Louie's California Bistro

3.5

732 Reviews

$31 to $50

American

Louie's California Bistro

3.5

$31 to $50

American

Santa Barbara

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 12, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 3 times today

Charming
Neighborhood gem
Great for outdoor dining

Intimate and exclusive due to it's limited seating, Louie’s California Bistro has long been touted as one of Santa Barbara's favorite local secrets. Unconcerned with flashy food trends, the focus at Louie's has always been to take local ingredients and make them shine, often through classic style cooking and recipes. Add in Central Coast wines and a table on the historic wrap around veranda and you have the makings for a truly enjoyable dining experience. Louie's resides within a local landmark: The Upham Hotel. The Upham, built in 1871, is California's longest continuously operating hotel and is one of Santa Barbara's oldest buildings, having survived the earthquake of 1925.

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Californian, Comfort Food
Hours of operation
Dinner Tue–Thu 5:30 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:30 pm–9:30 pm
Phone number
(805) 679-5313
Website
http://www.louiescabistro.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Private party facilities
We often cater private events in the meeting rooms of the Upham Hotel. Please inquire for pricing

Location
1404 De La Vina St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3027
Neighborhood
Santa Barbara
Cross street
De La Vina Street at Sola Street
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Banquet, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Tomato, Gorgonzola, Red Onions, Basil, Pine Nuts & Balsamic Vinaigrette$13.00
Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Caramelized Pecans & Poppy Seed Dressing$15.00
Pear and Gorgonzola Salad Over Spinach with Avocado, Red Onion & Cilantro Vinaigrette$16.00
Caesar with French Bread Croutons$13.00
Mixed Sweet Greens with Fresh Herb Vinaigrette$10.00

Pizza & Pasta

Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola Cheese$18.00
Pizza with Cajun Chicken and Pineapple$19.00
Angel Hair with Tomatoes, Olives, Capers, Oregano, Basil, Pine Nuts and Parmesan$21.00
Fettuccini with Tomato, Fresh Basil and Parmesan In a Light Herb Cream Sauce$23.00
Spaghetti with Meatballs, Marinara Sauce and Topped with Parmesan$24.00
Linguini with Grilled Shrimp, Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Spinach, and Feta Cheese$25.00

Entrées

Chicken Piccata$28.00
served over Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Spinach and Asparagus with Louie's Piccata Sauce
Grilled Meat Loaf$27.00
Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions, Cabernet Sauce and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Lightly Breaded Filet of Sole$29.00
served over a Potato Pancake with Steamed Asparagus and a Lemon Beurre Blanc Sauce
Beef Stroganoff$32.00
Filet Tips with Mushrooms, Onions in a Stroganoff Cream Sauce over Noodles
Sesame Crusted Scottish Salmon$35.00
with Stir Fried Vegetables in a Soy Ginger Vinaigrette with Rice Noodles and a Wasabi Cream Sauce
Louie's Seasonal Seafood and Shrimp Cioppino$35.00
with Saffron Rice
Sautéed Catch of the Day$36.00
with Wild Mushroom Risotto, French Green Beans and a Saffron Cream Sauce
Grilled Filet Mignon$41.00
with Sautéed Mushrooms and Caramelized Shallot, Cabernet Sauce and Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese, over a Potato Pancake

What 732 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.5

3.5 based on recent ratings

3.5Food
3.3Service
3.7Ambience
3.4Value

Noise • Energetic

Loved For

Santa Barbara
Great for brunch
Santa Barbara
Healthy
Santa Barbara
Neighborhood gem
Santa Barbara
Great for fine wines
Santa Barbara
Great for outdoor dining
Santa Barbara
Romantic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Louie's California Bistro is a charming escape in Santa Barbara, offering a delightful atmosphere and a "marvelous owner." Guests praise the "excellent food and service," with standout dishes like eggs Benedict and salmon. While some menu items may need refinement, the overall dining experience remains satisfying and memorable.

732 Reviews

P
Patty
Central Coast
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
I made a reservation through Ooen Table for this restaurant, only to discover upon arrival with 6 people that the restaurant closed down completely. It’s important to stay current with your clients! Contact them to remove this restaurant as an option through Open Table.
Is this helpful?
W
Walter
Central Coast
17 reviews
vip
1.0
17 reviews
Dined on December 1, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
I booked an OpenTable reservation for 4 at Louie's California Bistro last week. When we arrived, the restaurant had been closed for 2 weeks! A sign on the door said reopening was TBD. I can not understand how OpenTable can accept and book a reservation without confirming with someone at the restaurant. I even got a text the day before our "reservation" asking me to confirm my reservation. This begs the question, "If I have to call the restaurant to confirm that they are open for business, why not just make my reservation directly with the restaurant and forget about using OpenTable."
Is this helpful?
M
Margaret
Los Angeles
17 reviews
vip
1.0
17 reviews
Dined on November 30, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
Very disappointed! My party of 9 showed up to a closed restaurant! A note on the door said closed and under new management…… You should not be taking reservations on Open Table. I even called the day of the reservation and they had a message saying they would be open at 5pm just to reconfirm our reservation. We have had many enjoyable dinners here and I am extremely disappointed.
Is this helpful?
B
Bob Jr.
Central Coast
139 reviews
4.0
139 reviews
Dined on November 2, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 5
My wife and I very much enjoy dining at Louie's The food and the atmosphere/location/ambiance are great.
Is this helpful?
D
David
Las Vegas
1 review
vip
3.0
1 review
Dined on November 1, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 1
We were only ones there, my pizza tasted like a frozen pizza, they noted online they had certain entrees they didn't have and they charged us for splitting entrees when each person had their own and didn't remove the charge when asked
Is this helpful?
B
Bob
Central Coast
4 reviews
3.0
4 reviews
Dined on October 31, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Having been before and had a very positive experience this time was disappointing. The chicken piccata wasn’t really a chicken piccata and was so/so. The cioppino was mediocre.
Is this helpful?
A
Ann
Sacramento
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 28, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wonderful food and great service. The Flourless chocolate cake was easily for 2 if not 3 or 4. Very rich and yummy!
Is this helpful?
C
Catherine
San Francisco
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 11, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Joli établissement un peu en retrait des quartiers touristiques. Galerie autour du restaurant où il est possible de manger à l’extérieur. Carte resserrée mais intéressante et bons conseils du serveur.
Is this helpful?
R
Robyn
Orange County
22 reviews
vip
1.0
22 reviews
Dined on October 6, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 5
I can’t tell you how disappointed we are with our experience last night. We sat at our table for more than 30 minutes without being acknowledged by our server. The host and hostess were wonderful and seated us promptly. They brought bread and water and then absolutely nothing. We waited about 20 minutes trying to be patient and then asked the hostess if she could let our waitress know we were ready to order. Still nothing. We ended up walking out after sitting there ignored for 35 minutes. Can’t rate the food because we didn’t even get to try it. Probably won’t go back
Is this helpful?
M
Matt
Central Coast
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 5, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Louie's Bistro is open again and our experience there was just wonderful. The new owner was extremely gracious as we had a gift card for the restaurant we had received while the restaurant was under the previous ownership. Although not obligated to honor the gift card, they kindly offered us a 25% discount on our meal. The food and service were stellar, we couldn't have been happier! Louis his back, and they are better than ever.
Is this helpful?

FAQs

Louie's California Bistro offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (805) 679-5313.

Louie's California Bistro is rated 3.5 stars by 732 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Louie's California Bistro

3.5

$31 to $50

American

Santa Barbara

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 12, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 3 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Louie's California Bistro

1404 De La Vina St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3027

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross street
De La Vina Street at Sola Street
Neighborhood
Santa Barbara
Hours of operation
Dinner Tue–Thu 5:30 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:30 pm–9:30 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Californian, Comfort Food
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Banquet, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.louiescabistro.com/
Phone number
(805) 679-5313
Private party facilities
We often cater private events in the meeting rooms of the Upham Hotel. Please inquire for pricing

Louie's California Bistro

Louie's California Bistro

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Starters

Filet Mignon Tips$15.00

Shrimp and Scallop Cakes$16.00

Crabmeat Dumplings$17.00

Salads

Tomato, Gorgonzola, Red Onions, Basil, Pine Nuts & Balsamic Vinaigrette$13.00

Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Caramelized Pecans & Poppy Seed Dressing$15.00

Pear and Gorgonzola Salad Over Spinach with Avocado, Red Onion & Cilantro Vinaigrette$16.00

Caesar with French Bread Croutons$13.00

Mixed Sweet Greens with Fresh Herb Vinaigrette$10.00

Pizza & Pasta

Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola Cheese$18.00

Pizza with Cajun Chicken and Pineapple$19.00

Angel Hair with Tomatoes, Olives, Capers, Oregano, Basil, Pine Nuts and Parmesan$21.00

Fettuccini with Tomato, Fresh Basil and Parmesan In a Light Herb Cream Sauce$23.00

Spaghetti with Meatballs, Marinara Sauce and Topped with Parmesan$24.00

Linguini with Grilled Shrimp, Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Spinach, and Feta Cheese$25.00

Entrées

Chicken Piccata$28.00

Grilled Meat Loaf$27.00

Lightly Breaded Filet of Sole$29.00

Beef Stroganoff$32.00

Sesame Crusted Scottish Salmon$35.00

Louie's Seasonal Seafood and Shrimp Cioppino$35.00

Sautéed Catch of the Day$36.00

Grilled Filet Mignon$41.00

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does Louie's California Bistro offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Louie's California Bistro restaurant rated?

Is Louie's California Bistro currently accepting reservations?

Louie's California Bistro

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information