The Most Anticipated Santa Barbara Restaurant Openings for 2025

Ospi Montecito opens this spring. | Wonho Frank Lee One of LA’s most popular smash burger operators and a fine-dining spot from the Loreto crew are set to hit SB and Montecito As the weather warms up (hopefully soon) and road trips beckon, the Santa Barbara shore is ready for its close-up. Few Angelenos need an excuse to trek two hours north of Los Angeles to Santa Barbara.

A California destination jewel, Santa Barbara is inarguably one of the state’s most popular coastal regions, with good reason: The always-bustling State Street, wine tasting rooms set into beautiful Spanish-style buildings, and freshly caught seafood among them. In 2025, a slate of fresh openings is lined up for Santa Barbara, tony Montecito, college kid haven Goleta, and the surrounding areas. Since late 2024, Santa Barbara has seen some stellar new projects debut or reopen, like French bistro Bar Lou and the extensive renovation to Stearns Wharf’s longstanding Harbor Restaurant.



Below is a round-up of what’s coming to the American Riviera.If you somehow require further persuasion as to why Santa Barbara is a fantastic getaway right now, check Eater’s Santa Barbara 24-hour guide or essential Santa Barbara restaurants map.Santa BarbaraDom’s TavernaProjected Opening: Early JuneMajor Players: Chef Dom Crisp, Raj NallapotholaFormer Lonely Oyster chef Dom Crisp and partner Raj Nallapothola describe Dom’s Taverna as “an unapologetically Basque restaurant for locals” that’s focused on Crisp’s obsession with local seafood and his charcoal wood-fired imported Josper oven from Spain.

He’ll prepare an all-day menu that might include smoked local mussels, fish caught from the adjacent Channel Islands, and crowd-pleasing favorites from Crisp’s long career. The partners are revamping the former Trattoria Vittoria, which used to be Pasqual’s. The bar has a full liquor license and throwbacks from Crisp’s shuttered Pasadena restaurant, Saso.

The Window Projected Opening: MayMajor Players: Paul Hibler and Jeff GoodmanIf all goes without a hitch, the Window will open in Downtown Santa Barbara in May, blocks away from the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. The smash burger specialist got its start during the early days of the pandemic as a takeout window in American Beauty, a Venice steakhouse. The spot’s cheeseburgers, fries, and fried chicken sandwiches are some of Los Angeles’s favorites — heavier mains easily balanced by the addition of a grain bowl or lemony kale salad.

The Window already has locations in the Grove, Venice, Long Beach, Silver Lake, and Hollywood. The Win~Dow The spread at the Window. MarisellaProjected Opening: JulyMajor Players: Two-time Michelin-starred chef Danny GrantChicago’s Maple and Ash chef Danny Grant will introduce Marisella this summer in Santa Barbara.

The restaurant’s name translates to “star of the sea” — it will take space inside the picturesque Ritz-Carlton Bacara. No doubt that the spot will be stunning, as the Ritz-Carlton Bacara is situated on the Pacific Ocean. Grant will serve a crowd-pleasing Coastal Italian menu.

Studio K Creative Rendering for Marisella restaurant in Santa Barbara. MontecitoBogavanteProjected Opening: Early 2026Major Players: Alejandro Marin, Lena Kohl, and chef Paco MoranLos Angeles’s Loreto crew will introduce their next project in early 2026, Bogavante. The new restaurant will be located less than one mile away from Montecito’s popular pizzeria Bettina in the former Stella Mare’s Bistro space (the locally loved, nearly three-decade-old Montecito restaurant ran its last service on New Year’s Eve 2024).

Bogavante should be a true Loreto special — chef Paco Moran helms the menu and architect-designer Lena Kohl will develop the indoor and outdoor design, which is set to include a greenhouse. As he did at Loreto, Moran’s menu will have plenty of seafood and meats cooked over fire, this time with a mesquite wood-burning grill.Little MountainProjected Opening: July 2025Major Players: Chef Joel Viehland, Eva Schreier, and Graham DuncanNoma and Gramercy Tavern chef Joel Viehland’s Little Mountain will open in Montecito’s Upper Village in July with his wife and business partner, Courtney Smith.

The James Beard-nominated chef took over the former Montecito Wine Bistro and will procure wines, produce, and seafood from local operators committed to sustainability. The menu is sure to please those living close by — which could easily be Oprah Winfrey or Meghan Sussex, both of whom call Montecito home. Matthew Kang Scallop sashimi at Nobu.

Nobu at Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa BarbaraProjected Opening: 2025Major Players: Chef Nobu MatsuhisaWhat else is there to say about Nobu? With 50 worldwide locations by celebrated chef Nobu Matsuhisa already in existence, the next outpost of his namesake restaurant will open at the Four Seasons in 2025, bringing with it its storied miso black cod, yellowtail jalapeño sashimi, spicy tuna crispy rice, and more.Ospi MontecitoProjected Opening: May 2025Major Players: Chef Jackson and Melissa KalbChef Jackson Kalb will add a fourth location for Ospi, but this time not remotely close to his Brentwood, Venice, and Costa Mesa outposts. Ospi Montecito will reside in the Post Montecito shopping center this spring.

As for the menu, think Italian peninsula with pasta made by Kalb’s crew, thin pizzas, branzino, and pork secreto with an excellent wine and cocktail lineup.TydesProjected Opening: 2025Major Players: Chef Thomas Keller and billionaire Ty WarnerDirectly across the street from Four Seasons, chef Thomas Keller will take over food and beverage operations at the beachside restaurant Tydes at the Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club — a legendary private club in the area that caters to the Four Seasons’ clientele — this year. No word yet on the type of cuisine.

Photo by Michael Caulfield/WireImage Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club..