Brass Bear Uptown — Attraction in Santa Barbara

First off, we just want to say how wonderful the entire Brass Bear team was to us! My husband and I were planning an elopement/micro wedding and traveled all the way from Tennessee. Since we planned everything ourselves, we reached out to many different restaurants for our post-ceremony dinner, and we are so grateful we found Brass Bear.

They have two charming locations—Funk Zone and Uptown. Both have their own unique vibe, but we ultimately chose the Uptown location, which offered the perfect setting for our celebration. The best part— You can dress the space up however you’d like to fit your style, making it feel so personal and special.

A huge shoutout to Emily, our event coordinator! We truly can’t say enough great things about her. She was incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, communicating with us for months leading up to the big day. She made everything so smooth and stress-free, which was a huge relief while planning from out of state.

And the food—wow! The menu package was fantastic, and both we and our guests were beyond impressed with the quality of the food and drinks. Everything was delicious, beautifully presented, and exceeded our expectations. On top of that, the pricing was very reasonable, especially considering the exceptional service, food, and overall experience.

Whether you're hosting an intimate gathering, a lively celebration, or something in between, Brass Bear is the perfect venue. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, the team is incredibly accommodating, and the experience is truly top-notch. We couldn’t be happier with our choice and would highly recommend...

We are longtime customers who have been to this location a few dozen times, but after yesterday’s experience we will not be coming back.

We arrived in the afternoon when the place was empty and asked to be seated in the kids area since we have two little ones. We were told to sit anywhere. Many of the tables had reserved labels but the place was completely empty, and no one specified where to sit, or whether the reserved tables in the kids area were for actual reservations v. just people with kids.

Everything was going fine until about halfway through our meal, the middle-aged woman (not sure if she is an owner of the uptown location or a manager) came by and very rudely lectured us about the table being reserved. They quickly took our half-eaten food away despite us clearly not being finished. And then she told us we could go sit on the lounge couches if we could find an empty one.

Asking someone to move does not need to be a big deal. It could have easily been avoided had they just sat us somewhere else when the place was empty upon our arrival, and then once the place filled up they could have used just an ounce of grace in asking us to move, perhaps offering to help move our food instead of just taking it away and so rudely lecturing us about having the gall to sit where we did.

The experience was so off putting that we will not be coming back so long as that lady is affiliated with...

Brass Bear never disappoints when it comes to the food! The two things that always stand out and a must order are the French fries and grilled cheese. Simple yes, but flavor wise they are both worthy of praise! The French fries are crispy, airy and perfectly seasoned. Trust me order them! The grilled cheese is buttery and toasty. Made with two year aged cheddar, Jack and Parmesan making it savory and delicious. The first bite is always a wow factor.

I didn't order the grilled cheese this time, because I was craving a burger. I ordered the brass bear burger cooked medium which was prepared perfectly. My friends had the brisket tacos and loaded fries. I sampled the loaded fries and the meat was tender and flavorful. Everyone enjoyed their food.

This place is great for a gathering. They offer outdoor seating with beautiful Mountain View's. Inside dining is also available and nicely laid out. They offer happy hour here, but the time frame is a little confusing. I asked about it, and the waitress wasn't clear on it either. It's not even posted on the website. Hopefully they update it!

I do feel like the margaritas here are overpriced for $17. They are good, but the price is expensive compared to other places in town. That's my only gripe!

Overall, a great...