Validated valet parking was a blessing. Service was inconsistent and slow despite 1/3 occupancy. The decor was inspired but noise level was excessive despite low occupancy and would be intolerable if fully occupied.
Opentable Diner
It was delicious. We had eaten at the Revere Room at the Miramar the previous evening, and found the food disappointing. Here the soup alone was tasty and left me wanting more. Who says that about soup? Genevieve, our server was attentive and charming.
Ken
We loved our night at Blackbird. The salad was great, Focaccia bread is a must, and the Brussels were fantastic. Oysters were the $2 special and being from the East Coast these were not my favorite, but were certainly fresh. Highly recommend.
Jean-François
Restaurant tendance, serveurs/serveuses jeunes, service bien, plats bons. Il y a une terrasse qui donne sur la rue (passante).
Mike
We had a terrible experience here. Blackbird's Valentine's Day prix fixe dinner special was an extremely overpriced scam that seemed like a joke on the customers ($150 per person). The first part of the meal was a single potato chip with a little sour cream on top with fake caviar. The second part of meal was a half cup of lukewarm warm, bland pea soup. Third part of meal was a cup of basic fettuccine with tomato sauce—literally that was it—it was terrible and made no sense. It was like something you would make on the fly for a toddler. The main course, which took almost two hours to get to, was three small scallops and some corn out of a can. Please save your time and wallet and never come here.
Jennifer
Loved the cocktail menu. The food was so good. The risotto was so flavorful. Enjoyed the ambiance and the staff was very kind
Sean Jones
Lovely dinner!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cali Living
We stopped here without reservations and were able to get a table with 30 minutes wait time. We went for a nice stroll and came back. Enjoyed our food and the ambiance. Service was a little slow but it was a very busy night and our waiter apologized for it. We kind of knew going in that we may have to wait for food to come out as it was very busy. We had a lovely evening
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chocolate Cake
Ben Bar-Lev
Came here for dinner with my wife after being at a brewery for the day.. and the food hit the spot!!
The focaccia was to die for and the risotto was absolutely delicious. Genevieve was a wonderful server and made our experience special.
Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Santa Barbara!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Blackbird, located at the bottom of State Street, is a hidden gem offering a wonderful dining experience. The expertly crafted cocktails, flavorful dishes, and inviting ambiance create a memorable meal. The friendly service enhances the experience, making guests feel right at home. Whether for a casual night out or special occasion, Blackbird impresses with its culinary offerings and charming atmosphere, making it a must-visit destination for a culinary adventure. We will definitely be returning!
Strange experience in a nice setting. $45 excluding tax and tip a piece of dry fish, in the middle of a plate, without any garnish… Bad experience, especially for the prices charged
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Elizabeth
Unfortunately they were out of the eggplant dish which was the only vegan entree available! However the staff was accommodating and suggested some alternative sides that could be combined.
To start I'm a simple person and my wife is even easier to please. But this was the first time we ever just stopped ordering and left. The food was bad, some dishes didn't have all the ingredients they should have and it took 20+ min to get me a drink. Whole story below. My wife and I went up to Santa Barbara to see Wrexham play at UCSB from OC. We booked Blackbird in the morning through OpenTable for 8:15. We arrived at 7:50 but we were really hungry so we were hoping to be seated early. The first person who came out to their podium said that they needed to get the table ready and to wait. After 10min we go back up to the podium and a new person came up and told us our table will be ready in a minute and to wait. I guess don't come early... we finally sat down at 8:10 lol. We ordered a glass of wine for the wife and I got the On The Ice gin drink. The wine came out shortly after the water which it was good wine. However they avoided our table til my drink was ready. Which when I order a gin with bitters I normally wouldn't mind, however it took 20+ minutes for them to get it to the table. We then ordered starters, 4 oysters, the sweet gem lettuce and the focaccia. 10 minutes go by and they informed me they didn't have oysters keep in mind they only have 7 apps to chose from, so I get the ceviche instead. The Sweet Gem lettuce came out first and when they say lettuce they were not lying... there was no stone fruit, they didn't separate any of the apple slices so it made it very difficult to eat and there was vinegar on the pieces of lettuce with a good amount of shredded cheese. The focaccia kinda reminded me of dominos cheese bread without the cheese. We had hopes that the Ceviche would save it because we were really hungry and didn't want to go somewhere else. Well it was pretty bad, not sure if they didn't use salt but we decided to pay and leave before ordering the entrees.
R Marchese
I visited Blackbird and had a wonderful experience. The place was clean and tidy, providing a welcoming atmosphere. We chose to sit at the bar, where the bartender was incredibly nice and attentive. He suggested trying the espresso martini, which turned out to be really good! Unfortunately, the kitchen was closed during our visit, but we enjoyed some popcorn that the bartender recommended, and it was surprisingly delicious. Overall, it was a good experience, and I look forward to returning when the kitchen is open. Highly recommend this spot for its great drinks and friendly service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mariah Chappell
Food was alright. We got the lamb and it was dry and bland. Was expecting more based off the reviews.
Validated valet parking was a blessing. Service was inconsistent and slow despite 1/3 occupancy. The decor was inspired but noise level was excessive despite low occupancy and would be intolerable if fully occupied.
It was delicious. We had eaten at the Revere Room at the Miramar the previous evening, and found the food disappointing. Here the soup alone was tasty and left me wanting more. Who says that about soup? Genevieve, our server was attentive and charming.
We loved our night at Blackbird. The salad was great, Focaccia bread is a must, and the Brussels were fantastic. Oysters were the $2 special and being from the East Coast these were not my favorite, but were certainly fresh. Highly recommend.
Restaurant tendance, serveurs/serveuses jeunes, service bien, plats bons. Il y a une terrasse qui donne sur la rue (passante).
We had a terrible experience here. Blackbird's Valentine's Day prix fixe dinner special was an extremely overpriced scam that seemed like a joke on the customers ($150 per person). The first part of the meal was a single potato chip with a little sour cream on top with fake caviar. The second part of meal was a half cup of lukewarm warm, bland pea soup. Third part of meal was a cup of basic fettuccine with tomato sauce—literally that was it—it was terrible and made no sense. It was like something you would make on the fly for a toddler. The main course, which took almost two hours to get to, was three small scallops and some corn out of a can. Please save your time and wallet and never come here.
Loved the cocktail menu. The food was so good. The risotto was so flavorful. Enjoyed the ambiance and the staff was very kind
Lovely dinner!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We stopped here without reservations and were able to get a table with 30 minutes wait time. We went for a nice stroll and came back. Enjoyed our food and the ambiance. Service was a little slow but it was a very busy night and our waiter apologized for it. We kind of knew going in that we may have to wait for food to come out as it was very busy. We had a lovely evening
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chocolate Cake
Came here for dinner with my wife after being at a brewery for the day.. and the food hit the spot!!
The focaccia was to die for and the risotto was absolutely delicious. Genevieve was a wonderful server and made our experience special.
Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Santa Barbara!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Blackbird, located at the bottom of State Street, is a hidden gem offering a wonderful dining experience. The expertly crafted cocktails, flavorful dishes, and inviting ambiance create a memorable meal. The friendly service enhances the experience, making guests feel right at home. Whether for a casual night out or special occasion, Blackbird impresses with its culinary offerings and charming atmosphere, making it a must-visit destination for a culinary adventure. We will definitely be returning!
Restaurantji Recommends
Strange experience in a nice setting.
$45 excluding tax and tip a piece of dry fish, in the middle of a plate, without any garnish…
Bad experience, especially for the prices charged
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Unfortunately they were out of the eggplant dish which was the only vegan entree available! However the staff was accommodating and suggested some alternative sides that could be combined.
To start I'm a simple person and my wife is even easier to please. But this was the first time we ever just stopped ordering and left. The food was bad, some dishes didn't have all the ingredients they should have and it took 20+ min to get me a drink. Whole story below. My wife and I went up to Santa Barbara to see Wrexham play at UCSB from OC. We booked Blackbird in the morning through OpenTable for 8:15. We arrived at 7:50 but we were really hungry so we were hoping to be seated early. The first person who came out to their podium said that they needed to get the table ready and to wait. After 10min we go back up to the podium and a new person came up and told us our table will be ready in a minute and to wait. I guess don't come early... we finally sat down at 8:10 lol. We ordered a glass of wine for the wife and I got the On The Ice gin drink. The wine came out shortly after the water which it was good wine. However they avoided our table til my drink was ready. Which when I order a gin with bitters I normally wouldn't mind, however it took 20+ minutes for them to get it to the table. We then ordered starters, 4 oysters, the sweet gem lettuce and the focaccia. 10 minutes go by and they informed me they didn't have oysters keep in mind they only have 7 apps to chose from, so I get the ceviche instead. The Sweet Gem lettuce came out first and when they say lettuce they were not lying... there was no stone fruit, they didn't separate any of the apple slices so it made it very difficult to eat and there was vinegar on the pieces of lettuce with a good amount of shredded cheese. The focaccia kinda reminded me of dominos cheese bread without the cheese. We had hopes that the Ceviche would save it because we were really hungry and didn't want to go somewhere else. Well it was pretty bad, not sure if they didn't use salt but we decided to pay and leave before ordering the entrees.
I visited Blackbird and had a wonderful experience. The place was clean and tidy, providing a welcoming atmosphere. We chose to sit at the bar, where the bartender was incredibly nice and attentive.
He suggested trying the espresso martini, which turned out to be really good! Unfortunately, the kitchen was closed during our visit, but we enjoyed some popcorn that the bartender recommended, and it was surprisingly delicious.
Overall, it was a good experience, and I look forward to returning when the kitchen is open. Highly recommend this spot for its great drinks and friendly service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was alright. We got the lamb and it was dry and bland. Was expecting more based off the reviews.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
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