Santa Barbara Italian Cafe

this was our secod time to visit this restaurant.
i had some of the best appetizer ever.
shrimp and scallops in butter garlic sauce
my wife had chicken mama with feta and spinch and I had a beef tenderloin with mushroom wine sauce
they served some kind of breaded potatoes which were amazing. waiter told us that it was breaded baked mashed potato with roasted garlic and bacon. it was the best
will be back and bring friends
clarance

This is a great Italian restaurant in Pearland. My friend told me that this place was great, and he ended up bringing me here for dinner. I don't remember we got but I loved his and my dish. We ended the dinner sharing this huge tiramisu that was delicious. This place is great. I would definitely recommend this place.

This is a great small family italian restaurant.
I tried a spicy pasta calabria with blackened chicken and my wife had a filet with tomato basil potatoes
appetizer was shrimp and scallops in butter garlic sauce
we tried their tiramisu which was very different but great
will return for their famous carrot cake
waiter told us they received best of houston in 05
gret place and great food
will be back soon

My family used to order from this place at least 3-5 times a month. The food is unmistakingly good, but the owner/manager is INCREDIBLY RUDE!!! (I believe his name was Lawrence?) I stopped to pick up dinner one night after work. We ordered the Tuscan Trio (fettucini alfredo, chicken parm, and lasagna) and by the time I got home, it was ALL in the bottom of the plastic bag they bagged it in and the floorboard of my car!!! I was IRATE! They think these big things of pasta will stay in a not-sealed styrofoam container!!! When all we could salvage of our $50 meal was the piece of chicken parm, I called the owner to complain about how it was bagged. He got very rude with me! I, nor any of my friends or family, will EVER eat at any of the locations EVER again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I used to love Santa Barbara. I lived in Pearland eight years ago and used to eat here all the time. It was wonderful. When I moved back I could not wait to visit. I went tonight and it was terrible. The lasagna haid a strange taste to it. The salad dressing smelled rotten so I didnt dare taste it. Mama needs to do some extensive training.

Do not go there.....restaruant has gone totally down hill since the owner sold to her son. He is a complete idiot. Their was a roach crawling on the wall. THe waitstaff literally looked lost. Asked them to replace a meal becasue it was wrong and the meal came out with two shrimp and she said the cooks decided to ""withold"" them because our kids ate them. (that was after the waitress told us it would be ok for them to eat them since they were going to go in the trash).....boy Momma made the biggest mistake by selling her restaraunt to her son. PLease do not go there.........its DIRTY

My wife and went to the Broadway location based on the rating from CitySearch. We were not at all impressed at any part of the experience. To begin, they bring you bread and ran out of butter. If you wanted any olive oil or any other type of topping, you had to pay $3.99. For the meal, my wife and I ordered Chicken Piccata and Chicken Verona. The only thing recognizable about the Chicken Piccata were the capers and the lemony flavor. Generally you have a light butter-based sauce on the pasta, they served an orange concoction that was too cheesy and heavy. The chicken verona was to have a sun dried tomato basil cream sauce, I received a thick red-orange sauce that after about the second bite was so heavy it felt like I was drowning in riccota. Although we received a large amount of food, you can't substitute quantity for quality. We suspect Mama's secret ingredient is the powdered cheese packets you find in the Macaroni & Cheese boxes. The service left a little to be desired. During the whole meal, our waiter was inattentive and inexperienced. The place was dirty, tables were unkept, floors were full of crumbs....even if it was a busy day, you would expect a certain level of hygiene. The meal was overpriced. I would not recommend anyone if you want real italian food. For the same price and level of service, you could get a lot more from Johnny Carino's or Olive Garden.

My wife and I have eaten here at least 30 times. We always share the Chicken Marsala and order an extra Caesar salad. One dinner order is plenty for the two of us. The Marsala is different than other places. I guess that's why we love it. We've stopped ordering Marsala at other places because we're always disappointed. Bring your own wine; there's no cost. And the desserts made by Mama are fabulous.

I went to this restaurant after a friend told me about it. It is really hard to impress me when it comes to Italian food, because I come from a family that makes it all from scratch! I have to say that the food is incredible! I loved everything and so did my husband. Our service was great and we were seated right away. We will be back here many more times I am sure.

The guy who slammed the chicken marsala can stay away for good -- opens up a seat for those who know great northern Italian/Croatian food. Service can be slow at times, but the food consistently great in my opinion. My wife and I have been coming here for over 5 years. We will continue to do so. Highly recommended!

I was referred to the Broadway Location by a realtor from the area. I ordered the Chicken Marsala. One of my Italian staple foods. I know this dish well, make it myself at home. What returned was not Chicken Marsala. It had a somewhat orange sauce. As if they mixed Marsala with a Marinara sauce, thus forming a sauce that was inferior to both. When I asked the waitress about it; She stated this is the way Mama makes it. Well this is not the way my Mama made it. I do not think I will be going back again.

I ate at the Friendswood location last night and the food was excellent. The bread was fresh, the salad was great, and the entree (Spinach Fettucini) was awesome. The service was so, so. The waiter was new, so we had to remind him constantly to refill our drinks and our salad came out with the meal. I'm definitely going back though, the food is that good.

When Mama first opened Santa Barbara's and was doing all the cooking it was excellent. It is still great, but I don't think all the dishes have the taste they used to have. She still makes the best chicken caesar salad anywhere, but even it isn't as good as it used to be. She used to have the best bread, but over the years it has changed. She is still very small, but she is still good. I recommend this one for anyone that enjoys a good meal, even if a little pricey.