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Small local wine bar and vegetarian restaurant. Serves all fresh farmers market based food. Focuses on local and natural wines. Has many vegan options and others that could possibly be made vegan. Offers a seasonal selection of farm-fresh vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. NOTE: Over-the-counter ordering 7 days/week as well as 7 day evening delivery for all orders in before 5pm. Orders go out at 5:30pm. Open Mon-Sat 12:00pm-8:00pm, Sun 12:00pm-5:00pm. NOTE: Open 5pm-10pm every first Monday.
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1117 State St, Santa Barbara, California, USA, 93101
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 03 Dec 2020 by satellitesb
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37 Reviews
First Review by LawrenceG
AlexandraPico
Points +440
Cool place - Edit
Cool vibes, good wine and a nice amount of vegan options. I felt some of the dishes were lacking in flavor a little, but overall I enjoyed my meal and would go back!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-01-20
Guest
alisonb42
Points +86
Good but expensive option in SB - Edit
Firstly, both the website and HappyCow make it seem like this is not an eat-in restaurant. It’s just a normal restaurant that you can eat at? And you can pick up food to go (also like most restaurants).
Read moreSecond: yes, the food is super expensive. Just be aware of that.
Third: it’s very cute and I thought the food was delicious
Pros: Delicious food
Cons: Cost
Guest
EJKnighton
Points +26
Unique options - Edit
Great vibe and such yummy food, 90% of the menu was vegan!
Read moreGuest
Keyanna
Points +32
1 Star!!! - Edit
Been vegan for four years and the food was overall bad. My friends and I got a variety of things to split and we disliked almost everything that we ordered. (We still ate it) but none of it was worthy enough to ever go back. The service was not great. My friends got the Mac and cheese and I got the white beans dish that came with some pesto sauce on top and I genuinely couldn’t eat it, it was bad and for the price was ridiculous that it was that bad. Also it was my birthday and they never offered a free dessert or even if I wanted a dessert that I would’ve payed for. Overall terrible experience, I wouldn’t eat here again even if the food was cheap.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-08-30
Pros: Food was fine
Cons: Weird environment , Bad food, Expensive
Guest
phytophile
Points +1426
Enjoyable - Edit
Delicious vegan options that are fresh and tasty
Read morePros: Vegan mostly , Fresh and colorful , Delicious
Cons: Cheese from cows
Guest
DrMichelle20
Points +509
Very good! - Edit
Great little place. Most things on the menu are vegan so there was plenty to choose from. The snap pea salad and vegan Mac were awesome. Really enjoyed the lemon olive oil cake for dessert! Will definitely come back!
Read moreGuest
JuliaCRNA
Points +22
Awesome! - Edit
Nice wine, vegan and GF items, pleasant service in a serene environment. It does not get much better than this.
Read morePros: Vegan and GF items, Dog friendly, Wholesome items (not junk vegan)
Guest
Brycew
Points +2728
Fantastic mostly vegan food - Edit
Great atmosphere, interesting decoration, and outstanding food. Their homemade focaccia was amazing as well as the tacos, soup, and curry! Large wine collection too. They could easily be a fully vegan restaurant, only 1 or 2 menu items were dairy based without an available substitution such as the grilled cheese sandwich. Would give them 5 stars if vegan grilled cheese was an option
Read moreGuest
USVegano
Points +157
Fusion Vegan - Edit
When in town definitely good place to eat, watch people and see boardwalk State Street
Read morePros: Erin in Santa Barbara
Cons: You’re in Santa Barbara
Guest
DominicHowell
Points +85
Great Food - Edit
The food here is amazing, really tasty made with fresh local produce, lots of veggies. They have a diverse menu with a lot of vegan options. Lovely atmosphere and vibe to the place too.
Read moreGuest
underconsume
Points +20
Mostly vegan!!! - Edit
This place uses incredibly fresh ingredients from the local farmers market, the menu is 95% vegan with the exception of only two menu items last week checked yesterday. Service was amazing. Check them out! Tell them to stop carrying cheese like I did. 
Read moreGuest
NTucson
Points +136
I’d give it 1 star - bland, food had hair in it - Edit
Happy Cow won’t let you give a veggie restaurant 1 star, which is stupid and misleading in the reviews. I travel most weeks and all over the world. I always try to have at least one dinner in a vegan or vegetarian restaurant. This was a bland, uninspired restaurant that gives vegan food a bad name. The Vegan mac was a nutritional yeast sauce with faaaaaar too much yeast and no other taste. Vegan mac can be amazing- this was not. Mine also came with the addition of a big black hair in the sauce - disgusting. The gigante beans we actually just lima beans in broth with a little bad pesto. Extremely bland. Beans need acid and salt and this had neither.
Read moreAgain, just sad food with an added dash of hair
Pros: The wine was fine
Cons: Hair in food, Bland, Uninspired
Guest
alienvegan
Points +5035
Really good - Edit
This is a restaurant that is also a brewery - lots to choose from and very tasty.
Read moreGuest
alidawn22
Points +37
One of the best vegan spots in Santa Barbara - Edit
This food is amazing. The chef sources most of the ingredients from the local farmer’s market. So, if you like local, fresh food, Satellite is for you. I read some other reviews saying it was a bit pricey, but it is well worth it. This food has love in it and is very high prana.
Read moreAlso, great people and ambiance. There is nothing bad to say about it. Love Satellite!
Pros: The Focaccia is 🔥, The Gigantes are amazing, love the Yoga Pants
Cons: Hard to get a table on Thursdays bc a rad band pla
Guest
ScottCline
Points +3717
Yummy yummy vegan Mac-n-cheez! - Edit
I can only base this review on their vegan mac-n-cheez but it was very, very good. It was creamy and delicious. I recommend it.
Read morePros: Lots of options , Friendly staff
Cons: Street parking only- on a pedestrian only street.
Guest
vegan_mouse
Points +1510
Made with care! - Edit
My favorite thing about the dishes I tried here was the attention to detail. It was definitely a treat and their presentation makes it worth the price! The only downside was the amount of vegan options felt minimal, but it is a small menu overall and I'm glad that they offer some vegan options at least!
Read moreGuest
CharlesDugan
Points +83
(Formerly) Some Very Tasty Vegan Options - Edit
Summer 2022, I returned to Satellite for the first time since eating at the "Friendsgiving" special during the Thanksgiving season of 2020, which was my only previous experience since the Lockdown began. During the Lockdown the number of vegan options was very low, until summer.
Read morePrior to the Lockdown I ate at Satellite a number of times. The food was usually very good tasting, but the portions were small and it was expensive. Their Jackfruit tacos (even better, though a lot more expensive, than those at the now defunct VeganGreenGo) were amazing, but they were dropped from the menu before the Lockdown.
On my recent visit I tried the "Eggplant Toast", and the "Filet de Hongo" - both of which looked very good on their website. The topping on the Eggplant Toast was very good - unfortunately, the toast was VERY HARD, it was very difficult to eat. I hope that this was an unusual case, and not normal for this dish, as I would really like it if the bread was not so hard. I would like it even better if I was able to order the topping on potatoes or some other base, rather than the (white) bread toast.
The Filet de Hongo tasted very good. However, I was looking forward to the horseradish in the potatoes. Although the dish tasted very good, I could not taste the horseradish - for my taste it could use a lot more horseradish. The portion size was very small for the price.
One other criticism that applies to EVERY Santa Barbara vegan restaurant, is that they all serve only white flour bread for various dishes that use bread (including buns, rolls, flatbreads etc.). I would really prefer whole grain breads.
I will return to try some of their other recent vegan additions to their menu.
Also, my three star rating was mainly because I will generally not rate any non-vegan vegetarian restaurant more than 3 stars (and I do not patronize restaurants that are not at least vegetarian).
Update(12/27/22): I returned to satellite a few months ago - and unfortunately it was disappointing. It is the most expensive vegan/vegetarian restaurant in SB (which is saying a lot as SB vegan/vegetarian restaurants tend towards being very expensive). The food was simultaneously very bland - and EXTREMELY oily. The soup was swimming in oil, and so was the Filet de Hongo (which had previously been my favorite dish) which was also more bland (with less flowers) than in the past. Additionally, the oil was not even a high quality olive oil - but a bland tasteless (olive?) oil.
Updated from previous review on 2023-01-09
Pros: Not much anymore
Cons: Not vegan, Expensive, White Flour Bread and too much bland oil
Guest
AdityaDhulipala
Points +23
“If 🎶you’re going to Santa Barbara🎶be sure to savor some flowers for flavor🎶” - Edit
(The title is a ref to that hippie SF song by Scott McKenzie) Santa Barbara is a land unique unto itself. Distinctly Californian yet remarkably nothing like anything to its northern or southern neighbors. Satellite embodies that unique spirit with their vegan tacos, and this wholesome quinoa and lentil stew that is topped off with fresh cilantro. My friends got some other dishes. We all got some drinks too. Everything has flower petals in there. Unique!
Read moreGuest
RaymondWalker
Points +16
Great ambiance - Edit
Salads were large and tasty! Fresh baked choc chip cookies were awesome. Loved the live band.
Read moreGuest
MaryDenholm
Points +329
Tasty but SMALL portions - Edit
Sorry I just can’t give 5 stars to a place where an entree is more a shareable appetizer size. For the price the portions should be larger. I have loved everything each time I’ve gone but need more food! Yoga pants salad is great for lunch.
Read morePros: Delicious , Lots of vegan options
Cons: Small portions for price
Guest
tonyakay
Points +4111
Great spot especially for wine lovers - Edit
I didn’t have a glass but I do have a taste for wine and I think you’d love this place if you like a nice veg wine bar with lots of v options. I did have the local booch, the soup of the day and olives. Everything was excellent and served with attention to detail like flowers in plating and printed pages as plate decor. Not cheap.
Read moreGuest
skeralum
Points +18
Tasty entree's - Edit
Had the Baes bowl and Cauliflower Curry Couscous. Excellent. Wine was fantastic but not cheap.
Read moreGuest
VeganCookieLover
Points +3508
Creative dishes, too oily - Edit
The vegan menu items are interesting, inviting and creative. They are also beautifully plated with little edible flowers. Unfortunately, there is so much oil in the food it drowns it of its natural flavors. We had the focaccia, winter squashes, curried cauliflower couscous and seared broccolini. When my sweetie left, the first thing he said was “disappointing.” That sums up our experience.
Read morePros: Imaginative vegan dishes , Beautifully plated food
Cons: Way too oily , Needs more heating lamps , Pay counter 1st so 2 much hassle 2 refundoilyfood
Guest
vickerbasket
Points +1409
Refreshing and Filling - Edit
Came here on a Wednesday for lunch. They have plenty of seating in their outdoor patio that extends on the street itself. You order at the counter and find a seat.
Read moreWe ordered their miso cabbage, yoga pants salad, filet de hongo, the daily soup (coconut cream, celery, fenugreek, sweet potato), brussels spouts. The miso cabbage was nicely charred with a ginger and miso dressing, quite satisfying. The yoga pants salad was citrusy, with beets, but maybe a tad overdressed. The filet de hongo consisted of shitake mushrooms on a bed of polenta and did give us the feeling of eating a filet of something. The soup was pretty good, not overly coconut-flavored, but could've been a bit warmer. I forget what the brussels sprouts were on a base of, but it was pretty satisfying.
Overall, I think it has a nice ambiance on State St. I would come back for a light lunch. Service was also pretty fast.
Pros: light but filling, miso cabbage, outdoor seating
Cons: salad was slightly overdressed
Guest
EPvegan
Points +106
Try the Yoga Pants Salad - Edit
The Yoga Pants Salad included a fresh mix of greens, fruit, and veggies - all in a lightly seasoned dressing.
Read morePros: Good variety of vegan dishes
Cons: Dishes come out of the kitchen at different times., You may get your dish after others are finished
Guest
S...c..
Points +46
Delicious! - Edit
Delicious vegan food! Small menu selection but everything we ordered was incredibly tasty, creative, unique, and delicious.
Read moreGuest
AlwaysForAnimals
Points +412
Fabulous salad!! - Edit
Happy waiters, good food. Definitely try the yoga salad.
Read morePros: Some great vegan options available
Guest
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