La Arcada Bistro

I cannot believe all the negative reviews for this place, I think it is one of the best restaurants in SB! I have been several times and have had the chicken salad which was delicious, the crab melt *extremely delicious*, ceviche *delicious*, crab quesadilla *extremely delicious*, and the lobster tail *extremely delicious*. The Sangria is also amazing and you cannot beat the cost at only $ 3.00! Cold Guiness on draft with live, authentic Irish band. Owner is enchanting and always comes by our table to ensure we are happy and that our needs are met. This place is a hidden gem in Santa Barbara and I would recommend it to anyone. Please ignore the negative reviews and give it a try for yourself!!!

Had dinner here last night. I ordered the salmon with basil sauce and vegetables that the waitress recommended. The service was slow even though it was not crowded when I got there. The food was bland. I had to add a lot of salt and pepper to make it work. I got a few pieces of heavily oiled carrots and couples slices of tomatoes for vegetables. The cost of the meal $ 35.00 (that included a glass of wine). I think it wasn’t worth it. I won’t be dinning there again.

Came in on a Saturday evening to an almost empty restaurant with plenty of wait staff working to order a drink and two appetizers. Drinks ended up not coming until I asked about them 25 minutes later and only one appetizer was delivered. We cancelled the other before they delivered it (it had been over 35 minutes). The fruit and cheese tray that was delivered cost $ 20 and consisted of cheese slices (think Kraft cheese from the super market) and Philadelphia cream cheese. Based on the tables around us, these issues did not seem limited to us. Common problems were other tables not being waited on, food being very late, and drinks not refilled. I would steer clear of this place as there are plenty of other great restaurants on State street.

The food was average, and that’s not a bad thing. It didn’t completely blow my dress up though. It was solid and filled the need for a decent lunch meal.
I had the tuna melt and a side salad. The portion was good size and I left satisfied. The tuna itself wasn’t too fishy, which can be a problem with this type of sandwich. The flavored iced tea was the bomb though.
Service was very friendly and welcoming. I would give them another try, but maybe for breakfast next time around.

Did not have a good experience at this restaurant. Ordered the pasilla chile scramble and the steak and eggs and when the plates came, it looked like someone had eaten half of my meal already. There were about 5 diced potatoes, and the scramble was made from not even two eggs. The scramble was good, but there wasn’t enough food to make the meal filling. There was a puny serving of fruit which consisted of one grape, one cube of watermelon and an orange slice. The steak was pretty flavorless. For the prices, which were $ 14-​$ 17, there was not enough food served. The service was also slow.

Place is nice but service was good at the start going down hill. didn’t get my order right after 40 mins of waiting and the food was cold. Plus it’s a bit costly for how much you get. Will not be going back soon.

We went to la arcada bistro for lunch & sadly, we will probably never go back.
The services started out ok, but quickly went downhill when the server was writing our order down & quickly forgot what my husband ordered. She said she spaced & asked again, I thought she recovered well, admitting she spaced & apologized, I was impressed that during her spacing out, she remembered he did not want tomatoes. Sadly when he got his order, she brought him his «tri tip» sandwich which had tomatoes, remember, he specified twice that he really did not want tomatoes. He put them to the side & she never said a word. Can’t blame her.
We waited far too long for our credit card to be taken & the waitress returned it without a pen. Apparently today was not her day.
If you’re still reading & do decide to go here, do not order the $ 6 Irish soda bread. It’s a few sad pieces of dry bread. La arcada salad is pretty & not too bad, not sure it’s worth $ 16.

I rarely actually take the time to write full Unilocal reviews. Only the exceptional places tend to make it. That being said, I feel very strongly in submitting my experience in this case. My friend and I had a really bad happy hour in Santa Barbara which is quite difficult to pull off. The raspberry mojito that was recommended tasted like it was from a bad soda can. I’ve never sent a drink back until today. The waitress/​bartender said it was fresh which was an absolute lie. There was hardly any mint and no actual berries in the drink. My friend didn’t care for her Bloody Mary either. The whole atmosphere was off and the service was lacking considering we were the only ones there. Certainly not going back.

This place is absolutely fantastic in every way.
When visiting from New York I went to many restaurants in California and this was by far the best! The service was amazing, the staff was charming, and you can tell that it’s a family-​run place. The food was fresh and delicious as well! I would definitely recommend this place to everyone! What a find!!!

Great happy hour!!! Heated patio! Nice and warm. Friendly owner who checks on you at the table. I loved the margaritas and my boyfriend loved the Stella! Very cheap for the venue! Yummy appetizers as well.

My husband and I were exploring State st and we walked by this place and decided to go in and have a couple of drinks. The owner and his wife were very welcoming and enjoyed talking with them as well. We ordered Guinness on draft which was great and also had a couple other drinks as well. Also had live Irish music which was nice.

Wow!!!
This place rocks the world!!!
My wife, father-​in-​law, mother-​in-​law and I took a little day trip to Santa Barbara and just stumbled upon this place after sitting in 3 Hours of traffic!!! We walked into the first place we came across and what a great discovery…
This place has everything anyone would want in a restaurant. Everything we ordered was amazing!!!
My inlaws ordered the French Dip, I had an amazing quesadilla and my wife had shrimp pasta. We eat out a lot and this meal was so good we came back that same night and had amazing lobster dinner. Another great decision!!!
I love most things but my inlaws can be a little harder to please but we all would come back, this place was just a great experience food, atmosphere and people. I felt like I was eating at a family members home.
If you come to Santa Barbara and don’t stop by this place for a meal you’re really missing out!
Make sure you say hi to Joe the chief and Aoife the waitress!!! They rule the world as far as I am concerned!!!

Amazing amazing!!! My family of 7 stopped in here with 4 adults and 3 wold kids. They were so accomodating and it still felt like we had a 5 star meal. Service was excellent even the fook came out to greet us and make sure our meal was delicious. .whichbit WAS!!! I highly recommend this place!!!

IF YOU USE YOUR CREDIT CARD, REVIEW YOUR FINAL STATEMENT, THEY FORGED AN ADDITIONAL AMOUNT FOR A TIP.
My husband and I had lunch here a few days ago. The food was fine. Nothing to write home about nor complain about. My issue is with the illegal charge that was added to my tip amount.
I am one that monitors my account daily with my receipts. I know this may seem trivial but the bottom line is it was an illegal act. I had to ask for my my copy of the receipt once I signed it.
In checking my account this morning I noticed that a $ 3.00 amount was added to my tip amount through my online banking final amount. I phoned my bank, we made a conference call to the restaurant and spoke with the owner Trini.
I asked to stay on the line while she located her copy of the transaction. She confirmed that «I» left a $ 9.00 tip. I stated that I have my original copy that «I «signed which was for a «$ 6.00 tip»
At the top of our conversation I asked if I could fax a copy of my receipt to her and she stated they did not have a fax, I asked if I could email it. She said yes. After she came back to the phone, she stated that she did not have an email address and wanted to mail me the money in a check.
I stated that this was a credit card issue and I wanted her to issue a refund through her terminal. She stated she was unable to do that. I said that I was also a merchant and know that it is possible and can be done instantly. She then said I am not sure if I can do this today. The time was 2:40pm. All banking institutions are still open at this time!
I told her at that point that I did not feel comfortable and i would exercise my right to file a dispute for the charges with my bank. My banking institution witnessed the call and made notes and will file a formal complaint.
Keep in mind in Santa Barbara, the majority of people do not look at price tags let alone follow up with the accurate charges.
This was wrong! There is no way that one can make the numeral 6 into a numeral 9 without forging it.
So people pay cash or monitor your account when you dine here.

I went to this bistro for the first time while on mini getaway and I can say I liked this place and I would def come back here! We ordered halibut ceviche that was my favorite! We also ordered the chipotle mayo burger that was great, fish tacos were good to and good portions and last but not least calamari, yumm! The only reason I don’t give it a 5 star is because two things were forgotten from our order two different times, then I asked both times and the server forgot about one and the other he never placed the order for :/​besides that I loved it

We didn’t order food as we had eaten beforehand. We had some green tea and my sister and her husband shared carafes of vino.
If it is your thing, it’s definitely ours, do consider checking out the live music. Great Irish tunes, and american «ballads» and some country too. A fun night, we went on a Friday, but there might be music on Saturday’s too. I’m sure there is more info on the internet. Cheers.
To my understanding they don’t serve breakfast everyday.

Great menu and a delicious sangria! It was a quick pit stop for lunch but I’m bookmarking this spot for the next time!

If you have ever strolled down State Street in Santa Barbara, then you are aware that it is the home of a plethora of both local and chain restaurants and cafes. It can be overwhelming to choose the «right» one for your eating/​drinking/​socializing needs. La Arcada is one of the many options to choose from. How does it stack up?
La Arcada is a cute bistro located on a corner real estate offering indoor and outdoor seating in an Irish meets Spanish– ambiance (which makes sense as the owner is Irish while his wife is Mexican). During the early afternoon, it is calm and inviting but apparently can get rowdy on weekends when there is live Irish music reverberating the air. Think: Irish bar meets café with rustic wood trim but stuccoed walls.
Although La Arcada didn’t have too many customers at the time of our patronage (between 2 and 3pm); I didn’t feel quite that welcome. It isn’t that the server and staff were rude per se; they just weren’t that inviting. Not to mention: slow. Very, very slow. Despite this, we browsed the menu having not yet eaten lunch seeking some light fare. My boyfriend and I decided to share plates and went with the House Salad (Grilled chicken, fire-​roasted red peppers, red onion, blue cheese, toasted pine nuts, red delicious apples and mixed greens tossed with balsamic vinaigrette– $ 16.00) and the Irish Soda Bread (with Kerry Gold butter and Dubliner Cheese — $ 6.00). Due to it being Happy Hour, we also shared a Bellini ($ 5.00).
The key to La Arcada is presentation. The salad and bread arrived at the same time and had an elegant but approachable feel. The salad was absolutely delicious with just the right amount of vinaigrette, tender chicken, and veggies. Although it was enough for my boyfriend and I to share; I still think it was much overpriced though for the quantity. Not necessarily satisfying if you are very hungry. The Irish Soda bread was a good deal with plenty of bread and large slices of cheese. I found the bread to be a little dry (and I love Irish Soda bread so I’ve had it plenty of times). It wasn’t awful but I wasn’t blown away. The Bellini was a highlight though. It was tasty and strong which is great being that it was a happy hour price and sometimes restaurants water down drinks during those times.
A minor note but still worth mentioning is that the bathroom is a single-​stall meaning that you have to wait quite a long time if someone is inside. Plus, it is an awkward back of the house area next to run down soda machines. Not good if you really have to use the bathroom!
There honestly isn’t much more to be said about La Arcada. The experience wasn’t bad but also not memorable on the positive side; making it simply an okay medium-​choice on State Street but not life-​changing. If nothing else though, the outdoor seating is quaint with great views of State Street. I would say this is a hit or miss option in lovely Santa Barbara.

My husband and I were celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary!!! Which was on July 17, 2014. But couldn’t get to Santa Barbara until, June 20, 2014. After walking up and down State St. We came upon this quaint little bistro. It was a
very, clear day but very humid. We decided to sit out on the patio. We ordered white wine and an appetizer of Irish Soda bread with Irish cheese.
I normally don’t like Irish Soda bread… but this was amazing! The best, I’ve ever had. Very light, not too dense. With the perfect amount of Irish cheese.
We were still a couple hours away from going to dinner, so we ordered a cheese plate, with French bread, cheese, nuts and fruit! Again, so delicious.
Wine was served in nice glasses without the «lip». Very classy. My parents are from Eastern Europe and drinking from a fine wine glass is hard to come by. You can always tell, when it’s European glass… thin and delicate.
The Service! So, incredibly friendly and sincere. Our waitress… such a sweet girl!!! Always making sure, we were taken care of. At one point the owner, with a nice Irish accent came out, and talked with us for a good 10 – 15 minutes. It’s the European hospitality, that I’m so familiar with. It’s something that can’t be taught… it’s inherited. Making you feel at home and completely comfortable.
Lastly, I live literally 33 minutes from this place… and my husband and I have decided to make this a regular stop! Knowing we will be warmly greeted, and enjoy, great food, service and an amazing ambiance! Can’t wait for the next visit.

Very disappointed in our lunch here.
The location is great, the food was good, service was awful.
We were seated outside right away, but it took more than 5 minutes for our server to come over. (I think it was at least 10 but since I wasn’t timing it I don’t want to possibly exaggerate.) It was long enough for us to decide on what we were eating and read enough Unilocal reviews that we started to consider leaving. (Should have checked Unilocal before, like I usually do!)
The waitress came over apologizing. We ordered a soy mocha, a grilled chicken sandwich and the crab quesadilla.
The mocha came out and it tasted like chocolate flavored water. Really gross. I wanted to trade it in for an Iced Tea. We kept looking for our server and she was nowhere to be found. There were only a few tables and it was right during the lunch hour, which should have been our clue that this was a place to avoid. There were employees everywhere but not our server. I finally asked another employee if she could send our server over.
And we waited some more. We were actually deciding to leave when our food came out. So we started eating. My grilled chicken sandwich was good, the fries were good but greasy. My husband thought his crab quesadilla tasted like tuna.
We were almost done with our food when our server finally decided to grace us with her presence. I told her to please take off the barely touched mocha and to just bring the check, which she did.
There’s no reason the service should have been that bad, they were not understaffed. There is a reason they were so empty during the Friday lunch hour, and management should take note.
We will not be coming back, there are too many good restaurants in the area to put up with that!

Unglaublich nettes Café und Bistro. Perfekter Service. Super amerikanisches Essen