Costa Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

Costa is a beautiful, contemporary restaurant right off the waterfront in Santa Barbara. I am blown away by the service and attention to detail I received during my visit here. I sat at the bar and was greeted by Matt who was kind and prompt. As the evening went on, Ian jumped behind the bar and was the most incredible, sweet and spritely ball of energy. The entire atmosphere changed when he walked into the room. He was so genuinely just happy to be around people and very obviously happy with his job. He was such a team player to his colleges during a modest dinner rush and both he and Matt were doing table touches with such genuine attention and energy. The drinks were off the charts in such beautiful glassware. Fresh ingredients, solid specs and made with love. Everything a cocktail should be. I ordered the chicken, and my body went into shock being torn between crying from happiness and pleasure and numb like I had been slapped in the face with greatness. The flavor was UNMATCHED. I took a bite and honestly just stared at the plate for a while in disbelief that something as simple as chicken could be so show stopping. Chef Gunner even came out and checked on me to see how I was enjoying the meal. When I told him how satisfied I was he explained the process and the ingredients in full detail. Abagail, the food runner was always so warm and caring when dropping off the food. She radiated happiness. It was so refreshing to see the restaurant manager; John be so attentive and intimately involved in the service. He was wherever he was needed from running food, bussing tables and even supporting behind the bar to make sure his employees were supported and set up for sucess every step of the way during service. THIS is true leadership and how to run an operation. Leading by example, being right there in the line of action and present for his team. The restaurant was buzzing with equally satisfied guests in the lounging seating near the bar top where I was seated with laughter, company, great food and beverage. I overheard the other patrons commenting on how great the food was and the outstanding beverage quality. Post Covid there has been an obvious shift in the food and beverage service industry where in many establishments the sense of urgency, personal touch and authenticity for the love of the industry isn't alive anymore. This is not the case here. The named team members are irreplaceable and deserve to be recognized. The spirit is alive and well and is honestly inspirational. I will absolutely be back and with friends. Bravo, Costa! You deserve all the praise and...

It was suggested that we go to Costa after the pool bar had closed. We were able to get a seat right away outside and enjoy the night air.

We ordered cocktails, which took over 10 minutes to reach our table. If the restaurant was busy, I could understand. However, they weren't even half full. Although ordering a premium vodka, my wife's vodka soda tasted like the vodka was poured from a plastic bottle. You can't mask cheap vodka when serving a vodka soda. Bartending 101.

We ordered the mussels and the bread loaf as appetizers. The bread, although it looked amazing, was really bland. We had to order salt in order to have it taste like something. The mussels were overcooked and several of them were so badly overcooked that the meat was so shriveled it was nearly non-existent.

The lamb chops looked fantastic and the plating was great. They were properly cooked. When I took a bite, I was so disappointed. They were flavorless. I generally do not complain at restaurants when the server asks how the meal is tasting, but I did tell him that it was flavorless. The only flavor that was prevalent in the meal was an EXCESSIVE amount of fennel. I love fennel when used appropriately, but in this case, with exception to the lamb, everything else in the plate tasted like black licorice.

The server was awesome and attentive. I feel bad in these situations because the server is the face of the restaurant. While I can't recall his name, you could tell by the look on his face when neither my wife or I ate even half our dinners and told him boxes weren't necessary, that he felt bad.

The best part of the meal was that cute little Pomeranian!

When you charge premium prices, you need to have an executive chef that can deliver and produce premium flavors, properly seasoned food, and properly cooked mussels. This restaurant, aside from the view, our server, and that adorable Pomeranian, met none of...

We were a family of 5 that ate dinner here last night (staying in the hotel). The food was good and they had some great options to choose from. We had the ceviche, octopus, flatbread, branzino and mussels. The only thing that stuck out was the dessert. The cheesecake was very dry. Another note is that the Branzino is not a whole Branzino, it is filets. Unfortunately, the service was not great. There were 3 other tables in the whole restaurant seated, so not busy. After being seated we ordered some wine and food. After about 40 minutes nothing had been delivered (not even the wine). We reminded the server and the wine was finally delivered. After another 10 minutes the food came. In the middle of the meal the fire alarm went off and was extremely loud. It lasted for about 15 minutes (my kids were holding their ears closed) and my ears were ringing. The server finally came over and said someone in a room set it off. I overall would not recommend this restaurant. I also would have apologized for the inconvenience and offered a gesture of apology. None of the above were given. We are staying at the hotel and the other outlet is very friendly and kind but we won't return to Costa and at this point probably would not recommend the...