Closing at the end of December 2024, you better make a reservation because this place is epic. Check out their New Year's Eve party! So sad to see this business close over greedy landlords. 30 years...so sad to say goodbye to Amazing Phillipe and his incredible team. Shame on you landlord!!!! Hope to see Phillipe return at a new location. You have served us well throughout the years. Best French food around! Au evoir

Closing 2024/12/31! Book now to enjoy..... Cute and fabulously delicious Historic culinary institution in Santa Barbara for excellent French cuisine for brunch, lunch, and dinner. The main house dining room is nice but the greenhouse is where I want to be. A glass a Champagne by the fire and some ESCARGOTS $15.75, followed by the COQ AU VIN $28.75, or the CASSOULET $30.75. Enjoying bunch? Have the TARTARE $22.75 which is smooth and delicious, and absolutely the CONFIT DE CANARD $19.75. This could be the best of Chef Ironside's creations. Pair with very reasonably processed wine. I like both the white blend and red Côtes du Rhône offerings. Light and easy. The perfect pairing.

We selected Stella Mares for our Thanksgiving Dinner. Set menu, with good choices. We have been coming here for a few years now, celebrating Birthdays, Anniversary's, Citizenship and Valentines, the food never disappoints. It was with heavy hearts we came for what will probably be our final visit, it's due to close it's doors on December 31st. 2024. We had the soup and salad to start, with the turkey and prime rib for main course. The blueberry cobbler followed for dessert. Everything was excellent! The service however, left a lot to be desired. 20-25 minutes between starters and main course. We enquired if there was an issue, only to be told Carole D was taking a break, and that was that. Well that may explain the salad to main course but the dessert took 20 minutes to arrive. I observed a guest at the next table going to the bar an collecting her own beer which was sitting up on the bar counter forever. We will miss the ambiance, food but not the poor service. To the owners: Thank you for the fabulous memories.

What an amazing restaurant! From the beginning, the service was amazing and friendly, always ready to address any concerns. They had some of the best dinner bread service I've had. And the waiters were so kind to give us more bread to the point where we had asked for four baskets! The food was incredibly fragrant and delicious. Everything was done so meticulously and the flavors mixed so well. It was my first time having escargot and it was so good. The sauce was very light but so flavorful and the actual snail part was so chewy. I recommend using the leftover sauce as a dip for the bread. The frog legs were really good as well and I like the addition of tomatoes to provide a burst of flavor. For my entree, I got beef short ribs which were so tender and came apart very easily. It was incredibly tasty without being salty. The vegetables were all done well and the sauce was very umami flavored. Ambiance was gorgeous as the greenhouse we dined in provided a very romantic and comfortable atmosphere. Definitely recommend coming here!

Our server Ricardo was fantastic! We had some dietary restrictions and he was very mindful of it. The ambiance was very classy, beautiful and like home. The food was AMAZING. Loved the salmon and my husband got the braised short ribs which was so delish! The grilled artichokes were mouth watering and dessert was beignets were fluffy, light and just pure heaven. Highly recommend going here!!!

I am still in love with Santa Barbara and came here again (yes that 2-hour one way train ride), from the SFV, to have breakfast (already reported on this platform) and lunch, here at Stella Mare's. I am glad to have got here before they opened, because there were boisterous, well heeled ladies trying to cut the line. Really? It is an intimate restaurant, away from the beaten path, but elegantly appointed with both outdoor and indoor seating. What always impresses me about a dining establishment (this one is French and American), is white table cloths and napkins in the inside space. What stunned me about the customers at the adjoining tables was that they were ordering burgers or salads. So you come to a predominantly French restaurant for this? Anyway, there was complimentary sourdough bread with butter fantastic. I ordered the Crepe Au Saumon Fume / Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, dill crème fraiche, tobiko caviar, frisée, lemon vinaigrette, parsley. The accompanying greens were fresh and exuded a garden fragrance. The crepe was unique. Only sitting at the bottom of the plate, hardly visible, no wrap around, so it it did not have it's deserved place, even partly, on the plate. Salmon was good and the scrambled eggs were soft, creamy, tasty and at the perfect temperature. Service was excellent. A sad caveat. After over 25 years in business, they will be closing this restaurant, in two months.

Stella Mare's in SB is the most lovely setting. A little house with a nice patio and small rooms for seating, and a large...greenhouse...with a tin roof and cool industrial farmhouse string lights and pulleys. A very romantic setting. Perfect for dates and couples. Service, drinks and wine selections are nice. But the all important food, just good not great. I had the short ribs [$35.95, 3.5 stars] -- smaller portion than I'm used to, but presented lovely with a small side of mashed, 3 petite carrots, sliced grapes, and pomegranate seeds. A little tough, a little sweet (sauce, grapes, pomes), and just "good". I've had it at other places many times, and this one is perhaps the worst 3 I've ever had. Wouldn't order it again. If there is a next time, I'm getting the Steak and/or the Mussel Frites. After all, that's very French.

Stella Mare is a Santa Barbara Gem! went there recently for a Holiday dinner with friends. We enjoyed all our food and drink recommendations. I forget to take a picture of the Lemon Cake, it is so good, it is a mix of a crème brûlée/lemon cake! Best to make a reservation and if you want to be in the glass garden house, make sure to request it. I have also been there for Bridal showers and engagement events, they have lovely rooms that you can host events in.

Stella Mare's has done it again in making sure we all have a truly delicious Thanksgiving experience. And seating inside their atrium dining space was truly special. Congratulations to Chef Roth and his hardworking staff for coordinating and serving all of us happy diners. Special thanks to server Omar, who took very good care of us as we entered and sat down to enjoy a truly delicious meal. With their incredibly busy dining room, Omar made sure everything ran smoothly. Very traditional Turkey and all the fixings, and the Prime Rib was thoroughly enjoyed at our table. And all paired very nicely with a bottle of Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel. Lots of wonderful memories celebrating Thanksgiving here, and so happy that they continue on.