Restaurant Roy: Santa Barbara’s arty eatery turns 30

Restaurant Roy: Santa Barbara’s arty eatery turns 30

By Nancy Ransohoff

This summer marks the 30^th year that chef-owner Roy Gandy has operated his eponymous Restaurant Roy (restaurantroy.com) at its location on West Carrillo Street in downtown Santa Barbara. A fixture in the community since its opening in 1993 with a menu offering soup, salad, and an entrée for $10, the eatery that feels like a comfortable combo of neighborhood bar, cool nightclub, and corner diner continues to thrive.

Gandy carved out a niche early on with his approachable prices, live music, and late-night dining. “We’re open until midnight,” says Gandy. “We get a lot of people after a show or a movie, or checking in late at a nearby hotel.”

Another standout feature of the restaurant is its rotating display of original art work, most created by local artists and for sale. The art shows, which generally stay up for one or two months, represent a wide range of styles and include work by artists such as Santa Barbara’s Brad Nack, who returns with a show this November through December that incorporates his ongoing “100% Reindeer Art Show,” along with abstract work by his late father, Ken Nack.

“I like big, colorful, interesting art that you can see from across the room,” says Gandy. “I call this a family restaurant. It’s different from an art gallery–I don’t want to have things that will make people feel uncomfortable while they’re having dinner. It has to be appropriate for the setting.”

The art-filled walls frequently serve as a conversation starter. “It’s typical that a couple will sit down, order a drink, look around and say to their partner, ‘what do you think of the art?’” says Gandy. He has long-standing relationships with some of his featured artists like Nack, who was also a server at the restaurant until the pandemic. Others are more recent acquaintances that come about by word of mouth or through serendipity. “I was at Kinko’s printing menus and another customer, painter Stephen Harper, was printing flyers for one of his shows. I looked at his art and we put together a show for the restaurant.”

On view during July and August is a collaborative show of paintings by Gandy’s daughter, Leena Inloes-totten (who also works at the restaurant a couple days a week) and her sons Jayden, Weston, and Killian. Slated for September and October is photography by Zack Harris.

A sprinkling of art pieces from previous shows endures, hanging out in the restaurant like a group of old friends. An oil painting by Santa Barbara artist Chris Potter depicts a sidewalk scene with a distinctive hedge at the corner of Anapamu and Laguna streets. “For this painting, I traded dinners at the restaurant for art from Chris,” says Gandy.

Each of the artists and their work adds to the creative energy, personality, and vibrancy that the restaurant exudes. “Art helps to set the tone and create an atmosphere and environment,” says Gandy. “It says everything about the place.”

Restaurant Roy is open seven days a week from 6 p.m. to midnight. 7 West Carrillo Street, Santa Barbara, 805-966-5636.

More Dining Out Articles