Little Mountain occupies a Spanish Colonial-inspired space on San Ysidro Road in Montecito, cooking off a wood-fired kitchen that follows the seasons of the Central California coast. The menu leans on relationships with local farmers, ranchers, and anglers, aiming to let ingredients speak rather than dressing them up — a globally informed but distinctly Californian style of cooking.
Chef Diego Moya leads the kitchen. Born in Chile and raised partly on Long Island, he trained across Astrid y Gastón in Lima, Nahm in Bangkok, and Le Comptoir and L'Arpège in Paris before returning to New York, where he ran kitchens at Casa Mono, Hemlock, and Racines NY and later served as Culinary Director for Brooklyn's Oberon Group, overseeing restaurants including Rucola and June wine bar. At Little Mountain, that background feeds a vegetable-forward, seasonally driven menu.
The room is designed for conviviality — rustic, elegant details meant to feel like entertaining at home — paired with a wine and spirits list built around small, low-intervention producers. Michelin selected Little Mountain for its 2026 Santa Barbara guide.
Chef Diego Moya leads the kitchen. Born in Chile and raised partly on Long Island, he trained across Astrid y Gastón in Lima, Nahm in Bangkok, and Le Comptoir and L'Arpège in Paris before returning to New York, where he ran kitchens at Casa Mono, Hemlock, and Racines NY and later served as Culinary Director for Brooklyn's Oberon Group, overseeing restaurants including Rucola and June wine bar. At Little Mountain, that background feeds a vegetable-forward, seasonally driven menu.
The room is designed for conviviality — rustic, elegant details meant to feel like entertaining at home — paired with a wine and spirits list built around small, low-intervention producers. Michelin selected Little Mountain for its 2026 Santa Barbara guide.