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Ca Dario
37 E. Victoria St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 884-9419
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Reviews by the General Public
1 Hour wait past Reservation and still no table, 8/15/2010
Reviewer: Lynn
from Santa Barbara, CA
We waited and waited- no apology and no table --avoid at all costs, we were never seated and the owner just looked at us and said "we are busy tonight"
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Amazing!, 8/15/2010
Reviewer: Cindy A.
from Santa Barbara, CA
if you are demanding, uptight, and don't like cozy restaurants. This is not the place for you. Take your snobby attitude and leave it at home. at Ca'Dario you enter a little world of Northern Italian Cuisine.
i've been going here for many years and have see this restaurant get better and better. They get very busy and yes it gets really noisy.... but thats how you'd find it in Italy. Service is great. The staff is wonderful, super friendly, and informative. sometimes it hard on busy nights for them, but thats the price you pay when you go on a Saturday night!
My Favorites: Ravioli, All the pastas are great! amazing roasted duck! Great selection of wine ! you can't go wrong with what you order at ca'dario.
this place is the only place worth going to satisfy your Italian Italian cravings!
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Too Busy for their own good, 8/10/2010
Reviewer: Jenn
from Santa Barbara, CA
The place was packed the night we were there; the back room was very noisy as there were 2 large parties that we were crammed between. There was 1 waiter for the entire room. We had to flag down someone for more water and bread. (Maybe they should just have 1 large group at a time) The food was tasty but when I go out, I'd like to be able to hear my dining companions when they talk. Would I go back? Probably not as there are plenty of other restaurants in Santa Barbara where I can get a good meal, decent service and actually have a conversation!
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It's a bit too hyped,but good food, 5/3/2010
Reviewer: Annette
from Santa Barbara, CA
I've been here more than once and have to say the foods consistently good. It may be that being rated best restaurant in sb gave me too high of expectations. The brown butter ravioli is probably the star for me but their tomato sauce is also really good. Appetizers are creative (try the artichoke dish) but the desserts have never called to me. Servers are nice and helpful but I feel they treat you differently if you dont drink. As a younger customer it gets annoying after a while. Also, recently had dinner here and the hostess gave me a distinct eyeball from head to toe. This was incredibly rude and stuck with me through my whole dinner.
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Great food is never an excuse for horrible service., 4/4/2010
Reviewer: Michael
from Stanford, CA
We were a group of college students who came down to SB on a weekend getaway to take a break from the studies and relax. We came to this restaurant upon hearing it was rated as one of the top restaurants in SB. Let me start off by commenting that the food was delicious. There was a general consensus among our group that everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. Overall, the dishes were well prepared and very tasty. However, what made our visit less enjoyable was the service, especially the patronizing and abrasive attitude of the staff. I don't know whether they are like this on a regular basis or whether it was because we were young adults. However, if it was the latter, that definitely should NEVER be expected from a highly rated restaurant. First of all, we did make reservations, however when we arrived we still had to wait about 40 minutes to be seated after the hostess assured us we were to be seated within 15. When I inquired about the long wait she coldly told me we would be next and turned to an elderly couple behind us and spoke to them with a smile. After we were finally seated, the service only got worse. Our waitress, upon hearing we would not be ordering wine (as part of the party was underage), seemed to turn rather rude and patronizing in her tone while speaking with us. She often spoke as if we were children and frankly, for a nice restaurant, inexcusable. For a group of students who are not strangers to fine dining, this was definitely not the service we expected. When our food had come, one dish was late, which isn't necessarily the staffs fault. However, when the waitress came back and playfully set down a as she called it "donation plate" we were not as amused. I half expected her to come back with coloring books and crayons for us to draw with... When it came time to pay for the meal, our check was placed on our table almost immediately after our dishes had been taken away, as if a sign for us to leave. I had noticed that most of the other clients were able to partake in leisurely conversation and the check came at a much slower pace. As we agreed to split the bill, when we asked whether our bill could be split by the waitress, she rudely asked "Don't any of you have cash on you? I can't run all your cards." No "unfortunately...", "Sorry for the convenience but...", "Or may i ask..." We did not leave with a smile. Overall, the food was great, however the staff needs to respect all clients, no matter what the age.
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bad wine and bad food, 3/16/2010
Reviewer: primavolta
from Santa Barbara, CA
Last time we went there were so surprised when got a bad red wine, it was just bad, old, probably that bottle was open for a while. The guy didn't even show us a bottle just gave us a glass and ran away...How come? It is suppose to be a great italian restaurant but turned to be a bad "spanish speaking" place with bad wine. sad!
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Valentine's Day Dinner, 2/16/2010
Reviewer: Kyle Rutario
from Santa Barbara, CA
Ca Dario is a great little Italian Restaurant. I ordered the Risotto that had shrimp and lobster and crab. It was by far the best i have ever had. The portion was generous.
It is a small place and so you can feel uncomfortable having a conversation. Our waiter seemed to only pay attention to my girlfriend though. He would ask her if she wanted something to drink and then not ask me. He did the same when ordering food and i had to ask him after i saw him to come back. It was as if i was invisible, yet i was sitting at the same, small table. It was busy, but that isn't an excuse to miss my drink order, dinner order and desert order.
I ordered the white chocolate ice cream with espresso poured over the top. It was extremely good. it wasn't too much, and was the perfect size for a desert. I wanted more, but i was content with portion.
I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves Italian food, but I would go when it isn't as busy.
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Best antipasto in town .....in the world?, 11/26/2009
Reviewer: jinelle
from Santa Barbara, CA
I keep coming back for exactly the same things.
I can't move away from them because they are too good to not have .... one more time. The antipasto is the best anywhere -each flavor carefully separate yet all blended with variety and sufficiency that I often have it as a sole item lunch, as well as a dinner starter with a pasta and dessert.
Yes, I am stuck: antipasto - ravioli al burro - affogato for dessert. Some wine, some Pellegrino, some wonderful ciabatta bread. I am done. I am in heaven. And there are a dozen things still left on the menu I have never tried. And probably never will. I am too happy with my exact same choices every time. Over and over again. I get hungry all over again just writing this.
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Best Risotto You'll Ever Have, 10/29/2009
Reviewer: Ian
from Santa Barbara, CA
Ca Dario is a place you can count on...very consistent in it's food and service. Whenever someone asks me about a special restaurant to eat at, Ca Dario is one of the places that I recommend. I must, however, warn you about the risotto. Once you've had it, you'll find yourself dreaming about it on a regular basis. Consider yourself warned, this is the real deal. I'd make this review longer, but all of a sudden I need to get to Ca Dario for some risotto.
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Best OVERALL in SB???
Reviewer: Mrs. Lovett
from Santa Barbara, CA
My Boyfriend and I went to Ca' Dario last night for our Anniversary, because I had read and heard about Ca'Dario's phenomenal reputation. I was so excited going all day and ready for a lovely evening. We definently DIDN'T enjoy ourselves as much as we expected. Maybe my standards were just set too high, but if a restaraunt wins BEST OVERALL in SB, in my oppinion, they should have the whole package (Food, service, ambiance)and the latter two were certainly lacking. If you just want phenomenal food and don't particularily care about the service or the atmosphere Ca' Dario is an excellent place to go. I only had a few major critiques: Apon arrival, the entire staff was more interested in the man being arrested across the street than they were on the guest's waiting to be greeted and seated. Once the hostess came over, she was very cold and aloof. CUSTOMER SERVICE is the KEY to any expirience, ESPECIALLY when it is the first thing you encounter walking through the door. She also didn't acknowledge the fact that we were waiting even once she was at the hostess stand. After a solid five minutes(not alot of time for a normal restaraunt, but remember this is the BEST OVERALL in SB), we were seated in a table in the corner by the waiter's station. We were squished up against the wall with barely any moving space and the tables were so small that the menus plus the bread basket hardly fit on the table. The chair backs were quite low and uncomfortable for both me and my bofriend. It is pretty obvious that they are more interested in getting people in and out than they are about the experience of their guests. The waitress came over, a very cute blond girl, she was sweet but by no means went over the top to make sure we were comfortable and enjoying our dining. The time we spent waiting for the food I couldn't just have a conversation because it was loud and I was so focused on how physically uncomfortable I was. THEN the FOOD came...the moment we took our first bite into the food it was obvious that we both had, what I call, "Ratatouille moments." The food was PERFECTLY seasoned and absolutely EXQUISITE!!! We both looked at eachother in absolute heaven. I had the ravioli and it is up there in my list of top five meals EVER. I just wish that our entire experience would of reflected the quality of the food. As I said BEST OVERALL to me means the ENTIRE PACKAGE, and to me substandard service is unacceptable.
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Very good Italian food
Reviewer: A. Reyes
from Santa Barbara, CA
I loved the rack of lamb that I ordered. Excellent menu
and good service. This time I will take the whole family.
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Better than North Beach
Reviewer: Christina Murphy
from Santa Barbara, CA
I went here for the first time with my mother and her friend for dinner on a crowded Friday night. I have lived in the SF bay area my whole life and before visiting Ca Dario thought that the only place I could find good authentic Italian food is north beach, however I have now found my new favorite Italian restaurant and insist that we go here whenever my parents come to visit. I am an Italian food snob and rarely find quality tomato sauce or dishes that are authentic to my heritage. Usually Italian food is very "Americanized". Here, every ingredient was of the finest quality and fresh and the meals were perfect. I am so happy that I have found an Italian restaurant with the perfect blend of dishes from northern and southern Italy executed to perfection.
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New Favorie!
Reviewer: Matt
from Santa Barbara, CA
Went to Tratoria Victoria for a bite to eat a few Sundays ago but they were closed. Found this restaurant a little further down the street, "supposedly the best in town". I would have to agree! The hostess and staff were more than accommodating considering we did not have a reservation and filled me in on some of the wonderful dishes on the menu. Lucky for me Tratoria was closed and I got to enjoy one of the best meals of my life!
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Historically great, recently arrogant
Reviewer: Tom and Chris
from Montecito, CA
We're new to Montecito and the area. We love Ca Dario. We've eaten there several times over the last three years. Recently we made a 6:30 Sunday night reservation for 4 people. We arrived at 6:15. Nobody seemed to care. The restaurant was filled and business was brisk. We inquired 5 times over the next 50 min why they chose to take multiple reservations early on Sunday with so many of us lined up at 6:30 trying to get in? No answer and no one cared was the response. We left at 7:15 and found Trattoria Victoria across the street. Seating immediately and very satisfied with the service and food. It will be a long time before we return to Ca'Dario and based on what we experienced they seemed not to care.
Tom and Chris
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Huh? This is the top rated SB Restaurant?
Reviewer: Lyman Orton
from Santa Barbara, CA
First restaurant after arriving for 6 weeks from Steamboat Springs. Waiter knew nothing about wines nor did anyone else there. My girl friend ordered Risotto; very salty - and she likes salt - that she sent back to be replaced with ribbon pasta with tomato cream sauce. Pasta way overcooked and sauce tasted like canned. My corkscrew pasta with mushrooms was very oily and heavy. A mystery to us as to how it was rated so high. Are the regular crew and chef off on Monday nights?
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Horrible Waitress
Reviewer: Corie
from Santa Barbara, CA
The food was delicious, although a bit overpriced. I ordered ravioli's for dinner and had about 5 of them on my plate for about a $20 meal. The waitress was very rude. The food runner did not bring out half of my husband's meal and when we told the waitress she didn't say anything to us. She walked away and brought the rest of his meal out. My husband's wine was also not brought out at the same time as mine. She didn't apoligize until she knew it was time for her tip. Everytime we asked for something, she walked away from us without saying anything, then brought the requested item. Odd woman.
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The out of towners
Reviewer: Jane
from Gilbert, AZ
This was our first time to Ca Dario. It was highly recommended by our daughter who lives here. We were promptly and pleasantly greeted by the hostess. We had reservations and were seated quickly. The ambiance was reminiscent of a cafe in Rome. We ordered lamb, spinach ravioli and fettucini with mushrooms and Lobster. I have ordered lamb many times, I ordered it med.well. It was perfectly seasoned & cooked. The portion size was great and the price was reasonable. The ravioli was fresh, homemade and delightful! The fettucini was served with an amazing red sauce and the lobster was fresh. Overall, the food was delicious and it was a memorable experience! Thank you Dario! We will visit again.
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"Dont Believe the Hype"
Reviewer: Nancy
from Santa Barbara, CA
Had lunch there this week. I just don't get what others like so much about the place. My salmon bowtie pasta had THREE small bite-sized pieces of salmon in it - for $15.00. I felt ripped off but did not say anything because I was there with friends who like the place. The tomato cream sauce was fine - nothing outstanding to justify the cost of the dish. Only other thing in the bowl was some tasteless peas. Bread was average. Had to ask our waiter for refills on ice teas and waters,he seemed too busy to give us excellent service. Noisy, too, and tables are crammed together. My friends liked their food but over $50 for 3 small bowls of pasta?
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Fantastic Amazing Super oh my!
Reviewer: Veronica
from Santa Barbara, CA
We didn't have a great first impression of the place as when we first came we were waiting for 30 minutes after our 7:00 reservation though the place was PACKED and there was nobody to blame. Suprisingly, once we were quickly served, the humor of the hostess and kindness of our waitress certainly lightened the mood. I must say order the spinach ricotta raviolli, it is their specialty though it does not say so, and though my acquaintences food was also spectacular we all agreed that the ravioli was to die for. due to there amazing food and employes, we ended up hogging the table for 3 hours, enjoying more and more food to the point when we ate so much we got nautious, and still didnt stop. All in all, absolutely spectacular.
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Excellent as always -Vanessa Decker xoxo
Reviewer: vanessa
from Santa Barbara, CA
My husband and I love Ca' Dario! Consistently excellent service and food. We dine out often and appreciate local businesses that take pride in their quality in service and food.
Tres bien!
xoxo
Vanessa Decker
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Decent food, mixed emotions, mediocre service...
Reviewer: Tim Halberg
from Santa Barbara, CA
Been here once before and it was decent. Went last week with some friends for a birthday party.
All of my friends were really happy with their food and seemed to get some great tasting food.
BUT, I ordered the rack of lamb, as did my friend sitting right across from me. We both ordered medium rare. His arrived at the table at the same time as mine. His was beautiful and red/pink and he said it tasted amazing.
Mine... well, it was medium/medium-well... not a good thing for lamb, and as expected it was DRY. The flavor was there, but not worth it with dry lamb. Sent it back, the cooked it again, but rare, waitress sent it back, they had already cooked it, tossed it under the broiler for a few minutes and I had brown looking lamb that was cooked properly, but had less than half the flavor of my original.
To top it off, our water was NEVER refilled for the last 30 minutes... I even put my empty glass on top of the bill with my credit card, that was picked up, glass moved and still NO refill!!
Truly disappointing.
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Great Food Good Service
Reviewer: Tiffany
from Santa Barbara, CA
We made reservations that same day and were seated at a great table by the window. The server was attentive and the food was great. Highly recommend the raviolis and the stripped sea bass. (although beware you get the entire fish head and all). Prices were reasonable for good italian and will be back.
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Delicious pasta, but incredibly rude hostess
Reviewer: Lorraine Wood
from Santa Barbara, CA
I've been reading the reviews prior to my posting and while I agree that the food was incredible, especially the bolognese, the hostess who worked on the evening of October 25 should be either given a written warning or fired. She brought the experience we had at Ca Dario down to an "average".
Talk to her.
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Service was never a problem
Reviewer: Dave
from Los Angeles, CA
I went here this past Sunday (October 12) with my girlfriend. Having read this site beforehand, I was a little nervous that the service would be subpar. Quite the contrary. The entire experience was great. Granted, it was early (our reservation was for 6) and it's not the summer, but everything was great. We were seated immediately; bread and water were brought promptly and our drink order was taken asap. Our server was well-informed, very polite and laid back all at the same time. The food was outstanding; original and creative without being pretentious...just what we miss living in LA. I really can't find a flaw in our experience and would strongly recommend that anyone in SB go to dinner here.
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fuggedaboudit
Reviewer: Aaron
from Santa Barbara, CA
Having eaten at Ca Dario over a hundred times, I feel uniquely qualified to evaluate the stability of its excellence. The service is exemplary on all dimensions -- hosting, bussing, and food serving. The people below who have given poor reviews to the servers are quite likely applying a set of criteria that are inappropriate for a bustling trattoria-style establishment (which are, by their very nature, hectic). The food is always great. I recommend the papardelle with mushrooms and pancetta, the seafood risotto, or, on thursdays, the gnocci special. If you are quite hungry and don't have to walk very fast for the rest of the evening, try the ossobucco.
I, for one, will probably go back hundreds more times -- whether they like it or not.
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A Girls night out was Perfect!!!
Reviewer: Jade
from Santa Barbara, CA
My experience at Ca’dario was excellent. My girlfriend and I went on a Friday night. We had made reservations prior to our diner. We arrived 10min early and were seat within 15min. (excellent) my girlfriend and I ordered the Antipasto and we both thought it was just perfect on the salt. We ordered a bottle Qupe. My girlfriend ordered Lobster Risotto, she offered my to taste some and to my opinion was perfectly cooked. I ordered Fasolari, which was very tasty. Portions at Ca’Dario are fair. Our waiter was very friendly and would recommend to any to have him (Chuy) we then asked for dessert (Pear tart) very delicious. We would recommend this restaurant to anyone. Noisy level is fairly loud... But what can you do about it... your at a restaurant. (Boun Appetite!)
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Great food, horrible hostess
Reviewer: Sylvia Vasquez
from Santa Barbara, CA
This small, intimate restaurant is hugely popular and one should be prepared to wait a long time to be seated, even with a reservation. We were prepared to do whatever the situation required however, the hostess was not up to the job. She was unable to pronounce the simple name the reservation was placed under and it was a struggle to communicate with her. She was incapable of updating customers about available tables, etc and so many of us who were waiting for quite some time had to make frequent inquiries. This offended her and I was treated to some hostile behaviour. So much so my friend commented on the hostess' attitude.
A woman who was behind me in line was also perplexed by the hostess' indifference and she rolled her eyes and complained to her boyfriend who finally managed to get the hostess' attention. The food is indeed memorable but if you are unfortunate enough to deal with this particular host, tell the manager and hope he addresses the problem.
Ca Dario writes:
We were sorry to hear about your experience at our restaurant with the hostess. We would like your whole experience with us to be happy and uplifting from the moment you walk in the door. Could you please let us know what evening you came in so that we can find out what the problem is and try to rectify it. Many thanks for your input.
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Worth the commute!
Reviewer: Barb Massey
from Calabasas, CA
Okay - So, if a visit to Santa Barbara (aka Paradise) isn't enough to make you smile... a meal at Ca Dario is truly the icing on the cake! I'm a former resident of SB, and now look forward to day-trips to my favorite city-by-the sea... topping each trip off with dinner at Ca Dario! The atmosphere is casual, classy, cozy.... and offers a nice "local" feel away from the tourist-tredded State Street.
I rarely sway from the ravioli (It's to die for! I have to agree with another reviewer who stated this entree would be their request of a last meal, if ever facing the electric chair!)... and the cream of asaragus soup (special).... Oh My GOD! Straight to heaven when that flavor meets your taste-buds!
Looking forward to another memorable and delicious dining experience this weekend! Don't plan to dine at Ca Dario if you're in a hurry though.... And that's not a knock on the service (which has always been fine in my experiences)... but you'll want to savor your time at one of the best little spots in Paradise! Enjoy!
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As always...consistently Great!
Reviewer: vanessa
from Santa Barbara, CA
The manager of this restaurant must take great pride in service, food, wine, and overall ambience. This is always the favorite! Please keep up the good work; I appreciate getting my money's worth and beyond.
I love it~!
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