Stonehouse Restaurant

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Historic Setting, a Living Kitchen

The Stonehouse Restaurant occupies a 19th-century citrus packing house on the grounds of San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, just outside Santa Barbara. Crackling fireplaces, creek-side views, and a canopied ocean-view terrace — with a wood-burning fireplace and heated floors for cooler evenings — give the room a warmth that formal dining rooms rarely achieve. It has been named the #1 Restaurant in Santa Barbara by OpenTable, holds Michelin recognition, and earned a Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star rating, placing it among the most decorated tables on the California coast.

Chef Matt Johnson and the California Larder

The kitchen is led by Chef Matt Johnson, a California native whose family worked in the Santa Barbara wine industry. After graduating top of his class from the Santa Barbara School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management, he traveled through Europe, cooking alongside some of the continent's leading chefs before returning to showcase at the Masters of Food and Wine. He joined San Ysidro Ranch in 2008, and in 2014 was invited to cook a five-course dinner at The James Beard House — a menu built around Meyer lemons grown on the ranch's own grounds.

His cooking combines sophistication with comfort, drawing frequently from the Ranch's organic garden. The result is a Coastal Californian style that feels rooted in place rather than imported.

Standout Moments at the Table

The steak Diane — flambéed tableside and served with mashed potatoes, haricots verts, and a brandied cremini mushroom sauce — has become one of the restaurant's signature performances. Dessert often ends with a lemon tart made from those same estate-grown Meyer lemons, finished with lavender Chantilly cream.

Sunday brings a champagne brunch with free-flowing Billecart-Salmon, mimosas, and Bellinis. Afternoon Tea is served on the Veranda with house-made pastries, seasonal scones, and tea sandwiches — lobster profiterole with trout roe, wild mushroom quiche with truffle oil, avocado with poached quail egg and pomegranate — alongside an extensive selection of rare organic teas and fine Champagne by the glass.

The Wine Cellar

The Stonehouse is a Wine Spectator Grand Award recipient, with a cellar spanning 2,100 labels and more than 12,000 bottles. The ranch as a whole holds 15,500 bottles collected from around the world — a collection that shapes every meal, from a weekday lunch to a private dinner.

For guests staying at the ranch, dining at the Stonehouse is included with every stay, making the brunch, the terrace, and the whole unhurried rhythm of the place feel like a natural extension of the experience rather than an add-on.