For being so old, the Dutch Garden is often the newest thing that a curious diner or drinker can find in Santa Barbara.
That happened to me, twice actually: first, when I visited around the time of my UCSB graduation in the late 1990s, quite surprised to find something like the beer gardens I’d visited while backpacking through Europe; and then again, around a decade later, when a friend introduced me to Klokke Roeland , the sneaky strong Belgian ale that flows exclusively at the Dutch.
I’ve since returned the favor to numerous residents and visitors, and they’re unanimous in their excitement that such a storied place exists, serving classic German plates such as schnitzel and sausage alongside house favorites such as pastrami with grilled onions and the Strammer Max, a grilled ham and Swiss served open-face with two eggs. The beer list of real European beers also never fails to enthuse.