The Presidio Neighborhood offers a range of dining from casual eateries to world class restaurants and everything in between...
La Paloma Cafe
La Paloma Cafe sits at the iconic corner of Anacapa and Ortega in a 1915 brick and stucco building, with an attached Victorian-era structure historically tied to residential use. In the early 1920s, the address appeared in Santa Barbara business directories as an Italian bakery.
In 1938, Jennie Luera and her family purchased the property and began building La Paloma. By 1940, the restaurant was serving a full Mexican menu and became a Presidio Neighborhood staple. The original La Paloma operated here until 1983, when the site became Paradise Cafe for the next several decades.
La Paloma returned in 2020, reopening in the same historic footprint with a live fire, ranchero-inspired approach that nods to early California and Mexican cooking traditions. A defining detail is the vintage neon sign, a rare downtown holdover in a city known for strict sign rules and tight limits on neon, particularly within the historic district. Joe’s Cafe is another well-known exception, with a long-standing vintage illuminated sign that has become part of Santa Barbara’s visual history.
Historic design details still define the property, including murals commissioned during the Luera era. The exterior mural, dated to 1940 in a local mural guide, depicts a Californian cowboy, and local rumor holds that the rider is Leo Carrillo (unconfirmed).
Hours:
Brunch: Friday to Sunday 10:30am – 2pm
Dinner: Wednesday to Sunday 5pm – Close
702 Anacapa Street
805-966-7029
