Best of Santa Barbara® 2021

Here Are the Results of Our Annual Reader Survey

By Charles Donelan | Photos by Brian Kuhlmann | Illustrations by Ben Ciccati

Congratulations, happiness, and respect to all the great, hardworking winners and runners-up in the Santa Barbara Independent’s Best of Santa Barbara^® 2021 edition! You have persevered through the nonstop challenges of the last year and come out on top. Our readers have voted, and the results are in — they adore you.

Things around Santa Barbara are a lot better than they were a year ago, and you are a big part of the reason why. Tired? Yes. Determined? Absolutely. Grateful? One thousand percent!

If there was one baseline response throughout all the many messages we received in compiling this issue, it was the overwhelming sense of gratitude that’s shared in our community by businesses and customers alike. Business owners said they were grateful to their employees, to the people who patronize their services, and to the whole community for hanging tough and sticking together. Voters consistently accompanied their opinions with thank-yous and hosannas for the people and places who made their lives better in 2021.