Two nights in Santa Barbara equals two places to go to to attempt to have amazing food. Sadly, my friend couldn’t come the second night (the joys of having kids, amirite?), but she recommended Convivo as she claimed it had the best pizza she has had in the area. That sounds like a perfect reason to go, so we booked in and walked over there in the evening. As it turns out, Santa Barbara can be incredibly cold, especially when it’s windy, and we felt frozen by the time we arrived. Sadly, they only had outdoor seating, but we thought the lamp would keep us warm enough (which was not true, so we ended up moving indoors halfway through our meal, so if you wonder why the picture quality differs, now you know.)
We decided we wanted to share a few dishes, so we started with the chicken liver mousse and the pesce crudo. Both were very tasty, but the mousse was really spectacular. This was followed by a Jamon Serrano pizza with gorgonzola, sprouts and caramelized onion, and my friend was pretty accurate in the amazingness of the pizza they provided.
Finally we got some ribs served with some pickled vegetables and a side of roasted carrots. It all ended up being a lot of food, and while the ribs were tasty, I think the ribs the previous night were better. There were also some reasonably priced Italian wines on the menu that we had to partake in. And while we were very full, there were some promising drinks on the dessert menu, so you can’t order them without something sweet, and I decided panna cotta was a fantastic way to end the meal. It was definitely a great example, as the wobble was out of this world, and the whole dish was incredibly enjoyable.
Convivo ended up being a great choice for our second night, even with the incredible wind and cold temperatures. The food was really tasty, and the service was good as well (considering they let us move inside halfway through our meal). If you like Italian and happen to be in Santa Barbara, Convivo is definitely an excellent choice for you!
Score: 4/5
Recommendation: Grab a pizza, some wine and panna cotta!
Convivo
901 E. Cabrillo Blvd
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
