A Dog-Friendly Trip to Santa Barbara, California
A dog-friendly trip to Santa Barbara, California, featuring the Cruisery and the Mackenzie Park Dog Park.
On our April 2025 road trip from Colorado to California, we stopped for lunch in Santa Barbara, on our way from Barstow to Solvang.
The Cruisery
Our lunch at the Cruisery in Santa Barbara was one of our best meals of the trip. I found this place on BringFido and knew I wanted to stop by because it didn’t just look dog-friendly, but dog-obsessed!
Getting to the Cruisery was a little tricky, but certainly manageable. We parked pretty close, next to the Haley Hotel. It looks like there are a few places to park in the area, but I would recommend choosing a lot or deck before you go.
The outdoor seating looked lovely, but this was one of the rare cases of bad weather in Santa Barbara, so we sat inside. Yes, the dogs were allowed to sit inside with us!
They even have high chairs for smaller dogs, so they don't feel left out from the conversation at the table.
The staff was extremely friendly and welcoming, and the dogs got lots of attention.
I love that they have a dog menu, and even a birthday special. Sadly, we were trying to play it safe with Piper's sensitive stomach, so all they got were the complimentary homemade treats.
We came here mostly for the dogs, but we were very impressed with the human food and drinks.
The food was creative, fresh, and incredibly tasty. We started with the Asian Ceviche and some drinks (bonus points that they had actually good mocktails). I got the Panela Salad and Adam had the Banh Mi Flatbread. Highly recommend either, or both, or honestly anything on the menu. My only regret was that we couldn't try more, but we had a lot more day ahead of us.
I don't even know what I'd recommend here -- I don't think you can really go wrong.
This was a fancier lunch than we usually have, but it was worth the splurge.
MacKenzie Park Dog Park
After a wonderful lunch at the Cruisery, we stopped at the MacKenzie Park Dog Park.
Parking was a little more challenging than I expected, but I probably should have prepared more. There are some spots right in front of the park on State Street, but you’ll need to be driving the correct direction (with the park on your right) to get to those spots.
We ended up street parking on Samarkand Dr. and walking down to the park, which wasn't bad at all, just required some maneuvering.
The people at the dog park were friendly and chatty, which is always nice. We got to talk about our dogs as they explored the wood-chipped area with an interesting pergola structure and a cool mural.
Maya loves any kind of covered area.
Reflections
Santa Barbara is well-known as a dog-friendly city. My only regret is that we didn't have more time here. It's definitely worth an overnight trip at least. Besides, where else can you see the Santa Barbara police department in person?
