Location: Summerland
Top Restaurants in Summerland
Most Popular Restaurants in Summerland
This town’s name says it all: Summerland is a classic California beach town. Just five miles south of Santa Barbara, swing off Highway 101 to meander down Lillie Avenue, dotted with antique stores, cozy cafes and locally owned shops punctuated by charming cottages. The town’s central beach is framed by Lookout Park, where you can watch the breakers from above and take in the breathtaking views.
Things to do in Summerland
1. Summerland Beach Cafe
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 192 reviews
Reviewed By closch7 - Galena, Ohio
Stopped on our way to Montecito. Got different breakfast choices with a salad. All were delicious. Jennifer M. was our server outside which is dog friendly. Our dog enjoyed a dog treat and bowl of water.
2. Jeannine's Bakery & Cafe
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 436 reviews
Reviewed By Jim W - Carmel, California
Jeanine's has seemingly been here forever and remains an exceptional spot for breakfast and / or lunch. The salmon scramble is terrific, the straight-forward eggs breakfast the same and we enjoyed the bagel option. Staff is super friendly and helpful; thank you!
3. Padaro Beach Grill
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 236 reviews
Reviewed By 123jeffg91 - Carpinteria, California
Think of a catered beach side picnic and you'll understand this well known Summerland restaurant. There are sand boxes for the kiddies and picnic tables for everyone. Aside from the fresh food there is also beer and wine--what ,more could you ask for? The only downside are the lines...go early and, if possible, during the week!
4. Red Kettle Coffee
Overall Ratings
5 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By Jkwusa - Santa Barbara, California
- Like Red Kettle! They use very good, fresh-roasted beans, and take care with their product. Small interior space with limited seating - there is an outdoor patio, but I feel like the freeway noise right behind it makes it sort of un-useable.
Still a great place. Open an outlet in Montecito! We need more places like this.
5. Rori's Artisanal Creamery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 41 reviews
Reviewed By Louis M
Nice staff and happy people, help to make this ice cream location a no brain-er for satisfying your sweet tooth... Cost a bit more than most, so keep that in mind, but worth the moment and flavors. Enjoy something same same, but different.....
6. McConnell's Fine Ice Creams
Overall Ratings
5 based on 727 reviews
Almost 70 years later, we make our ice creams as we always have: from scratch, in small batches, with Central Coast, grass-grazed milk & cream we pasteurize from raw at our creamery at The Old Dairy (c. 1934) And the finest local, sustainable and organic, raw ingredients, sourced from partner farms, artisans and purveyors we've worked with, in many cases, for decades.
Reviewed By vegout2 - Placentia, California
McConnell’s is always a stop for us when visiting Santa Barbara. I consider myself to be an amateur ice cream connoisseur and this ice cream receives very high marks on my list. I usually sample a couple before making my selection. The good thing with McConnell’s is that they offer 2 different flavors in a single scoop. I eventually chose cardamom ginger snap and burnt caramel apple. Not only were they great alone but together they were terrific too. The staff is very friendly and don’t seem to mind offering multiple samples.
7. TRE Lune
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 205 reviews
Reviewed By Alicia67 - Atlanta, Georgia
Went there with my husband, son and his girlfriend while visiting them in Santa Barbara. The restaurant had recently reopened after the devastating mudslides.
This place is OLD school. Very cozy and upbeat with a 1950’s movie star vibe. We were greeted warmly by the hostess and seated at a big round table adjacent to the door. We watched couples and groups come in, almost all knew each other and chatted with other patrons before being seated. Monticito has its fair share of extremely wealthy residents, and that night they were all out enjoying dinner at Tre Lune it seemed! It definitely skewed older, I’m in my 40’s and most people there were a good 15 -20 years older than me.
I don’t drink alcohol, and they have a great little selection of mock tails (I hate that word) with fresh squeezed juices etc. The food was fabulous. Very nice presentation. The salmon my son had was wonderful. So was the chicken Parmesan. Everyone really enjoyed what they ordered, and the chocolate mousse with the fresh berry sauce was one of the best I’ve ever had. Service was spot on.
8. Nugget
Overall Ratings
4 based on 73 reviews
Reviewed By Dedphred - California
I've eaten at the Nugget for forty years, off and on. Previously I've loved the burgers and fries, and the atmosphere. The burgers are still good, as are the fries, but the atmosphere has become nearly unbearable. The noise in the kitchen area where we sat was an ear splitting din--the cooks were clanging and banging the dishes, wait staff was chatting and snacking, people were yelling--very unpleasant as a place to consume food. In addition, the service was awful. Waiter was nice enough, but our order sat on the counter within our view for nearly 15 minutes. Wait staff walked by our food at least 10 times and didn't pick it up and bring it to our table which was 7 feet away. We watched it cool for 13.5 minutes. Another order that came up just after ours sat for more than 20 minutes before being served. If we'd had time we would have sent our food back--nothing much worse than cold French fries, but the burger was delicious, even cold. Can't fault the food. Just the noise and the service.
9. Stonehouse Restaurant at San Ysidro Ranch
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 308 reviews
Reviewed By CAKarenOrangeCounty - Orange County, CA
This restaurant has a very extensive wine and spirits list.
Dinner was very good we shared an abalone appetizer and my husband had the cod. He had reservations about ordering it as cod can be poorly prepared, but he enjoyed it very much. I had the halibut and it was also very good.
Lovely setting - very beautiful. Waiter was a little cheeky, but straightened up as the night went on.
10. Stacky's Seaside
Overall Ratings
4 based on 24 reviews
Reviewed By Dedphred - California
Always one of my favorite places for a sandwich--excellent ingredients and choices. Went by yesterday and found Stacky's Seaside closed. Apparently, closed for good. I asked across the street at the Nugget and was told they thought it had closed permanently. Hope this is NOT true!! One of the best lunch stops on the coast.
