632 SANTA BARBARA STREET
SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101
805.963.0378
jillsplacesb.com
Diners entering Jill’s Place for the first time might wonder why a track with meat hooks runs along the ceiling or why an array of sharpening steels hangs in a boxed display. Talk to Jill Shalhoob though - easy enough, since she’s always here checking on her loyal, mainly local, customers - and cast your eyes on the neon sign that reads “The Butcher’s Daughter,” and it all adds up. Those things are here because this unpretentious restaurant used to be her fathers’ butcher shop, and Jill essentially grew up here. After her dad expanded and moved, she opened a deli, then the restaurant. It’s all about roots, tradition and family, the kind of place visitors want to find - and sometimes do. Open from morning ’til night, Jill’s Place offers great values on perfectly cooked steaks, a sensational open-face meatloaf sandwich and plenty of burgers and other sandwiches, salads and comfort-food favorites like split pea soup and spaghetti Bolognese made according to Jill’s grandmother’s recipe. Jill’s dad taught her how to season and cut meat, and she still does. The coffee’s good, and the bar offers Happy Hour Cosmos and Martinis for $7. Order a mixed appetizer plate of steak, chicken and sausage bites, and settle in.
