A new Italian restaurant is set to open in Santa Barbara this week.
The Copper Cafe Restaurant will hold its grand opening at 1031 State Street on January 23, 2026, at 4 p.m. the restaurant announced in a social media post, offering locals and visitors the taste of authentic Neapolitan pizza and other signature delicacies.
The restaurant serves traditional Italian dishes and is open for lunch and dinner, according to its website. Honoring “centuries-old techniques,” the Copper Cafe Restaurant sources its ingredients directly from Italy and celebrates Neapolitan favorites.
The Copper Cafe Restaurant is opening at the former home of L’Antica Da Michele and The Copper Coffee Pot. The new restaurant is continuing ‘Copper’ in its name and celebrating the former cafe’s history, the restaurant mentioned in a post on Instagram on January 8, 2026.
Handcrafted pizzas are made with imported ingredients in a traditional stone oven. The pizza menu includes classic options, such as margherita, marinara, bianca, and Bolognese.
“Our pizzas begin the way they did generations ago in Naples: with time, patience, and a commitment to tradition,” according to the Instagram post.
Historical photo of the original Copper Coffee Pot at 1031 State Street in Santa Barbara (courtesy)
The Copper Cafe Restaurant follows the same techniques and 250-year-old recipes passed down through L’Antica Da Michele, allowing the dough to develop flavor before it inside the wood-fired pizza oven, the post added.
Describing the oven as the restaurant’s heart, the Copper Cafe Restaurant said it lends a subtle, smoky flavor “that you simply can’t fake.”
Each pizza arrives at the guest’s table with an “unmistakable Neapolitan balance: light yet satisfying, simple yet full of character.”
In addition to pizzas, the restaurant also serves classic Italian dishes such as a range of pastas, salads, a small selection of main courses, as well as coffee and tea.
The Copper Cafe Restaurant said it used Fior di latte cheese on its pizzas, describing it as a fresh, creamy cow’s milk mozzarella that melts into “soft, delicate pools” over the tomato base. For the pastas, the restaurant prefers to use the “sharp, nutty depth” of Pecorino Romano, a classic Italian cheese.
While the restaurant’s name may have evolved, the menu has grown, and the soul of the building holds the same nostalgic flavor as its earlier occupants, according to the Instagram post.
“At Copper, our story is not about trends or shortcuts. It’s about carrying forward a centuries-old Neapolitan tradition, preserving the spirit of L’Antica Da Michele, and at the same time, reviving the warmth and familiarity of The Copper Coffee Pot,” the restaurant added.
Dining and Cooking