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Palazzio
1026 State St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 564-1985

  • Category: Italian
  • Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-11pm, Fri 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-Midnight, Sat 11:30am-Midnight, Sun 11:30am-11pm
  • Chef: Chef Julian Santa Maria
  • Price: $10 - $20
  • Serving: Lunch, & Dinner
  • Reservations: Yes, recommended
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Reviews by the General Public

Everything was amazing except for the the hostess, 11/16/2009
Reviewer: Taylor from Santa Barbara, CA
Been to Palazzio twice in one month and everytime the food and service are great. Very large portions and very yummy. The only disapointing thing was the greeting you get when you get there. Each time I've been was with a large group and the hostess (differnt ones each time) were very rude, short and just unprofessional. Since your hostess is the director of first impressions I think they need to get a little training from the rest of the servers.

Not a way to run a business, 11/11/2009
Reviewer: Ben from Santa Barbara, CA
Was out Saturday night, mind you a very busy night downtown. We had our name on the list at Pascucci, but they said it was an hour wait. So while we were waiting, we called Palazzio. A friendly voice said that for our party of 6 it would only be a 15 minute wait. I asked her to put me on the list, but she said she could not until I got there. Told her we were on our way. We cancelled our Pascucci listing and walked down. When we got to Palazzio, the hostess said they do not quote times and no one would have told me 15 minutes. There were 5 other 6 tops ahead of me. We waited patiently for almost an hour, but was told by the hostess that they would seat us when they seated us. I explained the conversation again, and her response was "oh well". Needless to say, we left having never eaten. Won't be going back any time soon.
Great food, good service , 10/3/2009
Reviewer: Kathy McClelland from Santa Barbara, CA
The atmosphere was nice, though the restaurant was a little empty when we arrived, the staff seemed bored and restless. The food was good, I got the fusili with chicken that is prepared in a delicious cream sauce and my husband got angel hair pasta with shrimp that was also pretty good. The service was decent, our waiter was a nice, older gentleman, Tommy, who seemed to stop by every 5 minutes, but too much attention is better than none. They also have a nice mix between itilian and california wines.

Celebration dinner disappointment, 9/23/2009
Reviewer: Edy from South Orange County, CA
When we had our daughter's college graduation dinner at this restaurant we were very disappointed. We made the reservation 6 mos. in advance & were told they would try to put our 2 tables of 12 people each next to one another. A week before the grad. dinner in June the owner/mgr. assured us the 2 tables would be next to each other. However when we arrived there was a large table of 16 in between our 2 tables! This was so disappointing since we had to keep going back & forth between the tables to visit with our guests, some of whom came from out of state. When we asked to speak to the owner/mgr. he was mysteriously not there, on a night that he claimed was the busiest of the year. We're convinced he hires very rude young girl pitbull-types to handle customer complaints, which they don't do very well. Whatever you do don't plan a big celebration at this restaurant.
Charge for Take Out, 8/25/2009
Reviewer: Danny Garcia from Santa Barbara, CA
I enjoy the same plate every time I come here Papa Ruby's Rigatoni! but the last time I placed an order for take out and couldn't understand why there was a 10% service charge and a charge of 50 cents per container. Not that it adds up to a lot, but no other restaurants charge for take out? The worst part of it all is when I asked the girl in the front why this charges she gave me attitude about it. Food is great but that's about it.

Salty Disappointment, 8/14/2009
Reviewer: Steven Appleton from Santa Barbara, CA
Let's start at the bottom and work our way up. Salty salmon, chewy calimari, and cold overcooked veggies were not helped by a failure to keep water glasses full. The stuffed mushroom cap app was tasty, but with such a nice bed of leafy greens, a dash of olive oil would have been nice. Should I nitpic about fusilli refugees in the penne pasta, or the overall limpness of the presentation? piling on? Well, the dishes looked piled on... At least the drinks were stiff, the martini came with a gorganzola stuffed olive, and we were comp'ed for the salty fish. But c'mon...
A Once Great Restaurant Gone Bad, 8/3/2009
Reviewer: Brian from Santa Barbara, CA
What happened to the Palazzio 10 years or so ago when they had the Montecito location too? Since then, this restaurant has slowly been going downhill. Tonight my friends and I visited Palazzio for the first time in several years and were sorely disappointed by a mediocre experience at best. It took over 5 minutes before we were even acknowledged after being seated, and over 40 minutes for our entrees to arrive after ordering. The once-beloved garlic roles were over oiled, too salty and burnt. Food was bland. On the positive, the waitstaff was very friendly. I hope the management can restore Palazzio to what once was an SB favorite!
Reviews misleading....Wonderful Experience!, 7/15/2009
Reviewer: Marie T from Santa Barbara, CA
Wasn't expecting much after the below reviews; however, after going for a late night dinner I'm a believer. This place is great! The waiter was excellent and very helpful explaining everything and offering suggestions. Good martinis and house wine, the pasta was amazing and filling - like 17 dollars for a 'half order' for 2 people! Definitely will be back - soon!
fantastic meal, awful service. , 4/4/2009
Reviewer: M from Santa Barbara, CA
Parking on State street is terrible, so my husband dropped me off at the curb to put our names down while he parked in a nearby parking lot. The restaurant wasn't full, but the server WOULD NOT seat me until my husband was standing next to me. Their delicious garlic bread rolls came around once every 10 minutes, and we had to wait 40 minutes for our food to come. While the meal was delicious, their service is TERRIBLE and needs major improving. Oh, and they don't have pizza, which baffles me.

Al dente not an option at an Italian restaurant?, 3/1/2009
Reviewer: Nancy from Santa Barbara, CA
I asked the waitress to have my spaghettini cooked "al dente"....no big deal, right? It IS an Italian restaurant, is it not? She said, "we don't have that". Incredulous, I asked why not, do they cook the pasta in LA and ship it up there?...I guess her English speaking skills were lacking, but she was only able to repeat, "we don't have that". To be fair, the dish came out okay, not as mushy as I'd had the last time I was there - about 7 years ago - the reason I'd stayed away. The clams and shrimp were excellent in the dish, however the salmon had an odd taste that made me leave most of it on the plate. All in all, a decent meal, but $19. is way too high for the quality of my dinner. Not crazy about $9 worth of wine in a tiny highball glass but I suppose that's part of the "ambiance". On the plus side, it is nice to be in a restaurant that is spacious and airy, with a decent noise level for a friday night. Probably won't go back at those prices. I can have wine & and properly cooked pasta for two at home for way less than $60 + tip.
Try the Penne Chicken Marsala, 2/21/2009
Reviewer: Hilary from Santa Barbara, CA
I love the penne chicken marsala from Palazzio's. Its the only thing I order when I go because the few other things I have ordered weren't that memorable. This pasta dish is amazing but it doesn't really taste like any chicken marsala at all. The service isn't that great and the prices are definitely high--although you do get quite a helping of food--but its worth going to to at least try the Penne Chicken Marsala. It's unbelievable.
Very Disappointing..., 2/19/2009
Reviewer: Amanda from Santa Barbara, CA
My boyfriend and I decided to try Palazzio last week; our server explained to us that the portions were large "family-style" dishes. I have been to multiple family-style restaurants and I expected that the appetizers would also be a generous size. We went ahead and ordered the stuffed mushrooms (for $10.95) and what came out to us was a plate of 5 white mushrooms, the common type you get at the market, sitting on some wilted lettuce. I wrote an e-mail to the restaurant expressing our dissatisfaction of the dish; I thought that this had to be a mistake but the owner wrote back to me and told me that it was not a mistake. I then responded and nothing has been done to correct this. I guess they feel it's OK to get away with this? We don't mind shelling out good money for a dinner but we hate being ripped off and this is how we felt. I've worked in Customer Service for large companies and don't feel like this is a good way to make things right with an unhappy client.

What happened?, 2/16/2009
Reviewer: Ash from Santa Barbara, CA
This use to be our favorite place and the food has gone so down hill. The prices have skyrocketed with nothing to show for. When my hubby and I went to lunch today, we were so sad. The garlic rolls that we use to love were burnt and over salted. The Cesar Salad USE to be delicious; today it was so overcoated with a runny dressing and had an ick taste to it. My favorite pasta has also gone downhill. After talking it over, my husband and I came to the realization that it tasted like unfresh, day-old food. We are so disappointed and unfortunately, we won't be back anymore. :(

Spaghetti Western with the Good, the Bad, and The Ugly
Reviewer: Mark Garcia from San Diego, Ca
The food is good. The portions are generous and the bread (garlic rolls) that come with the meal are quite tasty and you get a generous portion of those as well. The Bad. In late August 2008 I got an order to go. My order was ready in a reasonable amount of time but when it came time to pay the tab I was somewhat shocked that I was charged extra for getting an order to go and I was also charged for the containers for the to go items. This seems like a ridiculous way to make a little extra money or offset the expense of to go orders. I paid the tab and left. The Ugly. I enjoy the painting on the ceiling of Palzzios. It looks like a very bad repilca of the Sistine Chapel where I have never been by the way but I would like to go some day. I have no artisitic ablility and the painting looks like it was painted by someone like me. In actuality I don't even think I could paint that well. I like it because it makes me laugh and the world needs a sense of humor.
Good Memories - great creme brulee
Reviewer: Kris from Rocklin, CA
I haven't lived in SB since the early 90's but everytime I visit I have to stop in to Palazzio. The service is not great but it's not bad either. But my favorite is the chocolate creme brulee.

You won't leave hungry...but you won't leave happy either
Reviewer: Hajir Sailors from Santa Barbara, CA
Palazzio's apparent slogon "Our Customers Never Leave Hungry" or whatever it is along those lines is very accurate. However what they serve you, other than the bread and caesar salad is soooo subpar, that unless that's all you eat there's no point in going there. In past years I remember service being attentive, however this time when I walked in it took a good 8 minutes to get someone to acknowledge us, not very warmly either. We were seated in the interestingly set restaurant with not the greatest ambiance and not asked what we would like to drink for a good while. Then when the drinks came and the bread came (which is not great but very good) I was ready to order, and I did, the FEttucine al Pesto, a creamy pesto sauce with proscuitto and peppers and pine nuts. I ordered a quarter order of it and a side caesar. When all my tables entrees came out, all quarter orders, I looked and was slightly dissapointed, no great smell, no great taste, even looked bland, except the salad which was quite fresh and good. WE of course were not asked how we enjoyed our food, the servers couldn't think to string that many words together from the experience I had with them, however I left full, but not very happy.
Costing extra to take it away?
Reviewer: Mike G from Santa Barbara, CA
Since its the only family style around and we had visitors with 2 kids, it seemed like a good idea. Then we find that there is an extra 10% take out charge as well as a container fee? There is cheap, and then there is Palazzio. The fusilli Ooga Ooga is good, the salads ok, and the lasagna over cooked. We sat at the bar for 10 minutes before even the bartender acknowledged us, but the food was hot and we were out the door with more garlic knots than we knew what to do with. Atleast those you can guarantee will be awesome!
Oily Food, year after year.
Reviewer: Nick from Santa Barbara, Ca
I have been to this place several times with my wife. We used to enjoy take out on a weekly basis. We stopped because we began noticing that food was VERY oily. For instance, when you would reheat the leftovers, you would see all of the coagulated oil in the pan....far more than needed. We decided to go there the other night after a 2 year absence and the food was the same. We ordered the "Papa Rubys" and a similar dish with Fusilli and italian sausage. Both dishes were so oily! I can only hope that the oil is olive oil, but even if it is you don't need that much! Plus, the flavor was to be desired and the quality of the ingredients was low. In summary, this is not authentic italian, this is "filler" food for tourists or for people who don't appreciate quality food.

very welcoming
Reviewer: Lauren from Santa Barbara, CA
I don't think our first time dining here would have been as great had we not had our server- She immediately asked if we had been there before, stated the portions are extremely generous, and recommended we share something. She was knowledgable about the dishes and the wine, smiled often, and had great timing. It was great for a place to welcome sharing a large dish, without a split charge. Hope the place is just as good without the same server!
So Bad... we won't return
Reviewer: tiffany cooper from santa barbara, ca
The service was horrible and the food not good either. The manicotti was described with a white sauce and it had a red and white sauce together. Being from NY and knowing good Italian food, that is just weird, it seemed frozen and not had crafted. The rolls were hard. Caesar salad for a dinner portion was too small, but the pasta dish was so large, when I was finished, it didn't even look like I had touched my dinner. My mother in law sent back her salad that came with prosciutto and which looked and tasted like bad bacon, and the server said, “I'm, sorry, did you know what prosciutto was when you ordered the salad”. It was very rude. The restaurant wasn't crowed, the food and the service was bad. I am a local and I will not return
What happened??
Reviewer: Mike from Santa Barbara
I was surprised as I've been here before when the servers were attentive and enthusiastic, and you'd enjoy fresh, generous portions of delicious food. Tonight it was bored servers and really bland food with no sense of presentation from the kitchen. The tables around us seemed as baffled as we were at the lack of any enthusiasm from the staff.

I cannot believe it.....
Reviewer: Jon from Scottsdale, AZ
I visited Santa Barbara over New Years with my wife and we dined at Palazio one of the first nights of our stay. The food and service was so good that we decided to visit again on our final evening and found much the same. We were seated promptly (we waited for maybe 5 minutes at the bar where the service was great). Once we were seated, the service was great and the food was even better. We both enjoyed our experiences at your establishment and will be back next time we are in town. As for the title of my review, I simply cannot believe that all of these people have so much negative energy and comments to say about the restaurant. If you don't want wine in a juice glass, maybe you should not order all you can drink. If you don't like garlic, don't eat the GARLIC rolls. And, maybe, just maybe, if the restaurant is busy, maybe you can exude some patience for the wait staff...they are doing there very best to serve you and earn a decent wage - there is no excuse for rudeness by staff or PATRONS. And i would say, finally on the extra charge for take out - that is the policy. If you don't like it, maybe you should dine in or open your own restaurant with your own policies. For me, I can't say I necessarily agree with it, but it is what it is - their policy. All in all, we will be back and will make it a point to visit the restaurant on our next trip to Santa Barbara.

Wow...where do I start??
Reviewer: Huyen from Santa Barbara, CA
Waited at the bar that needed to be cleaned off desperately. 2 out of 6 people's drinks were actually ordered and delivered as we waited. Tried to seat us a table for 4 by adding 2 chairs at the ends. Hostess explained that it was Tuesday and they get soOo busy and we would have to wait 30 minutes to be served because our section was not yet open and there was no server in our section. We asked if they could add another table and she seemed hesitant to ask the manager so we wandered to the front to decide where to go eat..she rushes to the front about 2 mintues later and says it's okay to add the table, so we stay because we're hungry. This is all before 6 PM. We get drinks and appetizers before 6:30 which was not bad. Then we waited and waited and waited and waited. Watched 6 to 7 other parties around get seated, get there food and CHECK before we even got our 2 main courses. Our food came around 7:20 or so. We finished in less then 10 minutes. Keep in mind this is our friends birthday so we ordered her the bread pudding..bad idea..another 20 mintues for that to come out and even longer for our checks. Even after talking to the young, young woman who was "Manager of the evening" we still had issues. She tried to explain they were short staffed and the crowd was soOoo unexpected because it was a Tuesday..wow, totally contradicting was your hostess told us..but ook. After 7:30 they weren't nearly as busy, so I don't understand what the hold up was. We weren't rude, but I'm sure the vibe wasn't fantastic. We dine out on occassions like this to celebrate and have fun. But service such as Palazzio's almost killed it. I hardly ever write negative reviews, and I love the food bargain you get here. But there is no excuse for what happened. We were there over 3 hours, it was exhausting. After reading the other reviews here, take a hint! Train your staff, and have Back Up. You are a profitable, established, tourist money mine driven business. You have the extra money and time to make your staff presentable, knowledgeable, and professional. What we experienced here was far from. I love the bread boys though!! They kept us filled up with bread and humor while we waited, that was a nice highlight of the evening.

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