Benchmark Eatery image

Benchmark Eatery

Restaurant Hamburger restaurant American restaurant Seafood restaurant

One of the Top rated Hamburger restaurants in Santa Barbara


Address

1201 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States

Website

www.benchmarkeatery.com

Contact

+1 805-845-2600

Price rating

$$ $$

Rating on Google Maps

4.40 (805 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Saturday: 11:30 am to 10 pm
  • Sunday: 11:30 am to 9 pm
  • Monday: 11:30 am to 9 pm
  • Tuesday: 11:30 am to 9 pm
  • Wednesday: 11:30 am to 9 pm
  • Thursday: 11:30 am to 9 pm
  • Friday: 11:30 am to 10 pm

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: good (10) friendly (8) staff (7) table (7) order (7) service (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Mei Chi S. 1 year ago on Google
    Surprisingly very good! Walking around SB and wanted to eat a light/light-ish lunch. We came across this busy joint. Place was easy going and the seating outside was breezy for a sunny day. We enjoyed their pozole soup, calamari, shrimp kale salad and pesto pasta.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ghassan L. 1 year ago on Google
    Good food, relaxed environment and very friendly staff. We were visiting Santa Barbara for a couple of days and had lunch at Benchmark Eatery on both days. Try their Sesame Salmon Salad, Fish and Chips and Caesar Salad. Nachos are good too.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Christine B. 7 months ago on Google
    Our group had the onion rings, burger, and soup and salad and everything was WONDERFUL! Highly recommend. Good, high quality food.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Lazy J. 5 months ago on Google
    Server working there Sunday 10/22 was amazing she caught a light bulb had broken and glass had landed around our table. Comped our food and drinks apologized and handled it swiftly. Food was delicious we had wings so I had no complaints with a second round. Great place with great views and even better food! Highly recommended!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Andreas “Aris” A. 3 years ago on Google
    The food was so good, fancy and super friendly staff. We got two salads - the cobb one and the kae one. They came in looking so nice and tasting even better. My girlfriend got sparkling water which came in a fancy New Zealand bottle. The staff were super friendly and talkative and we had a great experience overall, for a reasonable price. Well done!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 P G. 9 months ago on Google
    Walked in to a lot of available open seating. Pet friendly environment. Service was quick and friendly. Our order came out fast. My compliments to the chef. Ordered the coconut shrimp, fried calamari, clam chowder bowl, burger sliders, and the double quarter pounder cheese burger and fries. All of the dishes exceeded my expectations. I ordered a Mai Tai, and all I could say is a couple more, and the party would've started. This will be one of the SB eateries I will be stopping by on my next visit. Highly recommend.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Leonora Mia C. 3 years ago on Google
    The fried calamari was really crispy and comes with both a chunky tartar sauce and cocktail sauce. The double cheeseburger had 2 good sized patties with all the fixings, including lots of red onion which I like but might not be for everyone. My mom had the fish and chips. She loved the fish but thought the cold slaw was too sour.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Erica Y. 9 months ago on Google
    I liked the clean and tidy layout. The closed patio right off of State St. has such a nice view. They have a large menu selection, and we were able to walk up to the window/bar order our food, and with open seating they drop food to your table. It is quite a casual service atmosphere. There is no table touching after they drop the food, so you have to get up for water refills, more napkins, and to go boxes. The only issues I noticed is that the white linen roll up napkins felt and smelled greasy, like they were washed along with kitchen rags. And our utensils were dropped after our food.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Michael B. 1 year ago on Google
    Absolutely fantastic! Order at the counter, take your number, and they bring it out to your table. Ordering was simple and the employee who took my order couldn't have been more professional. She also stopped by my table to check how my meal was. The manager also asked if I needed anything a bit later. The double cheeseburger was spot on. Cooked perfectly with just the right amount of condiments added to the burger. Not to mention fries that came right out of the fryer that were nice and crispy. I don't give many five star reviews, but Benchmark Eatery, you deserve these stars!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Karissa C. 1 year ago on Google
    The other restaurant we went to was closed, so we ended up here. It was meant to be! The pozole verde with added carnitas was delicious! I've had a lot of pozole in my life but never a green one. It was amazing! This soup literally cured my hangover! I felt like a whole new person afterwards!

  • 5/5 Venus M. 4 months ago on Google
    My experience here was absolutely amazing! The staff is top tier. Food is so delicious, I mix it up every time and definitely the best burgers in town. Come alone for a quick bite and drink or bring your family. This will definitely be my future date night restaurant. Great bar, service and overall ambience. I am just delighted by the entire experience!! 10/10

  • 4/5 Dale B. 1 year ago on Google
    Nice place - casual but still very pleasant. We ordered drinks and a plate of nachos. Nachos were great but probably not enough to fairly assess food quality. Love that they're a pet friendly establishment - we had two Golden Retrievers with us. Def recommend giving this place a try!

  • 5/5 Joe M. 1 year ago on Google
    I was pleasantly surprised and I did not realize that benchmark has been sitting on the corner of state and anapamu all this time. They have a fantastic selection of food and drinks that did not disappoint on any front. It was comfortable with a wide variety of seating options as well as heaters if need be. Let’s just say I found my new spot for margs and coconut shrimp with the lady. 😎 We will absolutely be returning.

  • 4/5 Eric H. 1 year ago on Google
    Efficient and professional service and reasonable prices on the food. Not so much on the drinks. Would recommend the Power Kale Salad with chicken added. Coming from someone who doesn't particularly like salads, it was a wide range of good fresh vegetables and actually filling.

  • 4/5 Janice C. 2 years ago on Google
    Benchmark Eatery was great! I loved the ambiance - decor, music and staff. They have a walk up counter to order your food then they will bring it to your table. We ate outside in the covered patio with heaters. Very warm and toasty. The food was very good except my salmon was overcooked and on the dry side. The place is mid-upscale and a little over priced for a counter order restaurant. (Im guessing it would not be so much if it weren't for complications of the pandemic.) Im glad we were able to come here. Its definitely a good choice.

  • 4/5 David P. 1 year ago on Google
    Great location. Food was average for the price. Staff did a good job with walkup counter service and keeping dining area clean.

  • 5/5 Egor S. 2 years ago on Google
    Brilliant spot Cool music (Johnny Cash is here sometime)) Good price Nice 😍 staff Heater is on Thanks 🙏

  • 3/5 SleepyMonkey 7. 1 year ago on Google
    🤷🏽‍♂️ It was okay. Definitely like their Fish n Chips. Can't really give a solid rating until I try a few other stuff on the menu.

  • 5/5 Vivian A. 2 years ago on Google
    We stopped here for a late lunch on a Monday. It was not crowded and they have a fully covered outdoor patio with heaters that is dog friendly. You order your food at a counter and they give you a number for your table. My husband had the grilled salmon sandwich and really enjoyed it. The brussel sprouts were really good - crispy with bacon and honey. The sweet potato fries were good and came with a Sriracha ketchup. I would get both items again. The churros were OK. They were fresh but I have had better fresh churros. You get a lot of pieces with one order and it comes with two dipping sauces. The staff was very friendly and the service was quick. They even brought out a water bowl for our dog. Overall, we were very happy with the food and service.

  • 5/5 Tom S. 1 year ago on Google
    We stopped by for dinner eats after the museum. It’s right across the street. I enjoyed the Benchmark chopped salad and a tasty Sangria. My wife enjoyed pozole soup and salad. I took some menu pictures since I didn’t find any recent ones in the App. Enjoy 😋👍🏼


Call +1 805-845-2600 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Pets
    • ✓️ Dogs allowed inside
    • ✓️ Dogs allowed outside
  • Parking
    • ✓️ Free parking lot
    • ✓️ Paid parking lot
    • ✓️ Plenty of parking
    • ✓️ Free multi-storey car park
    • ✓️ Paid multi-storey car park
    • ✓️ Free of charge street parking
  • Payments
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Beer
    • ✓️ Wine
    • ✓️ Coffee
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Spirits
    • ✓️ Cocktails
    • ✓️ Quick bite
    • ✓️ Comfort food
    • ✓️ Small plates
    • ✓️ Organic dishes
    • ✓️ Happy-hour food
    • ✓️ Healthy options
    • ✓️ Happy-hour drinks
    • ✓️ Vegetarian options
  • Popular for
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Solo dining
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible toilet
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible seating
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Brunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Dessert
    • ✓️ Seating
    • ✓️ Counter service
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✓️ Delivery
    • ✓️ Takeaway
    • ✓️ Outdoor seating
    • ✓️ No-contact delivery
  • From the business
    • ✓️ Identifies as women-owned

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