Corazón Cocina

Delicious homemade tacos and ceviche with homemade nachos. Tried the black cod, shrimp, and octopus tacos, shrimp was my favorite. They were all unique and flavorful. The ceviche was a meal in itself. We had tuna, it was a little spicy and sweet with the watermelon. Great dish. They give you a buzzer so you know when your food is ready, wish walk up counters always did this.

+2

Michelin star restaurant offering traditional and more unique Mexican dishes. Definitely on the pricey end, but dishes are well-made, use quality ingredient, and presentation is beautiful.

Inside of a large building, are numerous food court restaurants. Great vibe. Fantastic food.

I am upset that I am not a Santa Barbara local. I crave this place more often than anything that's around me in Las Vegas. All of their vegan options are 10/10! The service here is amazing, the vibes are immaculate, I truly cannot wait to go back to Santa Barbara just to get more food from Corazon Cocina. Thank you!

Every time I'm in the Santa Barbara area... Corazon Cocina is an Absolute Must!! The Ceviche here is to DIE for!! The tacos are Amazing too!! " (Pastor Tacos to be exact 😁)

Delicious fresh Mexican food ! Love love loveeee their shrimp tacos - not fried, meaty and delicious. They’re generous with the protein to tortilla ratio. The birria taco was also delicious. Messy so make sure you bring lots of napkins lol 100% recommend for tacos !

The Public Market is lucky to have Corazon Cocina under its roof. The care and attention to detail that goes into the creation of each ingredient is second to none. The result is excellent, authentic and delicious food that is sure to please even the most particular of palates. The birria and pork al pastor were both tender and layered with flavor, which made for tacos worthy of acclaim.

This was one of my favorite places to eat in Santa Barbara, especially for the price. The guacamole is bomb. The ceviche was huge and tasted extremely fresh. For tacos, we tried the chicken mole and la gringa. I’ll definitely be going back next time I’m in the area.

The tacos here are amazing. I was feeling more healthy this weekend so for the Corazon Salad instead. You can't go wrong on this menu. Even the salad will knock your socks off with flavor.

This place is incredible albeit a bit pricey but so is everything in the downtown area. Some of the best seafood tacos I’ve had. Also had a shrimp burrito the next day which was killer. Nothing felt greasy and heavy. Salad and ceviche portions were big enough to share amongst 3-4 people and were also awesome.

Delicious Mexican food at the Public Market. Their tacos, ceviche, tortas and burritos are all great, and their doraditos de papa are soooo satisfying. Tasty horchata too, it’s very cinnamon-y and not too sweet at all. Service can be slow when it’s crowded, but it’s definitely worth the wait!

Delicious vegetarian tacos! I got the cauliflower taco and seasonal veggie taco (sweet potato). Both were delicious but I personally like the cauliflower taco more.

Amazing homestyle tacos just like mom makes them. The shrimp taco was one of the best I’ve had. Seasoning was on point for all the tacos. Great vibe too with latin music playing and beautiful authentic decor. Highly recommended

Very tasty tacos. 🌮 I got a little bit of tortilla chips and some salsa in addition to the 3 tacos that I ordered. Everything was great. The food court itself is spacious, clean and other food options look quite good. Pretty much a safe bet to come out satisfied and with a fully stomach from here.

You can usually tell by the lineup, whether a place Is good or whether it's not. Put in your order at the cash and they give you one of those light up pucks to tell you when your food is ready. I had the Sal de Mar ceviche, a coconut rice pudding, and a hibiscus lemongrass tea. Everything was delicious. The ceviche was a combination of super fresh Fish with watermelon, cucumbers, baby sprouts, pomegranate arils , avocado and watermelon radish. The best ceviche I have had in a long time. The hibiscus lemongrass tea was especially refreshing. Rice pudding for me is comfort food, making it with coconut milk was a new twist.

Freshly made food, handmade tortillas and a creative take on a variety of tacos. We ordered a campechana quesadilla, corriente taco, Al pastor taco, queso fundido and plantains. We enjoyed it all except the Al pastor, it needs sazon, it's very underwhelming. Everything else was made with love, cooked to perfection and yummy goodness. The shrimp was the star of the show today.

With roots in a Sunday pop-up that started in 2014 Corazón Cocina has since become one of Santa Barbara’s most well-regarded eateries, a location inside the Public Market assuring foot traffic fortified by quick service and the sort of upscale Mexican Cuisine able to please a diverse clientele. Owned by Chef Ramon Velazquez, a native of Guadalajara who began cooking with his grandmother and mother at a very young age, Corazón Cocina takes an approach by which technique fuels innovation while fully embracing California’s seasonal bounty. Trained in fine dining as well as Sushi, Corazón Cocina’s Ceviche praised as some of the city’s best, first timers are advised to order broadly with the expectation that everything from Tortillas and Salsa to creamy Guac with a bit of heat is made on-site daily. A counter-order setup with each guest given a pager, perhaps fifteen minutes wait allowing time to check out Desserts from sister-eatery Little Heart Cafecito, Tacos come loaded with slowly-braised Meat including spicy Al Pastor tamed by Pineapple or fall-apart Birria given added emphasis by Peanut Salsa Macha. Almost entirely local and organic, Ling Cod for Fish Tacos far better than the So.Cal standard, Mexican White Shrimp offer a sweet burst inside the Contramar Burrito with Rice while Velazquez shows off his sourcing further via a “Mercado Quesadilla” loaded with seasonal Produce and grilled Panela Cheese. Seated along the kitchen, Black Almond Mole earthy atop Chicken, don’t forget to say “yes” when asked about adding Chorizo to the Queso Fundido that pairs well to local or domestic Beer, Margaritas or housemade Horchata.

Located in the Public Market, this spot serves innovative Mexican street food with big, bold flavors inspired by local ingredients. Chef Ramon Velazquez uses traditional techniques with creative twists. It’s an accessible yet award-winning dining choice.

Always delicious and fresh Mexican food and seafood. The birria with blue corn tortillas were awesome and the tostada with fresh fish and watermelon was delicious. For drinks you gotta have the hibiscus margarita

Uniquely delicious Mexican food. I tried several different menu items and they were all good, but be aware that many of the tacos and quesadillas were spicy with green salsa inside. Efficient staff. Located inside Santa Barbara Public Market with shared seating areas.

Mexican is always my husbands go to. This place is inside a “market” that has several food options in it. It’s great if you want something and your part er wants something else. It was a Monday so it was not as busy as it was Sunday. We got tacos. Steaks and Al pastor. Plus a regular quesadilla. So they suggested the kids meal which came with rice. Plus was the Mexican Coke. The meat was very tender and had great flavor. The rice was authentic. A lot more than I expected from a non restaurant type place. The atmosphere was great. TVs on. And there was a bar if you wanted drinks.

There’s a big difference between Cal-Mex and Tex-Mex food. The ingredients feel fresher and not as heavy on the stomach. It felt odd, however, to eat a quesadilla made with one tortilla, like an open-faced sandwich with one piece of bread. It was delicious nonetheless and I probably saved 100 calories. The chips were good and the guacamole was fresh. The service was prompt. I’m not the biggest fan of food court dining because they’re usually crowded and seating is hard to find. But we found some counter seating relatively easily and were able to watch the food preparers do their magic!

This place is exceptional when it comes to fresh, delicious tacos. I tried the Norte taco, and the quality of the ingredients was remarkable. The habanero salsa is truly a chef's kiss. The fresh blue corn tortillas brought back memories of my mom making homemade tortillas for me. I highly recommend this spot! The service is quick and affordably priced.

Best Mexican seafood restaurant in Santa Barbara and one of our favorite restaurants in California. Lots of street parking. Not on crowded State Street. Colima ceviche and birria taco were excellent. The Colima ceviche had fresh ingredients in a heaping mound! The birria taco was rich and juicy.

Very beautiful street scene with palms trees and the staff were very friendly. Great tacos, great chia drinks and quesadillas! Loved Corazon salad.

Corazon Cocina is located in the Santa Barbara Public Market, which hosts a number of eateries. After touring the many other establishments, we elected for the tacos at Corazon Cocina. The Pastor was a Tuesday Special so we got them for $5 and they were delicious. We also got guac for about $12 which included a small tray of chips. Both the chips and guac were good.

Absolutely delicious fish tacos!! Possibly the best in town. This is located inside Public Market, which is open-concept so you’ll have noise and crowds from other restaurants. I don’t recommend coming when there are any big games on, as the sports bar next to it will be packed and very loud. The line/wait took about 45 min-1 hr when we came on a busy day. Their hibiscus tea is amazing! I get it every time I come here, along with the Ensenada fish tacos. Seating is somewhat limited — we prefer to get it to go.

First: buy all the tacos. Each is a different taste. Each is a unique experience. And each is worth buying. Second: this review is after two months of eating here. And it remains the same. The tacos are delicious. The ceviche was HUGE and I overestimated my appetite. Finished it all like a champ but the food was somehow light enough to consume it all without feeling like death. Service is what you’d expect out of a food market and the atmosphere is as good or bad as you like. It’s really how you feel about food markets. Either way, delicious.

Robert Gillelan

You can usually tell by the lineup, whether a place Is good or whether it's not. Put in your order at the cash and they give you one of those light up pucks to tell you when your food is ready. I had the Sal de Mar ceviche, a coconut rice pudding, and a hibiscus lemongrass tea. Everything was delicious. The ceviche was a combination of super fresh Fish with watermelon, cucumbers, baby sprouts, pomegranate arils , avocado and watermelon radish. The best ceviche I have had in a long time. The hibiscus lemongrass tea was especially refreshing. Rice pudding for me is comfort food, making it with coconut milk was a new twist.

Michael Uzmann

With roots in a Sunday pop-up that started in 2014 Corazón Cocina has since become one of Santa Barbara’s most well-regarded eateries, a location inside the Public Market assuring foot traffic fortified by quick service and the sort of upscale Mexican Cuisine able to please a diverse clientele. Owned by Chef Ramon Velazquez, a native of Guadalajara who began cooking with his grandmother and mother at a very young age, Corazón Cocina takes an approach by which technique fuels innovation while fully embracing California’s seasonal bounty. Trained in fine dining as well as Sushi, Corazón Cocina’s Ceviche praised as some of the city’s best, first timers are advised to order broadly with the expectation that everything from Tortillas and Salsa to creamy Guac with a bit of heat is made on-site daily. A counter-order setup with each guest given a pager, perhaps fifteen minutes wait allowing time to check out Desserts from sister-eatery Little Heart Cafecito, Tacos come loaded with slowly-braised Meat including spicy Al Pastor tamed by Pineapple or fall-apart Birria given added emphasis by Peanut Salsa Macha. Almost entirely local and organic, Ling Cod for Fish Tacos far better than the So.Cal standard, Mexican White Shrimp offer a sweet burst inside the Contramar Burrito with Rice while Velazquez shows off his sourcing further via a “Mercado Quesadilla” loaded with seasonal Produce and grilled Panela Cheese. Seated along the kitchen, Black Almond Mole earthy atop Chicken, don’t forget to say “yes” when asked about adding Chorizo to the Queso Fundido that pairs well to local or domestic Beer, Margaritas or housemade Horchata.

Arief Ramon

Located in the Public Market, this spot serves innovative Mexican street food with big, bold flavors inspired by local ingredients. Chef Ramon Velazquez uses traditional techniques with creative twists. It’s an accessible yet award-winning dining choice.

mike AP

Always delicious and fresh Mexican food and seafood. The birria with blue corn tortillas were awesome and the tostada with fresh fish and watermelon was delicious. For drinks you gotta have the hibiscus margarita

Cynthia Bounds

Mexican is always my husbands go to. This place is inside a “market” that has several food options in it. It’s great if you want something and your part er wants something else. It was a Monday so it was not as busy as it was Sunday. We got tacos. Steaks and Al pastor. Plus a regular quesadilla. So they suggested the kids meal which came with rice. Plus was the Mexican Coke. The meat was very tender and had great flavor. The rice was authentic. A lot more than I expected from a non restaurant type place. The atmosphere was great. TVs on. And there was a bar if you wanted drinks.

Elizabeth

Uniquely delicious Mexican food. I tried several different menu items and they were all good, but be aware that many of the tacos and quesadillas were spicy with green salsa inside. Efficient staff. Located inside Santa Barbara Public Market with shared seating areas.

Grish240

There’s a big difference between Cal-Mex and Tex-Mex food. The ingredients feel fresher and not as heavy on the stomach. It felt odd, however, to eat a quesadilla made with one tortilla, like an open-faced sandwich with one piece of bread. It was delicious nonetheless and I probably saved 100 calories. The chips were good and the guacamole was fresh. The service was prompt. I’m not the biggest fan of food court dining because they’re usually crowded and seating is hard to find. But we found some counter seating relatively easily and were able to watch the food preparers do their magic!

Connie Chow

Delicious vegetarian tacos! I got the cauliflower taco and seasonal veggie taco (sweet potato). Both were delicious but I personally like the cauliflower taco more.

Dalia

This place is exceptional when it comes to fresh, delicious tacos. I tried the Norte taco, and the quality of the ingredients was remarkable. The habanero salsa is truly a chef's kiss. The fresh blue corn tortillas brought back memories of my mom making homemade tortillas for me. I highly recommend this spot! The service is quick and affordably priced.

brian inamine

Best Mexican seafood restaurant in Santa Barbara and one of our favorite restaurants in California. Lots of street parking. Not on crowded State Street. Colima ceviche and birria taco were excellent. The Colima ceviche had fresh ingredients in a heaping mound! The birria taco was rich and juicy.

Zhongyu Pan

Very beautiful street scene with palms trees and the staff were very friendly. Great tacos, great chia drinks and quesadillas! Loved Corazon salad.

Simon Lau

Corazon Cocina is located in the Santa Barbara Public Market, which hosts a number of eateries. After touring the many other establishments, we elected for the tacos at Corazon Cocina. The Pastor was a Tuesday Special so we got them for $5 and they were delicious. We also got guac for about $12 which included a small tray of chips. Both the chips and guac were good.

Kessler Ramirez

Absolutely delicious fish tacos!! Possibly the best in town. This is located inside Public Market, which is open-concept so you’ll have noise and crowds from other restaurants. I don’t recommend coming when there are any big games on, as the sports bar next to it will be packed and very loud. The line/wait took about 45 min-1 hr when we came on a busy day. Their hibiscus tea is amazing! I get it every time I come here, along with the Ensenada fish tacos. Seating is somewhat limited — we prefer to get it to go.

My fiancé and I have been coming here for years, almost every Sunday for our usual fun date night out. We consistently come here because the components that make a place great, is here!! Great service, so clean, a fun environment, and amazing, authentic, and such flavorful eats!!! Best in town hands down, such a reliable choice. We look forward to it everything single time!!!

I have been coming here since they opened. As a longtime hotel concierge in the area, my job is to know the best places to eat, in order to tell our guests. For many years now I have recommended Corazon and I often go there myself! Long lines, and sometimes a long wait, but only because they make everything from scratch. Simply look into the kitchen next time you are in line and you can see the woman making tortillas by hand! What a treat! When you are given a buzzer, go for a walk around the Public Market or read a book. Don't just stand by, or the wait can feel too long! But regardless, its worth the wait! I usually order the birria, mole, carnitas, or a special they have going. All have been fantastic! The strawberry tres leches cake is also fantastic! I live next to La Super Rica which is not bad, but I prefer Corazon in many ways!

Peter Gribbin

I have been coming here since they opened. As a longtime hotel concierge in the area, my job is to know the best places to eat, in order to tell our guests. For many years now I have recommended Corazon and I often go there myself! Long lines, and sometimes a long wait, but only because they make everything from scratch. Simply look into the kitchen next time you are in line and you can see the woman making tortillas by hand! What a treat! When you are given a buzzer, go for a walk around the Public Market or read a book. Don't just stand by, or the wait can feel too long! But regardless, its worth the wait! I usually order the birria, mole, carnitas, or a special they have going. All have been fantastic! The strawberry tres leches cake is also fantastic! I live next to La Super Rica which is not bad, but I prefer Corazon in many ways!

Bryan

Amazing homestyle tacos just like mom makes them. The shrimp taco was one of the best I’ve had. Seasoning was on point for all the tacos. Great vibe too with latin music playing and beautiful authentic decor. Highly recommended

This place had been on my list for a while, as I'd heard amazing things. There was a very long line at lunch time, and it took ~20 minutes or so to get to the front. Once we got there, they told us it would be 40 minutes before we got our food – that probably would have been nice to hear at the back of the line so we could have made a decision before waiting 20 minutes! Eventually we did get our food. Overall decent! I wouldn't say anything blew me away particularly, but nothing bad at all. I probably won't rush back, but overall wasn't a bad meal.

First timers here since on vacation and we loved the decor of this place! Food and drinks were yummy as well! The queso fundido with chorizo was phenomenal! Service wasn’t the best especially since it wasn’t super busy but the vibes were there!

tastes pretty nice, but nothing special ceviches are pretty fresh burritos i think i like san diego's burritos better

Wendy Ayala

First timers here since on vacation and we loved the decor of this place! Food and drinks were yummy as well! The queso fundido with chorizo was phenomenal! Service wasn’t the best especially since it wasn’t super busy but the vibes were there!

stay_hungry_taipei

tastes pretty nice, but nothing special ceviches are pretty fresh burritos i think i like san diego's burritos better

The Michelada was delicious... Spicy, tangy and super refreshing. Highly recommend trying it out. The lemon ginger chia drink was nice but the ginger flavour was quite overpowering. Unfortunately the shrimp/octopus taco and the veggie quesadilla were quite disappointing and lacking in flavour. The ingredients, especially the seafood were incredibly fresh. But once it was all put together it fell flat. Also for the price the portions did feel a bit mean.

Was craving for some good authentic Mexican tacos and came across this spot inside the public market (just a food court) and it looked promising based on the reviews. Was hoping for street style Mexican tacos but instead I got something that was trying to be modern and reinvented and it just came out so mid. The Sat special was Birria Sopecito and the meat was really dry and couldn’t even finish the tortilla. Ceviche was ok shrimp texture didn’t feel fresh. The drink wasn’t too bad. The presentation was nice which probably explained why our food took so long to receive but they focused too much on this and not authenticity or flavor. Definitely not worth the price.

Joel Gonzaga

Was craving for some good authentic Mexican tacos and came across this spot inside the public market (just a food court) and it looked promising based on the reviews. Was hoping for street style Mexican tacos but instead I got something that was trying to be modern and reinvented and it just came out so mid. The Sat special was Birria Sopecito and the meat was really dry and couldn’t even finish the tortilla. Ceviche was ok shrimp texture didn’t feel fresh. The drink wasn’t too bad. The presentation was nice which probably explained why our food took so long to receive but they focused too much on this and not authenticity or flavor. Definitely not worth the price.

Tastes like soap! Ordered quesadilla la gringa. No mention of cilantro on the description. Bland tasting.

Food is amazing but honestly takes way to long to get. Even when no one else is in the market it’s easily over 30 min for a taco or two and over an hour if it’s online (and it usually still isn’t ready when they say it will be).

We were excited to try Corazón Cocina while in Santa Barbara, but honestly the food didn’t quite hit the mark for us. We really appreciated that it offered a healthy option, which is always welcome when travelling — but overall it lacked flavour and felt like it was missing a bit of love and soul. Also felt a bit overpriced for what we got. Not a terrible experience, but not something we’d rush back for either.

EEE

We were excited to try Corazón Cocina while in Santa Barbara, but honestly the food didn’t quite hit the mark for us. We really appreciated that it offered a healthy option, which is always welcome when travelling — but overall it lacked flavour and felt like it was missing a bit of love and soul. Also felt a bit overpriced for what we got. Not a terrible experience, but not something we’d rush back for either.

We tried it. While it's a good menu, the Ventura location is not recommended. They made our order to go and when they realized it was in house, the manager and bus boy moved the food from boxes to plates with bare hands and sneezed on the food. We paid in full but left without eating anything, worried about how they handled the food and the complete lack of adherence to Public health requirements. Hate to say it, we can't go back. It was so gross. Try the Carpenteria location. It's better.

I keep making mistake and order from them. The food is great, one of the best. But you cannot serve food in public market and take 30 min to deliver food to people dinning inside! People go there as a group and expect to eat together. All my friend are done eating their food and you are still waiting 30 min for 2 small tacos! They should put priority to people dinning in rather than pick up orders that are often big orders!

farnood mb

I keep making mistake and order from them. The food is great, one of the best. But you cannot serve food in public market and take 30 min to deliver food to people dinning inside! People go there as a group and expect to eat together. All my friend are done eating their food and you are still waiting 30 min for 2 small tacos! They should put priority to people dinning in rather than pick up orders that are often big orders!