Restaurants in Santa Barbara

Though Enterprise’s menu focuses solely on seafood, the offerings are still diverse. The fresh fish dishes include British Columbian salmon sweetened with a Coca-Cola barbecue glaze, Costa Rican mahi-mahi encrusted with toasted macadamia nuts, and basa swai paired with citrus jasmine rice and Asian slaw. Seafood also bulks up pastas and sandwiches, and the dessert roster presents molten chocolate cake and key-lime pie.

Upon entering Enterprise, patrons may feel as though they’ve waded onto an immense sailboat. A blue-green marlin perches above the bar, and ship wheels and colorful buoys hang on the walls. Dock lights hook over each table, and an old-fashioned diving suit with a bronze helmet stands above the open grill, haughtily asking patrons how many leagues they can go under the sea.

Palms and blooming bougainvilleas sway in the sea breeze at Hot Spots Espresso Company's beach-adjacent patio, lit by the strings of lights that frame its columns and archways. Meanwhile, the salty ocean air intermingles with the caramel scent of roasted beans as baristas carefully steam cappuccinos and brew coffee one cup at a time to maximize its flavor. Between late April and October, the shop remains open around the clock, acting as a lighthouse for bleary-eyed sailors and a haven for insomniac lighthouse operators.

Small surprises abound inside Takenoya, where ice milk tea might contain sweet bites of mango jelly and one of the sushi rolls might arrive wrapped in soybean paper or cucumber rather than traditional seaweed. Those interested in eschewing surprises can build their own bento box, which compartmentalizes their chosen meals of chicken teriyaki, nigiri, or other specialties into neat squares alongside soup, salad, and rice. Savory noodles swirl amid shrimp tempura in the nabeyaki udon, one of several noodle dishes. The menu also includes traditional plates such as pork katsu, japanese curries, and korean short ribs.

The elaborate sushi listings showcase more than 25 signature rolls. The spicy tempura-lobster roll nestles its namesake ingredient against cucumber, avocado, sprouts, and smelt egg, whereas the summer fresh roll cocoons tuna, salmon, and yellowtail inside a cucumber shell. Four types of box sushi are prepared with a pressing box, which molds each bite into a tiny cube.

Enormous portions of pasta weigh down tables inside Petrini's Italian Restaurants, which specialize filling stomachs with old-school Italian fare. Inside the kitchen, chefs cover thin crusts with slices of salami, mushrooms, and barbecue chicken to make custom pies. Swirls of steam float above plates of gnocchi, tortellini, and ravioli, and generous helpings of chicken and veal parmesan slip between slices of sandwich bread or go solo as dinner entrees. Petrini’s homemade salad dressings top crisp salads, and can be purchased by the bottle, gallon, or super-soaker tank.

Since 1951, the chefs at Rose Café on the Mesa have been mixing and forming their own chorizo according to a family recipe. The sausage clings to cheese inside gooey quesadillas and spices up tortilla strips, eggs, and veggies in chilaquiles. A collection of other family recipes guides chefs as they make flan, enchiladas, and jam-packed chilies rellenos. Patrons can also order breakfast burritos and huevos rancheros all day inside the golden-hued dining room or take their meals outside and feed them to the colorful plants hanging around the brick-paved patio.