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Roy, Santa Barbara, CA

Roy

3.5
3.5
440 Reviews
$30 and under
Contemporary American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Hot spot
In business for more than 30 years, Roy is a bistro-style, Americana restaurant with a frequently changing, handwritten menu. We strive to serve unpretentious cuisine of the highest quality. We use mostly certified organic produce from the local Santa Barbara Farmers Market, free range chicken and Harris Ranch hormone free beef. We bake our own bread, hand roll our pastas and make all of our desserts in house. Our ambiance is retro moderne California casual, and we have rotating art shows that run for a month and a half at a time. Live music once in a while. Full bar all the time.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, Comfort Food
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sun 6:00 pm–11:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (805) 966-5636
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Roy Gandy
  • Private party facilities
    Private dining room for up to 20 people with no room charge.
  • Neighbourhood
    Santa Barbara
  • Cross Street
    State St.
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Entertainment
    Different styles of music.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 440 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.5
3.5 based on recent ratings
  • 3.7Food
  • 3.3Service
  • 3.8Ambience
  • 3.4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • California Central Coast

    Neighbourhood gem

  • Santa Barbara

    Innovative

  • Santa Barbara

    Healthy

  • Santa Barbara

    Hot spot

  • Santa Barbara

    Neighbourhood gem

  • Santa Barbara

    Great for fine wines

  • Santa Barbara

    Romantic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Roy offers a diverse menu featuring "good food" and a welcoming atmosphere. Known for its "lovely local joint" vibe, it has been a staple since 1993, sourcing fresh produce from the farmers market. However, some guests experienced service delays, particularly during busy times. Highlights include the "outstanding" service by William and "excellent music."

440 Reviews
  1. WAYNE

    Central Coast

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Roy's is such a nice, relaxing place to enjoy a superb meal. Fine cuisine at a very fair cost. Very cool Jazzy, artistic, slightly upscale atmosphere. Great music, Great people. Santa Barbara has loved Roy for over 30 years !

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  2. Karen

    Central Coast

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Would have been nicer with someone to refill water or if we were checked on more often

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  3. Marjorie

    VIP

    Central Coast

    30 reviews

    5.0

    30 reviews

    Dined on February 3, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Love Roy restaurant, always consistent- like going back in time. Roy usually there greeting each table.

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  4. Renee

    VIP

    Central Coast

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 2, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I haven’t been to Roy’s in 10 years, but it came up on OpenTable and I remembered how great it used to be. Things haven’t changed. I highly recommend it and we’ll go back soon!

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  5. cynthia

    Central Coast

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 26, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    Been here many times over the years and sadly, the prices go up but the quality is going down. The fish I ordered was so dry and bland I had to ask for lemons (it did not come with any on the plate). The server brought me one semi-dry lemon slice from the bar, which was so dry I could only squeeze a drop or two of juice out of it. Seriously, one small slice? Why not bring a few lemon slices or better yet, garnish the plate with them if the fish is going to be so dry it's basically inedible. I ordered this same fish dish (almond-encrusted) once before and had the same awful dry bland overpriced fish served to me. I only ordered it again hoping that previous experience was just a bad night. Sadly, that makes two bad nights. Won't be ordering that dish again.

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  6. Rick

    Palm Springs

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 29, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Noise level was high which affected conversation but the music was excellent.

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 26, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    Ambiance was cool and cool hand written Christmas Dinner menu, but service was slow and three or our four meals were cold.

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  8. Maciej

    Central Coast

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 26, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    They where not ready with our reservation. We were waiting for 30 minutes and nothing was ready. We especially reserved the table on this day after 11 hours journey from Europe. It is good we found a very good mexican restaurant nearby.

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  9. Maciej

    Central Coast

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 26, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    We made the reservation a few weeks ago. Almost the table wasn't ready when we arrived. We waited 40 minutes for a table without success and have to find another restaurant .....

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  10. Jodi

    Central Coast

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 29, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I have always loved Roy restaurant as my family has been going there for many years. You know the food has to be good as the restaurant is still going since 1993. Roy gets his produce from the farmers market and prepares them so well. I bet his restaurant has lasted so long because he is there cooking in the kitchen. He provides a good variety of food from steak to seafood to Italian dishes. I love the potato cakes, he makes great purée soups, and yummy deserts. I went there for Thanksgiving dinner the place was full, the waitress was personable and we had a great meal and Roy made incredible cranberries. You can’t go wrong with whatever you order.

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FAQs

Roy is rated 3.5 stars by 440 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Google Map for Roy

7 W. Carrillo St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    State St.
  • Neighbourhood
    Santa Barbara
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sun 6:00 pm–11:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, Comfort Food
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Roy Gandy
  • Entertainment
    Different styles of music.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (805) 966-5636
  • Private party facilities
    Private dining room for up to 20 people with no room charge.
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