One of the best things about Santa Barbara’s diverse culinary scene is its Mexican restaurants. From street-style tacos after a day at the beach or a cozy, intimate meal with refined dishes and cocktails, the city has a number of dining options, all within a few miles.
It is not unusual to see a line of hungry diners waiting outside a taco place, or catch a whiff of grilled carne asada near a popular Mexican restaurant.
With so many highly rated Mexican restaurants across the city, narrowing down some of the best ones can be challenging. However, locals will swear by some of their favorite dining spots. While opinions will differ on the best place, there are some restaurants that have built loyal followings over time.
Here are the nine best Mexican restaurants in Santa Barbara.
9. Sandbar Cocina y Tequila
Located in downtown, Sandbar Cocina y Tequila has become a staple among those looking for a lively atmosphere, along with delicious Mexican food and handcrafted specialty cocktails. Sandbar functions as a full-service restaurant by day, and by night, it transforms into a late-night destination with live music and dancing every day of the week. Established in 2006, Sandbar has revised its menu to offer fresh ceviche, homemade tortillas, and fresh margaritas.
8. Los Arroyos Mexican Restaurant
Los Arroyos Mexican Restaurant offers a traditional dining experience with its authentic, homemade food made fresh throughout the day. Family-owned and operated since 1999, the restaurant started out as a small retail space that later expanded to four more restaurants in California and Indiana. The atmosphere is casual and is a favorite among big groups and families. Some of the popular dishes include crab enchiladas, burrito mojado, Arroyo burrito, fajita burrito, chicken enchilada, shredded beef chimichanga, and mole enchiladas.
7. La Super-Rica Taqueria
A nostalgic staple in Santa Barbara, La Super-Rica Taqueria has been drawing crowds for decades, including Julia Child, who frequented the place when she lived in nearby Montecito. While the menu may seem simple, the long queues outside the restaurant prove that the food is worth waiting for. This landmark eatery in Santa Barbara continues to draw crowds with some of its iconic dishes, including the Julia Child Classic, Super Rica Especial, tacos de bistec, pork tacos, chorizo quesadilla, tri tip, and pork tamale.
6. Lilly’s Taqueria
A popular among locals for its street tacos, Lilly’s Taqueria has a no-frills setup that offers some of the best, affordable, authentic tacos. Lilly’s specializes in several meat varieties, offering options such as adobada (marinated pork), lengua (beef tongue), labio (beef lip), ojo (beef eye), and cachete (beef cheek), making it a must-visit destination for adventurous eaters. The salsa bar is a fan favorite, allowing customers to choose and add their own condiments to the tacos.
5. Santo Mezcal
Another concept by the team behind Los Agaves Restaurant, Santo Mezcal is located inside the Riviera Beach House and brings a fine-dining approach to Mexican cuisine, served with handcrafted cocktails. One of the most popular mezcal places in Santa Barbara, the restaurant offers a wide range of mezcal and tequila options. Some of the popular dishes that diners keep returning for include shrimp empanadas, ceviche verde, chorizo crab tacos, octopus tacos, and chile relleno.
4. Corazon Cocina
Located within the Santa Barbara Public Market, Corazon Cocina specializes in creative takes on street food-style tacos and ceviche and a refined approach toward Mexican cuisine, while maintaining its authenticity. Corazon Cocina started out as a pop-up project and enjoyed immense popularity, and eventually welcomed diners as a permanent restaurant in 2016. Led by Chef and Owner Ramon Velazquez, the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant ensures all items are made fresh using locally sourced ingredients.
3. Mony’s Mexican Food
Located in Funk Zone, Mony’s Mexican Food is a go-to place for Mexican food in the neighborhood since it opened its doors in 2013. While it may appear to be a small, unassuming restaurant, Mony’s has built a reputation for its innovative menu, salsa options, and tacos. Enjoying a 4.7 rating on TripAdvisor, Mony’s is known for its chicken mole enchilada, carne asada burrito, shrimp tacos, and al pastor burrito.
2. Los Agaves Restaurant
This family-owned restaurant is known for serving generous portions and vibrant flavors of Mexican food. Los Agaves Restaurant serves a variety of traditional Mexican dishes with a modern presentation. Diners appreciate the quick service, complimentary chips, and the salsa bar (which offers a range of salsas, cilantro, pico de gallo, and onions). In case the Milpas Street location is full, diners can explore the restaurant’s other locations at De La Vina Street and Goleta.
1. East Beach Tacos
Known for serving gourmet-style beach tacos, East Beach Tacos on Milpas Street delivers what its name suggests: fresh, flavorful tacos. The restaurant has a casual, open-air, and relaxed vibe and enjoys a 4.6 rating on Yelp and a 4.8 rating on TripAdvisor. Some of the popular dishes are fish tacos, Santa Barbara tacos, spicy crispy shrimp, carne asada tacos, and crispy poke tacos.
Santa Barbara’s Mexican food options deliver on all fronts. Whether you’re looking for a quick grab or a fancy late-night Mexican restaurant to hang with friends, these restaurants reflect the diversity in the city’s culinary scene.
Also Read
- Strawberries Take Center Stage At 40th Annual California Strawberry Festival
- New Roman-Style Pizza Spot Pegaslice to Open in Goleta This Summer
- 10 Best Breweries in Santa Barbara for the Perfect Pint
- Best Santa Barbara Restaurants for Mother’s Day Deals and Special Menus in 2026
- Beloved Santa Barbara Hot Dog Spot Dave’s Dogs Expands to Ventura With New Location
Playa Azul has my vote. The best margaritas!
That place sucks, one level above Taco Bell.
Nah dude. That is some weird taste. It’s not the best food by far and is very much “touristy” as in overly expensive and mediocre, but as a place to hang out for a drink and ambience it is one of the tops.
For a drink sure, but for food, so many superior options in this town.
Yeah, Playa is great. Classic, long-standing spot with a great atmosphere and excellent food. Little taco stands are a dime a dozen.
BASIC – you’ve never eaten at them so why even pretend to compare?
I love Playa Azul, but street tacos off stands have all blown their pastor and carnitas away by miles.
Surprised Carlito’s isn’t on here too. Playa and Carlitos are far older and more “local” than some of these.
Dude, Playa doesn’t even make pastor or carnitas. Go there sometime or look it up.
BASIC – look at you crying! Granted, I haven’t been there to eat in years, but their menu has changed. I am pretty certain I have had carnitas there at some point over the past at least almost 50 years I can recall going there with family and on lunch breaks back in the day.
More importantly, it’s really irrelevant to my point that those taco stands have better tasting tacos (of any kind) than I’ve had there.
Looks like your wannabe “gotcha” is yet another in a long list of failures for you.
Maybe more people would like the place if they served pork other than chile verde for the boring tourists.
All of these are great spots! However, the best pastor taco I’ve ever had is, and always has been, the ones at the pop up taco stands with the red tents on lower State and out by Target in Goleta. Hands down. Crispy but still tender, full of flavor, and topped with fresh pineapple deftly flung with the tip of a knife off the top of the trompo (the rotating cone of sweet, delicious, meaty joy) directly onto the awaiting and yes, “illegal,” taco!
Please keep posting the locations of these culinary scoundrels! I’m dying for another steamy and forbidden bite!
we’ll all help pay for your montezumas revenge.
RUBY/Frank – no need to. I’ve never been sick from those nor do I know anyone who frequents them more than I do who has gotten sick. Worry more about a certain local Chinese restaurant, a well known spot on State and a few other “local classics” that have either given me full on food poisoning or have kitchens full of rats, mold and spoiled food that I’ve seen with my own eyes during the years of work in the industry I did my 20s.
ruba worrying and crying about things that don’t even affect him. That is what these sick-0 repuglicans do these days. Cry and whine and moan about E V E R Y T H I N G.
Says someone with a serious case of diarrhea of the mouth.
Welp, at least they got East Beach Tacos right…
So many great local spots missing from this “List”. Who wrote this?!!
Give me an El Sitio alambres any day, or absolutely anything from La Unica or Maiz Picante…. both standouts.
That’s the best thing about these lists, they’re subjective. I think El Sitio is just ok but really like Super Cucas. Happy they left out the tourist traps like Carlitos.
Carlitos has been great and VERY affordable (for a State St. place) for decades. Sure, it’s touristy but only because of the location which hasn’t changed since I was a kid. Food, prices and definitely the service are top notch.
I like El Sitio. I want to like Cucas, but I don’t. I cannot eat burritos (wheat), so I cannot judge based on burritos anymore. I generally judge by Alambres or tacos. I like El Zarape for Alambres. I also used to love Carlitos Mole, but it’s been a minute.
Glad you left out undiscovered Cristinos in Goleta. The flavors are fantastic, prices are low. How do they do it? The are takeout only, so lower overhead. And they have a dual operation by also have a bakery with a wide assortment of goods, including croissants that rival Reynaud’s. Check them out just off of Hollister on Entrance Road (near-ish the airport.) S–h-h-h don’t tell anyone.
INFO – ssshhhh!!! We found that gem years ago. SO GOOD. Birria on the weekends is the best I’ve had anywhere. Yes, I’ve tried a lot of birria around town and always go back to Cristino’s for the best!
…”Breakfast Served All Day…”?
https://www.cristinosbakery.com/menus
Says the address is 170 Aero Camino, Goleta, CA 93117
Yes! And there pastries and bread for the tortas are amazing too!
*their….. was so excited I spelled it wrong!