Four of us ordered several appetizers including the green fried tomatoes; oysters and other things; all were delicious. We had the steak special and branzino dinner all excellent. The Jaime Cheesecake was amazing. All in all wonderful. Thank you Gala.
Ilyssa
Ricky was our server, and he was FABULOUS! So attentive and accommodated our restricted diet. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and so attentive! The food and drinks were incredible. All around, fabulous time!
Sue
Calamari could have been a little crisper, fries, fries, oysters & margaritas were great, but chicken sandwich wasn't our favorite.
Matt
Not sure if it was just a bad night but we were certainly disappointed in the food. Was our anniversary so we were looking forward to a great experience. Staff was wonderful, unfortunately the food wasn't very good. Had the octopus and could just mange a couple of bites. Was a bit tough. They offered to remake but just didn't feel that they could pull off as flavors were a bit bland as well. My wife got the duck confit that was pretty basic. For the price points on the food we expected a better outcome.
Duncan
Loved dinner here at Gala out on the patio. Great food and staff and lots of great flavors with spice. Try the charcoal margarita.
Katie
We are from Napa Valley, my husband is a winemaker, and we were here in SB for a family member's graduation and our anniversary. We made a reservation here after looking through many reviews and photos. It lived up to our expectations. Staff was AMAZING! Megan and Rico were absolutely outstanding. We spoke at length to Megan about wine and she was so knowledgeable, fun, interesting and kind. Rico always made sure our glasses were full and that our table had what we needed. He also gave a heartwarming talk to the family member's graduating. It was so sweet and kind. Truly memorable. We've dined at so many amazing restaurants because of my husband's career, including Michelin Star restaurants in almost every country, and the service here matched what we come to expect from Michelin Star Restaurants. Truly outstanding on a particularly busy evening with graduation celebrations happening. Kudos to the waitstaff, the chef, the kitchen staff and the bar for doing such an excellent job this evening. We will be back! Get the Burrata, the fried green tomatoes, the scallops, the duck confit, and any dessert. Their wine list was also great.
Manda
Absolutely loved this place. We celebrated my daughter's graduation and every dish was amazing. Cocktails were subpar but the food made up for it.
Megan
Food is very good but price point is way too high for the amount you get. $14 for 3 small cornbread muffins is insane for this place. Service was fine. Restaurant is so loud and chaotic it was hard to hear the staff. Couldn't hear our friends at the other end of the table. If servings were larger I'd come back, but for the crazy ambiance and price point being at the very high end even for SB, we won't go back.
Isaac R
Had a really poor experience here. From the moment we were seated, it was clear the restaurant was severely understaffed. We waited an unusually long time just to get water, and for most of our visit, we were left unattended with no help in sight. It felt like we were forgotten.
The staff that were available seemed rushed and overwhelmed. Bartenders were the ones taking our order and even bringing out our food; definitely not what you'd expect from a sit-down restaurant. It gave the impression that the place was just scrambling to stay afloat.
What made it worse was watching other tables around us get faster and more attentive service, which made our experience feel even more frustrating.
The food was good though. I thank the chefs, but that is all. Definitely not returning nor recommending.
Winston Duong
Went to Gala with a group of six, and unfortunately the experience left a lot to be desired. It started off rocky—after being seated, it took about 10 minutes before we could even flag someone down for water.
We ordered three French 75s, but they were apparently out of proper glassware. Instead of informing us, they served the drinks split into two smaller glasses each (which still didn’t add up to the proper volume), and the third drink was clearly only about half the pour. We were charged for four, oddly enough. With our Uber already waiting, we didn’t have time to get it fixed, and frankly, it didn’t feel worth the hassle.
Water refills? Non-existent. The staff didn’t really check in on us after dropping the food. Speaking of which, the food was just okay—steak came out slightly over temp, and the seafood paella was underwhelming, with the rice undercooked and the flavor just kind of flat. The burger and pasta weren't bad, just not really what our expectations for how much they charge.
Not the worst experience I’ve had, but definitely not one I’d recommend, especially at the price point. Gala has potential, but the service and execution really need work.
Gala is an absolute gem! We live in LA and we have dinner at Gala every time we are in Santa Barbara. My husband and I recently hosted our micro wedding reception at Gala, and it was absolutely magical. Tara was a dream to work with for planning, and everything--the food, cocktails, mocktails, ambiance, everything--was perfection. I cannot recommend this place highly enough, whether for a meal or an event. We will be returning every time we are in town!
Wendy Edmunds
I have had dinner at Gala twice this month, once on Mother's Day and again on Saturday night with girlfriends. Both meals were excellent. Mother's Day dinner started with the best margarita, followed by Spiny Lobster Paella for two, ending with their Basque style cheesecake. It was a perfect evening on their patio.
Last Saturday night, we started with a new wine they are carrying, Picpoul by Story of Soil. It was excellent and a great price. We had the duck and the steak, both were cooked to perfection. The ambiance was fun and lively.
They have some excellent deals; $2.50 oysters all night, happy hour margaritas for $9 and their olives are the best you will find outside of Spain.
Kara Cronin
Very solid food and a beautiful upscale atmosphere, which is why I will return. The bar service was quite slow while I was there during off-hours when it was not busy at all.
Subash Chellappan
We had a great time at this restaurant, the live music outdoors was a nice touch. Dining room had a cool vibe. The cocktails were fantastic, and the service was spot on. For dinner, we had the calamari, mushroom risotto, steak, and tagliatelle- they were all good.
For my next visit I'll try to sit at the bar.
Austin Rogers
Wow, this place is incredible! I was able to eat at the sister restaurant the Picnic in Barcelona and getting to eat at the Gala in Santa Barbara was an incredible privilege. Jaime is an incredible chef and brings world class food every night. For world travelers everywhere you MUST try the Gala!!
Four of us ordered several appetizers including the green fried tomatoes; oysters and other things; all were delicious. We had the steak special and branzino dinner all excellent. The Jaime Cheesecake was amazing. All in all wonderful. Thank you Gala.
Ricky was our server, and he was FABULOUS! So attentive and accommodated our restricted diet. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and so attentive! The food and drinks were incredible. All around, fabulous time!
Calamari could have been a little crisper, fries, fries, oysters & margaritas were great, but chicken sandwich wasn't our favorite.
Not sure if it was just a bad night but we were certainly disappointed in the food. Was our anniversary so we were looking forward to a great experience. Staff was wonderful, unfortunately the food wasn't very good. Had the octopus and could just mange a couple of bites. Was a bit tough. They offered to remake but just didn't feel that they could pull off as flavors were a bit bland as well. My wife got the duck confit that was pretty basic. For the price points on the food we expected a better outcome.
Loved dinner here at Gala out on the patio. Great food and staff and lots of great flavors with spice. Try the charcoal margarita.
We are from Napa Valley, my husband is a winemaker, and we were here in SB for a family member's graduation and our anniversary. We made a reservation here after looking through many reviews and photos. It lived up to our expectations. Staff was AMAZING! Megan and Rico were absolutely outstanding. We spoke at length to Megan about wine and she was so knowledgeable, fun, interesting and kind. Rico always made sure our glasses were full and that our table had what we needed. He also gave a heartwarming talk to the family member's graduating. It was so sweet and kind. Truly memorable. We've dined at so many amazing restaurants because of my husband's career, including Michelin Star restaurants in almost every country, and the service here matched what we come to expect from Michelin Star Restaurants. Truly outstanding on a particularly busy evening with graduation celebrations happening. Kudos to the waitstaff, the chef, the kitchen staff and the bar for doing such an excellent job this evening. We will be back! Get the Burrata, the fried green tomatoes, the scallops, the duck confit, and any dessert. Their wine list was also great.
Absolutely loved this place. We celebrated my daughter's graduation and every dish was amazing. Cocktails were subpar but the food made up for it.
Food is very good but price point is way too high for the amount you get. $14 for 3 small cornbread muffins is insane for this place. Service was fine. Restaurant is so loud and chaotic it was hard to hear the staff. Couldn't hear our friends at the other end of the table. If servings were larger I'd come back, but for the crazy ambiance and price point being at the very high end even for SB, we won't go back.
Had a really poor experience here. From the moment we were seated, it was clear the restaurant was severely understaffed. We waited an unusually long time just to get water, and for most of our visit, we were left unattended with no help in sight. It felt like we were forgotten.
The staff that were available seemed rushed and overwhelmed. Bartenders were the ones taking our order and even bringing out our food; definitely not what you'd expect from a sit-down restaurant. It gave the impression that the place was just scrambling to stay afloat.
What made it worse was watching other tables around us get faster and more attentive service, which made our experience feel even more frustrating.
The food was good though. I thank the chefs, but that is all. Definitely not returning nor recommending.
Went to Gala with a group of six, and unfortunately the experience left a lot to be desired. It started off rocky—after being seated, it took about 10 minutes before we could even flag someone down for water.
We ordered three French 75s, but they were apparently out of proper glassware. Instead of informing us, they served the drinks split into two smaller glasses each (which still didn’t add up to the proper volume), and the third drink was clearly only about half the pour. We were charged for four, oddly enough. With our Uber already waiting, we didn’t have time to get it fixed, and frankly, it didn’t feel worth the hassle.
Water refills? Non-existent. The staff didn’t really check in on us after dropping the food. Speaking of which, the food was just okay—steak came out slightly over temp, and the seafood paella was underwhelming, with the rice undercooked and the flavor just kind of flat. The burger and pasta weren't bad, just not really what our expectations for how much they charge.
Not the worst experience I’ve had, but definitely not one I’d recommend, especially at the price point. Gala has potential, but the service and execution really need work.
Restaurantji Recommends
Gala is an absolute gem! We live in LA and we have dinner at Gala every time we are in Santa Barbara. My husband and I recently hosted our micro wedding reception at Gala, and it was absolutely magical. Tara was a dream to work with for planning, and everything--the food, cocktails, mocktails, ambiance, everything--was perfection. I cannot recommend this place highly enough, whether for a meal or an event. We will be returning every time we are in town!
I have had dinner at Gala twice this month, once on Mother's Day and again on Saturday night with girlfriends. Both meals were excellent. Mother's Day dinner started with the best margarita, followed by Spiny Lobster Paella for two, ending with their Basque style cheesecake. It was a perfect evening on their patio.
Last Saturday night, we started with a new wine they are carrying, Picpoul by Story of Soil. It was excellent and a great price. We had the duck and the steak, both were cooked to perfection. The ambiance was fun and lively.
They have some excellent deals; $2.50 oysters all night, happy hour margaritas for $9 and their olives are the best you will find outside of Spain.
Very solid food and a beautiful upscale atmosphere, which is why I will return. The bar service was quite slow while I was there during off-hours when it was not busy at all.
We had a great time at this restaurant, the live music outdoors was a nice touch. Dining room had a cool vibe. The cocktails were fantastic, and the service was spot on. For dinner, we had the calamari, mushroom risotto, steak, and tagliatelle- they were all good.
For my next visit I'll try to sit at the bar.
Wow, this place is incredible! I was able to eat at the sister restaurant the Picnic in Barcelona and getting to eat at the Gala in Santa Barbara was an incredible privilege. Jaime is an incredible chef and brings world class food every night. For world travelers everywhere you MUST try the Gala!!
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