Petrini's Italian Restaurant - Santa Barbara — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

Whoa..... I honestly was not expecting to be so pleasantly surprised. If you are a local, it's no news that this establishment once had it's heyday and was once the place you had trouble getting a table at. Unfortunately, over the past years, it seemed to have had "it's time" and I honestly would not have recommended/or even give it a review. Well, under new ownership (same chef to my knowledge) I decided to give it another shot and asked to order something not on the menu. A puttanesca, and was I pleasantly surprised to hear the chef would make it and with the new Calabrian chile peppers they had just got in (so delicious on their own).For starters we had were the, "must have" Brussel sprouts/bacon, Caprese, and garlic bread. Caprese is just a caprese, but at least was made with good fresh ingredients. Cheesy garlic bread is hard to not fill up on (as it should be, yum) and the marinara was on point. Could have eaten a bowl of it alone. I tried to order a breaded chicken breast side to go with the Puttanesca, but a grilled one was brought back to the table. I couldn't have been more happy that my "server/waiter" took it on himself to "not allow me" to order that, "it's to dry".... The grilled chicken breast was hot, tender and juicy (perfect) and paired probably better with my pasta than the breaded one I had ordered. The wait staff still has a little of that smug (yeah, whateva attitude), but part of the spice I'd expect from any true Italian. The new owner came out to talk about my dish selection, how excited he was about the amazingly delicious Calabrian chiles he had just received, and how the would now be running Puttanesca as a special. If you do get lucky enough to have the chance to order it, make sure they through some capers in. That would have made it PERFECT! HAPPY TO SAY I WILL ADDING PETRINI'S BACK TO RESTAURANTS I WILL EAT AT. Even if I have to ask for a water like 5 times and wait 20 minutes...

The food was so/so - nothing spectacular, but o.k. for a family style, laid back kind of place. The service was beyond horrible on the night we visited. It appeared that the entire place was run by high school children (?!?) We were seated in the back, in a dark part of the restaurant (restaurant was not busy at all , only 3 other tables had guests at the time). A young girl gave us menus and said she would be back. We waited approx. 10 minutes for her return- just to take our drink order. It took nearly 10 more minutes to get our beverages (two iced teas). During this entire time we could hear the staff in the kitchen all talking very loudly, about all sorts of things, laughing and joking - it seemed that the customers were left on their own. The customers across the aisle were getting annoyed with their lack of service as well, and were considering just walking out. Once our order was taken, our food arrived very quickly - large portions, nothing fancy, kind of 'slapped on the plate'. The waitress said she would return with the bread that was included with our orders. We began eating, another waiter came by to attend to the customer across from us. It seems they forgot the dessert order and their 2nd round of drinks - (and this was on a night when there was more wait staff than customers). We stopped this other waiter (not ours) and asked about our bread - he said he would 'check on it'. We then heard lots of laughter erupting from the kitchen area and more high spirited talking and joking. Our bread finally arrived, AFTER we had finished eating. I asked for the check immediately. We waited about 15 minutes for our payment to be processed (While listening to yet more laughter and talking in the back). Needless to say, there was no tip left, and we could not get out of there fast enough. Bottom Line: There are MANY dining options in the area, if you want decent service go elsewhere. The...

I have been going to Petrini's for 50+ years, & thankfully, they're still cooking the same amazing food they always have. It's rare to find someplace that knows, when they have a winner, to leave it alone. My personal favorites are their amazing lasagna, the fabulous meatball sandwich, delicious pizzas, & of course, their unmatched Number 2 salad with Petrini's own Italian dressing (If you're not a fan of Italian dressing, then try the Ranch, it's the best I've had anywhere). But don't get me wrong, ALL their food is terrific. It's served piping hot, & I've never had to wait more than a few minutes. If you're lucky, you'll have Victoria wait on you. She's definitely one of a kind. We have a fairly large family group, but I've never seen her write down our orders, even with all the personal variations we request. I don't know how she does it, but every order always turns out exactly as requested. I could go on & on, but I'm sure you get the picture by now. I live an hour away, in Lompoc, but I'd drive even farther to eat here. If you're in the mood for Italian, this...