Azul Cocina, recently opened in downtown Santa Barbara, is that inspiring combination of both great food you want to come back to again and again, plus dedicated, humble people you really want to see succeed.

Throw in one of the sweetest courtyard dining spaces in Santa Barbara — at 7 E. Anapamu St. and formerly Arts & Letters Café, Somerset, etc. — and it adds up to our kind of place, especially when the story includes a love affair that began almost 50 years ago in Durango, Mexico.  

But before we get all teary-eyed, let’s talk food.

The co-owners, chef Manny Diaz and his wife, Veronica Tovalin-Diaz, describe their food as “Elevated Mexican Cuisine,” combining traditional dishes from across Mexico with Spanish, French and Italian influences.

What’s required to bring Mexican cuisine to this higher level?

“Passion and patience,” Diaz, better known as “Chef Manny,” said in his soft spoken way.  “Food for me is art.”

Rembrandt, on his best day, would have struggled to match Diaz’s Duck con Mole, the smoked trout Azul Trucha Ahumada Dip, and the fresh local sea bass in mustard sauce, among the dishes that Team Let’s Go Eat has come to favor.

“Regulars,” said both Veronica and Manny, “know to order the things that aren’t necessarily traditionally Mexican.”

Diaz got his start in restaurants washing dishes at age 16 in Los Angeles.

“I was working with French chefs, and when they saw my enthusiasm, they let me help prep the food,” he told us.

“After three or four months they put me on the line making omelets and basic things.”

By age 18 he was sous-chef at the well-known Rudolpho’s in Los Angeles.

“That’s where I became a real chef, when I could create my own dishes,” he said.

“I never went to culinary school,” he added, “But I had the opportunity to work with and learn from some great chefs,” at restaurants like Nicola and the Pacific Grille.

He spent 11 years as head chef at Pacific Grille, and when the chain closed its Los Angeles location, he knew it was time to start his own place.

For that, he recruited his wife, Veronica, luring her away from a banking career. Soon they opened Bistro Provincia in Covina, a fine-dining French fusion project.

“It was a dream come true,” he said.

Veronica recalled it a bit differently.

“That first day was scary and challenging,” she said, laughing. “I’d been in banking, so I knew service, but restaurants are a whole different thing.”

After a successful five-year run, they moved the restaurant to Orange County, but the COVID-19 lockdowns forced them to close.

OC’s loss is SB’s gain, because their next move was to their current space in downtown Santa Barbara, with the great courtyard, nicely appointed bar and charming décor, which they opened with the help of restaurateur Edgar Estrada.  

OK, now the love story.

“We met at age 9 when Manny came to spend the summer with his grandparents in the little town where I lived,” Veronica shared. “We had an immediate crush on each other.

“He told his grandparents,” she recalled, “I’m going to marry her one day.”

Eleven years later, after they both had moved to Los Angeles, he made good on that promise, and they’ve been married now for 38 years, raising a family along the way.

These days at Azul Cocina, Chef Manny runs the kitchen and Veronica sees to the front of house and the bar. Together, they’ve managed to extend that family feeling to their guests, something we always appreciate.

Azul Cocina also has a nicely curated wine list and bar menu. Try the Margarita Flight if you can’t decide.

Looking ahead, the couple is excited to add special events to their offerings, like tequila dinners, wine-pairing nights (not often heard in the same sentence with Mexican food), and fusion menus with different cuisine and wine.

“And we have this magic patio,” Veronica added. “Great for weddings.” 

Probably the kind of place 9-year-old Manny had in mind when he first met Veronica.

Locals Only

Bring friends and order lots of dishes to share. And if you order fish or the duck, trust Chef Manny to cook it the way it should be.

When You Go

Azul Cocina Santa Barbara, at 7 E. Anapamu St. across from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m.