Longtime South Coast Staple Esau’s Cafe Opens in Santa Barbara
Scott and Arti Stanley will continue to operate their restaurant in Carpinteria.
Continuing a 52-year Santa Barbara tradition, the new Esau’s Café will open Wednesday within the new Paseo Chapala project at 729 Chapala St. in Santa Barbara.
Scott and Arti Stanley, purveyors of fine food in the South Coast area for more than three decades, are pleased to reopen Esau’s in the downtown area and will bring the best of their fine culinary talents to their loyal following of local customers.
The new Esau’s restaurant features interior and exterior patio dining and is a visual treat of warm, inviting dining spaces and high-end surf photography gallery.
The new facility was designed by local award-winning architect Michael Holliday AIA and features artwork by Carpinteria surfer and artist Rick Sharp.
“Unique back-lighting of the traditional oil paintings by Rick Sharp create an illusion of windows to another world and bring a classic Santa Barbara feel to the interiors, which highlight local surf breaks from Rincon to North County,” Holliday said.
In addition to the oil painting artwork, both dining rooms feature surf photography from an elite list of Santa Barbara surf photographers. Hand-selected pieces from renowned surf photographers David Pu’u, Scott Price, David Orias, Sean Collins, Nick Alker and others showcase Santa Barbara surf breaks and Santa Barbara surfers in their aquatic element around the world.
The ceiling features select handcrafted surfboards from Santa Barbara shapers Al Merrick, Renny Yater, Dave Johnson and others.
The new cafe also features two large-screen, high-definition televisions that will feature a continuous display of Santa Barbara photographic images and also can be used to showcase local sports teams images for private parties or gatherings.
Michael Holliday is principal architect of J. M. Holliday Associates Inc.
» wrote on 08/28/08 @ 09:39 AM
I’ve been eating at Esau’s for almost 30 years now, and I ate at the new restaurant yesterday. Same great food, but the new place is over the top cool. I can’t wait to come back for dinner!
Scott and Arti welcome back to SB.
Fred
» wrote on 08/28/08 @ 10:10 AM
I just love Esau’s and the new facility in SB looks beautiful. This has always been “the classic surfers place” to eat and hang out, but the new digs, artwork, and photos appear to take things to a whole new level. I guess surfers can have great taste too! Looks like a cool, new, must see location and I can’t wait to eat there.
Barbara
» wrote on 08/28/08 @ 10:21 AM
FINALLY!!!! Esau’s is back where they belong, in downtown SB. The new place rocks, I’ve been looking in the windows for the past few weeks and walked in to check it out yesterday. The place was packed. The photos and interior design are perfect. The food has always been great but the new cafe looks like it meets the same high standard as the great food. I like this Chapala Street location much better than the “rough around the edges” lower State Street locale. Best wishes for great success.
Richard S.
» wrote on 08/28/08 @ 11:34 AM
I ate ther yesterday too! Really great food as usual! It’s really nice to see a local restaurant in a new building!! Good job Esau’s!!
» wrote on 08/28/08 @ 03:13 PM
One of my favorite aspects to Esau’s has always been the amazing wait staff. I hope some of them are still around!
» wrote on 08/28/08 @ 03:13 PM
Beautiful! Can’t wait to check it out. I remember going to breakfast at Esau’s was always a treat. Looking forward to my next trip to SB just so I can enjoy the new digs and great food.