Editor's Choice

The Lark

The room that taught Santa Barbara how to share a table.

Restaurant · The Central Coast
Editor
9.5/10
Google · 3,100 · April 2026
4.6/5
Opened
2013, in the former Castagnola Bros. fish market
Chef
Jason Paluska (executive chef + partner)
Style
Family-style sharing plates, hyper-seasonal Californian
Source
Direct from local farms + Santa Barbara harbor
Rooms
Main dining room (loud), patio (quieter), private bookable space

Menu

I

Family-style supper

Sharing-plates menu — let the kitchen build it for the table. Around 5 courses, designed to feed 2-4.

$85 per night
II

À la carte

Each section of the menu (oysters / starters / pastas / mains / sides) ordered individually. Small plates work best for two.

$24 per night
III

Bar / patio

Walk-in bar seating with the full menu plus a few bar-only snacks. Easiest entry without a reservation.

$18 per night

Amenities

Free WiFi
Parking
Wheelchair accessible
Outdoor seating
On-site restaurant
Bar
Wine tastings
Reservations
Accepts credit cards
A decade on, it's still the room we reserve first when someone visits Santa Barbara.

Policies

Reservations
Strongly recommended via Resy; bar + patio walk-ins possible early evening
Hours
Tue–Sun dinner from 5pm; Brunch Sat–Sun 11am–2pm; closed Monday
Dress
Smart-casual; you won't feel out of place in jeans
Children
Welcome at all hours; kids menu on request
Corkage
$25 / 750ml, max 2 bottles; waived for SB County wines

In the area.

I

Validation Ale

Walk-in beer hall for a pre-dinner pint while you wait for the table.

1 block
II

Funk Zone wine trail

Margerum, Pali Wine Co., Au Bon Climat — make an afternoon of it.

Surrounding blocks
III

East Beach

A 7-minute walk for the post-dinner constitutional and ocean-air sober-up.

0.4 mi

Location

131 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
§ Also see

Other restaurants on the Central Coast.