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Milk & Honey
30 W. Anapamu St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 275-4232

  • Category: Fusion
  • Hours: Mon-Fri 4:30pm-Midnight, Sat 5pm-Midnight
  • Price: $10 - $20
  • Serving: Dinner
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Reviews by the General Public

Mixed Review about service and food, 9/5/2009
Reviewer: Hilary from Santa Barbara, CA
First time here last night, was a group of 7 of us. Not typical tapas at all - not even close. One person ordered the paella-type dish, and it was so salty and disappointing - like Uncle Ben's rice with bunch of heavy salty meat sauce dumped on top. Not sure why it was called a paella - it came NOWHERE close to a real paella. My friend kept trying to force it down, not wanting to waste her money. Finally she broke down and sent it back. Server came back after talking to her manager and rudely put friend on the spot "It was too salty?" Yes. "Well, you ate half of it" [not true]. "We'll comp it but in the future you shouldn't eat half of it if you're going to send it back." [We were too stunned at this point to even reply indignantly, and sort of nodded politely but in shock]. It's embarrassing enough to send food back without being berated (and we were very polite about it, and have worked as servers ourselves so know what restaurant life is like). Then when we did get the check at the end of the evening, the included gratuity on the check was for 20%! A bit obnoxious for *included* tip! Aside from the one server and the comped paella, the other servers were delightful yet not very frequent checking in with us. In addition to the way-too salty paella-thing, the "Nice Rack" lamb chops were too sickly sweet. I know it was a honey sauce, but that doesn't mean it has to hurt your throat. The other foods were ok, but many also too salty. I found the whole place to just be too pretentious, trying to be hip but not really producing good food. I mean, it was better than a fast food restaurant, but not good enough for the type of restaurant they are trying to be.
Great food, fine service, 5/29/2009
Reviewer: Kim from Santa Barbara, CA
Whenever my friends come into town, I like to take them here. Fun hip atmosphere, fantastically tasty food, and great drinks. If you know what to order, some items are big enough to split, but I agree that some serving sizes are laughably TINY and overpriced(like the asparagus wrapped bacon). Note: their tapas dishes are not traditional ones. I've always found the service to be friendly and attentive, particularly at the bar, but sometimes a bit of a wait to get your food. This is not the place to go if you are in a hurry, but it's a good late night spot or place to linger over dinner with a date or friends.
Great mojitos and tapas, pleasant service, 4/21/2009
Reviewer: Andrea from Santa Barbara, CA
I enjoyed several dishes at Milk and Honey last night, as well as what I consider a perfect mojito! Will definitely return. Waitress was pleasant though in a bit of a rush with everything (not us, but dropping off the dishes resulted in a lot of noise and some toast flying across the table). Relax!
Trip to santa barbara, 4/3/2009
Reviewer: aubert from marseille, france
Hi all from france , i was in on january 2008 (long time ago..), with valerie (barmaid on state street), the music was cool and the place too. Just to notify: Santa barbara is and will be a famous place in the world. Maybe jump in when will older (why not, world is small no??)
Amazing service, spectacular drinks, delicious food, 3/25/2009
Reviewer: J from Santa Barbara, CA
Great mood. Although I was just there with a friend, the atmosphere was perfect. Betty Boop movies were running in the background with great music. The food was delicious, a lot of it comes on bread, which we didn't eat, but the meat and flavors alone were to die for! I honestly can't think of finding drinks like that anywhere else, skrew the price, they are worth it!!! Desert, don't pass it up! This is officially the spot I will take any out-of-towner to. It is delightful!!
Great Food; Great Service!, 3/22/2009
Reviewer: Allison from Santa Barbara, CA
We had two well executed cocktails and huge tapas! Our waitress was pleasant, helpful and attentive. We'll definitely be back!

Everyone who says this place isn't amazing is a DRTY LIAR, 3/8/2009
Reviewer: Matthew from Santa Barbara, CA
If you haven't been to M & H - GO! The drinks are simply amazing. Don't tell me oh it's too expensive - go buy a six pack and sit at home - it is going to be $10-12 a drink, but you're paying for something you couldn't get as good anywhere else. You have to get a mojito because they have the best in the world!For food pick the right tapas and you will fall in love Some personal favs: CHICKEN BRIOCHE, TOASTED GOAT, and AVO HUMMUS. Anyway, point is go there expecting to spend $30 a person and you will have the best food an best drinks in an awesome atmosphere!
great drinks and small plates - priced well, 2/3/2009
Reviewer: gordon from Santa Barbara, CA
I have been to this restaurant twice in two weeks and each time it has been a perfect experience. The service is very professional and the food and drinks are great. Pricing is fair. I highly recommend.
mmmm! thats a tasty tasty menu item
Reviewer: jazmine brownlee from Santa Barbara, CA
i was initially drawn to this restaurant on a late night wandering around downtown santa barabara... little did i know that this dimmly lit wonderland of fire and art would spark such a passion within me. I brought my long-time lover along to sample some nosh of this tantilizing pavillion. This villa of joy was run by only the most fruitful of nymphs, eager to fill my hunger for delicious treets. The drinks: marvelous. The food: intellectually stimulating in every way. It all reminded me of my childhood trip to Uncle Rozzo's in Catmandu... as my euphoria began to reach a height it had never climbed to before, i was wrapped up in the molten lava cake's decadent and delicate feet prancing across my palate on a merry journey to bathe in the alcoholic nectar frothing in my stomach. my only complaint is the delayed reaction time of the shaddowy server who led me through my spiritual experience.

Great date place
Reviewer: Eric Stapelfeld from Goleta, CA
Was taken here on a date, and I must say it really is a fantastic place to go. The drinks are expensive, but worth the price and the tapas are really tasty, as well as the desert. I would definitely go again, and the service I felt was appropriate, it was nice not to be rushed.

Believe what you read about the HORRIBLE service here!
Reviewer: Sofia from Santa Barbara, CA
It was a Saturday girls night out and we decided to dine here.It was my first time in and I was excited.Even after reading bad reviews about the service.Our tapas were amazing!The drinks were even better.But we all encountered what has to be the world's rudest waitress.Like I said it was girls night and we had other stops to make so we needed to split our bill.My friend wrote out exactly what we ordered to help our server out splitting our checks.Our waitress rolled her eyes at us and promptly returned with a calculator saying "I'm really busy and if you could split this up yourselves that would be great".(Since when do you have to work for a meal at these prices?)So we did.She picked up the check and promptly returned again saying "the tax was not included in this total" and again gave us a calculator to redo our math.After paying I was asked "was there anything wrong with the service?" in a confrontational manner.(15% is standard for a not so good experience in my book)My friends were upset because this was just so rude and asked to speak to a manager.The manager spoke to us and in the process the waitress came over and asked "what's the problem here?This was just the icing on a very bad cake for us all. She was EXTREMELY rude to us and way out of line!The manager offered us shots as compensation, which we of course turned down.I didn't realize we were in a college bar and shooters all the way around would solve this problem.At this point we all wanted nothing more that to get out of there.All 3 of us will NEVER return.Save yourself and believe all the bad reviews about the service here.The food and drinks rocked but not worth the damper on our night.Sometimes you really can believe everything you read.
Won't be back
Reviewer: Keller from Santa Barbara, CA
The service was poor the (two) times that I have visited this establishment. On my first visit, one part of our party didn't get their food until after everyone else was finished eating. When we questioned the waitress (multiple times) inquiring where the food was, she had a really bad attitude and acted like we were the one's who were confused. At the next visit, our waitor (and everyone working that evening) was extremely snooty. No food is worth exceptionally horrible service.

Good food but atmosphere not so much
Reviewer: KT from Santa Barbara, CA
I took some friends here because I'd heard the food was great. It was good but overpriced for what we got - maybe because of the environment. The atmosphere was a deal breaker (we won't return). It was not conducive to conversation. The music was too loud for the acoustically challenged space. I'd suggest a mellower type of music & getting someone to help with the challenges of amplification in that type of space. BTW several of us are professional musicians. But we are over 40 so maybe that is the caveat. Unfortunately we couldn't wait to get out of there because our ears were hurting from the din.

We LOVE the Staff and the Food!
Reviewer: Kristine from Santa Barbara
I absolutely love this place! My best friend and I come here about three nights a week and the food and drinks are always amazing! The staff is simply wonderful and always greets us with a smile and has our drinks ready as soon as we sit down. Because the place is so amazing, there is always a crowd, which adds to the ambiance. The staff could not be nicer!

Refreshing and Unique
Reviewer: Shasta from Goleta, CA
We always feel well taken care of at Milk and Honey, just as we did last Wednesday when we visited again. Highly recommend items are the the tuna tartare, the green apple and brie quesadillas, and above all, the chipotle shrimp. The chipotle shrimp are heavenly. Milk and Honey, we love you!
AMAZING
Reviewer: Katie Peterson from Santa Barbara, CA
My boyfriend and I went here because we heard it was good & we felt like trying something new... oh my god. so soo good. and the prices arent nearly as expensive as you would expect for these delicious and gorgeous plates. not to mention the coconut mojitos are a MUST
ugh...
Reviewer: Jen from Santa Barbara, CA
3 friends and I dined at Milk and Honey last night and what an experience! We arrived without a reservation (which was our fault)and arrived to an extremely crowded restaurant. We didn't mind waiting for a table, but when we walked in there was no hostess stand. The waiter who was frantically running around said to have a seat at the bar and he will arrange a table for us. So we got up to the very small bar and sat at a small bar table, thinking we were waiting for a dining table. The waiter came by a few minutes later and threw us some extra chairs to put around the VERY SMALL tree stump table. He put down one menu for all us to look at. He seemed to be the only one working in there. We sat and patiently waited for him to take our drink orders. 15 minutes he came back sweating, and took our food and drink orders. Some food came out in 4 minutes, while I waited about 30 minutes for my two tapas order. My friends were done with their food before I even got mine. After almost 20 minutes we asked the waiter what the hold up was, and he asked what I ordered, like he never even placed it. 15 minutes later, I received my order, finally as everyone watched me eat uncomfortably. The waiter barely apologized and made it seem that it was our fault that the food took so long. 20 minutes later, we had to flag him down for the check and he finally started to get nice to us, after he realized that he needed to get a tip. There were some loud drunk people sitting at the table on one side of us, and a couple making out and practically straddling each other, at the table on the other side. Needless to say our experience was one of the worst. The food we did get was very tasty though, and the chocolate lava cake which the waiter brought to us, on the house (which was appreciated) was delicious! I may try it again, one day with a reservation, on a slower night!

Amazing food, drinks, and service
Reviewer: Christine from Goleta
A friend and I just passed the restaurant and decided to go in for food. The food was amazing, esp the por que pig, praws, and ahi; every dish we ordered was very flavorful. The drinks were even better; very unique spins on mojitos and martinis. Definitely try the coconut mojito it was well worth the $10. We sat outside which was fantastic, they had a nice fire going and since its off State Street there wasn't a lot of foot traffic. The service was excellent, we really enjoyed the "we work as a team" attitude of the staff. All of the staff were helpful and went out of there way to keep coming back and asking us if we needed anything. The restaurant is a great local find and money well spent!
a happy birthday!
Reviewer: L from Santa Barbara, CA
Took my boyfriend to Milk & Honey last night for his birthday & it was DE-licious. We sat outside & our server was fantastic; very attentive. They weren't very busy (Wednesday night)but it started to fill up as the night carried on. Great ambiance & delicious food (perhaps a tick overpriced, but WELCOME TO SANTA BARBARA!)...I highly recommend.
Great food, where's the service?
Reviewer: Amy Hodam from Santa Barbara
The food is incredible - definitely try the Date with a Pig. Sure, kind of expensive but what else would you expect from a tapas restaurant?!?! The atmosphere is also great. The service is so bad it's comical. I've eaten here 10-12 times and it always feels like they are severely understaffed.

Exceeded our espectations -- great place!
Reviewer: Jan from Santa Barbara
My sister and i went to Milk and Honey and loved it! the service was great, and the food was delicious. we loved everything we tried but our favorite dish was the flautas yucatecas. also thought the avocado hummus was a great starter. so many choices -- need to go back. people who write that the portions are small and the prices are high have clearly not been to many tapas bars -- we thought the portions were large for tapas, and the drinks were delicious. they didnt try to over sell you on tapas and let you take your time -- will definitely go back!!
Great food and drinks, a little understaffed
Reviewer: Brad Hubbard from Goleta, CA
I went here for the first time last night. The drinks were great, and the staff was friendly, if a bit overworked. It looked like someone didn't show up, because the bartender was delivering food and drinks to the tables. I highly recommend the "Pork-Que" and the Chorizo stuffed mushroom caps. The drinks can be on the pricey side (ranging from $7 to $15), but most of them are worth it. We had the premium Margarita, the Coconut Mojito, and the Sangria, all of which I would recommend. This place can be very difficult to find (part of it's charm). Look for a recessed door with a gold star painted on it. There's an outdoor fireplace as well. All in all, I'd certainly go again. Meal with drinks (for two) came to about $50-$60, but was well worth it.
Best tapas and ambiance in Santa Barbara
Reviewer: David from Thousand Oaks, CA
I love this restaurant!!! It's definitely not the cheapest place to eat, but the prices are well worth it if you're treating yourself. Try the blood orange martini, paella, blue champinion....the tuna tartar and scallops are great too. Swanky atmosphere, good service (every time i've visited), and killer flavorful food make milk & honey one of my top 5 in SB....

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