Apertivo Wine Bar

Extra-fresh italian food. Impeccable service. Delicious wine and spritz selection. New favorite place in town for our italian family 🇮🇹

We’ve had dinner here 3 times in the past 30 days because it’s just so damn delicious. Service is always efficient and friendly. Lindsey is a true gem and we simply love her. We have always enjoyed their Italian DOCG wine. And saving the best for last, the food: best Italian food cooked in the United States. Yes, it is a bold statement and I stand by it. Every single dish we’ve tried is phenomenal - the presentation, flavor combinations, perfectly cooked homemade pasta, simple fresh ingredients … my mouth is watering just writing about it. This is truly a special place that has a lot of heart. You can taste it in their food. And they are opening a sister restaurant soon, too. I give Aperitivo my highest recommendation and am so grateful for experience.

Jinny C.

We’ve had dinner here 3 times in the past 30 days because it’s just so damn delicious. Service is always efficient and friendly. Lindsey is a true gem and we simply love her. We have always enjoyed their Italian DOCG wine. And saving the best for last, the food: best Italian food cooked in the United States. Yes, it is a bold statement and I stand by it. Every single dish we’ve tried is phenomenal - the presentation, flavor combinations, perfectly cooked homemade pasta, simple fresh ingredients … my mouth is watering just writing about it. This is truly a special place that has a lot of heart. You can taste it in their food. And they are opening a sister restaurant soon, too. I give Aperitivo my highest recommendation and am so grateful for experience.

CR250R

Best damn pasta and Negroni in the area. Been coming here for over 4 years. It is expensive but the quality is top notch and all eating out is pricey these days and in this area especially. If you want to save money cook yourself at home. The owner is amazing and all the workers are so friendly. Keep up the great work!

Bryson Sugai

Found this great little spot as we were passing through Santa Barbara. Offering Italian cuisine using local ingredients, a real hidden gem in an area with so many places to choose from. The staff were really friendly and everything we had felt very authentic and extremely tasty. Highly recommend this place.

Corinne Walter

My favorite place to eat in Santa Barbara! A small restaurant and limited menu of fresh pastas and gorgeous Italian offerings sourced locally. Wine list is strictly Italian

Devin Wong

Hands down our favorite spot in town! Brian and Andrea have cultivated an incredible restaurant. The menu is revolving and we’ve never had anything less than a 10/10 meal. A must if you’re looking for elevated Italian cuisine, a unique wine menu, and a romantic setting. Can’t recommend it enough!

Laura Heinz

My new favorite place! I loved the cocktail with espresso - so unique. The dishes are creative, beautiful, delicious and memorable. Loved the homemade pasta with uni especially.

Adam Bensalah

Aperetivo is a fantastic restaurant with a focus on fresh pasta that never disappoints. The menu changes regularly. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and the staff are attentive and knowledgeable. Whether you're a pasta lover or just looking for a memorable meal, Aperetivo is a must-visit! RECOMMEND!

Chiara Gallo

One of our favorite place in Santa Barbara! The food, wine and staff are amazing! Can’t wait to try their pasta club 🤗

chris campbell

Our new local spot, with great food and drinks! Okay - so we have been coming to Aperitivo for a while now, and every time we have the best possible experience - Give them a try!!

Alan Pottkotter

Amazing food. Love how the menu changes weekly. Small kitchen so not a big menu but it won’t disappoint.

Liz T

This place was awesome. The food was amazing. People great. Ambiance lovely. Small and worth waiting for a seat.

Laure D

Extra-fresh italian food. Impeccable service. Delicious wine and spritz selection. New favorite place in town for our italian family 🇮🇹

Fortunate enough to have eaten at some wildly acclaimed restaurants with Michelin stars. Have now eaten here a few times and can say this is hands down one of my top favorite restaurants. Tonight's special with corn pudding., mozzarella, truffle was my favorite single bite of food to date. We can't wait to come back.

One of the most charming venues in SB. As an SB resident I frequent very few places regularly and this is one of my hands down favorites! Absolutely worth a visit!

A culinary triumph. 10/10 would recommend. Some of the most advanced flavor profiles you’ll ever encounter

Aperitivo has creative, delicious northern Italian-inspired food as well as a list of spritz, which I believe is a northern Italian cocktail specifically. The ambiance is also excellent. Beyond the food and drink list, what is notable to me about Aperitivo is the great service. They are extremely attentive and accommodating for my wife's garlic allergy. They were able to adapt almost everything on the menu so she could still order most of the items. Really professional wait and kitchen staff. They don't take reservations, are usually busy on weekends, and close early, so don't wait till to late in the evening to go.

Alvaro Rojas

One of the most charming venues in SB. As an SB resident I frequent very few places regularly and this is one of my hands down favorites! Absolutely worth a visit!

Stephen Cornillie

A culinary triumph. 10/10 would recommend. Some of the most advanced flavor profiles you’ll ever encounter

Amy Stutz

Fortunate enough to have eaten at some wildly acclaimed restaurants with Michelin stars. Have now eaten here a few times and can say this is hands down one of my top favorite restaurants. Tonight's special with corn pudding., mozzarella, truffle was my favorite single bite of food to date. We can't wait to come back.

Kirsten Baillie

We had an amazing time sitting at the bar. You get very personalized service. They have fantastic cocktails, wine, and their food is delicious. It’s an Italian restaurant and the owner is there and gets personal with you, always greeting you with, “welcome back.” It makes it feel very “Cheers” like.

Ashley Johnson

Aperitivo is my go-to spot for hosting out-of-town guests, and whenever my husband and I miss Italy, this is where we come! The rotating menu, featuring locally sourced ingredients, always keeps things fresh and exciting. We love experiencing the flavors of different Italian regions through their incredible dishes and perfectly paired wines. Andrea and his team consistently deliver an authentic and unforgettable experience. We can’t wait to see what they do with the new location—it’s truly a little slice of Italian heaven in Santa Barbara!

Service is excellent. Atmosphere is similar to a small European restaurant. Food is great but very overpriced.

Megan Boyd

Service is excellent. Atmosphere is similar to a small European restaurant. Food is great but very overpriced.

Seated immediately with no reservation which was great. No menu descriptions or overview from server. Even worse. they've changed their entire menu and opened another restaurant focusing on pastas, which is what we came for. No mention before we were seated. Another lovely server came over to explain the situation. We decided to stay since we were already situation but it would have been nice to be informed of such a recent significant menu change.

Andy (Andy)

Seated immediately with no reservation which was great. No menu descriptions or overview from server. Even worse. they've changed their entire menu and opened another restaurant focusing on pastas, which is what we came for. No mention before we were seated. Another lovely server came over to explain the situation. We decided to stay since we were already situation but it would have been nice to be informed of such a recent significant menu change.

Pretty disappointed in Apertivo... We drove 5 hours down to enjoy a nice dinner at one of our most memorable meals only to learn that they no longer serve their pasta dishes here. They are now only served at their new restaurant, Manifattura, which has already has some less than stellar reviews even though they are newly opened. I hope the owners haven't gotten too far ahead of their skis, but all good things must come to an end eventually, even if for a short period. Can't say I will be cheering for them.

Maybe it was a bad menu, but I really don't get the hype. The food was not good. The corn trottole was very basic in flavor. The pasta itself was quite good, the sauce had a great creamy texture, and the breadcumbs provided a nice crunch. The flavor however was veryy one dimensional. It pretty much tasted like cream of corn soup. The scallops were unseasoned and added zero flavor as did the tarragon and whatever else was in it. The Pappardelle al pomodoro, again, was very basic in flavor. Somehow the salt levels were fine, but it lacked any sort of depth of flavor. This was in my list of places to try for a while. I'm so disappointed....

salim tarazi

Maybe it was a bad menu, but I really don't get the hype. The food was not good. The corn trottole was very basic in flavor. The pasta itself was quite good, the sauce had a great creamy texture, and the breadcumbs provided a nice crunch. The flavor however was veryy one dimensional. It pretty much tasted like cream of corn soup. The scallops were unseasoned and added zero flavor as did the tarragon and whatever else was in it. The Pappardelle al pomodoro, again, was very basic in flavor. Somehow the salt levels were fine, but it lacked any sort of depth of flavor. This was in my list of places to try for a while. I'm so disappointed....