Paloma Restaurant & Tequila Bar

Went for lunch on Tuesday Ian I ordered
The special poblano with mole sauce
To bad it was completely cold I’m not the one to complaint to the waitres
That’s why I give them 2 stars

Amazing drink for a sexy night out
Café de Media Noche
Ask Frank
He will make it for u
Coffee, Kahlua and Don Julio with secret spices and great coffee
Served with machismo
Trust me
You will be happy
Don’t blame me for any rash decisions you make after one of these amazing drinks

Stopped in after finding on Unilocal and we’re blown away! The ambience was very relaxed yet pretty. Our server Tomas was wonderful! He was so welcoming and took the time to explain the menu. The food was superb! If you are looking for a great restaurant while on Goleta, make sure to go to Paloma.

Terrible service. Carnitas was greasy and fatty. The only redeeming part is the salsa

Just returned from dinner at Paloma. We had Tapiquena, which consists of a variety of different dishes. Besides being extremely flavorful, it is a work of art in its presentation. What really stands out is the flank steak with the cheese-​stuffed poblano pepper. To top it off, we ordered flan, which was the best we’ve ever had, also very artistically presented. This place is far better than Los Agaves. It has a very nice ambiance too and the wait staff is consistently attentive. We highly recommend it.
P. S. For those who don’t like the 2 for 1 crunchy tacos on Taco Tuesday, try the soft tacos. They are completely different… and delicious!

Went to dinner with my family to la Paloma last weekend and had amazing service. I wish I would remember the name of our server he gave fantastic service. The food was amazing. I order shrimp empanadas which I never tried they where fantastic very cheesy as for the ceviche it would of tasted amazing if they decided not to add a lot of oregano. We also treated ourself and decided to order the chocoflan delicious

Best chimichanga and Bloody Mary ever. Can split the chimichanga and be extremely full and get a Bloody Mary for about $ 15 each. Not a bad brunch to have on Sunday! They also have a mimosa all you can eat brunch for $ 20 which is a good deal for those who can eat a lot and like mimosas. Their bloody Mary’s are where it’s at though.

We love this place! The salsas that you get when you arrive are delicious! We tried the ceviche and the steak/​jalapeño sauce tacos. Both of these were absolutely amazing! We then split the tampiquena that comes with an enchilada, chile relleno, rice and beans. It is so good! We come here at least 3 times a month. We have also had their tacos, tamales, burritos, and rolled tacos. So incredibly good. Great service, family friendly, casual, and fun!

Generic poor quality gringo «Mexican» food.
I only came back here because of a buy one get one free deal and now I remember why I don’t like coming here. Food is somewhat tasteless and flavorless. Beans are a very odd orange color and served almost cold. Rice is boring and bland. Taco shell is good but tacos overall are forgettable. Only thing I can say positively is that they give you three different salsas and chips with every meal.
I don’t understand the high reviews for this place. There is much better Mexican available around here.

Paloma is one of Goleta’s best secrets and happy hour gems. The rustic interior — complete with tin type stars twinkling from the ceiling — is warm and inviting. Much like the bar. And the tequila menu. And the service. Paloma dishes up rich, flavorful Mexican fare with an upscale edge. I especially love the lime, halibut ceviche and toasted empanadas. It’s more sophisticated than Rose Café, yet more casual than Cielito, making it the «Goldilocks» option between being too laid back and too fussy for a mid week marg fix.

Paloma always struck me as a cool place to eat; the restaurant is dim and ornate with a patio and tin star-​shaped lanterns on the ceiling.
I had two crunchy tacos, a shredded chicken and shredded beef, for Taco Tuesday at $ 2 each (a two taco combo with rice and beans is $ 15). My first impression was their huge size. They were stuffed and not lacking in meat, shredded lettuce, or cheese. They were rather greasy though. One of my bites from the beef taco was mostly fat. I was full after eating the one taco, and could not finish the second.
The three complimentary salsas were better than a lot of other salsas in town. The red one was on the generic tomato sauce taste end of the spectrum, but not bad.
What was excellent was the waiter. He came around a few times and felt like a genuinely friendly person. All the staff was above average.
I probably wouldn’t come back unless I was craving tacos on a Tuesday night. But then again Goleta does have Taco Bell and Los Agaves.

Went to Paloma on 08×07×15 at around 8:30PM with my fiancé. It was nearly packed but I was seated very quickly. Despite the amount of customers, the service was attentive and kind. We got their chips which are fantastic and their salsa is unbeatable and fresh.
We decided to split the Fish Cerviche appetizer and a vegetarian burrito. Whilst the appetizer was good the veggie burrito was amazing. I’m a fan of Los Agaves but hands down this burrito was better. The rice was great as well and full of flavor and the guacamole was fresh and seasoned to perfection.
So if you’re looking for a better atmosphere than Los Agaves but equal (if not better) food, then give Paloma a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Thanks, Paloma! Keep up the good work!

I was frantically searching for a restaurant for my brother’s graduation lunch. Granted, I had a late start and a huge party, and both factors greatly hindered my search. My brother suggested Paloma because their head chef used to work for Los Agaves (I’m not a Santa Barbara native but apparently Los Agaves is the shizz). I gave Paloma a ring and Eduardo was able to accommodate my reservation for 12 people! Every single place I called was booked or didn’t have tables for so many diners. Needless to say, Paloma came to our rescue!
A few days before my reservation, I had to adjust my party size because some folks couldn’t make it. I gave Eduardo a call and he changed my reservation without any fuss. Then, I called the day of, and informed them we would actually be arriving an hour early, but no problem (again!), they set up our table and we were promptly seated when we arrived. Based on my pre-​meal experience alone, Paloma had already won me over.
My friend’s mom makes the most legit and delicious Mexican food I know. And even she was impressed by the quality and flavors of the dishes offered at Paloma. I can’t recall each item we ordered but the standout for me was definitely the Tacos del Mar: two soft tacos with fresh seasonal white fish (or black tiger shrimp), guacamole, special cabbage slaw, and chipotle sauce. It’s served with rice and house tropical salad. The fish was flaky and soft. The cabbage slaw was fresh and crunchy. And the house tropical salad was tangy good. I enjoyed the strong flavors, but nothing was overwhelming.
I also tried the Mole Tacos: two chicken soft tacos topped with mole poblano sauce, served with rice and beans. I didn’t know what mole poblano sauce was, so I was in for a rude, spicy awakening. These tacos weren’t for me because I can’t handle hot foods but for all of you who don’t mind sweating it out, these chicken tacos were generous and hearty.
We also devoured various burritos (served with a side of rice, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa fresca) and enchiladas (served with rice and beans). Everyone was happy with their food and the service was solid (oh, and complimentary chips!). The prices and portions are reasonable. Although Paloma isn’t a fancy place, it’s very open and relaxing. We probably didn’t need a reservation because it was pretty empty during our visit but I really appreciated the top-​notch customer service I received.

I tend to forget about this place since it’s totally off the beaten path. If you’re familiar with the ever so popular Los Agaves restaurant then you will notice some similarities here such as the salsa, the rice served in the shape of a pyramid, and a side of beans served in a mini tostada shell. As rumor has it one of the chefs that works at this restaurant use to work for Los Agaves.
Is the food just as great? It depends on what you order. So far I haven’t experienced any meals to complain about; although today I had a burrito and it was overstuffed with beans and less meat. So just a tip you may want to ask them to cut back on the beans. Menu prices are pretty reasonable and you get complimentary chips served with 3 different types of salsa (red mild salsa, roasted tomatillo, and a spicy avocado). All of these are delicious!
The service here can be pretty slow from what I’ve experienced. Even when they aren’t so busy the waiters just seem to wander around and walk by you without checking on you. So just a bit of warning you may have to flag them down. Very annoying!
They have a small bar area but offer a reasonable happy hour Mon. — Fri. from 4 – 6:30 p.m.
You can expect $ 5 margaritas, well drinks, $ 3.50 premium draft beer, and appetizer specials.
I’ve been here for taco Tuesday and it’s very good! For $ 2.50 you can get chicken/​beef crispy tacos or soft tacos with meat of choice. The only thing is you must eat them at the restaurant and they do not allow you to take them to go. The tacos are the same as the old Rudy’s restaurant if you’re familiar with them.
They also take the Axxess Card — Buy one meal get one Free
Give this place a try if you haven’t been here yet!

This place has pretty good chilaquiles and even better mole. Great drinks. I wish they carried spicier sauce tho.
It has a really chill atmosphere. Would recommend!

Visiter to Santa Barbara and Goleta area, was looking for Mexican food and super hungry and impatient, we Unilocaled this place and this is where we ended up…
We were greeted right away. Very friendly service. But the time from when we were seated to actually getting a server over just to get drinks, took a little longer than it should. We were almost done with our chips by the time the server came over. However, the chips were warm and the salsas were very tasty. They also gave us a appetizer plate of sliced apples and cucumber that tasted like it had salt and paprika on. Very tasty. Would have been nice to have a beverage go with it tho. lol
I ordered a special which was the Mahi Mahi tacos. Sounded amazing on the menu. That was not the case. The cole slaw dressing it came with was pretty dry. No real flavor to it. The fish was cooked just fine. But the taco was pretty boring. All good, I’m supposed to be on a diet anyways, so it just helped me not over eat. Lol.
However, for a tequila bar, the margarita I ordered was pretty good! Top shelf tequila, and it was delicious. So long story short, friendly service, good drinks, so so food.

I’ve only ever been here for taco Tuesday but I have to say their tacos are probably the tastiest in town (sorry Lily’s!) the meat was moist and super flavorful, and their salsas tasted great! We sat at the bar and our service was kind and efficient.
I’ll be back to try more in the future!

I only had been here for happy hour once a long time ago. Me and my friend were in the neighborhood and decided to come in for dinner. It was not packed, but rather busy. We got seated right away and a waiter brought us three different types of salsa (salsa with avocado, salsa quemada and a red salsa) and a basket of chips (delicious I should add).
Our server for the night came by and introduced himself, his name is Eric. Asked if what we liked to drink and water was our answer. As I looked at the menu everything sounded so good, but I was kind of afraid to get something and not like it. So I thought of getting the Sopes, something that I am familiar with. When Eric came to take our order I decided to ask him, «what do you like from the menu?» He responded that many customers like the Carne Brava and the Paloma Enchiladas. And when Eric explained to us each plate, they sounded better than what I had in mind.
So I got the Carne Brava ($ 17) which is tender flank steak sauteed with pasilla peppers and onions. Served with frijoles charros, grilled nopal, guacamole, grilled onions, and warm tortillas (corn or flour). And my friend got the Paloma Enchiladas ($ 15) which is two shrimp and cheese enchiladas topped with a creamy chipotle sauce and served with a tropical salad and a side of rice (the sauce was amazing).
Thanks to our server, Eric we had a great dinner and a great time, he was attentive and brought us more chips and salsa. I would definitely recommend it.

Two words: Taco Tuesdays. I had their crunchy beef taco, soft carnitas taco, and soft carne asada taco. They were all delicious but man, next time I’m here I’ll make sure to devour a bunch of carnitas tacos. The crunchy taco had a lot of lettuce and cheese, but a good proportion of meat too. There’s also lettuce and cheese on the side so you have the option to adjust how much you want on your soft tacos.
The waiters all helped accommodate our big group to make our dinner dining experience enjoyable. My friend also got complementary flan for his birthday, along with the waiters singing «Happy Birthday»! We had a great experience, and hopefully that carries on to any future visits to this place.

If I could give zero stars I would. I came here again on Tuesday and got the same horrible service. They got my order wrong. AGAIN. And the server came to our table maybe once. To take our order –_​– then didn’t even so much as acknowledge us. Someone else had to bring our food because it was sitting there forever. Then when we finally got it, it was cold! Food is overpriced for what it is. I would say save your money. There’s plenty of other Mexican restaurants with way better prices, food, and service. If you decide to go here good luck!
I personally will be going to Pepe’s or los arroyos from now on.
They also somehow blocked or deleted a review I had left a while ago.