Category: Bars & Lounges

Last weekend my boyfriend and I were desperate to find a new and exciting place to eat. Considering we had tried almost every place in Santa Barbara, we decided to venture out into Carpinteria. After attempting to go to a recommended breakfast joint (and finding a note on the door telling us that the family was in Canada for the week!), we eventually stopped at a Mexican place called Cabos Baja Grill and Cantina. What first drew me to this restaurant was the huge outdoor patio (and yes, the pitchers of margaritas at the tables influenced our decision a bit…) and let me say that I definitely wasn’t disappointed. In fact, we loved it.

The place was pretty laid back. You can order your food and drinks up front and they will bring everything out to your table. The woman at the register was really friendly and seemed to know all the locals that came in. I always find this to be a good sign – they gotta be coming back for a reason right?! They have a chips and salsa bar to hold you over until you get your food and I thought the salsa was really delicious and fresh.

After looking over the HUGE menu, I decided on the carne asada nachos and my boyfriend decided on a burger and tri tip baked beans. My nachos were amazing – probably the best I’ve ever had (seriously). The BF loved his food as well (although he was picking at mine the whole time!). The amount I ordered was enough to feed three people and I could definitely see myself coming back with a big group of friends. Just as we were leaving, we saw a big group of parents bike up with their kids in tow. They settled in at two tables, crayons and coloring books at one table and nachos and drinks at the other. They had the right idea for a beautiful sunny afternoon and I definitely will be joining them next weekend.

There is one bar I can never get sick of in Santa Barbara. I think it is the only place I feel totally content sitting alone on a Monday evening drinking a glass of wine or dancing away on a weekend with crowds of people.

The James Joyce is a great Irish bar with friendly bartenders, giant peanut barrels and awesome local bands. Most nights out of the week, you can find a variety of “Big Band” type musicians playing at the Joyce. My personal favorite is the Saturday night standard, Ulysses S. Jazz. This group is made up of older, mostly retired musicians playing every instrument under the sun.

One of the eldest of the group plays the trombone, piano, saxophone all at once while often putting them down to sing! Don’t be fooled by the “No Dancing” sign on the wall because I often see swing dancers twirling away to this band. Many of the members of Ulysses S. Jazz play with other Joyce groups during the week, switching instruments and bringing in different local singers to accompany them. While you listen to the bands, you can play pool or darts or chat up the bartenders, most of which are from Ireland. You can check out the full musical lineup at www.thejamesjoyce.com. Make sure you check them all out. I guarantee you’ll have a great time and if not, your pint is on me – you can usually find me at the table closest to the peanuts.