While Santa Barbara’s dining options are tried and treasured, it’s fun to expand your palate beyond our beloved haunts — and Valentine’s Day just might be the perfect time to get slightly out of town. Whether it’s taking your partner out for a new experience or just looking for a little me-time with a solo meal, Ventura is the perfect destination to enjoy a delicious date, whatever that means to you. So take a jaunt down the sunset-soaked 101 and dive into one of these lovely little spots in the “City of Good Fortune.”
Frontside Café
Looking for a low-pressure yet beautiful spot? The easy-breezy Frontside Café gracefully checks that box, with scents of Beacon coffee and a bright interior putting you in a state of uplifted ease. “It’s the kind of food that we wanted to eat,” said Charne Huff, an Australian who opened this dreamy outpost with her husband, Joel, in 2020, inspired by the fresh, healthy delicacies they ate while living abroad. What better place for a date than one created from a love story?