Santa Barbara Real Estate
Santa Barbara Hotels
Santa Barbara Restaurants
Santa Barbara Catering
 Santa Barbara > Restaurants > Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro
  
 

Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro
516 State St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 962-1455

  • Category: American
  • Hours: Mon-Sun 7am-10pm
  • Chef: Nathan Heil
  • Price: < $10
  • Serving: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
  • Reservations: No
  • Map
  • Wi-Fi Hotspot
  • Web Site
  • Write a review of this location!

Reviews by the General Public

Loved our sever! and the food!, 8/28/2009
Reviewer: Marie Gold from Santa Barbara, CA
The second we walked in the door we were greated by the nicest young server, she was cute funny and really got us in a positive state of mind. The food took kind of a long time to arrive but we didnt mind because our server kept us happy. When it did arrive everything was great! the server recommended the mushroom pasta to me and I was happy I chose to order it, delicious. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a great server and good food
Very happy to have found this restaurant, 8/3/2009
Reviewer: Holly from Palo Alto, CA
We stumbled upon this restaurant while walking down State Street. The outside dining area is very nice with plenty of shade. We were seated quickly and the service was spot-on. Our server was pleasant and very attentive. The menu had a very nice selection - I had a hard time deciding what to order it all sounded so good. We thought our food was delicious and reasonably priced. When we return to the area, we will surely eat there again.
Cheerful, 5/11/2009
Reviewer: Marie burton from Eureka, CA
My daughter and I came here for dinner on a Thursday. We had such a good time! We are traveling downbthe coast and this is the place we keep talking about. The food was delicious we are vegetarian and they offered a delicious selection. We had the stuffed bellpepper and spinach salad. Out waitress was a charming young lady who entertained us with great stories and recommended great local places to visit. We felt very welcomed and look forward to stopping by onnoit way back up the coast.
Great potential, service needs major help, 2/12/2009
Reviewer: Ann from Santa Barbara, CA
The place looked really nice so we decided to stop in for some dessert and drinks one evening. We ordered 2 lattes and 1 hot tea, and both lattes came to the table lukewarm, nearly cold. We politely asked our server to heat them up or steam them some more (we even said a microwave would be fine), he curtly told us thats the hottest drinks could get but he would try to warm them. He returned with them the exact same temperature. We repeated that the drinks were nearly cold and he again calmly told us we were mistaken and perhaps that wasnt the drink for us. It was a really bizarre episode and we both ended up switching to hot teas because at least that water was hot! Wow, such a difficult order and in such a pricey place youd think theyd have hot drinks down or at least employ people with customer service skills.

Loving the Changes!
Reviewer: Evelyn from Ventura, CA
I had dinner at Pierre Lafond last Saturday after enjoying their new tapas and wine which they serve between 3 and five before dinner. I heard there was new management and new menu. The place looks beautiful. (Pictures above are not accurate)Dinner was delicious! I loved the Short Ribs and Wild Mushroom Sachetti! Seriously Delicious! The wine list has also been expanded to a global variety vs. purely local. The ambiance was very pleasant. Candles, music, employees, aroma and I also love the big windows for people watching outside. I have been here before and loved Joshua Keatings menu, and I was reluctant to come and try the new menu. I'm glad I did.
What a wonderful evening.
Reviewer: Veronica from Santa Barbara, CA
After spending the day wine tasting at local Wineries we were delighted to find this restaurant. We were greeted as we were passing by and decided to look at the menu. The Mushroom Sachetti drew us in, although we decided to give the Evening's Special a try. Lemon Pepper crusted Halibut served over angel hair pasta with a putanesca sauce. Our server even entertained us with a fun history of this marinara sauce. She was also very honest and helpful with our wine selection. All the meals came out in a timely fashion. Absolutely delicious! ands down. I ad to throw my napkin over the rest, because I didn't want to stop eating and it is served as a very generous portion. The ambience in the restaurant is great. We loved the candlelight illuminating the place including local art work. The place is very spacious with large windows and filled with an assortment of fresh flower bouquets. The music selection was very pleasant and refreshing. I'd also like to point out that the staff I met were exeptionally kind and good hearted. Especially our waitress who's beautiful smile and warm humor we enjoyed very much.

Great menu, great charm, service not so good
Reviewer: Kim Hutton from Santa Barbara, CA
On a day trip to Santa Barbara we stopped for brunch at Pierre Lafond. Looking at the menu I thought everything sounded wonderful particulary in lgiht of hte fact that I am neither a breakfast nor and eggs person. We sat down at 11:00 - my son's pancakes arrived at 11:50, he never ecevied any craysons, kids menu, etc... Our fruit and cheese platter arrived almost an hour later and the smoked salmon and cream cheese never arrived. The food did taste wonderful but Iwould probably not go back. the restaurant was busy but not packed. I overheard our waitress apologizing to at least 5 - 6 other tables that day. Seems like this is not so unusual. Too bad - the menu is fantastic!
Oh how Pierre LaFond has changed!
Reviewer: Susanne from Santa Barbara, CA
I have dined at this restaurant before and the experience has not been that great however, I decided to give them another chance. Boy am I glad I did because this time around was GREAT! I ordered a farmers salad to start, followed by chicken scallopini. Delicious and prompt. The staff was attentive and the food was excellent! I told my waitress about my previous bad experience and she said the restaurant was under new management which had improved quality of both food and service. I would highly recommend this restaurant.
Won't ever go back
Reviewer: Casey from Santa Barbara
We called in the afternoon to reserve a table for nine people for a rare and special family gathering. What they didn't tell us was that there was going to be a party of about 100 loud and intoxicated people in one side of the restaurant yelling at each other. The whole restaurant was so loud that no one in our party could have a conversation. The whole place is like one big echo chamber. We could all hardly wait to get out of there. We told the waitress we were disappointed we weren't warned when we called for our reservation and her reply was that she would mention it to a manager later. I couldn't even tell you how the food was, it was impossible to enjoy.

Food arrived more than 1 hour after ordering and was cold
Reviewer: Anna from San Francisco, CA
Four of us went for dinner just before 8PM. Waited several minutes while several waiters rushed by and I had to flag down a waiter so we could get seated (plenty empty tables). We were seated, did not receive menus until 5-10 minutes later, waited 5-10 minutes for orders to be taken. Ordered one steamed seafood appetizer to share, it arrived 45 minutes later and cold. At that point, we were too hungry to care that the appetizer was cold. No silverware on table when we were seated, waiter didn't notice that we didn't have silverware when we received the appetizer, had to ask for silverware to eat the appetizer. Waiters were inattention, didn't bother to check on customer's wellness, busy running around not serving customers. After an hour in the restaurant, entrees still had not arrived. From our table, we could see 2 of our entrees ready to be served and waiting on the counter area getting cold. These 2 entrees were already on the counter for at least 10 minutes while waiting for the remaining entrees to finish cooking. Staff never applogized for slow service, cold food, or explained that food would arrive shortly. After an hour's wait, we decided we had waited too long and would receive cold entrees anyways. Paid the bill and left without the entrees arriving. Inattentive staff, slow service, slow kitchen, not worth the price or the wait. Went across the street to Thai restaurant where we ordered, were served and finished eating within 20 minutes.
Good Food, a little slow service.
Reviewer: eric from SB
Had Breakfast here today, food was good, service was a little slow if your in a hurry, so relax a while. Prices are a kind of high but so is rent on State St.
Horrible service
Reviewer: Madhura from Los Angeles
The service was bad. They were not rude, but just ignorant, unexperienced and slooooow. We waited longer than expected at this kind of restaurant, just to get the menus. The servers were confused who was serving our table. The food was nice but I will not go there again.

Great food, poor service
Reviewer: Sarah from Santa barbara, CA
While the food has never been disappointing, I have experienced horrible service twice in a row. Each time has been during lunch on a weekday. They are slow to serve and there are hardly any waiters around. I had to wait over 15 minutes just to give my waiter the check (after hunting him down that is). I would not recommend this place if you are on a time crunch! I would visit more often if the service was better.

Pretty Good Lunch-AMAZING DESSERT
Reviewer: Sarah from Santa Barbara, CA
I've been to the Pierre LaFond cafe/deli that was in Paseo Nuevo (not sure if it's still there) and it was pricey but good. This time my office ordered lunch at this Pierre Lafond. I got the chicken caesar wrap. It was alright, not nearly enough chicken, and the dressing could've been better. I decided to treat myself by getting a cheesecake slice to go. And I must say this is some of the best damn cheesecake I've ever had!!! I've always been a fan of the Pierre LaFond desserts, but was highly impressed. The cheesecake is thick, moist, sweet and oh my gosh just an amazing dessert. Thank you Pierre Lafond for the amazing cheesecake!!!
INCREDIBLE french toast...HORRIBLE service. Mixed review...
Reviewer: Melody from Van Nuys, CA
Seriously... THE. BEST. FRENCH TOAST. EVER. Our 1st time here & it was absolutely worth the repetitive snubbing & complete lack of customer service skills. On everyone's part! From the hostess, to our server, to the bussers, it was one of the worst service experiences I've had. And I eat out a lot! On top of that, it takes forever to get your food - even if you're 1 of only 3 other parties eating there. BUT (in CAPS on purpose) the food somehow, made it worth it. And this is coming from a girl who highly values positive customer service as part of the overall experience. I'm telling you, the most incredible french toast, bacon, mimosa, (husband's) breakfast burrito, salsa, etc. I've ever eaten. I will return & not expect good service. Just great food.

Good food, but not worth the wait or the price
Reviewer: Holly from Goleta, CA
My husband and I dined at this restaurant prior to seeing a screening at the SB Film Festival. We ordered the wasabi salmon salad with the asparagus and goat cheese pizza. We asked our server to bring the salad first as we were going to share both entrees. The salad was great, but not worth the 25 minute wait. There was also some "problem" with our pizza, and we waited an additional 30 minutes for it to arrive. The explanation was "it's taking longer than expected" - how informative. The pizza was good, but again, not worth our wait. We had hoped that due to our excessive wait we would have received our pizza for free, or at least a discount, but we did not. The restaurant was not too busy by the time we were finished, but we had to ask another server to tell our waitress we were ready to pay. She had been chatting at the counter, ignoring us for several minutes. I had high hopes for this place, but we will not be eating here again.

Will not go back
Reviewer: Sarah from Goleta, CA
My husband and I were excited to eat here; it looked promising and the menu looked good. The waitress was attentive, and helpful. Our Sunshine beers were SO GOOD! Everything after that was kind of downhill. We ordered the french onion soup as an appetizer, and I had many problems with it. The onions were still crunchy, and they were hard to eat because they were big rings that weren't cooked enough! It also almost tasted like Lipton's instant mix because of the dried onion they threw in there (they were floating on top). I would never have served a soup like that. Honestly. My husband ordered the seared ahi which was good and the seasonings were not overpowering. The sauce was good, but not sure if it went with the fish very well. The side dish to that was GOOD! potatoes with a relish and avocado. However, this dish was definitely NOT worth $18. I had the brie and prosciutto panini which was just pretty good, but the "Air fries" tasted like Albertson's deli fries. I didn't eat them all and I love fries! At this point, we wanted dessert but my husband said "not here." Since our seared ahi took forever to come out of the kitchen, the server offered a free dessert. SWEET! She suggested the creme brulee. First of all, I am a bit biased because I am a pastry cook and know how to make a creme brulee. In any case, this one was very under par. It was very thick, and a little curdy. The sugar on the top wasn't thick enough. The flavor was ok, though. I would NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS order this creme brulee for $8.50! If they didn't charge so much for their food, I would have accepted it. I was expecting much, much more. It's hard to say that we came on a bad day, because we had problems with almost everything.
Also believe overrated
Reviewer: Darrel Stickler from San Mateo, CA
We went there 10a Sunday after Thanksgiving on the way home from further south. We vacation in Santa Barbara so have eaten at PL before. Noticed they were trying to go upscale. Bakery selection (THE reason to stop in before) is essentially gone. Not busy but we heard the [very good] waitress apologizing to the next table for delays. I ordered the corn pancakes w/ blueberries, which were ok, but the syrup was served in a covered plastic container (like hot sauce) and was cold. My wife ordered the veggie benedict, which was awful. In addition to having bell peppars not listed on the menu, the spinach was not cooked but served on the muffin diced like a salad (!), the asparagus (the featured ingredient) was diced up too much and buried in a mush, and there was no avocado or roasted tomatoes (also featured ingredients). The potatoes had zucchini and string onions--all of which was cold and a mush. Wait staff was professional in the face of poor kitchen support but this isn't the first time the food didn't meet expectations. We sent back the benedict and weren't charged. My impression is the menu is too complicated and they're not letting simple, good [organic] ingredients do the talking. Why mention the farm a vegetable comes from if it's not delivered in a visible and fine manner? You should look at the plate and "see" the menu.

Have you eaten here? Write a review of this location!      Terms of Service