taking this off the list of places we eat when in SB.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Burger and Fries, Burger, Pozole Verde, Sliders, Tuna Melt
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