Great vibes, good beers. Very popping and fun. Will come back!
M S
I wanted to have a flight of their kombucha (and other non gluten drinks such as seltzer, cider and kombucha). They won’t pour flights of their kombucha that is on draft. When I asked why not, a single bartender could not tell me why nor could they understand a rational reason. You can get 13 ounces of kombucha or more but not a taster. You can get a sample which is the same size as a flight size. But not a flight. It makes no sense. Stupid rule. And stupid rules get bad reviews. The owner or manager has responded questioning why I would want a flight of 4 of the same kombuchas. That was not accurate. I should have indicated I wanted a flight, with one of them being a kombucha. The rest being a seltzer, a cider, a kombucha, and something else.
Jean Marie Driskel
This is the ultimate spot for the whole family! Great beer, great food and great people to boot! They are active in the community. A great place to spend your afternoon!
Cowabunga Investments
Great location, fantastic live bands, and good service overall. However, I’m removing one star for a few reasons. The bar often has a fishy smell due to the seafood items on the menu, which can be off-putting. Additionally, the bartenders added gratuity to my bill without informing me, and they made cocktails at the back of the bar with their backs turned, so I couldn’t see what they were putting in them. Cocktails should always be prepared in view of the customer to build trust. It’s a good spot, but these issues need attention.
Alan Martin
Good place to get a beer or try their tasty and refreshing meade. They also have food - try the delicious smash burger. Friendly staff, nice atmosphere with corn hole games outside to keep it fun.
Brian Locke
I love the concept of letting your beer order count as a vote for that beer. The Schwarzbier was one of the best beers that I tried while visiting the Santa Barbara area. The smash burger and pastrami and Swiss sandwiches were also very good.
Sarah Degen
Best food I've ever had!!
Harrison Stanford
Short Version HIGHLY recommend Validation Ale for any events or if you’re looking for a cool venue to hang and have a drink with friends
Long Version We were looking for a place that could host our Welcome Party for our wedding weekend. However, we weren’t certain on how many of our guests would show up, so we needed a venue that was flexible. Brian told us to not worry and he would take care of it. He was so chill and easy to work with that it felt unreal. Day of—the staff was incredible, drinks moved quickly, and we received countless compliments on how great the welcome party was.
Steph H
We found Validation Ale from a recommendation on a walking tour in town. It was amazing! We had two flights of great beer. A huge variety for everyone to enjoy. We had the most delicious pastrami Rueben!!! And the smash burger was so good even in taco form. The prices were very reasonable for the quality. Great customer service. Everyone was helpful and friendly!! Don’t skip this stop on your trip to the Funkzone.
Excellent beers, cool space, great service, and a clever concept! This was a great find during our trip to SB…looking forward to coming back. And bonus points for being super dog friendly!
Walt Hammett
Great beverages, cool concept and good people. Grub is mighty tasty as well.
Bryan Linden
This place is low key for the most part, can get busy for events and music. Best part is the energy you get from the staff. Emma is spectacular, always welcoming with a smile, but all the staff is awesome!
Brian Junger
Decent spot to hang out, that seems to be the only thing people want these days, but they have weekly events like trivia and live music. Beverages are quite awful though, hard selzers are completely flavorless and the beer doesn't match the descriptions at all. Their saision tasted like a pale ale, but they might have served me the wrong thing. I'd recommend going to Third Window instead, better beer and food with a nicer outdoor area.
Taylor Cardenes-Moore
Beer is decent and decor is really nice. Service was very cold and not welcoming on our visit.
Great vibes, good beers. Very popping and fun. Will come back!
I wanted to have a flight of their kombucha (and other non gluten drinks such as seltzer, cider and kombucha). They won’t pour flights of their kombucha that is on draft. When I asked why not, a single bartender could not tell me why nor could they understand a rational reason. You can get 13 ounces of kombucha or more but not a taster. You can get a sample which is the same size as a flight size. But not a flight. It makes no sense. Stupid rule. And stupid rules get bad reviews. The owner or manager has responded questioning why I would want a flight of 4 of the same kombuchas. That was not accurate. I should have indicated I wanted a flight, with one of them being a kombucha. The rest being a seltzer, a cider, a kombucha, and something else.
This is the ultimate spot for the whole family! Great beer, great food and great people to boot! They are active in the community. A great place to spend your afternoon!
Great location, fantastic live bands, and good service overall. However, I’m removing one star for a few reasons. The bar often has a fishy smell due to the seafood items on the menu, which can be off-putting. Additionally, the bartenders added gratuity to my bill without informing me, and they made cocktails at the back of the bar with their backs turned, so I couldn’t see what they were putting in them. Cocktails should always be prepared in view of the customer to build trust. It’s a good spot, but these issues need attention.
Good place to get a beer or try their tasty and refreshing meade.
They also have food - try the delicious smash burger.
Friendly staff, nice atmosphere with corn hole games outside to keep it fun.
I love the concept of letting your beer order count as a vote for that beer. The Schwarzbier was one of the best beers that I tried while visiting the Santa Barbara area. The smash burger and pastrami and Swiss sandwiches were also very good.
Best food I've ever had!!
Short Version
HIGHLY recommend Validation Ale for any events or if you’re looking for a cool venue to hang and have a drink with friends
Long Version
We were looking for a place that could host our Welcome Party for our wedding weekend. However, we weren’t certain on how many of our guests would show up, so we needed a venue that was flexible. Brian told us to not worry and he would take care of it. He was so chill and easy to work with that it felt unreal. Day of—the staff was incredible, drinks moved quickly, and we received countless compliments on how great the welcome party was.
We found Validation Ale from a recommendation on a walking tour in town. It was amazing! We had two flights of great beer. A huge variety for everyone to enjoy. We had the most delicious pastrami Rueben!!! And the smash burger was so good even in taco form. The prices were very reasonable for the quality. Great customer service. Everyone was helpful and friendly!! Don’t skip this stop on your trip to the Funkzone.
GF beers options always a plus!
Restaurantji Recommends
Excellent beers, cool space, great service, and a clever concept! This was a great find during our trip to SB…looking forward to coming back. And bonus points for being super dog friendly!
Great beverages, cool concept and good people. Grub is mighty tasty as well.
This place is low key for the most part, can get busy for events and music. Best part is the energy you get from the staff. Emma is spectacular, always welcoming with a smile, but all the staff is awesome!
Decent spot to hang out, that seems to be the only thing people want these days, but they have weekly events like trivia and live music. Beverages are quite awful though, hard selzers are completely flavorless and the beer doesn't match the descriptions at all. Their saision tasted like a pale ale, but they might have served me the wrong thing. I'd recommend going to Third Window instead, better beer and food with a nicer outdoor area.
Beer is decent and decor is really nice. Service was very cold and not welcoming on our visit.
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