Rustic and beautiful. Feels like time froze for a moment. Generous pours and friendly service.

Harry's is an institution in Santa Barbara, and while I was only introduced a year ago, I have been no less than five times and have enjoyed every experience. This restaurant and bar emanates old school charm through its large red leather booths, polished wood fixtures, portrait lined walls, and classic cocktails. If you're drinking, it is probably best to Uber, taxi, or plan for a long stroll post-meal as the drinks are large and strong. The food is what you would expect at a bar, nothing extraordinary but solid, reliable, and tasty.

Once a longtime resident of Santa Barbara, I had never set foot inside of Harry's Plaza Cafe. What a wonderful restaurant and experience. Our party was the 50-year reunion of our 1974 graduating class from Our Lady of Guadalupe School. Invitations were sent, but only seven arrived. Still, the management set up for 24 (see pic), and set us up so that it was easier for the restaurant to convert tables back for other patrons. The ambience was perfect, an old-time feel for a reunion. The food was mixed; my wife hated the ravioli, but I liked the open-faced turkey sandwich. Others enjoyed the French Dip sandwich. Harry's allowed us to bring in a cake from Gelson's to celebrate our reunion. Harry's stored it in the refrigerator and even cut it for us. Overall, the service was superb. There is ample free parking outside in the Loreto Plaza parking lot. We parked and spent 45 minutes at Chaucer's Bookstore before walking over to Harry's for our reservation.

Harry's Cafe is one of those staple Santa Barbara restaurant. The atmosphere is great and the food is amazing. I had a nice delicious steak and the desert was equally as good. I would give it 6 stars and plus a Michelin Star . There really is not any other restaurant in town that resembles Harry's.

My mom and I always love to come to Harry's, it is a Santa Barbara staple! We went to dinner last night and split the beef dip and it was really good, as usual. Sometimes the meat can be a little fatty, but this time it was perfect. It's a good size, so it's definitely big enough to split. The service was impeccable and our waitress was amazing (I wish I had gotten her name but she has been there forever), super attentive, fast, and friendly! They put so much meat on the beef dip, my mom couldn't finish her half so she got a to-go box. When we got home we realized we accidentally left our leftovers at the restaurant. My boyfriend went back to Harry's to try and retrieve them, but unfortunately the food had been thrown away. As my boyfriend was leaving, the chef came out and told him he would re-make the sandwich since the left overs had been tossed out. I couldn't believe they went out of their way to do that for us, they definitely went above and beyond! They re made the entire sandwich and even included fries, and the au jus to go! That was so kind of them, thank you so much Harry's!

While in Santa Barbara we stopped at Harry's for dinner and cocktails. We missed the 4:00 reservation cut off so we had to wait about ten minutes for a table (I would have preferred a booth) but they were all being used or reserved. Our waitress was friendly, large dining areas, and the walls were covered with people and places of the pass. The restaurant atmosphere felt historic. Maybe it was the lighting, maybe it was the style of the booths, but it gave me the feeling of the Al Capone era. The food was good the drinks were better but I would definitely like to try more of their food selection in the near future. 2023(35)

Just recently stopped by to watch the SF/LA game and it was awesome! I didn't realize that the bar wraps around to the back which is pretty neat! Great service, vintage vibes, the best bar neighbors you could ask for! People around me were ordering food and it looked so damn delicious but I had just ate. I had a great time and it was especially great because SF beat LA 15-0! And to the cook and waiter who were coming out from the back intermittently to cheer for SF... you're both a couple of bad@$$e$ who deserve a raise! Haha! Cheers! I will definitely be back!

I'm a Santa Barbara native and I can't explain why haven't been to Harry's more than 4 times. The menu is diverse, so something for everyone. I enjoy trying a favorite item at different restaurants in order to find the best. Yesterday's experiment included a patty melt and coleslaw. I'm very picky about both! I was not disappointed like I had been previously at other restaurants. The patty was perfectly seasoned and cooked, the onions were well caramelized, the American cheese I chose was nice and melted, the rye bread I chose was perfectly creoles and fresh. Every bite was pure comfort. The coleslaw was finely shredded and seasoned just right without too much of a vinegary taste. Next time (and there will be) I may add some of the coleslaw goes into the sandwich. It was a happy lunch in a happy atmosphere. The beautiful red booths provide comfort and privacy so you can't watch what your neighbors are eating. The staff are very attentive and accommodating. The prices are not inflated like most places are doing now. The portions are big enough for me to split for some take home. Now let me tell you about the Cobb salad my friend ordered. I am 72 and have seen a lot of salads. I literally gasped when the server brought it out. The ingredients were fresh, diverse, tasty, and perfectly prepared. My friend had to take half of it home which she enjoyed that night. My description is better viewed in the attached picture. Another little perk which is my friend's lifelong favorite is the sourdough bread and salsa/pico de gallo they and cream cheese they serve when you sit down. If a server forgets, ask for it. Delicious! Take a load off and enjoy a delicious meal in a classic restaurant reminiscent of old Hollywood.