Restaurant in Santa Barbara, United States
Michelin-noted wine and farm-to-table done right.
Blackbird earns its Michelin Plate recognition (2024, 2025) with farm-to-table New American and Mediterranean cooking and one of Santa Barbara's most serious wine lists — 455 bottles, $25 corkage, with California, France, and Italy well represented. Book two to three weeks out for weekend dinner. The lunch service is where the value proposition is strongest at this price tier.
Imagine arriving at 36 State Street on a Saturday, the kind of afternoon when Santa Barbara's light makes everything look like it was art-directed. You walk in expecting a solid neighborhood restaurant and leave having reckoned with one of the more serious wine lists in the city. That's Blackbird in a sentence: it surprises on the beverage side as much as the plate, and at $$$$ pricing with a Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025), it's earning its position at the leading of the Santa Barbara dining tier. The question isn't whether Blackbird is good — it is , it's whether the experience justifies the spend for your specific occasion. For most diners, yes, it does.
Blackbird serves both lunch and dinner, which makes it a stronger option than most $$$$ venues in Santa Barbara for daytime occasions. The lunch slot is where the value calculus gets interesting: you're getting farm-to-table New American and Mediterranean-inflected cooking at a price point that, according to the venue's own pricing structure, lands a two-course meal in the $40–$65 range. That puts a Michelin Plate lunch within reach of diners who might hesitate at dinner pricing. If you've been once at dinner and want a different angle on the restaurant, the lunch service is the move. The room changes with natural light, the pace shifts, and the experience is closer to a long weekend meal than a formal occasion dinner.
For a regular who's already done dinner at Blackbird, booking a weekday lunch , and asking Wine Director Shaun Hayes or Sommelier Sarah Reder for a glass recommendation from the California section of the list , is the most efficient way to deepen your relationship with the restaurant without committing to a full evening. The wine list runs 455 inventory items across 95 selections, with pricing rated $$, meaning there's genuine range: not just trophy bottles, but accessible entry points alongside serious California and French and Italian options. The $25 corkage fee is fair if you're bringing something from one of the region's producers , and Santa Barbara County gives you plenty of reasons to do exactly that. See our full Santa Barbara wineries guide for producers worth sourcing before your visit.
The kitchen is led by Chef Mike Reppert, who is also a co-owner alongside John Tressler. Chef Ryan Pfeiffer is also listed in the team. The menu positioning is farm-to-table New American with Mediterranean influence , a combination that works well in Santa Barbara, where local produce quality is high and the regional palate runs toward fresh, coastal, and ingredient-driven cooking. The Michelin Plate recognition across two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) confirms that the kitchen is executing at a level that merits serious consideration, even if Blackbird hasn't yet reached the star tier. A Google rating of 4.3 across 161 reviews adds a second data point: this isn't a restaurant coasting on ambiance.
If you've already eaten here and you're deciding what to try next, lean into the Mediterranean side of the menu rather than the more straightforwardly American preparations. Farm-to-table cooking in California can default to safe and predictable; the Mediterranean thread tends to produce the more interesting dishes at this type of restaurant.
At $$$$ pricing with Michelin Plate recognition and a 4.3 Google rating, Blackbird is not a walk-in restaurant. Book at least two to three weeks ahead for weekend dinner, and one to two weeks for weekend lunch. Weekday lunch is your easiest window if scheduling allows. The restaurant operates in a competitive Santa Barbara dining tier, and tables at this level move. If your dates are fixed, book the moment they open , don't wait to confirm your travel plans first. This is a harder reservation than Bettina or Loquita, but easier than Silvers Omakase, which books out further in advance given its counter format and limited seats.
Blackbird sits in a specific lane: $$$$ New American and Mediterranean, with a wine program that is more serious than what most Santa Barbara restaurants offer at any price point. The Lark at $$$ is the natural comparison for farm-to-table California cooking , if you want similar ingredient-focused food at a lower price, go there first. The Stonehouse at $$$$ competes on occasion dining but is more resort-oriented in its atmosphere. Blackbird is a better call if the wine list matters as much as the food. For Spanish-inflected small plates, Loquita at $$ undercuts on price significantly and delivers a livelier room. And if you want a completely different experience in the leading price tier, Silvers Omakase is the counter-format sushi option.
For diners building a Santa Barbara itinerary, Blackbird earns a dinner or lunch slot , particularly if you're already planning to explore the wine country. See our full Santa Barbara restaurants guide, our full Santa Barbara hotels guide, our full Santa Barbara bars guide, and our full Santa Barbara experiences guide to plan around it.
Blackbird operates in the same conceptual territory as Cellar Door Provisions in Chicago and Mandolin Aegean Bistro in Miami , New American and Mediterranean cooking with serious sourcing and a beverage program that earns its place. It doesn't compete with The French Laundry in Napa or Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg for technical ambition, but it's not trying to. The Michelin Plate designation places it in a tier that includes restaurants like Smyth in Chicago and Lazy Bear in San Francisco as reference points for the level of kitchen seriousness that earns that recognition, even if the format and scale differ considerably. If $$$$ New American with a deep wine list is your format, Blackbird is the right answer in Santa Barbara. If you want to see the full range of what the city's dining scene offers, also consider Barbareño for Californian cooking and Arnoldi's Cafe for a more casual local option. And if your mornings call for something lighter, Backyard Bowls is the direct breakfast and brunch answer before an evening at Blackbird.
| Detail | Blackbird | The Lark | Loquita |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | $$$$ | $$$ | $$ |
| Cuisine | New American / Mediterranean | Californian | Spanish |
| Wine program | 455 bottles, $$ pricing | Not specified | Not specified |
| Corkage | $25 | Not specified | Not specified |
| Michelin recognition | Plate (2024, 2025) | Not specified | Not specified |
| Booking difficulty | Hard (2–3 weeks out) | Moderate | Easier |
| Meals served | Lunch and Dinner | Dinner | Lunch and Dinner |
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Blackbird | $$$$ | — |
| Bettina | $$ | — |
| Silvers Omakase | $$$$ | — |
| The Lark | $$$ | — |
| The Stonehouse | $$$$ | — |
| Loquita | $$ | — |
A quick look at how Blackbird measures up.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in the current venue data. Given Blackbird's $$$$ positioning and Michelin Plate status, reservations at a table are the safest approach. check the venue's official channels to ask about bar or walk-in options if that format matters to you.
No specific dietary accommodation policy is documented in the available venue data. The farm-to-table New American and Mediterranean framework suggests seasonal flexibility in the kitchen, but for strict requirements — allergies, vegan, or gluten-free — contact Blackbird directly before booking rather than assuming the menu will adapt.
Book two to three weeks out, minimum. Blackbird holds Michelin Plate recognition and $$$$ pricing, which means it draws a deliberate crowd — not walk-in traffic. Weekend dinners fill fastest; if your schedule is flexible, a weekday lunch slot is easier to secure and still gets you the full kitchen.
There is no confirmed tasting menu format in the available venue data. Blackbird's cuisine pricing at $$ for a typical two-course meal suggests the format leans toward a la carte rather than a fixed multi-course progression. If a tasting experience is your priority, confirm the current menu format directly with the restaurant before booking.
At $$$$ with a cuisine pricing of $$ for a typical two-course meal, Blackbird delivers more value than the sticker price suggests. The wine list adds real depth — 455 bottles, 95 selections, with a $25 corkage if you bring your own — and the Michelin Plate (2024 and 2025) confirms the kitchen is operating at a level that justifies the outing. For Santa Barbara, it sits above Loquita or Bettina in ambition and execution.
Yes — Blackbird handles special occasions better than most Santa Barbara options at this price point. Michelin Plate recognition two years running, a wine list with 455 bottles, and a farm-to-table New American menu under chef-owner Mike Reppert give the meal enough structure and seriousness to mark an event. For a milestone dinner with a strong wine focus, it competes directly with The Stonehouse, at a lower overall spend.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
