Augie's of Santa Barbara

"Stumble upon this place in the middle of the fiesta and absolutely loved the drinks, food and service were outstanding! Specially given how busy they were on a Saturday night! Kuddos to the management!! The seafood enchiladas were to die for! Watermelon drink was yummy but a bit too sweet, everything else was perfect! I’ll definitely be back"

"Came here to visit with the military liberty center. It was about 1115 when I stumbled by this place and decided to check it out. I ordered the Tetela Tinga, Augie's Reserve Flight, and a Tequila Sunrise (tasty)! They opened at 1100, I believe, and it was not crowded. Service and food were good. Depending on what you want, it can and will be expensive."

"If you value high-quality ingredients and immense attention to detail, then Augie's is the right place for you. I'll confidently say that the best meal I've eaten in Santa Barbara was here. I was really impressed by how intentional everything is at this restaurant. Everything from the decor, to the wait-staff, to the food and drink itself. You know that the chef and owner have spent countless hours going through every single little thing and it shows! I don't think the other reviews are a fair representation of this establishment, and to me, indicates that they don't understand luxury. Luxury to me means choosing the highest quality ingredients, extreme attention to detail, and memorable customer service, something that Augie's exemplifies. Could not recommend more if you're looking for fine dining on State St."

"I really have little clue why people were disappointed in Augie's. It is, of course, a new restaurant and there are a few kinks to be worked out but absolutely nothing that would interfere with the dining experience. The ambience was beautiful and the food was absolutely delicious. They were doing a $75 fixed menu with a selection from 4 courses and I was pleasantly surprised with every dish. I started off with the tuna tiradito which was fresh, succulent, and beautifully presented. My fiancée had the pork belly. The pork belly was delicious and rich with a great crust and it went incredibly with their Spanish Gin + Tonic. The gin they use is super aromatic and delicious. Of course, I had to try some tequila out of their 300+ selections and, believe me, I'll be back to try more. The server was super helpful in navigating my options and recommending tequilas at different price points. I had a Llamalo which is a marg where you can select the tequila and you just pay the 2 oz price which I thought was really clever. I got the Tapatio tequila because I was looking for something a little less expensive and it came out to $12. The second course was probably my favorite. I had the gobernador {shrimp} taco. It was cooked to perfection and I haven't had a better taco in my life. My date had the octopus taco which was incredible texturally and very rich flavor-wise. My main dish was a carne asada and it blew me away just as much as everything else. For dessert, I had the jericalla which was presented beautifully with a little sugar globe on top. By the end, I was stuffed and was sent warmly on my way. I have told everyone in earshot about Augie's ever since. I wonder why some reviews have been negative because this is fresh, delicious food authentic to Guadalajara. I don't know if others expected burritos/ enchiladas but I don't think they would be so shocked by the price if they were walking into a fine dining French/Italian joint. I can't wait to go back and see what more they come up with in the future."

"This place is way too expensive for what you get. $160 for two drinks, churros, Mac, bone marrow and chicken tingy. I was excited to try this place but once I saw the plate put in front of me I thought it was a mistake. Was this a small appetizer or the 30 dinner portion?!? Mac had very little flavor and was the biggest disappointment. Bone marrow was good but nothing special. Chicken tingy also had no flavor and only one for that price. Fries had great flavor, shocking because nothing else did. But they were all the bottom fries it seemed. You know the small crumb pieces. Churros were basic. The chocolate sauce was good. But the other sauce I’m guessing was supposed to be caramel but was not fully done. Tasted like sugar water. Orange bliss I think it was call was my drink tasted like a la croix with a hint of tequila. Margarita was my gf drink and was ok. Overall do not was your time going here unless you are bored and want to waste money."