bouchon Santa Barbara — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

Do not bother making a reservation at Bouchon. We did and were sorely disappointed. My husband and I traveled to Santa Barbara to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. About one month in advance, we made reservations for dinner on a Sunday at Bouchon using Open Table. We noted that we were celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary and would appreciate a special table. We reconfirmed our reservation through Open Table two times as the date neared.

We arrived 5 minutes prior to our reservation time of 7PM. There was one couple at the hostess stand in front of us. They did not have a reservation and were given the option of inside or out. They chose inside. When we checked in next the only place they could seat us was outside in one of those make-shift wooden patios sitting on top of the asphalt street directly next to the road. When we mentioned our anniversary, how far in advance we made the reservation, and that we asked for a nice table we were told we didn’t request inside so there was nothing they could do for us. Open Table did not offer inside or outside so it appears Bouchon can’t communicate well with their booking app either.

This is the worst customer service we have ever received from a restaurant. Had this restaurant been managed properly, they would never have given our table away to walk-up guests. Further, they did nothing to get us to stay. They didn’t say how long we would have to wait for an inside table, they did not offer for us to sit at the bar to wait for a table (and certainly no offer of a free drink for their screw-up). When we asked for a recommendation as to where we could go, they told us to go next door. We did go next door to Olio e Limone where we had a great dinner, great service and a terrific bottle of Flying Goat 2014 Pinot! We explained what happened at Bouchon and they were more than happy to accommodate us. This recommendation was the only thing Bouchon got right that night. I would definitely return to Olio e Limone but would never consider Bouchon based on their rude and cocky attitude. Clearly, they don’t care about their patrons. There are lots of great places to eat in Santa Barbara. Choose any one of them but here.

We would have given zero stars if that had...

Summer 2024: Nice Scallop trio appetizer for 2 worked as an entree. Profiterole dessert disappointing. Service good but had to ask for more water and for more butter....

Spring 2024: This is one of Santa Barbara's finest restaurants. And the prices are remarkably reasonable for a restaurant with that reputation. The food was good but not over the top. I guess with its reputation you kind of expect it's going to be memorable. The sea bass was tasty and hot. The squash soup was not even close to the best that I've had. The La Brea bread and butter were very good. Service was very attentive. On balance it didn't quite live up to my expectation. And it didn't seem to be as good as it has been on the multiple occasions when I have visited in years gone by.

UPDATE 8/2022: We thoroughly enjoyed our evening! Our table inside was a wonderful balance of outside and inside, near others but not surrounded in noise. Couldn't have been better. Our waiter, usually a manager, was standing in for someone who didn't show up. He was remarkable. Very attentive, not pushy, not patronizing, friendly, and knew the menu well enough to caution us and redirect us. My wife's wagyu top sirloin she said was delicious, served medium rare. I had scallops, posted as an appetizer but recommended as an appropriate entree. There were three types, one of them raw and the others grilled. I enjoyed two of the three, but was disappointed the tastes did not jump out and impress me. Obviously not an inexpensive dinner... Well over $200 for two of us with only two glasses of wine. Bouchon is one of Santa Barbara's better restaurants, but in my several experiences it's not the food that...

Overall experience was disappointing. My pan-seared Sea Bass was very moist and cooked to perfection! However, the rock shrimp that topped the dish were very grainy as if they had not been properly cleaned...they were completely inedible. I brought this to the waiter's attention and he didn't really address the problem. The couple next to us also ordered the sea bass, when their dinners arrived the rock shrimp was also grainy, sandy and inedible. The couple shared this with us confirming my experience with the dish. I brought it to the waiter's attention again pointing out that the table next to us had the same complaint, again he sort of ignored it. I asked to speak to the manager, she came to the table and said she had spoken to the chef and that he had prepared the rock shrimp with crushed pepper and that was what caused the sandy texture...huh?? I love crushed pepper and this was not crushed pepper this was gritty...and not in a nice way! The manager made a comment implying that I might just be trying to get my meal comped, which I was not. I just would have liked to of enjoyed the dish completely, including the rock shrimp atop the Sea Bass. Our chocolate molten was more like an under-cooked cake...no chocolate lava like texture at all. If we visit Santa Barbara again next year for my birthday I will choose a different restaurant not because the food wasn't good but because of the attitude of the management in addressing/handling...