When Oliver’s closed last April, it left a gaping hole in Santa Barbara’s vegetarian scene—but I think we can all agree that the restaurant was ripe for an update. And boy, did it get a good one. With Bar Lou, which has just opened, Warner Ebbink and Brandon Boudet of Little Dom’s Seafood in Carpinteria have made the space a million times better.
Outside was always magical, of course, and is even more so with tables removed to make way for a fire pit. And the patio facing Coast Village Road has been fenced off, for a more intimate experience and to allow for private events. But the real transformation happened inside, which now feels a little French and a little Californian. The TV and captain’s chairs are gone from the bar, and the dining room, once Siberia, is somewhere you could imagine having fun. (The restaurant now has 60 seats inside, twice as many as before.)
The menu is a blend of French and Mediterranean: entrées lean toward the former (steak au poivre with frites, branzino almondine), but the large array of small plates cast a wider net: chicken gyro, harissa-spiced beef kofta, grilled oyster mushroom skewer with zhoug, and so on. At a friends-and-family dinner, one standout dish was from even farther afield—smoked black cod smørrebrød on Oat Bakery bread. And while no one will mistake Bar Lou for a vegetarian restaurant, Ebbink and Boudet took a cue from Oliver’s devoted following and put more vegetable-forward dishes on the menu than you tend to see around here.
To start, Bar Lou is only open for dinner, but it will soon offer lunch and weekend brunch. And in order to maintain a fun, local energy, 30 percent of the seats will be held for walk-ins. The days of valet parking, however, are gone.
Interior photos courtesy Bar Lou; baguette photo by G.
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Interesting menu but could use more basics like Little Dom’s. Adding a Little Gem salad would help, as would a chicken breast inside of thighs and a pasta without sea urchin. Oliver’s interior before was stunning with very comfy chairs inside and out. No backs on bar stools is no bueno and those dining chairs look like the uncomfortable ones at San Ysidro Ranch so happy there are booths. Can’t help but compare it to the newly opened Lion’s Tale with their plush chairs, sound-dampening surfaces and an excellent Steak Frites for $36 less. That said, both are a great addition to the neighborhood and we hope to be regulars.
I thought the decor of Oliver’s looked like an airport Radisson. Bar Lou us cozy and classic. The steak frites is expensive but it’s fantastic. Better than luckys IMO. Also the chicory salad 👌🏼
You’re totally right on!
Would you like some steak with your fries? LOL
Right? $68 for 4oz of steak and 1lb of fries. Wow.
And, BTW, Stella Mare does a great 10oz NY w/frites for $40.
Ya ,the inside looks like it was slap together to me? Might work in Paso are Santa Maria.
But I can understand not over spending on the decor ,Good food will make any place work.
Sigh…..first Alma now Bar Lou. As a Little Doms regular patron I was hoping for more of the same from this location. In terms of pricing and yummy simple standard dishes (arugula salad, meatballs, fish sandwich). Sometimes you just want to go out for a simple meal and not have to spend over $100 for 2 people! Is this what we have to look forward to with every new restaurant coming in? Ugh
I couldn’t agree more. I really like Little Doms too. Restaurants often adapt and change after they open so hopefully they will find a happy medium. That’s my hope for Alma too which is excellent but over-priced. It’s not difficult to figure out the recipe for success – just look at Honor Bar which is always packed and most everything on the menu has wide appeal.
Honor Bar does the job but it’s just a fancy Houston’s
Yeah I was hoping that Alma would have some of my favorites from Corazon. Public market gets very crazy and it would be nice to have a quieter spot. Maybe they’re not allowed to duplicate menu anywhere else. Too bad about
Little Doms. I rarely drive to carp these days but coast village rd is doable! Too bad they aren’t doing similar menu to their other Little Dom’s. Used to go to the first one in LA.
Not that I’m opposed to the effort – am a fan of both Little Dom’s – but hadn’t these people been touting what they were going to do here as a bistro/brasserie? Not exactly! Okay, all you commenters complaining about the pricing – take it away —
The patio was always the best part of Oliver’s, and based on the photo, Bar Lou has destroyed it. They cut down those great tress??? Those tables and chairs look like they came from a fake French restaurant that went out of business in the midwest. Very sad. Hope the food is great or it will not last long.
The part of the patio that had trees still has them; the part that’s along Coast Village Road (pictured here) never had trees, if I remember correctly. As for the furniture, I thought it worked nicely in the space.
I’ll miss bar stools that are comfortable! They need arms and backs!
Apparently Erik Torkells is a guy from Orange County (poor Soul) who moved to New York and has now assumed the position of local food critic. I am friends with the Owners of Lil Doms including Warner and grew up in Cito. Started to go to Peabody’s when it opened, when I was a kid, decades ago and Gary owned it and Joe ran the kitchen. I Like Lil Doms and will definitely try this new place but the Comments on decor leave me believing this guy has no local credibility. Peabody’s obviously needed a remodel and Craig McCaw spent millions doing it. I liked it. I really liked the Bar and the big, high quality TV. I will mis the TV. I hope I and our family enjoy the food. I am not impressed withMr. Torkells’ Commentary on interior design.
And I’m appalled by your grammar.
N/D comes to Siteline.
Haters gonna hate. Your efforts with Siteline are appreciated by many.
We had an early dinner around sunset last Saturday evening. We ordered light fare sharing the most amazing salad (Chicories, manchego, dates, pecans) that was very large and a most delicious treat…highly highly recommended! That and the french fries would have been plenty with a glass of wine :)
The owner, Warner Ebbink introduced himself and we had a friendly chat as I mentioned I had originally remodeled the Coast Village Inn and Peabodys too many years ago but gave him some history on the site.
I liked the set up of small tables in front of the bar watching the sunset and the staff was amazing!!!
Enjoy…
Went & ordered a bunch of apps since they all sounded great. We thought the food was a true cut above Little Doms (although the crab cake was disappointingly mushy) & more befitting the upscale locale. A carrot & lentil app was the favorite. The service needs a lot of improvement with the exception of an industrious & courteous bus boy (sorry for the demeaning title – he was very much an adult). The wait staff is young & seems inexperienced. Despite an unsolicited offer to pace the dishes, we were innundated with more dishes than could fit on the table all at once & asked how we liked each dish before we could even serve ourselves. Hopefully they will train their staff & get up to speed.