A diner from Los Angeles
Dec 12, 2007
Various online reviews led us to believe that Bouchon was among the best restaurants in Santa Barbara. What a disappointment! Our party of five left agreeing Bouchon in Santa Barbara is subpar on every level.
There's nothing special about the location, decor, service, or food. It's an ordinary retail space with 8' ceiling and peach colored walls. Inexpensive poster art hangs on the walls. Hard wooden chairs are the only seating - no booths. The dim lighting is the only "atmosphere". The only thing that was upscale was the prices.
Service was exceptionally slow. It took well over an hour for our entrees, even though it was a quiet Tuesday night. One dish (salmon) had to be redone, which took an additional 25 minutes.
The worst part was the food. The NY steak was tough and hard to cut. The salmon had to be done twice, and was rejected twice. First time it was dry/overcooked, then served seared/raw. The "molten chocolate cake" I've read about is tiny -- smaller than a cupcake!
Overpriced and overrated, Bouchon is not recommended.
There's nothing special about the location, decor, service, or food. It's an ordinary retail space with 8' ceiling and peach colored walls. Inexpensive poster art hangs on the walls. Hard wooden chairs are the only seating - no booths. The dim lighting is the only "atmosphere". The only thing that was upscale was the prices.
Service was exceptionally slow. It took well over an hour for our entrees, even though it was a quiet Tuesday night. One dish (salmon) had to be redone, which took an additional 25 minutes.
The worst part was the food. The NY steak was tough and hard to cut. The salmon had to be done twice, and was rejected twice. First time it was dry/overcooked, then served seared/raw. The "molten chocolate cake" I've read about is tiny -- smaller than a cupcake!
Overpriced and overrated, Bouchon is not recommended.
