Post-security sit-down meals are rare at SBA; Costa Terraza is it.
Costa Terraza Restaurant & Tapas Bar sits in Terminal 1 past security, and it’s the only true table-service option once you’re through screening. It runs roughly 09:00–19:00, so you can get a real meal before a mid-morning departure or an early evening flight. Figure this as your main option if you don’t want to live on packaged snacks from the concourse.
The airport lists Costa Terraza as serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all from the same compact dining room. Morning hours are good for a basic eggs-and-toast type plate or something sweet before a 10:00 flight. Later in the day, the menu shifts toward tapas-style bar food and simple mains, enough to count as lunch or a light dinner rather than just grazing.
Beer and wine here lean local, pulling from producers around Santa Barbara County. Expect a short list, not a book, but it’s one of the few places in the terminal where you can sit with a glass of Central Coast wine instead of a generic domestic lager in a plastic cup. Prices track typical small-airport restaurant levels, roughly what you’d see at a casual spot downtown plus an airport markup.
Costa Terraza sits in the secure area marked for ticketed passengers only, so you can’t meet non-flying friends here for a meal. Regulars plan to grab coffee or a snack landside, then eat properly after they’ve cleared TSA. With SBA’s small size, you’re usually seated within minutes, even when the last bank of 17:00–19:00 departures is loading.
Practical tip: clear security first, then head straight to Costa Terraza for a sit-down order; with lines short in Terminal 1, you can often fit in a full plate and a drink within a 45–60 minute pre-boarding window.