I felt the waitresses were attentive to their customers. But I would say the food quality was not as good. Others in my party thought the same about their meal. They have plenty of TVs for watching sport witch is great and drinks are ok in price.

I recently had the unfortunate experience of dining at Sandbar in Santa Barbara, and I must say, it was nothing short of disappointing. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with a vibrant atmosphere and beautiful beachy decor, which initially gave me high hopes for a pleasant evening. However, my excitement quickly turned to disappointment as I sampled the food. The menu offered a variety of options, and I decided to go for a dish that sounded unique and delicious. Unfortunately, my choice turned out to be a huge mistake. The food was unbelievably spicy – and not in a good way. I've always enjoyed a bit of heat in my meals, but the level of spiciness here was completely over the top. It felt as if the chef had liberally poured a bottle of hot sauce onto my plate without any regard for flavor balance. The sheer intensity of the spiciness overshadowed any other flavors that might have been present in the dish. I couldn't taste the freshness of the ingredients or appreciate the supposed subtleties of the recipe. It was all about the heat, which completely overwhelmed my palate. The dining experience quickly turned into a painful ordeal rather than an enjoyable meal. To their credit, the servers seemed sympathetic to my discomfort, and didn't charge me for my entrée. When I mentioned the excessive spiciness of the dish, they apologized and offered for me to order something else, but ilat that point i couldn't eat. I left Sandbar feeling disappointed and unsatisfied. While the ambiance and beachy vibes were undoubtedly appealing, the subpar food and lackluster service overshadowed any positives. I believe that a restaurant experience should be a harmonious blend of flavors, presentation, and service, and unfortunately, Sandbar fell short on all counts during my visit. My dining experience at Sandbar in Santa Barbara was far from enjoyable due to the excessively spicy food and the lack of attention to customer feedback. I cannot in good conscience recommend this establishment to anyone who values a well-balanced and satisfying dining experience. It's a shame that such a beautiful location is marred by the disappointing execution of its culinary offerings.

The cheese on top of the burrtio was to crispy to eat so didn't really add to the flavor but other than that it was still a very good burrito I also had the steak fajitas and that was also a great spicy dish. Would came back to this place.

Great ambience, quick and pleasant service and really fresh food. The only reason I gave 4 stars is that my palate was not at intrigued by the food. The Habanero Wings were too salty but not hot enough, the BBQ wings were too sugary. The wings were cooked very well, with a perfect crisp, neither too much not too little. The grilled fish taco was already too soggy by the time it came to the table and the fajita lacked character. The cooking and presentation was done masterfully but unfortunately not tastefully enough. The bar for Mexican food is pretty high, and it is not quite the same thing if it doesn't excite palate. I might go there again, but if you are looking to have a nice romantic Mexican dinner date, definitely go there for the ambience.

All I wanted that evening was to zone out with some colorful lights and eat Mexican food. This place checked those boxes. Maybe I'm the target market age, but it just hit differently listening to smashing pumpkins and having tacos. My heart and stomach are full. Weird side note. I know I didn't eat a ton, but they use some dough for the enchiladas that I didn't know would expand in my stomach. I was full clean into the next day. I'll definitely be back.

Really cute spot on State Street! Loved the outdoor dining area. The margaritas were pretty good.

Good drinks, good food, good service. Been here many times, but going at lunch was much more enjoyable due to it not being packed. Every time i go to Santa Barbara I somehow end up here.

My husband and I went on a Saturday night around 6:45pm plenty of seating and no wait. There’s also a bar inside of you want just bar seating. Cute place but the lighting was really dark & red making it hard on the eyes. The food was tasty & service was good. Wish there was a queso blanco cheese dip side for the chips but theres not a melted version available, I thought that was strange for a Mexican restaurant not to have. There was a yellow cheese dip that comes with the chips and was delicious as well. The salsa is spicy! Seemed like there’s a large variety of things to pick from- something for everyone.

The food was very good,we had the chili rellenos (excellant) and seafood enchiladas. The drinks 🍸 were good, but the bartender was lacking on the service. Chandler, the waiter had really stepped it up to cover for the bartender.

We took a day trip up to Santa Barbara and stopped at the sand box for dinner. The wait was brief. The atmosphere was great, service was also great. They have lots of TV’s to catch current sports games. The food was great. We tried the potato taquitos which were amazing. They also offer a cheese dip and salsa with chips. I highly recommend and would visit again.

Love the vibe of this place. Went here for a late night dinner & drinks. Margaritas were amazing. Must try. Food was so yummy. The kitchen closes at 10:30 PM. The place is open till 2 AM only on Thursday - Saturday nights, the rest of the nights it closes at 12:30 AM.

Stopped in here for some lunch. They had a nice outdoor space that we wanted to sit at to watch the passerbys, but she said we could not be seated outside with a party of 5. Seemed strange because there was plenty of room. So she sat us inside. Not the vibe we were going for. Anyway we were hungry so we stayed. I had the taquitos and they were amazing.

I had a fantastic experience at Sandbar! The burrito was absolutely excellent, and the cocktails were wonderfully refreshing. The combination of great food and drinks made my visit truly enjoyable. I'll definitely be coming back for more!

This place seemed like a good mix of chill yet fun, but they sat us - and everyone else who came in after us - in the inside back corner where the vibes were lacking, despite there being lots of space on the big patio. Fajita salad was yummy flavors but really watery, and the tacos and sangria were mid at best.

I was visiting the Santa Barbara Mission, and a couple others. My coworker recommended this place to eat. So my girlfriend and I decided to eat here before returning home. We walked up to the front two hostesses. Said hi, and asked if we could have a table for two. They just stared at us without smiling or saying a word. Then one girl finally said let me clean a table. She returned and said, you can sit over there. They never asked if we wanted to sit inside or outside on the street. They just put us out on the street. We were both extremely hungry so we just sat down. Although I could not believe the cold rude behavior we were shown. I was looking at the menu, and about to leave ! A waitress came with a nice smile and welcomed us. I didn't get her name but because of her we stayed. A couple arrived after us and I observed them get the same cold treatment. They sat down for one minute and left. Anyway the food was surprisingly great and full of flavor ! I had a burrito de carnitas and flan for desert. Management should get two new hostesses immediately ! That know how to smile and welcome paying customers ! Those two hostesses that were working the night of May 26th 2023. Should be Terminated asap !

The food here was fantastic! We tried the mahi mahi tacos and the shrimp and mango tacos and both were amazing. The chips come with two kinds of salsa which were both great as well. The outdoor seating is nice!

We had a wonderful experience at the Sandbar on 7/8/22. We sat outside in the shade and had the pleasure of being served by Jamie. She was so polite, friendly and thoughtful. The food was excellent and so was the house margarita. We had the nachos and they were excellent. The hostess, Bella, was also very nice and helpful. Great service, location, food and experience. We will definitely eat there again and highly recommend this restaurant. Thank you for a wonderful time.

I come here every time I come to Santa Barbara. Love the food and service. Can go heavy or light and the Tequila is always on point. Highly recommend if you are ever in town.

The food looks great and taste is very good. Service was courteous and quick, food came quickly. Even with a long line, the wait was relatively short. Every table was full of people enjoying the evening. Sports bar feel w/ sports on multiple tvs above the bar and back dining area. Cozy atmosphere, nice heater distribution for breezy fall evenings. Great ambience, with street music, cocktails, and the beers are cold. The staff is dripping with pretty and hansom people. Plenty of parking in back (fee)I recommend you check it out.

Your regular but good Mexican place. I liked it because it was right in downtown Santa Barbara where everything seems to cost a kidney but this place had normal restaurant prices. We also picked this over a fancy sea facing place because it was open late! Taking away a start because my margarita was really pretty to look at but tasted and felt like a slushie. They say 2 oz liquor but I doubt it. I'm a light weight, and I'm saying it wasn't. They do have 1 vegetarian option on the menu: enchiladas which are served with black beans and they are pretty open to modify any other menu item. Patio was pretty and dog friendly

Good food and location in a prime location. The service especially the wait system needs to be improved. For drinks we had Moscow Mule, Pomegranate Margarita, Baja Michelada and Red wine. The pomegranate Margarita is very unique. We ordered Nachos and Guac and Habanero Wings for starters. Guac was yummy and Wings was the best - fully cooked and the flavors just fill the mouth with every bite. For main course we had Fish Tacos and it was delicious.

Very good ambiance. We had tacos. Spicy, fresh, and tasty. For us the tacos were sufficient for dinner. Drinks were good, the margaritas were very well done. It’s a combination of sports bar and restaurant