The Neighborhood Grill has been buzzing and busy living up to its name since its June opening in Noleta’s Turnpike Shopping Center. It’s become a regular lunch, happy hour, and dinner spot for locals who come for the casual family-friendly vibe, straightforward-yet-satisfying comfort food classics, and wallet-friendly prices. Some stay to sip a cocktail or beer and watch the game on one of nine TVs sprinkled between the dining room, bar, and outdoor patios. This is a place that can be enjoyed in a lot of different ways.
“I knew from living in the neighborhood and having a daughter across the street at San Marcos what this area needed,” says general manager and operating partner Ted Ellis, “and I got to have fun designing something that caters to the locals.” Ellis teamed up in the venture with businessman and owner Leo Bunnin, who took over the space after former occupant La Cantina closed.
The gregarious Bunnin, a third-generation auto dealer in Ventura County, is also a passionate foodie and restaurant investor. “One important goal with The Neighborhood Grill was to reach out to our neighbors and community,” says Bunnin. A case in point is the special lunch menu geared toward San Marcos students, who can order by call or text from a menu that includes $3.95 tacos and $9.95 smashburgers.
Ellis is a hospitality veteran whose 15 years of experience in Santa Barbara spans leadership roles at eateries from the Bacara, The Lark, Lucky Penny, and Les Marchands Restaurant & Wine Shop (now closed) to Opal and Oku. His most recent gig was as co-owner with his wife, Greer, of the well-loved but too-short-lived We Want the Funk in, yes, the Funk Zone. Before making the move to Santa Barbara, he spent 16 years in San Francisco as sommelier and manager at some of that city’s finest establishments…