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Arnoldi's Cafe
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
43 reviews for Arnoldi's Cafe
Review Highlights
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"And it's fun to watch the people play bocce ball." In 3 reviews -
"My mother has the veggie lasagna which was to die for." In 6 reviews -
"I loved the Calamari Fritti." In 7 reviews
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43 reviews in English
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Review from Kim V.
Santa Barbara, CA
4/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've been here twice, both times for a work dinner. This is a great place for a group of people.
After yummy appetizers of calamari and the caprese salad, I had Penne Filanti al Quattro. My was that rich, which should be expected if there are 4 cheeses!! Oh, and the mousse (talk about rich!!!)
The bocce ball was the best part. We had a blast! -
Review from Elizabeth K.
Santa Barbara, CA
4/16/2012
One of my favorite Italian places in town! Totally a hole-in-the-wall, with a bocce court (field? sandpit? what is that called?), a lovely outdoor patio, and good food.
Their selections are great, their staff seems friendly, and the atmosphere is both casual and nice. Seems like only locals go there and it feels very cozy and homey in the best way. I almost always get the gnocchi and it is soft and pillowy, with 3 sauces. Yum! -
Review from Sharon H.
Ventura, CA
3/25/2012
There were six of us last night (Saturday) for dinner, and we thoroughly enjoyed the lively atmosphere and friendly, upbeat service. Although there is a nice 'buzz', we had no trouble hearing each other in the packed dining room.
The wine was good and not pricey, same with the food. The service was timely and attentive. My boyfriend and I shared the arugula salad which was fresh and had a delightful lemony dressing. The seafood spaghetti was excellent and the tomato sauce was light and flavorful.
We are learning Italian in preparation for an upcoming trip to Italy, and the waiters will speak in Italian if you wish. Great fun. And I'm sure it will be even more fun once we learn more than 5 words!
We will most definitely look forward to going back soon. I actually would give Arnoldi's 3 and a half stars. Good atmosphere, service, and good, basic food, at very reasonable prices. -
Review from Kelly C.
San Francisco, CA
5/8/2012
Event planner Sara Pari is extremely unprofessional.
We had arranged to invite our wedding guests to play bocce ball, enjoy bites and beverages the day after our wedding (a Saturday). I had detailed email communication with Sara 8 months in advance - as dates book up quickly it's important to plan in advance.
When we scheduled a site visit with Sara the weekend we were in town, she was "sick" and couldn't meet us, although none of the staff seemed to have been expecting us and clearly had no idea what was going on. When I followed up with Sara to confirm the plans immediately after our site visit, she confirmed that we could reserve the patio for our group and even suggested that a deposit was not necessary.
Two months before the event I follow-up with Sara to re-confirm our plans. She has since booked a wedding on the same date, essentially double-booking us.
Arnoldi's looks like a great place for a group event, it's a shame we won't be able to enjoy it because of the lack of professionalism of their flaky planner. Just a warning to anyone trying to arrange an event with Arnoldi's - you'll need to be on top of everything yourself because in our experience the planner was completely out of the loop. -
Review from Richard S.
Sacramento, CA
4/15/2012
Great food, services, ambiance. No one is here by accident. Went friday night, packed. i got the Milanese di pollo, with pasta, really great. Dessert was a lemon tiramisu which was really unique. Their calamari was some of the best I've had. I will go back again and again. Service was great, friendly.
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Review from Rob V.
Santa Barbara, CA
4/15/2012
IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!! bocci ball was so fun and they even made my gnocchi exactly how i wanted (special request) thank you i cant wait to come back! was born and raised in santa barbara, this place is a true santa barbara gem!
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Review from Kohjay J.
Santa Barbara, CA
4/30/2012 14 Check-ins Here
Don't come here its my favorite place, I don't want you to ruin a local love of mine. Food Network, please stay away, this means you Samantha Brown, Guy, Tony, and others that have a wake of cameras following.....Ok I'll be nice. This is my hangout, this is my water'n hole, I Love this place. This is a cool old school Italian place that is off the beat n path, that you will soon love me for because your going to say "Damn that Kohjay is spot on with his reviews and this place is cool!" Yeah I know, thanks. Here is the lowdown. It's few blocks from State St, downtown and its a little gem that has been with us for a few decades. Back in the days its was an roadhouse cafe that served fine Italian food, and wild game that was hunted in the hills behind us. Old sandstone blocks and retro (their the real deal) 7up signs, red neon light, is the make up of the building outside. Inside is the cozy atmosphere that will make you feel like your in SB's past. Outside is great patio with huge fire place and grill, and every ones favorite the Boccie courts. Check em out their pretty cool. Here is what you do, call for a reservation and if its you and yours ask for a booth, their romantic. Show up a half hour early for your reservation and have a coctail with the best bartender in town Willie Gilbert, and for crying out loud order a proper coctail, no fu-fu drinks here. After being seated, I suggest ordering the fried calamari with spicy marinara sauce its the best in town, and you will see why as just about every table in the place will have an order. Try any of the salads, I like the house salad best. Or try the charcuterie plate its a blast to have at the bar with some wine. I love all the dishes here but my fav and old standby is the spaghetti with meatballs. The carbanara is great, aslo the pork chop is amazing. I have had great luck with the specials here too. You will not leave hungry. Enjoy a romantic evening with your other and at the end if you have room for it, stop by the bar again for a night cap. Crack a few jokes with the bartender, call a cab and hit the nightlife! That's how you do it folks. If you missed all this then come back again, also try their brunch or lunch. But like I said at the top, don't come here its my favorite place, lol! Cheers!
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Review from Evelyn G.
Santa Barbara, CA
3/11/2012 Seated via OpenTable 5 Check-ins Here
We went to Arnoldi's recently and the whole restaurant was packed (several large parties were seated). I called earlier in the afternoon and they told me that the first available table for 3 was at 8:30. I then decided to try to book through Yelp using Open Table. We managed to obtain a table @7:30. Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were seated before people who had been waiting over an hour. I suggest, if the restaurant is busy, to book through Yelp (Open Table). We got lucky and sat in a booth. The service was fast. The food was tasty. They also serve a wonderful breakfast on the weekends.
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Review from Emily H.
10/25/2011
I came to Santa Barbara in September for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I was looking for a good carbo-load dinner the night before the walk and discovered Arnoldi's on foursquare! There were a lot of great reviews and the pictures looked cool so we tried it.
Man oh man was it good! We sat outside by the bocce ball courts and had a great time watching people attempt to play. The wine was delicious and the food was perfectly portioned. I stuck to spaghetti and meatballs and the pasta tasted very fresh. My mother has the veggie lasagna which was to die for.
They have a pizza oven outside as well as a fire pit in the center. There were quite a few large tables with big parties getting ready for the walk so I'll definitely come back here with my team. I'd highly recommend this place for a family gathering or casual, yet delicious, meal. -
Review from Helen P.
San Francisco, CA
4/22/2012
Arnoldi's isn't fancy or pretentious. It's a charming, old-fashioned, friendly place that serves excellent food at very reasonable prices. Their fried calamari is light & delicious, their grilled salmon simple and fresh, and their pasta dishes have real flavor---if the one with artichokes & sundried tomatoes is on the menu, do try it. The service is efficient & friendly. We sat indoors one night, in a booth, which was nice & cozy; on another night, we sat outside under a heat lamp, admiring the blooming trumpet & wisteria vines & enjoying the enthusiasm of the bocce players. It was lively but not raucous---just the perfect environment to enjoy food cooked with respect and love.
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Review from Joan D.
Port Hueneme, CA
12/29/2011
Went to Arnoldi's for a late lunch on a Friday, so the place wasn't packed. It was a nice day, so we sat in the patio out back. Pretty setting, and they have 2 bocce courts, but we didn't play because it was pretty quiet & we didn't want to ruin the ambiance. Maybe on a weekend!
Food was good - the house salad was really good - just nice, fresh, and tasty. Service was good, especially since I think there was only one waiter for the whole place while we were there.
I'd like to go back & try brunch.
Nice place! -
Review from T W.
Berkeley, CA
6/29/2011
We had an interesting experience.
First, this place feels like a Tony Soprano italian restaurant, but it also has the feel of something a little more nouveau.
My dining companion ordered just the pasta and marinara. In the world of Italian pasta, noodles in marinara are as basic as it gets. What could go wrong?
We don't know...uh... was it a summer intern? Busy night? power outage? someone plain forgot the pot? Al dente became al squishy. And inedible. Simple dish folks.
So her uneaten dish was picked up by the busboy. Take home? No thanks. But no follow up. Waitress came by, and asked the perfunctory how is everything and we just politely said "fine." Luckily the chef came out later. What happened? I want to know. Can we make you a new dish. No thanks, we're traveling, no place to keep it. Can I get you something else? We're not so hungry anymore (I had the clam linguini which my partner picked at) . How about a dessert, on the house? Tiramisu. Sure. That would be just fine.
So in the end, we didn't have to pay for that marinara dish, and they gave us a decent tiramisu on the house. They were apologetic, and seemed genuinely concerned about our experience. And that's all good. -
Review from Nancy E.
Santa Ana, CA
1/3/2012 Seated via OpenTable
The service at this place was beautiful, made me feel like I was a queen, or duchess, or a you tube celebrity. Very nice and cozy, they have a bocce ball thing set up in the outdoor area, unfortunately there were too many children when we were there, completely destroying the romance ambience. The children! Just awful- made me wanna go out and get my tubes tied. The food was fine. I had over cooked salmon that came with some flavorless pasta, but I sorta like overcooked salmon, my BF had delicious gnocchi. I shoulda had the gnocchi. Would I come here again? Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't, I'm mysterious that way. Except, now that I think about it there's like a thousand other places on state street, with equally good if not better Italian food. So I guess, no- I would not come back here again, except to maybe steal their waitstaff.
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Review from matt g.
Healdsburg, CA
12/5/2011
This old time unpretentious place serves up a decent honest plate of food made well and tasty. We enjoy Italian food and have visited several other places in town and this has the best combination of atmosphere and food. We started with the Calamari which were moist, tender and abundant. I had the veal , wife had gnocchi, great wine list and service was attentive without being hovering.All in all I will return to this place simply because it is simple, the ambiance is perfect, and the food is authentic. enough said.
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Review from Jade T.
Santa Barbara, CA
4/11/2011
I really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere was really beautiful as well.
Sadly, I did not have a very good waiter at the time.
She was short with us and mostly unwilling to do her job in a polite way. When we asked her for a recommendation, she shrugged her shoulders. I found the other waiters to be friendly and helpful.
The experience would have much better if she had maybe stayed home that evening instead.
The food, most importantly was amazing and really made the rest of the evening. I had the 4 cheeses pasta with pancetta and a very nice bottle of wine, I was very happy with that! -
Review from Alias F.
Santa Barbara, CA
10/31/2011
I so wanted to like this place....first let me say that the food was good..in fact, my husband loved his pasta dish. The service was dismal though. We waited five minutes before having to look for someone to seat us....it was Sunday brunch and the place was empty. We asked to be seated outside and then waited another five minutes before the same waiter came out to bring us menus. There was one other table outside and two other tables full of dirty dishes that were never cleaned the entire time we were there - which certainly didn't add to the atmosphere.
The waiter acted like he would rather had been somewhere else...when asked was he would recommend for brunch, he said, "I don't normally work mornings," letting us know that he did not want to be there and it showed in the service or lack there of.
I know after working for years in the restaurant biz, how hard it is to run a restaurant but the management here is asleep on the job. If your staff doesn't care about your place, why should your customers?
Again, a real disappointment. -
Review from Andrea T.
Napa, CA
4/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good spot....Nice menu selections.
Excellent service. Nice atmosphere.
Cute building. Very local place. And it's fun to watch the people play bocce ball...
I can't give it 5 because in SF it would be just ok...but for SB - it's perfect. -
Review from Stephen F.
Santa Barbara, CA
12/4/2011
Unfortuantley of all the Italian Restaurants in town, we made the mistake of eating at Arnoldi's last night. There were four of us. One from Italy. First, do not make the mistake of sitting in the booths. We felt crowded, the seats were bare wood with no cushions and very hot. We had to ask our waiter twice for water before he brought us any. DO NOT order anything that has a red sauce. It tasted like canned tomato. When the waiter asked us how everything was, three of us asked him if the red sauce was from a can and he said no. There was no apology, no offering to at least give us a free coffee or dessert (at that point we just wanted to get out of the place anyway).
There are so many excellent Italian restaurants in Santa Barbara. Do not make the mistake of going there. -
Review from Nathaniel M.
Ben Lomond, CA
Updated - 6/21/2011
Still love this place! Went again this last week, twice. The atmosphere is so friendly and the environment totally caters to groups. We always seem to start with pints of Peroni at the bar and then there is the inevitable drifting to the dinner tables outside under the heat lamps and late night bocce. Say you are having people come together for a celebration and they all do not really know each other that well, Arnoldi's is the place to go. The food is good, the drink options are endless, and bocce makes everyone more comfortable in interacting and starting up conversation. Be sure to make friends with your bartender/server because they really know how to help you have a great time! Thanks again Arnoldi's.
Listed in: Restaurants to Revisit
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/3/2009
Love this place. The staff is great and the atmosphere is comfortable. Any night of the week you can… Read more »
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Review from Meghan P.
9/9/2008
Great place to grab a drink with friends! I haven't tried much of the food so I will skip reviewing that but I love Arnoldi's! The inside bar is nice and simple and the vodka gimlets are delicious. Then, you head outside to the even cooler garden. The dirt bocce ball courts are super fun and usually available to play on. I wish San Francisco had nice bocce courts! The garden is also gorgeous with vines, flowers, and great setting for eating an italian meal or drinking an italian drink...
My friends' band used to play here fairly regularly. They would set up outside which was the perfect location because there was also a great area for dancing! All of our friends would come and dance to their Violent Femmes or other fun tunes and a lot of the families and young children got excited about the dance floor too. So fun!Listed in: Tourist Paradise (aka Santa…
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Review from Ella B.
Los Olivos, CA
7/1/2009
I guess I have to say that I expected more about the food based on the reviews. It's a really cute and locals kind of place, so I def. dig that about it.
Walked in on a Friday night, no reservations, but it was only a 15 min wait. I started out at the bar with a "premium" vodka cocktail ($9).
Was seated and we ordered the calamari and the tiger shrimp appetizers. For entrees I ordered the clam spaghetti with red sauce and my friend ordered a 22 oz steak and we each had a glass of the chianti something...
I have to say that the calamari was good. and a HUGE portion, probably enough for 4 or 5 people to share.
The tiger shrimp was more of a "salad" as these tiny things came on a bed of some sort of lettuce with a side of cocktail sauce? But the shrimp looked like they were sauteed... lots of shrimp, but not so good. eh.
the spaghetti was good, but also a huge portion. I wouldn't say it was anything super tasty, a step or two up from Olive Garden. I didn't find that it tasted all that "authentic" and I think I am able to replicate at home. But the clams were fresh and so I was satisfied.
I can't speak for the steak b/c I didn't have any. One thing that I did find is that the service DEFINITELY leaves something to be desired. when my friend ordered the steak the server said it came with some sort of potato. what it really came with was penne pasta in a red sauce. like someone mixed some pasta with Ragu sauce. Not cool.
I can't remember the total bill but I remember it being pretty reasonable, maybe about $70?
Friday nights it looks like they have a singer and a guitarist for your musical pleasure. It is a good casual date night sort of place if you want to fill up and have a little fun.
I don't think I would call this "fine" dining, but overall, a good choice off of the State crowd.
ps: I did not check out the outside seating, wish I would have... but they have bocci ball which could make for some fun with friends. -
Review from Melissa P.
San Francisco, CA
7/22/2007
I debated between a 3 or 4 star rating, but I've just been disappointed the last few times I've eaten at Arnoldi's. Not to say that those experiences were bad; however, when I first started eating here about 5 years ago the food was AMAZING. The marinara and bolognese were to die for...I didn't know what they put in the sauce, but it was so similar to the sauces I've tasted in Italy. That being said, I think they must have changed chefs or something in the last year or two ago because the sauces seemed a little thicker and more generic. Also, they stopped including soup and salad with your entrees, which is a huge disappointment.
The thing to order here is the lasagne - this merits a five star rating in itself. I normally HATE lasagne because eateries usually overdo it with the ricotta cheese and sauce. Arnoldi's lasagne is a perfect heavenly blend of sauce, bolognese, and cheese. I always try to get something different besides the lasagne because my bf always gets it. But in the end I always get food jealousy and have to battle it out with him to get a forkful of the goodness. Their frutti di mare is also pretty darn good as well. And for you bread whores like me, Arnoldi's serves great bread prior to your meal. -
Review from Lee S.
Sonoma County, CA
6/16/2010
A+ service.
A+ casual atmosphere.
Oh, and get the Lasagna or the Gnocchi.
And play some Bocce Ball. -
Review from Marco I.
Goleta, CA
12/5/2007
Arnoldi's you deserve so much more then a 3 star
now i certainly understand that along with inflation we should expect to see an increase in prices- but why, why would you increase your prices and at the same time take away the soup and salad that the entrees used to come with- at the very least continue to provide one- but take away both and jack up costs, i say unacceptable sir
you still get the 3 stars because you have the absolute best lasagna in santa barbara- just hard to convince myself that it is still worth it
shame shame -
Review from Jennifer S.
Laguna Beach, CA
5/11/2011
Ask for Dimitri-- not only will you want to pinch his cheeks, he's so cute, but he's a great server. He led us through the wine list to a delicious valipolicella (sic), and when I asked him for something extra, he didn't flinch. I had it in my head that I was ordering chicken Marsala, but I was ordering chicken Milanese. So when I asked him for some picatta sauce, he said the kitchen would whip it up, no problem. Which they did, and it was delicious!! The bill was ridiculously reasonable, the martinis were off the charts ( and we drink a lot of martinis) -- make it a destination. And say hi to Dimitri for us. :)
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Review from Surfer H.
San Diego, CA
5/5/2008
The whining about the no bread and salad aside, Arnoldi's is THE best Italian in Santa Barbara. The lasagna is the gold standard. Looks heavy as heck, but is light as a feather. The calamari is to die for. Lightly breaded and fried, with that great marinara sauce.
The back patio is great during the summer time. Bocci ball court is readily available to use. A nice meal, followed by a glass of wine and a game, what could be better? -
Review from Alizabeth S.
Oxnard, CA
6/22/2011
I took my husband for Father's Day, and it was DELICIOUS!!! I had Ciabatta French toast and he had tri-tip that melted in your mouth. The atmosphere was really fun and friendly but still had a classy feel to it. I only had two complaints but they didn't kill it for me...one was that we were really excited to play bocce ball and there were like 10 little kids running around all over the place so we couldn't play. The other is that I ordered a SMALL TINY plate of a couple of noodles of pasta with butter for my 1 year old kid and the waiter seemed to understand. He brought out a giant bowl of pasta with butter on it and charged me $13. What? Oh well, I will still go back and hopefully get some bocce ball in!
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Review from valentin v.
Los Angeles, CA
10/3/2010
I use come here to eat when I was younger and the food was a lot better. My latest expierence was that the food was ok but the manager was a real d. Will ever go back.
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Review from Thiep N.
Aiea, HI
10/21/2008
I really enjoyed Arnoldi's. It has great food and a great atmosphere. There is an outdoor patio that absolutely beautiful. It also has Bacci ball where you can play with locals. If you are looking for a place to have a dinner with someone special, this would be it. Its a hidden Gem off of Olive away from State Street
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Review from Tiana T.
Los Angeles, CA
4/8/2009
The new chef, Paola, is AMAZING. Her cooking brings life to this restaurant. Prices are a bit high and the decor is a little dated, but the food is great and the portions are huge! I loved the Calamari Fritti!! The male staff dresses okay but I have a problem with the females wearing workout clothes to work....
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Review from lemonjelly l.
Santa Barbara, CA
4/6/2007 1 photo
Arnoldi's is my kind of "sports bar," meaning its patrons are the ones making the sport - with bocce ball! I love coming here after work in the spring and summertime. The back garden has linen covered tables under a wood arbor, there's a firepit and the bocce ball area.
They serve up tasty mojitos and dirty martinis, and their calamari appetizer is a fabulous deal to share with 1 to 2 other friends for about $11.
The atmosphere is both casual and dressy, I feel comfortable in either situation. Some would call their wooden booths quaint, and while they are picturesque, it can be slightly incomfortable if you or any of your group are tall. In all honestly, I have had one poor experience with a reservation, but the staff bent over backwards to accommodate for the misunderstanding. Mistakes happen, that's a fact of life, and I respect how they dealt with it.
I really like that Arnoldi's is set off the beaten path and has a very inviting family-owned atmosphere, yet is still very classy. -
Review from Cory T.
Goleta, CA
1/6/2011
The only good thing about Arnoldi's is that the drinks are so stiff you might forget about the insulting prices you paid to eat the over-priced slop they shoveled out there the night before. Nice building though.
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Review from geoffrey n.
Los Angeles, CA
9/28/2010
really great feel all around.
the "Goodfellas" bar has enough sincerity that it doesn't feel "put on" and certainly doesn't come across like a Disney set.
would love to come back some time to try out the intimate booths.
like many we sat out back beside the Bocce court.
our food was... adequate and i'd like to try another dish or two before i really form an opinion as i grew up with an italian grandmother who is amazing in the kitchen. -
Review from Jeffrey D.
Santa Barbara, CA
3/21/2010
That atmosphere alone is worth 5 stars but combining atmosphere with food quality i gave it 4 stars. The food is still good and worth the price. I have gone back several times and never been disappointed so they get an A+ on consistency. If you eat here the calamari is a must! The staff is very laid back and easy to communicate with. This is an excellent place for big groups, and families with kids who are looking for a place with good food but not a lot of snooty customers concerned about kids being kids.
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Review from T. D. M.
Palm Desert, CA
6/29/2010
Good, solid, basic Italian food. The staff are very friendly, and there's a great community feeling about the place. If you've never been, it's definitely worth a try.
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Review from kate t.
Chicago, IL
8/13/2010
Cute little restaurant with a great outdoor area. I love they have the outdoor seating in the back with a bocce court! They also have live music inside on weekends (one of my friends plays piano certain nights). The calamari is pretty good, and when we went for dinner, we got a decently priced bottle of wine (which is rare at a restaurant these days!). Wasn't blown away by the Italian food, but I'm from the New York area originally so Italian food is done a little differently there. Overall, I like Arnoldi's a lot and think it has a great atmosphere. Definitely recommend!
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Review from david c.
Santa Barbara, CA
10/22/2010
Wow, i've now lived in SB for about 6 months and this is still my favorite resturaunt. Anytime I have something to celebrate, or just want to stuff my face with the best Italian ive ever had, i'll head strait to Arnoldis. I took some friends there and from the time the food came until we were done there was VERY LITTLE talking because its just so good. The biggest down side is that you can never decide exactly what you want because everything is so good. Prices are also reasonable.
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Review from Volunteer G.
Santa Barbara, CA
6/12/2010
Very cute cafe, away from the the masses of State Street, great ambiance and service.
The food was amazing. The gnocchi just melted in your mouth, and the pesto sauce tasted like buckets of fresh basil into every bite. The lasagna was also amazing, we decided it was the way the meat just melted in your mouth. No overpowering ricotta, no overpowering tomato, just really good.
Love it! -
Review from Vonnie L.
Walnut Creek, CA
7/17/2007
Not a big fan of Italian food in general. Love Arnoldi's. Perhaps it's because every time I go I get the best treatment. Doesn't help that my boyfriend knows a couple of the owners, lives with a veteran server, and is friends with some of the staff. Food was great. Wine was better. got two huge italian sized goblets of red (not sure what kind because they were just kinda brought out to me without me even ordering them. I hear Arnoldi's likes to get people drunk. Not hard with a light weight diner like me). Me and the BF had a nice, long, 4 hour dinner. unrushed. uninterrupted (unless it was to bring more wine and food). when the back dining room was being closed we ushered ourselves to the front bar to enjoy more libations and good times with the bartender.
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Review from Mimi S.
Carpinteria, CA
10/27/2008
Nary a tourist in sight, so you know it's great from the get-go. Haven't been to Arnoldi's in years, but stopped in for a Sunday night dinner and will definitely add it back into the rotation. Sat in one of the retro wooden booths where you feel like you're having a tryst no matter how long you've been married. The place is so not full of itself, yet the service better than in most of SB's high profile eateries.
Had the handmade ravioli and it was divine. Finished up with panna cotta. The addition of chocolate and caramel around the edge of the dessert seemed a bit out of place but I finished every micro-bite. A faint hint of lemon in the panna cotta saved it from being too sweet .
Given the quality of the food, breadth of the menu and portion sizes (enough leftovers for a second meal), the $96 tab for two with drinks and dessert felt like a bargain. More old-school than Ca Dario, more basic than Emilio's, but a worthy comp to either of those restaurants.
