Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Santa Maria by diners

The average person spends over 74 minutes eating and drinking on any given weekday. On weekends and holidays, that goes up to over 81 minutes. Where is a better place to spend that time than a restaurant?

Consumers agree. The National Restaurant Association states that 9 in 10 adults enjoy eating out at restaurants, which give people access to a world of great-tasting food that's often difficult to reproduce at home.

People choose restaurants to scope out the latest food trends, including deeper dives into Southeast Asian cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, without trying to master these complex dishes at home. Chefs also have the resources to experiment with ingredients and bring new favorites like hot honey, spicy maple, matcha, and pickled foods to the table.

Dining out also offers unique, hyperlocal experiences featuring local farmers, food producers, brewers, winemakers, and distillers in a way that connects diners to the area.

When the weather's nice, diners flock to al fresco seating. At least 2 in 5 diners like eating outdoors and look for great ambience like skyline views, rooftop settings, and waterfront seating to enhance their dining experience.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in the Santa Maria area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 4, 2025. Only businesses marked as having outdoor seating on the Yelp website were included. Yelp's ranking system calculates an adjusted rating value that considers the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews within a 10-kilometer radius of Santa Maria were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included. Read on to see if your favorite spot made the list.

Las Cazuelas Restaurant

1 / 29

#29. Las Cazuelas Restaurant

- Rating: 4.0/5 (281 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 131 West Dana St. Nipomo, California
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

The Mayors Place

2 / 29

#28. The Mayors Place

- Rating: 4.0/5 (220 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 181 West Tefft St. Nipomo, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Fish & Chips, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Trattoria Uliveto

3 / 29

#27. Trattoria Uliveto

- Rating: 4.1/5 (482 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 285 South Broadway St. Old Orcutt, California
- Categories: Italian, Bars
- Read more on Yelp

The Natural Cafe

4 / 29

#26. The Natural Cafe

- Rating: 4.1/5 (236 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2407 South Broadway Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Juice Bars & Smoothies, Burgers, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

In-N-Out Burger

5 / 29

#25. In-N-Out Burger

- Rating: 4.1/5 (256 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1330 South Bradley Road Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Burgers, fast food
- Read more on Yelp

Taco Ranchero

6 / 29

#24. Taco Ranchero

- Rating: 4.2/5 (104 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 108 East Jones St. Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Mexican, Salad, Soup
- Read more on Yelp

Butterfly Grille

7 / 29

#23. Butterfly Grille

- Rating: 4.2/5 (65 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1606 Trilogy Pkwy Monarch Dunes Golf Course Nipomo, California
- Categories: American, Burgers, Sports Bars
- Read more on Yelp

La Vera Pizzeria

8 / 29

#22. La Vera Pizzeria

- Rating: 4.2/5 (79 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 239 Town Center West Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

California Hot Dogs

9 / 29

#21. California Hot Dogs

- Rating: 4.2/5 (25 reviews)
- Address: 1311 Nicholson Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Burgers, Shaved Ice, Hot Dogs
- Read more on Yelp

Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ

10 / 29

#20. Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ

- Rating: 4.3/5 (941 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 108 Cuyama Lane Nipomo, California
- Categories: Barbecue, Tex-Mex, Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

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AL PHO

11 / 29

#19. AL PHO

- Rating: 4.3/5 (643 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1201 East Main St. Ste B Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Vietnamese, Barbecue, fast food
- Read more on Yelp

California Grill Nipomo

12 / 29

#18. California Grill Nipomo

- Rating: 4.3/5 (243 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 277 West Tefft St. Ste A Nipomo, California
- Categories: Burgers, Sandwiches, American
- Read more on Yelp

Cugini's Pizzeria & Trattoria

13 / 29

#17. Cugini's Pizzeria & Trattoria

- Rating: 4.3/5 (403 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 230 East Betteravia Road Ste G Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Italian, Pizza, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Zoe's Hawaiian BBQ

14 / 29

#16. Zoe's Hawaiian BBQ

- Rating: 4.3/5 (574 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2880 Santa Maria Way Ste A-2 Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Hawaiian
- Read more on Yelp

Tom's Take Out

15 / 29

#15. Tom's Take Out

- Rating: 4.3/5 (152 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 826 West Main St. Santa Maria, California
- Categories: American
- Read more on Yelp

Urbane Cafe

16 / 29

#14. Urbane Cafe

- Rating: 4.3/5 (383 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 655 East Betteravia Road Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Sandwiches, Salad, New American
- Read more on Yelp

Papa Napoli Italian Deli

17 / 29

#13. Papa Napoli Italian Deli

- Rating: 4.4/5 (299 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 325 East Betteravia Road Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Delis, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Kay's Country Kitchen

18 / 29

#12. Kay's Country Kitchen

- Rating: 4.4/5 (865 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 135 East Clark Ave. Orcutt, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, American, Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

Bill's Take Out

19 / 29

#11. Bill's Take Out

- Rating: 4.4/5 (108 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 523 North Broadway Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Burgers, fast food
- Read more on Yelp

Stefono's Sapori D' Italia

20 / 29

#10. Stefono's Sapori D' Italia

- Rating: 4.4/5 (93 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 330 West Tefft St. Nipomo, California
- Categories: Hot Dogs, Italian, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Cups & Crumbs

21 / 29

#9. Cups & Crumbs

- Rating: 4.4/5 (187 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 156 Broadway St. Unit B Orcutt, California
- Categories: Creperies, Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

The 'A' Street Cafe

22 / 29

#8. The 'A' Street Cafe

- Rating: 4.5/5 (102 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2445 A St. Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Cafes, Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Pizzeria Bello Forno

23 / 29

#7. Pizzeria Bello Forno

- Rating: 4.5/5 (369 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 119 East Clark Ave. Orcutt Ca Orcutt, California
- Categories: Pizza, Wine Bars, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

Cubanissimo Cuban Coffee House & Cafe

24 / 29

#6. Cubanissimo Cuban Coffee House & Cafe

- Rating: 4.6/5 (427 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4869 South Bradley Road Ste 118 Orcutt, California
- Categories: Cuban, Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Bubbles & Tea Coffeehouse

25 / 29

#5. Bubbles & Tea Coffeehouse

- Rating: 4.6/5 (38 reviews)
- Address: 338 West Tefft St. Ste B Nipomo, California
- Categories: Sandwiches, Desserts, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp

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Big Truck Foods

26 / 29

#4. Big Truck Foods

- Rating: 4.6/5 (24 reviews)
- Address: Lompoc, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Burgers, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

The Garden Mediterranean

27 / 29

#3. The Garden Mediterranean

- Rating: 4.7/5 (782 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 122 East Boone St. Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Mediterranean, Vegetarian
- Read more on Yelp

Deli Delicias & Fresh

28 / 29

#2. Deli Delicias & Fresh

- Rating: 4.7/5 (70 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 110 South Pine St. Ste 105 Santa Maria, California
- Categories: Mexican, Delis
- Read more on Yelp

Cafe DeVille

29 / 29

#1. Cafe DeVille

- Rating: 4.8/5 (93 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 133 South Thompson Ave. Nipomo, California
- Categories: Burgers, Beer Bar, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.