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Elements Restaurant & Bar
129 E. Anapamu St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 884-9218

  • Category: Fusion
  • Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30am-2pm & Sun-Wed 5:30-9pm & Thu 5:30-10pm
  • Price: $20+
  • Serving: Lunch, & Dinner
  • Reservations: Yes, recommended
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Reviews by the General Public

I saved and dreamed of going to this restaurant for years,, 9/7/2009
Reviewer: Shirley Gardner from Santa Barbara, CA
I saved and dreamed of going to this restaurant for years, after seeing it on foodnetwork. The food is overpriced, I had a Monk fish salad that was not fit to serve my cat. It took the one waiter forever, the busboy and barmaid was of great help. Have to say, my husband ordered the pork chop, and it was good, thank God he shared it with me. I should have said something to them, or, returned the dish, I was just in shock, and so very disappointed.
Amazing food, beautiful views, thoughtful service , 5/27/2009
Reviewer: Mike & Martha from Santa Barbara/ Phoenix, AZ
It was our 28th anniversary and our dinner at Elements was our best anniversary event ever. Since my husband had called in advance,the chefs & staff went the extra mile for us - we were seated with a gorgeous view of the Courthouse at sunset, and our own printed menu that included special wine pairings for each course. Chef Matt & Sous Chef Cosmo came out to greet us during the meal, and made some special dishes,starting with an abalone appetizer (incredibly tender), a poached duck egg & romaine salad (rich AND light), and a melt-in-our-mouths halibut carpaccio,to mention only a few of the memorable dishes. The sommelier Nuri picked out great local and regional wines to pair with it all. We had been to Elements a few years ago, but the new chefs are offering crazy-good & innovative dishes! We would highly recommend a meal at Elements for anyone, anytime.

Dissapointing birthday meal..., 5/22/2009
Reviewer: sandra from Santa Barbara, CA
We have just eaten at Elements for the first time,and honestly i can't understand all the praise it has received. I left feeling underwhelmed, the service was slow and our waitress was so cold and unfriendly we felt like she was doing us a favor!!The food was really very average and lacked finesse for an alleged fine dining!!The desserts were terrible the s'mores profiteroles were a crime against food!!! not one thing reflecting the season i.e stawberries, go look at the farmers market. Again no finesse,agree with other reviewer very pretentious.one last thing they really should check their menu's hate to see greasy prints from previous diners and crumbs inside menu not a good start, would not go back again...
New Favorite!, 5/11/2009
Reviewer: Rachel from Santa Barbara, CA
My boyfriend and I just ate dinner at Elements for our anniversary. It is not an exaggeration to say that the entire experience was amazing. Our appetizer, seared scallops with spinach, kumquats, and bacon was delicious. We also had halibut carpaccio which was served with arugula, which was also divine. My boyfriend enjoyed seared sesame encrusted ahi tuna with wasabi mashed potatoes. The fish was very fresh and the sauce drizzled on it went perfectly. I ordered the oven roasted chicken breast after it was recommended by the waitress. It was literally the most delicious piece of chicken I have ever had! It was perfectly moist and hot and full of flavor. FOr dessert, we had some sort of chocolate dome filled with peanut butter and chocolate mousse. My boyfriend said it was the best dessert he had ever had. The waitress told us that Avery made our meal. We will definitely be going back to Elements and recommending it to everyone. They made our anniversary very memorable.

Wedding reception- Elements Rocks!, 3/26/2009
Reviewer: Barbara from Santa Barbara, CA
We had our wedding reception at Elements last August. It is definitely worth noting that all of my guests raved about how good the food was and the service was wonderful. I thank everyone at Elements and the catering staff for hosting a memorable occasion for my myself, my husband and our guests. The fact that we could walk straight from the wedding at the courthouse to the restaurant and had the entire restaurant for the reception really made it very easy for our guests. Instead of the traditional wedding cake, the Elements pastry chef prepared the assorted cupcakes and these were served family style to our guests. The price was affordable, the atmosphere was warm and we all had a wonderful afternoon.

Had Very High Hopes, 2/19/2009
Reviewer: Jonathan N. from Santa Barbara, CA
Went here on a date because of the reputation it had. The inside has a very nice decor, a little pretentious with the mini salt and pepper shakers. Our waiter was very nice until we said we did not want any wine or drinks and then I only saw him once more the whole night... when he brought the bill. Others were helpful and brought us our food which took much too long (another couple ordered the same thing after us and got it before us). I got the Slow Braised Beef Short Rib, it was very dry and very one note: Sweet. For dessert I had the Mint Ice Cream Sandwich, and the ice cream was good. The cookie part of the sandwich however was so frozen that I could not break it with a spoon, so I had to scoop out the ice cream from in between the cookies. It was close to being a good meal, moisten up the short rib and unfreeze the cookie a bit and it would have lived up to the expectations.
Splendid food and wine! MEDIOCROE service!, 2/2/2009
Reviewer: Sonya from Santa Barbara, CA
I wanted to take my significant other to expierience a fine dining atmosphere. We absolutely loved the food! It was so delicious we considered getting seconds. Unfortunately, I was very discouraged by the horrible service by our waiter. Re-considering to return, it's unfortunate since the food is superb! Might just not request him next time!

A Wonderful Dining Experience, 12/13/2008
Reviewer: Cameron from Santa Barbara, CA
Went here for a company Christmas party recently and had a fantastic time. The ambiance was elegant, but had a very warm feel. The exposed back kitchen is a nice touch. The wait staff was extremely attentive; service was great. I had the filet mignon, which, while expensive, was probably the thickest, most tender cut I've ever had, and perfectly cooked. My girlfriend had the duck, which was also fantastic. My only complaint would be that both dishes tasted heavy on the salt (and in the case of the filet, pepper too).
Delightful Dinner
Reviewer: Arlene from Santa Barbara, CA
I have been here many times for lunch (the burger is awesome!) and thought I'd try dinner with my visiting mom. It was an excellent choice. The food is unique and wonderful. The service is friendly and unpretentious. Too bad the previous reviewer couldn't get past the theme. I will remeber eating heavenly scallops while watching the sunset's reflection on the courthouse for a long time.
ridiculous & pretentious menu
Reviewer: Nora from santa barbara, ca
Food is ok, the kind of food you can get anywhere in this town (piece of fish, veg, potato puree) but more expensive and ridiculously described. Your salmon: water. Get it? What will the archaeologists think of our civilization when they find such menus I wonder. If you need to have your food described in spa-language (there is no other way to describe this particular dialect), then this is your place. If you want good food (piece of fish, veg, potato puree), there are many places in town where it can be had just as good or better. For less money. And without the absurdity.

Good food, bad service.
Reviewer: Sandy from Santa Barbara, CA
Food was excellent, everything on the table was spotlessly clean. I am not certain who the server was. The first thing the server said was "What do you want?" Later, when having needed some things for some time, we flagged down another staff member, who explained our server was and had been on the phone. Although there were plenty of waitstaff, the person with our table left us stranded and abandoned, and his interactions with us lacked courtesy or consideration.
Great Brunch
Reviewer: Dennis from Goleta
Had some friends in town and gave Element a shot for a Sunday lunch. Interesting assortment of burgers, salads & sandwiches. Patio seating was wonderful, awesome view of the sunken gardens. Great attention by staff and our server. My buffalo burger was well prepared and neatly presented w/ a caesar salad. Friends had the Duck Confeit and Ahi wrap which were both to their liking. This was a great place to go if you have guests in town, maybe a little pricey for your average lunch, but a wonderful dining experience overall.
Bravo. . very consistent
Reviewer: James from Santa Barbara
Inasmuch as I am a frequent patron of bouchon, san ysidro ranch's stonehouse, seagrass (& old sage & onion), along with other Santa Barbara notable restaurants, I find elements has it all with respect to: diverse menu, quality of food, creativity of ingredients, dish presentation and attentive staff. I also like the bustling atmosphere that complements a balanced fine dining and active bar. My (& several friends) favorites are the scallop dish (unique chili sauce), the vegetarian option (tempura tofu stuffed portabello mushroom is outstanding), baby back ribs and the organic salad w/ candied walnuts.

Valentines Perfection!
Reviewer: Krista and Tony from Goleta
Let me first say that I don't hand out 5 star ratings lightly. I usually feel theres at least a little room for improvement in most situations, but not this time. We had a fantastic dinner and a fantastic dining experience. Sometimes special occasion dinners with special menus can end up a bit lacking but not this valentines dinner at Elements. The crew there decked the place out in a classy yet romantic motif for the evening and the menu was perfectly crafted to serve any palate and still be fantastic. Even though my wife and I didn't go for the most interesting things on the menu, we were still extremely happy with our dinners. I had the filet mignon and my wife ordered the salmon, both were excellent and wonderfully paired with sides. On the service side, the crew there really shined with a team approach that never once felt intrusive yet never left us wanting for even the smallest thing. Our deserts (baked Alaska!) were even hand delivered by the pastry chef herself. And they were wonderful as well. I realize you can't always judge a restaurant in general terms by a special event like this but Elements has always done well by us and they deserve the accolades for working so hard to get it right. T
A nice time
Reviewer: Brandon from Goleta, CA
Had a great meal with a couple friends of mine. The cocktails are tasty as was the food. The chef was accommodating to my request for a vegan preparation, which is always appreciated. Only complaint is that my girlfriend caught me staring at our waitress's busom, which was a little distracting. She wasn't dressed inappropriately or anything, just looked very pretty.
Wonderful Evening
Reviewer: Dana Alexander from Santa Barbara CA
Had a great time at dinner. Excellent and attentive service and delicious food. It was my wife's birthday and they made it very special. Couldn't have been better.

Excellent waitstaff and amazing food
Reviewer: Nancy from Santa Barbara, CA
I attended a business dinner at Elements and was very impressed with the food and service. The bartender was very friendly and welcoming as soon as we entered the door. The wait staff was also very good and unobtrusive; I ordered the Tofu Stuffed Portobello Mushroom and it was excellent. The others at my table ordered the Halibut and Ahi; both of which were highly praised. While a bit on the pricey side for a casual dinner, Elements is definitely the place to go for a more formal occasion or a special night out. I would recommend this place to a friend.

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